"Huh, where are Li Xuan and his people?"
As more and more people arrived on the second level, they realized that Li Xuan and Sword Maniac’s people were nowhere to be seen. At that moment, everyone’s gaze turned towards the entrance to the third level.
"As expected of the top-ranked, they've already ascended to the third level," someone remarked with admiration.
"The spiritual energy on the second level is already eight times that of the outside world. The third level will likely be over ten times. I wonder if the entrance to the third level is still easy to access."
After a few words of discussion, the crowd continued towards the entrance of the third level. However, soon, some were directly repelled.
Meanwhile, Li Xuan had already reached the entrance to the fourth level and was heading directly for the fifth. As Li Xuan entered the second level, Yi Qin’s voice sounded in his mind. After listening to Yi Qin, Li Xuan resolutely chose to head towards the tower’s apex.
There was no other reason; the spiritual energy within the Cang Ling Tower could help Qing Xiao recover!
"The repulsive force of this barrier is likely something even mid-stage Martial God realm cultivators would find hard to withstand," Li Xuan muttered to himself, and his figure then vanished.
"Brother Li is truly formidable." As Sword Maniac stepped onto the fourth level, he saw Li Xuan’s figure disappear through the shimmering membrane. Sword Maniac smiled wryly, shook his head, then took a deep breath and sat down cross-legged to recuperate.
"Li Xuan has gone up?" A moment later, Zhou Wenjin and Liu Jiaqi, the two women, ascended and asked. Hearing this, Sword Maniac opened his eyes, nodded, then stood up and walked towards the entrance.
"Someone has already reached the fifth level." At this moment, Xuan Ye, outside the Cang Ling Tower, saw the spiritual light illuminating the fifth level and spoke.
"It should be that Li Xuan," Luo Xing mused after hearing this.
"Indeed, it's Li Xuan, and it appears he didn't exert much effort." Xuan Ye nodded. As the Domain Lord of the Central Region, Xuan Ye naturally had a certain connection with the Cang Ling Tower.
"This kid will likely be challenging the sixth level's trial soon," Zi Ru Lai said with a sigh.
Everyone present looked at the Cang Ling Tower with complex expressions. In less than fifteen minutes, even they hadn't reached the fifth level so quickly in their prime.
"Senior, can the spiritual energy on the fifth level satisfy Qing Xiao's absorption?" Li Xuan felt the density of the spiritual energy on the fifth level, which was already twenty times that of the outside world. With this in mind, Li Xuan immediately asked.
"It's barely enough, but it won't be enough to restore Qing Xiao to his original level," Yi Qin's voice replied.
Li Xuan sighed helplessly and then continued towards the sixth level.
"The sixth level…" Xuan Ye was also somewhat helpless at this point. If not for being able to sense the presence of the entrance membrane, Xuan Ye would have suspected the Cang Ling Tower spirit was going easy on Li Xuan.
Zi Ru Lai also relaxed slightly. Fortunately, he hadn't gambled with Nan Haotian before. Given Li Xuan's speed, he would likely reach the seventh level with ease.
"The spiritual energy on the sixth level is already thirty times that of the outside world. Li Xuan should stop here, right?" Luo Xing pondered aloud.
"Brother Luo, if you knew the spiritual energy on the sixth level reached thirty times that of the outside world, and you still had a chance to reach a higher level, would you choose to stop?" Hong Xingyi asked with a wry smile, shaking his head.
Luo Xing was stunned for a moment, then nodded with a bitter smile. Even he would probably continue.
Inside the Cang Ling Tower, Li Xuan took a deep breath of the intensely concentrated spiritual energy and walked towards the entrance of the seventh level.
As he ascended through the six levels, Li Xuan increasingly felt the repulsive force of the membrane strengthening. Simply put, it was like a spring. The membrane on the first level exerted a certain amount of repulsive force. But as one ascended, the spring became thicker and more powerful. If one could not withstand and suppress it, they could not pass through to the next level.
Li Xuan tentatively stepped forward and instantly felt the immense repulsive force of the membrane before him. With this feeling, Li Xuan directly used all his physical strength and stomped forward. But this time, Li Xuan's body did not pass through as it had before.
Soon, Li Xuan's left foot began to show signs of cracking from the inability to withstand the immense repulsive force. Seeing his veins bulge, a fierce glint flashed in Li Xuan's eyes, and he continued to press forward.
*Crack!*
In an instant, Li Xuan's left leg completely split open. Blood flowed down his left leg, and he was immediately blasted backward. The cracks, in just a few seconds, spread throughout Li Xuan's entire body. More and more cracks appeared, and Li Xuan's body could no longer endure.
*Boom!*
The next moment, Li Xuan was sent flying out. Li Xuan coughed up a mouthful of blood, then endured the intense pain and sat down cross-legged to recuperate and heal.
"As expected, he still failed." Xuan Ye withdrew his gaze and sighed with a hint of helplessness.
"Failed?" Zi Ru Lai asked upon hearing this.
Xuan Ye nodded slightly. "The first attempt has indeed failed. However, Li Xuan is currently healing, so he might try again."
Luo Xing and the others shook their heads. Since he had already failed, how could he try again? Although Xuan Ye said this, it was merely to give Nan Haotian an out, as Nan Haotian had confidently declared that Li Xuan would definitely reach the seventh level before.
Inside the Cang Ling Tower, after healing for over half an hour, Li Xuan slowly opened his eyes. At the same time, Zhou Wenjin and Liu Jiaqi, the two women, immediately looked over.
The two women had already ascended to the sixth level while Li Xuan was healing. However, upon seeing Li Xuan treating his injuries, they understood that the seventh level was not easy. After testing the waters themselves, the two women gave up. The entrance to the seventh level was too difficult to breach.
"How do you feel?" Zhou Wenjin asked.
Seeing the concern in the eyes of Zhou Wenjin and Liu Jiaqi, Li Xuan smiled and shook his head. "I'm fine. I didn't expect the seventh level to be so difficult to ascend. Ah well, the sixth level is acceptable enough. I'll cultivate here for some time and then see if I can succeed in ascending."
"You want to continue?" Hearing Li Xuan's words, Zhou Wenjin and Liu Jiaqi exchanged a glance and then exclaimed in shock.
Li Xuan nodded. "One failure doesn't mean I've lost the confidence to keep pushing. Moreover, facing challenges head-on is the best opportunity for self-improvement."
Liu Jiaqi and Zhou Wenjin smiled wryly, then sat down directly beside Li Xuan to cultivate.
Seeing this, Li Xuan smiled faintly, closed his eyes, and began tempering his body with sword qi. To help Qing Xiao recover as soon as possible, Li Xuan also needed to accelerate his pace. After all, the Cang Ling Tower only offered three months.
Soon, several days passed. One day, a silver light flashed around Li Xuan. In the next instant, Li Xuan's eyes snapped open.
Li Xuan looked down at his fists, his eyes filled with joy.
Physical Body: Silver Bone Realm!
A moment later, Xuan Ye and the others, who had been meditating with their eyes closed outside the Cang Ling Tower, suddenly opened their eyes and looked towards the Cang Ling Tower.
"That Li Xuan, he's entered the seventh level."