Chapter 0319: Life Trace Crystal Jade

Chapter 0319: Life Trace Crystal Jade

The Blue Spirit saintess present were clad in various precious armors, seemingly well-prepared.

Other participating warriors, although also wearing protective armor, had only ordinary types.

"The armor on Ji Kailin is a royal-grade spirit artifact, truly enviable!"

"Given his status, it's not surprising he has such items!"

"I wonder what this competition is about?"

The crowd around buzzed with chatter.

The elder responsible for hosting arrived, and as soon as he appeared, the whole place fell silent.

Even non-participants, curious about the competition's details and rewards, quieted down to listen closely.

"The challenge is to enter the Blue Spirit Mystic Tower. Anyone who can reach the fourth floor will advance to the final round!"

"If you can climb to higher floors and are the only one to do so, you'll win the round's prize."

"Mentors stand to gain Rejuvenation Water and Jade Skin Solution!"

At the mention of these rewards, the elderly mentors' eyes lit up with excitement.

Rejuvenation Water restores youth, and Jade Skin Solution softens and brightens the skin.

These elixirs work miracles, turning back the clock for the aged.

Young users can preserve their youth, potentially living up to two centuries without showing age.

Lan Huayu, though old, looks youthful except for his white hair and brows, a clear sign of Rejuvenation Water use.

The elder continued, "The top warrior wins a piece of Life Trace Crystal Jade!"

Life Trace Crystal Jade is a treasure that helps ninth-level warriors cultivate their Great Dao Life Trace.

Qin Yun is on the brink of entering the martial realm, and the Life Trace Crystal Jade could be the key to his breakthrough.

The elder said, "No weapons are allowed inside the tower! Don't worry about killing the puppets; they're just constructs that can be damaged, not killed."

"But watch out—the puppets can kill you. Once you climb higher, windows will open automatically. If you're overpowered, leap out in time."

"Do we go in together or one at a time?" someone asked.

"Go in as a group! The first three floors each have five combat rooms with stairs, all filled with puppets."

"Take down one to five puppets in each room to move up the stairs!"

"Beyond the fourth floor, only two rooms remain, each guarded by a single, tougher puppet."

"Remember, you're being watched by the heads of the four palaces and Elder Lan. Cheating with weapons will bring harsh penalties."

"You have two hours to climb as high as you can. The highest climber wins!"

Nods of agreement spread through the crowd.

"Can we see the fights from here?" asked Murong Daren.

"Not allowed!"

"Why? Last time when they were training outside, we could watch everything. Why not this time?" Murong Daren complained.

Many others chimed in, agreeing with him. Waiting outside, clueless about what's going on inside, would be incredibly dull.

"The puppet warriors inside are a closely guarded secret. It's not appropriate for too many people to watch!" the elder said. "Now you can enter!"

Forty competing warriors said their goodbyes to their mentors and marched together toward the entrance of the Blue Spirit Mystic Tower.

The moment they stepped inside, the gate slammed shut behind them.

The instant Qin Yun entered, he was on high alert, wary of both an ambush by Ji Kailin and his crew and the puppet warriors lurking on the first floor.

As he stepped in, he spotted five massive doors, each over three meters in height and width, likely leading to the five combat chambers.

Two heavily built men clad in blue armor stood guard outside each door.

"Each combat room can only hold up to ten people!" one of the burly men said.

Ji Kailin and the four other saintesses appeared to have already decided and headed straight for one door.

"Hold on! Before entering, you’ll need to draw lots to decide which door you’ll go through!" one of the burly men took out a box and placed it on the ground. "Get in line and start picking your lots!"

Ji Kailin’s tone turned icy as he snapped, "Was this decided on the spot? Why weren’t we informed?"

"It was a last-minute decision. If you don’t like it, feel free to jump out that window!" the burly man’s expression was equally cold as he retorted.

Ji Kailin let out a frustrated snort but had no choice except to step forward and draw a lot.

In no time, everyone had picked their lots.

Qin Yun entered the third combat room, while Ji Kailin got the first.

Qin Yun felt a quiet relief that no Blue Spirit saintess ended up in the same combat room as him.

On the other hand, two Blue Spirit saintesses teamed up in the second combat room. If they worked together, they might just make it to the upper floors.

The burly man barked, "Go ahead and enter!"

The competing warriors rushed into their assigned stone chambers.

If they were outmatched, there was no time to recover—they had to leap out the window to forfeit.

Qin Yun, along with seven other warriors, stepped into the third combat room.

Near the staircase of the combat room sat five eerie figures—faces rigid, eyes lifeless, like wax statues—yet radiating an intense energy.

These were the puppet warriors, crafted to look like young men, almost indistinguishable from real humans!

The moment the puppet warriors spotted someone approaching, they lunged forward!

No weapons, no talismans—just fists and raw strength!

