I fabricated myths to guide the revival of spiritual energy.

As the light from the teleportation array faded, Chu Tian and his group of five stepped into the third level of the territory.

Compared to their disheveled state when they first entered the tower, they now appear much more composed.

He wasn't missing any limbs, nor was he out of breath.

Although their robes were covered in mud and dried blood, everyone's eyes were exceptionally sharp.

"Touch up".

Chu Tian spoke succinctly, casually taking out a bottle of Qi-restoring pills from his storage bag, pouring out one and swallowing it.

"Little Deer, how much supplies do we have left?"

Lin Xiaolu deftly affixed a [Sweet Rain Talisman] to Wang Tiechui's arm, while reporting to the leader: "We have three bottles of Qi-restoring pills left, and plenty of antidote pills. Although the swamp on the second floor is disgusting, those carrion crocodiles are not difficult to kill once you figure out their attack patterns. If we don't count the travel time, we only took twenty minutes to clear the core area of ​​the second floor."

"That means they're all at 80% or higher."

Wang Tiechui cracked his neck, making a series of crisp sounds. The superficial wounds from before had already scabbed over thanks to the effects of the pills. "To be honest, as long as we're not ambushed, we have a huge advantage when facing those Qi Refining stage beasts head-on."

This is the adaptability of Kunlun elites.

Having overcome their initial psychological barrier to "physical combat," the combat skills they had honed in the Trial Tower immediately became apparent. Combined with the sustained power of their elixirs, ordinary demonic beasts were utterly unable to stop them.

"Don't be careless." Chu Tian wiped the Azure Nether Sword. "Intelligence shows that the third level is the highest level currently open, and the guardian beast is at the 'Great Perfection of Qi Refining' level. That's a half-step Foundation Establishment level."

The group nodded, quickly formed a battle formation, and advanced deeper into the cave.

This is a huge underground lava cavity. Dark red magma flows all around, and the air is filled with the pungent smell of sulfur.

The surroundings were eerily quiet; there wasn't even a single monster in sight.

Something's not right.

The boy in charge of the formation frowned, the compass needle spinning wildly in his hand. "The spiritual energy fluctuations here... are too chaotic. It's like something has drained all the spiritual energy from this level."

Before he could finish speaking...

"Hiss... hiss..."

A sickening scraping sound came from the darkness at the top of the cave.

Immediately afterwards, a terrifying pressure, like a tangible mountain, crashed into everyone's hearts.

"This pressure..." Wang Tiechui's expression changed instantly. "This is... Qi Refining Perfection? Impossible! It can't be that strong!"

boom!

A huge, dark shadow fell from the sky and crashed heavily onto the rocky platform in front of them, sending up a shower of rubble.

As the smoke cleared, the pupils of all five people contracted sharply at the same time.

It was a massive, dark green python, bloated like a mountain of flesh, its body covered in constantly opening and closing pustules. What was most infuriating was that seven heads sprouted from its neck—some were one-eyed snake heads, some had insect mouthparts, and some were fleshy growths covered in fangs.

"Foundation Building... Foundation Building stage?!"

The male student from the array formation department screamed in disbelief and terror:

"The intelligence was wrong!! This isn't something a Qi Refining stage cultivator can handle! This is a Foundation Establishment stage demon!!"

Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment?

This is like trying to fight a tank with a rifle; it's not even a battle on the same level!

My previous confidence crumbled instantly in the face of this behemoth.

"Don't panic!"

Chu Tian shouted sharply, forcibly stabilizing the morale of the troops, "Look at its condition! Its aura is weak, its scales are incomplete, it's just a premature baby! Even if it's a Foundation Establishment cultivator, it's a crippled one!"

"Swallow the 'Exploding Spirit Pill'! Don't be stingy! Otherwise, we'll all die here!"

Without the slightest hesitation, each of the five took out a red pill and swallowed it.

Instantly, everyone's aura surged, and their skin flushed an abnormal red—this was the result of the pill forcibly stimulating their qi and blood. Although the burst was fierce, it would leave an unavoidable period of weakness after the effects of the medicine wore off.

"roar--!!!"

The seven heads roared at different frequencies simultaneously, and the one-eyed snake head in the middle opened its mouth and sprayed a jet of dark green venom.

"Disperse!"

The five figures instantly sprang away.

The venom landed on the ground, instantly corroding the hard black rock into a pool of black water, from which billowing white smoke rose.

"Hammer! Hold on! Everyone else, unleash your full power!"

"roar!!"

Wang Tiechui roared, unleashing his [Copper Skin Iron Bone Skill] to its fullest extent, his entire body gleaming with a metallic sheen. He wasn't foolish enough to take the hit head-on; instead, he used the terrain to draw the venomous python's aggro.

"Grandson! Grandpa's here! Come and bite me!"

boom!

The python's tail swept across.

