Volume One: The Young Demon Lord Chapter 32: Clearing the Trial Tower

Yao Yao’s movements were swift as lightning. In the blink of an eye, she reached Qi Yu and lashed out with a bamboo branch, striking him.

Qi Yu immediately employed his footwork to dodge, but the next moment, Yao Yao appeared right behind him, landing another strike upon his body.

It was as if Yao Yao could predict his every move. Whenever Qi Yu used his footwork to evade, Yao Yao would always appear precisely behind him, followed by a strike.

Before long, Qi Yu’s body was covered in bruises, and he had not even found a chance to retaliate.

"Stop!"

As Yao Yao raised the bamboo branch behind him again, she asked, "What is it?"

Qi Yu took a deep breath and said, "Sister Yao Yao, the gap between our realms is too vast. I cannot possibly be your match."

Yao Yao replied, "Qi Yu, I have suppressed my realm to match yours, but I am utilizing the absolute limit of strength possible at this level."

The limit?

Yet, the terrifying strength Yao Yao displayed was something even a Xuanwu Realm expert would likely be unable to contend with.

Yao Yao swung the bamboo branch forward. "Continue!"

As the words fell, her figure vanished from the spot!

Qi Yu’s pupils constricted, and the next instant, a bamboo branch was pressed against his throat.

"Again!"

Time passed bit by bit. Qi Yu offered no more complaints, instead beginning to adapt to Yao Yao’s speed. Finally, after five days, he began to sense the spatial fluctuations whenever Yao Yao moved using her footwork.

No wonder she could appear behind him with such unerring accuracy every time.

Qi Yu unleashed a sword qi toward Yao Yao. She held the bamboo branch, lunged forward, and thrust toward the sword qi!

Boom!

The sword qi was instantly shattered, but Qi Yu did not retreat. Instead, he charged toward Yao Yao, his sword tip gleaming with golden light, striking toward the center of her brow!

Clang!

Yao Yao parried his sword with the bamboo branch.

Hiss!

Suddenly, a sword qi imbued with sword intent blossomed at the tip of his blade!

Yao Yao stepped back twice, the spiritual energy on the bamboo branch gradually fading. "Not bad. You have pushed your speed to the limit. Now, it is Little Yu’er's turn."

Qi Yu sat cross-legged to heal his wounds. Although he felt joyful, he understood that Yao Yao had undoubtedly held back. Had this been a real enemy, he would have died at least a hundred times over!

Once his wounds were mostly healed, Little Yu’er came bounding over to him.

"Brother Qi Yu, now it is my turn for your special training!"

Qi Yu nodded and stood up from the ground.

Bang!

Little Yu’er threw a punch instantly, landing it squarely on Qi Yu’s abdomen!

Pfft!

Qi Yu nearly coughed up blood. Feeling his insides churning, he clutched his stomach and crouched down in pain.

Little Yu’er asked in surprise, "Brother Qi Yu, I only used one-tenth of my strength!"

Qi Yu waited for a long while before standing up and saying to Little Yu’er, "Again!"

Little Yu’er nodded with a smile and vanished. Qi Yu immediately sensed the spatial fluctuations beside him and thrust his sword, but Little Yu’er leaned backward in mid-air, dodging the blade, and kicked him in the lower back.

Crack!

Qi Yu felt as though his spine had nearly snapped from that kick!

Little Yu’er landed on the ground after two flips. "Brother Qi Yu, was I too heavy-handed?"

Qi Yu gasped in pain. If this were a life-or-death battle, no one would be mindful of their strength. He gritted his teeth and said, "Little Yu’er, don't hold back! Continue!"

Little Yu’er nodded. "Here I come!"

Whoosh!

Little Yu’er vanished again. Qi Yu did not rush to attack; instead, after sensing the spatial fluctuations caused by her movement, he quickly employed his own footwork.

Swish! Swish!

Two shadows began moving at lightning speed throughout the Demon God Sword Domain.

Finally, after another five days, Qi Yu had adapted to Little Yu’er’s speed and was able to launch counterattacks.

Hiss!

Qi Yu slashed a sword qi toward Little Yu’er, but she shattered it with a single punch.

Qi Yu used his footwork in mid-air, teleporting behind her and holding his sword against her neck.

Little Yu’er froze, then pouted.

"Brother Qi Yu, you’re bullying me! I won’t play with you anymore!"

Qi Yu was dumbfounded, wiping the fresh blood from the corner of his mouth. "No, who is bullying whom here?"

Yao Yao: "..."

After ten days of cultivation, the special training with Yao Yao and Little Yu’er was finally complete. Qi Yu was covered in wounds, and healing alone took him two days.

When Qi Yu exited the Demon God Sword Domain, he saw Zhang Wen-Dian arriving at the courtyard with a look of extreme anxiety.

