Chapter 349: The Challenge
Chapter 349: The Challenge
Li Wu swiftly darted into the Divine Blade Tower, leaving everyone present stunned.
The fiance of Princess Tsuki Akari was supposed to have his hands and legs taken, yet he dared to run?
Did he naively believe that by hiding in the Divine Blade Tower for a while, he could avoid the punishment of losing his limbs?
What a joke! It was impossible to hide in the tower forever, and the longest anyone had ever stayed inside was a mere 21 minutes. How could Li Wu possibly surpass that?
Even if he intentionally dragged out the time, did he plan to never come out?
The consequences would only be worse after leaving! Didn't he see that Princess Akari's face had already darkened?
"Who does he belong to?" Princess Akari spoke to those around her for the first time.
Everyone's gaze turned towards the Ryugawa family, and Ryugawa Fuku quickly stepped forward, pulling out Sakura Hado as well.
"He's not from my Ryugawa family. He's from the Sakura family. We obtained this spot by accepting something from the Sakura family!"
Sakura Hado, who was pulled out, clenched his teeth and prostrated himself on the ground. "Princess, Lord Bright Light is a commoner. He doesn't know the prestige of the Tsuki family. I'm willing to offer an arm and a leg to atone for his offense!"
This statement caught Princess Akari's interest, who had initially been frowning.
"A commoner, you say? You're willing to secure a spot for a commoner and even offer an arm and a leg to atone for him. It seems you hold him in high regard!"
"Yes! He's a genius!" Sakura Hado prostrated himself, not daring to stand or raise his head, but his voice rose with enthusiasm when speaking of Li Wu's talent.
"A genius, you say?" Princess Akari's lips curved upwards. "Then let me see just how genius this genius is!"
...
Meanwhile, Li Wu entered the Divine Blade Tower.
This tower was similar to the Legacy Tower he had visited before.
Both towers had interiors much larger than their exteriors.
From the outside, each level appeared to be no more than a hundred square meters, but upon entering, it felt like there were tens of thousands of square meters.
Moreover, the environment was not that of a typical tower but rather a vast plain.
As Li Wu entered the Divine Blade Tower, the tower's system provided him with information about the challenge.
The task was simple: fight and defeat opponents to advance.
On the first level, he encountered a sword-wielding puppet.
Li Wu examined the opponent's attributes:
...
Name: Blade Slave
Strength: 1-Star (Ordinary)
Skills: None
...
The attributes were pathetic. Li Wu could easily crush countless opponents like this with one hand.
Even now, without access to his divine powers, he was still formidable. His physical strength alone was comparable to a 3-star Boss, so defeating this opponent was child's play.
With a single sword strike, the Blade Slave was defeated, and a black iron longsword appeared before Li Wu.
Li Wu chose not to take the sword and proceeded to the next level.
Naturally, he didn't hesitate and swiftly moved on to the second level.
The second level featured an ordinary 2-star Blade Slave, which he easily defeated with another sword strike.
The third level had an ordinary 3-star Blade Disciple, and the fourth level had a 1-star Elite Blade Disciple.
Li Wu swiftly dispatched them without much effort.
On the fifth level, he encountered a 2-star Elite Blade Master, and on the sixth level, a 3-star Elite Blade Master.
Li Wu effortlessly defeated them and reached the seventh level.
From the first to the seventh level, Li Wu had only spent two minutes, even faster than the previous record-holder.
This left those outside the tower astonished.
Princess Akari's eyes sparkled with various emotions.
However, just as everyone believed that a genius rivaling, if not surpassing, the previous record-holder was about to emerge...
Unexpectedly, Li Wu's progress halted on the seventh level.
He remained there for nearly twenty minutes before advancing to the eighth level.
This not only surprised those outside the tower but also hinted at the truth.
Perhaps Li Wu wasn't a genius after all, or at least not one who could rival the previous record-holder.
His initial rapid progress was likely the result of pushing himself to his limits, but upon reaching the seventh level, he realized he couldn't advance further. So, he chose to stall for time.
Li Wu probably thought that as long as he lasted half an hour, he could avoid losing his limbs.
Indeed, in this regard, Li Wu succeeded.