Even though Wang Tiechui activated his defensive skills and took drugs, he was still sent flying like a baseball, crashing into the rock wall and spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Cough cough... That's fucking powerful..."

But he immediately got up and rushed forward again. This is the duty of a body cultivator.

At the same time, countless talismans and sword energies bombarded the venomous python.

Boom boom boom!

Sparks flew everywhere, and frost covered everything.

However, a devastating scene unfolded.

After the abscesses on the python's body ruptured, the pus that flowed out solidified rapidly, and the wound healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"It's useless!" Lin Xiaolu shouted, "Its recovery speed is higher than our damage! This is the vitality of a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator!"

"Our spiritual power can't outlast it!"

despair.

True despair.

Even with their superior equipment and perfect teamwork, everything seemed futile in the face of absolute level suppression and abnormal regenerative abilities.

"As long as it's not killed in one hit, it can fully recover its health..."

Chu Tian stared intently at the seven wildly flailing heads, his mind racing.

It must be a fatal blow.

All its vitality must be cut off.

"Hammer! Buy me three seconds! Just three seconds!"

Chu Tian suddenly stuffed all the remaining pills in his hand into his mouth, including a precious [Nourishing Essence and Rejuvenating Spirit Pill].

The powerful medicinal force surged through his body, causing excruciating pain that seemed to tear at his meridians, but he ignored it all.

"Are you crazy?!" Wang Tiechui cursed, but his body charged towards the venomous python's head without hesitation. "I'm going all out today!"

He threw down the giant hammer and jumped directly onto the venomous python, clinging tightly to one of its necks, biting and digging with his teeth and fingers—a reckless fighting style, all to attract its attention.

The venomous python was enraged, and all seven of its heads turned towards the reckless insect.

In that very instant.

Chu Tian made a move.

He closed his eyes, then opened them again in an instant.

Those eyes held no fear, no anxiety, only an extreme coldness.

The dean once said: "The sword of a swordsman is not about the moves, but about the intent. When you feel you can cut it, you can cut it."

The spiritual energy and medicinal power within the body reached a critical point at this moment.

The Azure Sword in his hand emitted a dying groan.

"Sword intent infused—severing!"

Chu Tian did not use any sword flourishes or any complicated sword techniques.

He simply gripped the sword with both hands, concentrated all his energy and spirit into a single line, and swept it horizontally forward.

Clang—!

A thin, yet blindingly bright, cyan sword beam instantly sliced ​​through the dimly lit cavern.

The beam of light was so fast that even a sonic boom couldn't keep up with it.

Time seemed to stand still.

The seven heads that were tearing at Wang Tiechui stopped.

Followed by.

Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!

Seven pillars of blood shot into the sky.

Those seven hideous heads broke off and slid off at the same horizontal line!

The cut was as smooth as a mirror, leaving it no chance to regenerate.

The enormous snake carcass crashed to the ground.

Wang Tiechui rolled off the corpse, panting heavily. He stared blankly at the pile of snake heads for a long time before finally giving a thumbs-up to the swaying figure in the distance.

"I knew it... you really nailed that act."

Chu Tian knelt on one knee, leaning on the Qingming Sword, which was now only in its hilt.

He smiled.

Although his meridians were in excruciating pain and his spiritual energy was depleted, he felt better than ever before.

He won his bet.

……

The gates of the Demon-Sealing Tower slowly opened.

Thousands of eyes in the square turned to look at it.

Five figures emerged.

Although they were injured and their robes were torn, they were by no means in a sorry state, like stray dogs.

On the contrary, they moved very steadily.

Some people were passing each other handkerchiefs to wipe away the blood, while others were fixing their messy hair.

That was a composure that came from forcibly suppressing exhaustion after a life-or-death battle.

That's the posture of a victor.

Chu Tian, ​​who was in the lead, had a face as pale as paper, but his back was ramrod straight.

He walked into the sunlight and slowly opened his palms.

A fist-sized, dark green demon core, radiating the pressure of a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator, lay there quietly.

"The third floor."

Chu Tian's voice was calm, yet it carried a captivating power:

"Passed."

Silence. A deathly silence. Then—

"Roar—!!!" "Awesome!!" "Senior Brother is invincible!!" "Was that sword intent?! I think I just sensed sword intent!!"

A deafening cheer erupted in the square. Countless students stared fervently at the demon core and at the five swaying yet heroic figures. They had witnessed a living example—if you dare to fight, you can win!

Location: Wendao Pavilion

Standing on high ground, Gu Qing watched this scene, and a genuine smile finally appeared on his lips.

"System." "Yes." "Give each of these five students a [Perfect-Grade Foundation Establishment Pill]." "Also, project their names and the battle footage of beheading the Seven Fiend Poisonous Pythons onto the school's public screen and play it on a loop."

"I want everyone to know that in Kunlun, heroes have privileges."