Qi Yu asked in surprise, "Third Elder, what is the matter?"

Zhang Wen-Dian frowned and asked, "Qi Yu, what is your current realm?"

Qi Yu replied, "Eighth level of the Entering Xuan Realm."

Zhang Wen-Dian let out a heavy sigh. "Sigh, you do not know that in this past month, Zhen Xingfan has been training at the Canglan City Trial Tower. He cleared seven floors, and his cultivation has improved by a level."

The Trial Tower was built by the Great Yan Dynasty, existing in every prefecture and county. It had nine floors in total and was a place dedicated to the cultivation of practitioners. It became increasingly difficult from bottom to top, and rewards were granted upon clearing.

The purpose of the Dynasty in building these towers was simple: first, to monitor the world; second, to recruit talent.

The trial was aimed at practitioners under eighteen. Anyone who could pass the seventh floor was considered a genius. Those who passed the eighth were top-tier geniuses, and those who could conquer the ninth were rare prodigies—such talents appeared only once every few years, or even decades, in the Dynasty.

Qi Yu said casually, "Third level of the Xuanwu Realm?"

Zhang Wen-Dian was anxious, and seeing Qi Yu’s calm expression, he frowned. "Qi Yu, why aren't you nervous at all?"

Qi Yu stood up. "Third Elder, where is that Trial Tower? I am going to clear it!"

Zhang Wen-Dian looked at Qi Yu and remained silent.

It was not arrogance on Qi Yu's part. After all, could any trial tower be more rigorous than the one under Yao Yao and Little Yu’er?

At the foot of the Trial Tower in Canglan City.

Zhang Wen-Dian looked at Qi Yu, who was dressed strangely, his face completely masked with only his eyes visible. "Must you dress like this?"

Qi Yu replied, "I’m just worried about being recognized."

After Zhang Wen-Dian paid the gold coins required for the trial to the tower guardian, Qi Yu walked inside.

The tower was filled with hidden mysteries; every floor was an independent space, ensuring that practitioners entering at the same time would not cross paths.

Upon entering the first floor, a war puppet holding a long sword walked slowly out of the teleportation array.

The puppet’s eyes glowed with a dark red light as it charged forward, thrusting its sword!

Although the puppet moved quickly, to Qi Yu, it felt as if it were moving several times slower.

Qi Yu tilted his head slightly to dodge, his spiritual energy condensing in his palm.

Boom!

Qi Yu punched the puppet in the head, shattering it into pieces.

Qi Yu curled his lips and headed toward the teleportation array.

The second floor was another sword-wielding puppet, but its speed was significantly faster than the first. However, Qi Yu was faster still; before the puppet could even strike, Qi Yu kicked it, shattering it into fragments.

Qi Yu entered the next floor.

To save time, he began to take the initiative, leaving nothing in reserve. He essentially shattered every puppet the moment he encountered it.

This continued until he reached the seventh floor. The puppet there was already at the third level of the Xuanwu Realm.

In the past, this was a level Qi Yu could only look up to, but now, facing the seventh-floor puppet, he smiled faintly, and the Cold Cicada Sword appeared in his hand.

Whoosh!

A streak of sword qi slashed toward the puppet.

As expected of a seventh-floor puppet, it swung its own sword, releasing a sword qi in return. The two clashed with a boom, and the shockwave sent the puppet stumbling back four or five steps.

Qi Yu utilized his footwork, teleporting behind the puppet and unleashing a strike of sword intent infused with battle intent.

Whoosh!

The puppet's head soared high into the air.

Qi Yu performed a flourish with his sword and headed toward the portal to the eighth floor.

The puppet on the eighth floor was not as large as the previous seven; it was the size of a normal human.

Qi Yu could not help but frown. Puppets were different from real people; the previous ones were hulking and large, their movements causing intense spatial fluctuations.

This was the first time Qi Yu had encountered a human-sized opponent in a real-world scenario where he had to sense spatial fluctuations.

Qi Yu stopped hiding his strength. The eighth-floor puppet was indeed speed-oriented, its speed nearly matching his own!

However, Qi Yu was always able to predict the puppet’s position based on the spatial fluctuations it triggered when moving.

The puppet’s sword strikes were incredibly fast, yet they were always countered by Qi Yu at the perfect moment.

Qi Yu directly used the True Intent style of the God-Slaying Sword Technique—the first strike!

Clang! Clang!

His sword moves were mysterious and unpredictable, the sword qi descending upon the puppet like a fierce, overwhelming thunderstorm!

Although the puppet’s footwork was cunning, the entire floor of the trial tower was covered by the sword qi. With nowhere to hide, the puppet was shredded into nothingness by the countless strikes.