Chapter 129: Level 1 (1)
"One step, ten steps, dance; two steps, three steps, walk; four steps, five steps, laugh; six steps, seven steps, dance; eight steps, nine steps, sing."
As soon as I entered the ruins, I heard these words.
A phantom with an unclear face appeared before everyone: "Everyone, how is this poem?"
Tao Zi looked at the phantom, pulled the corners of her mouth, and reluctantly praised it: "It's easy to understand, even children can clap their hands."
Seeing that she spoke first, the strange monks around her all turned their eyes to her, with vigilance in their eyes, but more of a wait-and-see attitude.
While answering, Tao Zi calmly glanced around at the situation. It was obvious that almost all the members here were in the Body Refining Stage, but Xi Jing and the others were not there.
Compared to her, the other people here were somewhat restrained.
Phantom asked with a smile, "Oh, what do you mean?"
Tao Zi said honestly, "It sounds like plain language."
The phantom stared at her silently, and the atmosphere around them suddenly became depressing.
Many monks kept their composure and remained silent, but some could not stand the atmosphere and whispered, "Is this person's brain not working well?"
The older one who seemed to be a fellow disciple of the speaker shouted at him, "Stop talking!"
The man responded reluctantly with a "yes", and lowered his head in disdain without saying anything.
In a flash, the phantom appeared in front of the man and said threateningly, "What do you think of the poem I wrote?"
The man rolled his eyes and said tentatively, "Easy to understand, good poem."
The phantom asked in return, "Is easy-to-understand poetry good?"
"That's it for me." He clearly left himself a way out.
Phantom smiled and nodded. "I like your words very much. This is my reward. Go on."
Suddenly, there was something wrapped in white light next to the man. He was ecstatic and reached out to take it.
When he held the thing, there was a hint of pride on his face, and he didn't notice the flash of sarcasm in the eyes of his fellow disciples beside him.
The phantom waved his hand, and the man disappeared. Someone tentatively asked, "Where did he go?"
"Go where he should go."
The ordinary monk who had just arrived was unsure of what it meant for a moment, but he did not speak rashly.
The phantom smiled at the people around him and said, "Everyone, does anyone want to comment on my poem? No, this level is almost over."
Almost there, does it mean it’s almost started or almost finished? I think most people would think it’s the latter.
Intermittently, some monks who could not contain themselves began to praise.
Similarly, they all received their rewards and disappeared on the spot.
In just a quarter of an hour, at least one-third of the monks disappeared.
The remaining monks were also eager to speak, but after looking at the disciples of some major sects, they suppressed the urge to speak. After all, these disciples definitely knew more rules than them.
Tao Zi smiled. There was probably a fight going on at the exit. After all, no one was willing to leave with just a few things.
At this time, someone slowly spoke: "This poem is easy to understand, just like vernacular, suitable for children to listen to."
This is no different from what Tao Zi said.
She turned her head and saw the fellow disciple of the person who spoke first.
The phantom snorted, without any reaction, and then asked, "Does anyone else want to comment on my poem?"
No one spoke again. At this time, the remaining people were considered to be patient.
Phantom laughed heartily and said, "Since you don't know how to praise others, I will punish you a little."
A monk whispered, "How could it be? Didn't they say..."
He swallowed the rest of the words.
Tao Zi took a closer look and judging from the clothes, it must be a newcomer from Jiuzhuanmen.
The phantom vanished into thin air, leaving behind only one sentence: "When you reach the door, your punishment ends. You must leave something behind with each step."
A rough and simple door appeared not far away, and grids appeared under my feet.
One monk complained, "This isn't fair. I'm so far away from the door."
The person closest to him laughed and said, "Luck is also a part of strength."
Tao Zi ignored the sounds in her ears and counted her steps, thirteen steps. Not counting her clothes, she only had ten things on her - talismans and medicine.
"How poor! This level isn't very friendly to independent cultivators." She sighed inwardly.
Those with poor self-control couldn't wait to leave.
"What's going on? I can't walk anymore!"
Everyone looked and found that the person closest to the exit was trapped in a grid and could not move.
He anxiously took out various tools and talismans, but none of them worked.
Tao Zi narrowed her eyes and carefully recalled every detail that had happened before.
After a while, she took out a talisman and when it disappeared, she jumped and was not trapped.
Watching her movements, someone suddenly realized something and shouted, "Junior brother, one step is ten steps, jump, two steps are three steps, walk, four steps are five steps, laugh, six steps are seven steps, dance, eight steps are nine steps, sing. That's a method to pass the level, not a poem!"
So kind.
As this thought flashed through Tao Zi's mind, the phantom's voice rang out again: "I told you it was a poem. Since you think it's not, I'll take away an artifact as a small punishment."
The man turned pale.
Tao Zi counted the distance between herself and the person in front of her, a total of five steps.
She took out five talismans in one breath and walked over with an emotionless laugh.
The man realized something was wrong and wanted to retreat but couldn't: "What are you going to do?"
Tao Zi smiled and said, "Since you can't pass the level anyway, why don't you give me the things you have. I will be very grateful."
"Despicable!"
He is so simple and naive, and I don’t know which sect released this disciple.
Tao Zi attacked without hesitation, but in just a few seconds, the man was at a disadvantage.
The phantom's voice sounded at this moment: "I can't stand the sight of blood."
Hope appeared in the man's eyes, and Tao Zi stopped.
"How about this? Every time someone jumps into your square to compete, if you lose, you can take one step, but you have to take out an equal number of items—the number of steps the contestant took that time. If you win, you're free again, and the loser stays in your place, and you get to take a random item from theirs."
The man's expression was unpredictable. He was not from one of the three sects or four schools, and he didn't have that many tools and talismans to waste, but there was no other way.
Tao Zi got the five talismans as she wished, and they all looked quite low-level.
I now have nine items on me, and the remaining number of steps is seven, which seems to be more than enough.
She didn't hesitate any longer and reached the door in one go.
The phantom's smiling voice rang out, "Someone has already reached the entrance to the first level. The remaining free players can use their items as collateral to exchange for attacks. The winner can choose to exchange their position or the collateral."
Tao Zi had a blank expression on her face, and didn't seem to care about this sudden rule.
The first level of the Xuyan Ruins is always like this: either collecting "wealth" or distributing "wealth", and the three subsequent levels of self-examination are the real challenges. However, this will probably make many cultivators who can directly reach the entrance hesitate for a moment.
This level is not difficult to say, especially for the disciples of those big sects. The difficulty lies in how to keep the weapons and talismans on their bodies.
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