"The Sword Sect has gained a super genius, one who rivals the Demoness herself!"

No one knew who had uttered this remark, yet it stirred the entire Outer Sect of the Sword Sect into a frenzy. Originally, many Outer Sect disciples who showed no interest in the Outer Sect Assessment now flocked to the Sword Slave Tower upon hearing the news. Even some disciples and elders in closed-door cultivation were pulled out by their friends.

For a time, the Sword Slave Tower was bustling with unprecedented excitement.

"A Tiên Thiên at sixteen, tsk tsk, that Giang Nguyên inside the Sword Slave Tower truly lives up to his reputation as a genius rarely seen in a hundred years in Giang Tuyết City!"

"Indeed, I was only a Huyền Giả Sixth-rank at sixteen, yet he has already reached Tiên Thiên at that age. Truly, comparing oneself to others is enough to make one despair!"

"There are some people in this world called prodigies. Our Sword Sect already had one Demoness, and now another Giang Nguyên has appeared. Our great Sword Sect is truly about to rise!"

"And that handyman disciple, Dương Diệp, he has managed to endure for so long inside. This sufficiently proves his strength and talent. If nothing unexpected happens, he should, along with Giang Nguyên and Thanh Tuyết, participate in the next Azure Cloud Ranking!"

"Truly, thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river! When he was demoted to a handyman disciple back then, I, along with other disciples, mocked him. Who would have thought that in such a short time, he would have already surpassed us!"

"Exactly, I know him too. Once, when Elder Truyền Kỹ was instructing me on Xuanjì, because I wasn't attentive, that elder said, 'Do you wish to become the second Dương Diệp?' If he were to ask me that now, I would absolutely say I'm willing!"

"Hmph, even if his talent is good, so what? With Giang Nguyên around, he is destined to be nothing more than a backdrop!"

"Senior Brother, your words carry a hint of jealousy, but this is indeed the truth. After the Demoness appeared last time, all the other geniuses on the Outer Sect Ranking were overshadowed and forgotten. With Giang Nguyên in this batch, that newly promoted Tiên Thiên Junior Sister Thanh Tuyết and this handyman disciple can only serve as green leaves!"

"..."

Seeing the crowd grow larger and the noise louder, Tào Hỏa chuckled wryly, shaking his head. These people were so eager to witness a genius that they even neglected their cultivation. However, he didn't stop them, for if he had heard such news, he too would surely have come.

"Old man, when will the little handyman come out?" At this moment, Bảo Nhi looked at Tào Hỏa, asking with a touch of impatience. She had been waiting for a long time. If the old man hadn't told her that the little handyman would benefit from being inside the tower, she would have long since gone in and dragged him out.

Looking at this little devil girl before him, Tào Hỏa had quite a headache. He was truly curious why this little devil girl was so close to that Dương Diệp, and why she seemed to obey his every word.

"Old man, I'm talking to you! Nothing will happen to the little handyman inside, right?" Bảo Nhi asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

Tào Hỏa quickly chuckled, "No, no, this tower is an illusion formation. Even if one were to 'die' inside, nothing would truly happen. As for why he hasn't come out yet, I'm not entirely sure, but I estimate he should be coming out soon!"

No sooner had Tào Hỏa finished speaking than the runes around the Sword Slave Tower flickered briefly, and then a figure was teleported out.

"He's out, he's out! That handyman disciple is out..."

Hearing the excited shouts of the disciples nearby, Tào Hỏa smiled and said, "See? He's coming out right..." Suddenly, Tào Hỏa's voice trailed off because the surroundings had grown too quiet, and the little devil girl's gaze at him was quite peculiar.

Tào Hỏa instinctively glanced around. He noticed that everyone present had fallen silent, including the several elders beside him, who had all become exceptionally quiet, their eyes wide as if they had seen a ghost. Tào Hỏa raised an eyebrow slightly, looking towards the figure that had been teleported out. When he saw that person's appearance, Tào Hỏa's body instantly stiffened.

The person who emerged from the Sword Slave Tower found a bizarre scene. All the noisy clamor had vanished, and everyone had become incredibly quiet, one might even say dumbfounded.

Giang Nguyên vigorously shook his head. Only after the dizzy sensation in his head disappeared did he open his eyes. When he saw the scene before him, he too was stunned. Everyone was staring at him, unblinking, which left him utterly baffled.

Soon, a radiant smile appeared on Giang Nguyên's face, and he thought to himself, "It must be that my achievements are too outstanding, startling all these people. And why wouldn't they be? I am a Tiên Thiên powerhouse, and I even broke through the fifteenth floor. How could they not be shocked?"