The previous record-holder wouldn't wait half an hour for him. After confirming that Li Wu couldn't complete the challenge quickly, he chose another unfortunate soul to take his place and transferred his limbs to himself.
Meanwhile, inside the Divine Blade Tower, Li Wu encountered trouble.
After easily clearing six levels, Li Wu initially believed he could conquer the tower.
The God Blade Tower, a Mystic Realm of exceptional caliber, presented a unique challenge. Its internal levels were not static; they adapted to the strength of those who entered.
After clearing six levels, the God Blade Tower had a detailed understanding of Li Wu's abilities and noticed his subtle 'cheating' tendencies.
Starting from the seventh level, the tower adjusted the difficulty. The opponent, originally a one-star boss, was upgraded to a three-star boss with an additional Master-level basic swordsmanship skill.
The puppet on the seventh level was already a formidable match for Li Wu, and it took him over ten minutes to defeat it.
As soon as the eighth level's opponent appeared after Li Wu's victory, the battle commenced.
---
Name: Blade Swordsman
Strength: Three-Star Boss
Basic Swordsmanship: Willow Style (Master)
Advanced Swordsmanship: White Willow Style (Master)
Description: This opponent's strength is almost on par with your current abilities.
---
This Blade Swordsman was far more terrifying than the tenth-level opponent the young boy had faced earlier.
Li Wu's anxiety grew when he saw the attributes of his opponent. If the difficulty continued to increase at this rate, he wasn't sure if he could even pass the ninth level, let alone the tenth.
This meant that he was far inferior to the boy who had just cleared the tower.
Li Wu's pride wouldn't allow him to accept this outcome. He had to find a way to push through.
"Doesn't the God Blade Tower provide healing after each challenge?" Li Wu asked, his eyes burning with determination. "Then I'll go all out!"
Without further ado, Li Wu engaged the eighth-level opponent.
At this point, Li Wu's goal wasn't just to defeat his opponent; he treated the battle as a way to sharpen his skills, using the enemy as a whetstone to hone the 14 sword techniques he had recently acquired.
He didn't shy away from injuries, as long as they weren't debilitating.
With the purpose of self-improvement, Li Wu fought for a full two hours on the eighth level. Only when his body was covered in wounds and he had exhausted his strength did he finally defeat his opponent.
As Li Wu's sword struck down the eighth-level foe, the God Blade Tower activated, and a surge of energy flowed into his body, healing and replenishing his vitality.
Li Wu's body, starved for power, greedily absorbed the incoming energy through every pore. His Unyielding Growth skill operated at its limit.
In just ten minutes, the wounds on Li Wu's body were healed. His physical strength also broke through, elevating from the three-star boss level to the chief level.
Simultaneously, outside the God Blade Tower, the light on the eighth level dimmed.
Everyone waiting outside the tower was taken aback. They all sighed, realizing that Li Wu, despite his two-hour endurance, had ultimately failed to overcome the eighth-level challenge.
Elder Sakura's face drained of color at this realization.
But just then, the light on the ninth level began to glow.
Elder Sakura's excitement grew: "He's alive! Light Lord has passed the eighth level! He's challenging the ninth..."
His words trailed off as he remembered that Li Wu was attempting the ninth level. If the eighth level was this challenging, how could he possibly survive the ninth?
Another tense wait began.
This time, the wait was slightly shorter than the eighth level, but it still took an hour and a half.
After an hour and a half, the light on the ninth level dimmed.
Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the tenth level.
Moments later, the tenth level began to flicker, and its light lasted for nearly three hours before fading.
As the light extinguished, everyone's faces turned red. Could there be a second genius who had successfully cleared the tower today?
They all stared at the exit of the God Blade Tower, expecting another genius to emerge. After waiting for several minutes without the door opening, they assumed Li Wu had failed. But then, to their surprise, the light on the eleventh level, which hadn't lit up in a decade, suddenly glowed.
In that moment, Elder Sakura's hope vanished.
He never imagined that Li Wu would not only conquer the tenth level but also dare to challenge the eleventh. Now, there was little chance of Li Wu ever coming out.
(End of Chapter)
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