The puppet warriors were forged entirely from Imperial Bone Steel. Their punches hit like sledgehammers, smashing into a warrior’s gut and shattering ribs.

The warrior who was hit screamed in pain and bolted toward the open window in the combat room, leaping out to forfeit the match.

The combat room was spacious, roughly twenty meters across, offering ample room to maneuver or engage in battle.

Two warriors, seeing that all five puppets were engaged in combat, took the opportunity to rush towards the staircase and climbed to the upper floors.

Qin Yun deftly sidestepped a puppet's flying leap and glanced at the two warriors who had run up, but he wasn't in a rush to follow them.

If they ran into puppets upstairs, their only choice would be to jump out the window and forfeit.

Qin Yun was the most relaxed here; he could easily avoid the puppets' attacks just by using his Fire Cloud Steps.

The puppets were fast, but to him, their speed was just average.

"They're just puppets, after all!" Qin Yun seized the moment and dashed towards the staircase, making it to the second floor.

As soon as he reached the second floor, he spotted three puppets, with blood splattered across the floor, likely left by the two warriors who had run up earlier, trailing all the way to the window.

As Qin Yun had anticipated, the two warriors who had rushed up first had both jumped out of the window and forfeited.

The puppets on the second floor were quite different from those on the first.

They did not immediately attack; instead, two guarded the staircase while one slowly approached.

"Are these intelligent puppets?" Qin Yun speculated secretly, thinking that these puppets might be controlled by someone.

Qin Yun watched the approaching puppet, a youth dressed in dusty black clothes, who, upon coming near, struck out with a palm!

The puppet's palm strike was swift and even emitted Inner Energy!

"It's a Martial Skill; the puppets on the second floor are indeed formidable, capable of using Martial Skills!" Startled, Qin Yun darted to the wall, dodging the sweeping palm strike.

At the same time, a middle-aged puppet sitting on the staircase suddenly leaped over, slashing out with a palm like a giant axe, bursting with purple lightning!

Boom! The middle-aged puppet's strike missed Qin Yun, slamming into the wall with a thunderous crash!

Qin Yun narrowly avoided the palm strike; if hit, he would have been severely injured.

With two puppets closing in, Qin Yun stopped dodging!

He thrust out both palms, unleashing the Tsunami Strike, sending shockwaves that slammed the two puppets against the wall.

He then bolted towards the staircase, where another puppet lay in wait!

This puppet was also strong; seeing Qin Yun charge, it suddenly stood up, wildly swinging its fists, unleashing billowing flames, extremely fierce.

As Qin Yun charged forward, he activated the Qi Explosion Art, channeling his Diamond Inner Energy!

As the puppet struck, Qin Yun unleashed his Inner Energy from afar!

Bang! The puppet was hurled back, crashing onto the staircase and struggling to rise.

Qin Yun strode over, stomped down hard, and then quickly climbed the stairs.

He stepped onto the third floor.

The third floor held only two puppets, towering and muscular, their faces fierce.

The moment someone stepped into the Combat Room, the window would instantly open.

Upon entering, Qin Yun immediately checked the window's position to ensure an escape route if outmatched.

The two towering puppet warriors didn’t attack Qin Yun right away; they stood by the stairs, waiting for him to make his move.

...

At the top of the Blue Spirit Mystic Tower, inside a stone chamber, the heads of the four palaces and several elders, including Lan Huayu, watched a large mirror on the stone wall showing the status of each combat room.

"Qin Yun’s strength is impressive—he made it to the third level fast. Is he taking a break since he hasn’t moved yet?" said an elder woman, the head of the East Palace.

"Ji Kailin’s strength is remarkable; he outpaced Qin Yun to the third level and is already battling. He’ll likely reach the fourth level soon!"

"The Blue Spirit saintess’s strength is equally impressive. It’s clear Ji Kailin’s heading to the fourth level!"

Lan Huayu said, "Let’s hope they don’t wreck the puppet warriors, or we’ll be stuck fixing them again!"

"Qin Yun’s making his move!" shouted an elder.

After a brief pause, Qin Yun moved in. When he was about three meters away from the two puppet warriors, he struck out with both fists, creating a shockwave with his Tsunami Strike.

The puppet warriors staggered, barely keeping their footing!

Qin Yun seized the moment, lunging forward and slamming his palms down. The howling palm wind sounded like a thousand horses neighing—it was the Ten Thousand Horses Palm!

With the full force of the Ten Thousand Horses Palm, Qin Yun struck the puppet warriors, sending them crashing to the ground.

"That’s it!" Qin Yun activated the Fire Cloud Step, darting up to the fourth level in an instant.

The fourth level had just two massive combat rooms, each spanning dozens of meters. Here, there was only one puppet warrior.

Two staircases connected the third and fourth levels, and Qin Yun was the first to reach the fourth.