Thinking this, Giang Nguyên stood up, then walked up to Tào Hỏa, cupped his fist towards him, and said, "Elder, I have broken through the fifteenth floor!" When he spoke these words, Giang Nguyên's voice was calm, yet the arrogance revealed on his face and in his tone was remarkably clear.

Hearing Giang Nguyên, Tào Hỏa finally recovered his senses. He did not reply to Giang Nguyên, but merely looked at the Sword Slave Tower, mumbling as if his soul had been lost: "How is this possible, how is this possible... ."

"Hahaha..."

At this moment, a loud burst of laughter suddenly erupted from the crowd. The one laughing was none other than Elder Thiên. The moment he saw that Giang Nguyên was the one who had been teleported out, his heart began to pound violently. Now, hearing Giang Nguyên, he was even more certain. At this moment, he vented his agitated excitement with laughter.

This outcome truly caught everyone by surprise, especially the several elders. A Huyền Giả Eighth-rank breaking through to the nineteenth floor—what did that concept even mean?

Some rejoiced, some were shocked, some were bewildered, some were sorrowful.

At this moment, Giang Nguyên was utterly bewildered. He was completely at a loss, unlike the cheers he had imagined, unlike the worship he had imagined, unlike the flattery he had imagined. The elders ignored him, and the disciples around him looked at him with very strange expressions.

"Don't be bewildered, look up at the number on the tower!" Just then, Thanh Tuyết, who had already advanced to Tiên Thiên, walked up beside Giang Nguyên and said mockingly.

Honestly, when she saw it was Giang Nguyên, she too was extremely shocked. Like everyone else, she had originally thought that the one on the nineteenth floor was Giang Nguyên. Clearly, all of them were mistaken. However, after the initial shock, she quickly accepted it, because compared to Giang Nguyên, she preferred to stand by Dương Diệp. For no other reason than his character.

Giang Nguyên paid no mind to Thanh Tuyết's tone. He looked up towards the tower, and when he saw the large words "Nineteen," Giang Nguyên's eyes instantly widened, and then the expression on his face became extraordinarily colorful.

Someone sorrowful, of course, referred to Liễu Thanh Vũ. The moment he saw Giang Nguyên, he wasn't shocked, but rather shaken. His mind had not been on Giang Nguyên; he had been calculating how long Dương Diệp had remained inside. It must be said that these past few days had undoubtedly been a torment for him. Every hour Dương Diệp stayed longer inside was a form of agony for him. Because persisting longer inside represented Dương Diệp's potential and strength!

Alright, now this was no longer torment, but a disaster.

The Outer Sect Ranking disciples nearby glanced at Liễu Thanh Vũ. When they saw Liễu Thanh Vũ's tightly clenched fists and his gloomy expression, everyone secretly shook their heads. This was a classic case of courting death. However, this also made everyone understand a principle: never underestimate an opponent, and never give them any opportunity. Otherwise, the current Liễu Thanh Vũ served as the best example.

At this moment, Liễu Thanh Vũ was also filled with regret, immense regret. If he had known earlier that this Dương Diệp could achieve what he had today, he absolutely would have fought to kill Dương Diệp back then, no matter the cost. Unfortunately, it was too late to say anything now. First, putting aside whether he could kill Dương Diệp, just the act of daring to lay a hand on Dương Diệp would mean the Sword Sect elders would absolutely not let him off!

Liễu Thanh Vũ did not continue to watch. He cast a deep glance at the Sword Slave Tower, then turned and left. Now, he was no longer interested in how many floors Dương Diệp could clear. He needed to devise a way to deal with Dương Diệp. Because he knew that with the feud between the Liễu family and Dương Diệp, if Dương Diệp rose to power, he would absolutely not spare his Liễu family!

And what he had to do now was to figure out how to nip this threat in the bud.

Inside the nineteenth floor, after meditating for approximately over an hour, Dương Diệp, who had tightly closed his eyes, opened them. A glint of joy flashed in his eyes as he said, "I never expected this battle to help me advance to Huyền Giả Ninth-rank. Life-and-death battles are truly beneficial!" That's right, after the previous battle, he had already become a Huyền Giả Ninth-rank. His increased strength gave him a bit more confidence against the next Sword Slave!

Standing up, he stretched his limbs, hearing his bones "crackling." Dương Diệp nodded in satisfaction. If he were to face the Tiên Thiên-level Sword Slave from before now, he certainly wouldn't take so long. This was because not only had his realm improved, but his physical strength had also clearly increased.

Dương Diệp did not hesitate, stepping quickly onto the stairs of the twentieth floor. Right now, he was brimming with fighting spirit!

Dương Diệp arrived at the twentieth floor. When he saw his opponent, Dương Diệp was directly stunned, then his eyes narrowed, and his expression became even more solemn than when facing the Tiên Thiên-level Sword Slave!

This rendition is a unique offering, proudly presented by truyen.free.