Naked Sword Art

Later that day, Xiao Fang and Xiao Hei arrived at the entrance of the Ancestral Training Grounds. They paid the mandatory 3,000 merit points each, then received an orange arm band that had matching numbers on it signifying that they were a team and planning to go deeper than the 4th floor.

Xiao Fang wasn't happy that he had to spend so many merit points in one go, but for safety reasons, the sect didn't allow disciples to travel into the Ancestral Training Grounds without a partner.

They both ran down the steep spiraling tunnel, only stopping when they reached the elder guarding the gates to the 5th floor. Seeing the matching orange armbands on their arms, the elder let them pass.

"Be careful, you two," the inner court elder said. "I don't recognize either of you, so this must be your first time attempting the 5th floor. Unlike the 1st to 4th floor, there are certain beasts down here that we call 'abnormals'. If you are unfortunate enough to encounter one, don't try to fight it. It's very crafty and you may end up losing your lives. Proceed with caution."

Xiao Fang continued running down the path with Xiao Hei followed close behind.

'Hm... could that be him?' the elder thought as they left.

She didn't recognize him because she, along with most of the other inner court elders, didn't attend the inner court exams. She had only heard the rumors that a man had been placed directly into the Phoenix-Class and that he was the sect's first ever male Phoenix Class disciple. Only a handful of inner court elders actually knew what he looked like, but since there weren't any other male Phoenix-Class disciples it was easy for her to put two and two together.

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Once Xiao Fang and Xiao Hei reached the 6th level, it seemed that they had reached a dead end.

"What? Isn't there supposed to be 9 floors? Why would it stop us here?" Xiao Hei thought out loud.

As she spoke, Xiao Fang unexpectedly walked right through the wall. Seeing that it was just an illusion, Xiao Hei quickly followed Xiao Fang into the wall.

"Ah, wait for me," she said as she tried to catch up with him.

However, the moment she walked through the wall, her surroundings began to warp, making her feel disoriented.

"Fang. I... I can't see you. I'm getting dizzy."

She called out to him feeling as if she was going to collapse from dizziness. Suddenly, Xiao Fang grabbed her hand and pulled her through to the other side.

"Xiao Hei, are you alright?"

"Yeah, just give me a second. My head is still spinning," she said as she sat on the ground.

Xiao Fang let her rest as he went to inspect the next wall. Unlike the last wall they ran into, this one wasn't an illusion. He even tapped on it for safe measures, but based on what he could hear, there was nothing but solid earth past this point. It seemed that they had reached the last floor.

"What's wrong, can't we go any deeper?" Xiao Hei asked.

"It seems this is the deepest they'll let us go. However, I don't think it would be wise to venture any deeper than this anyways," Xiao Fang replied.

"Hm? Why do you say that?"

Xiao Fang started to explain his reasoning.

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Based on what we know:

1st floor: 2nd - 3rd tiered beasts

2nd floor: 3rd - 4th tiered beasts

Tier levels to Cultivation Realms:

1st Tier = ~5th stage foundation realm

2nd Tier = ~1st stage Refinement realm

3rd Tier = ~5th stage Refinement realm

4th Tier = ~1st stage Spirit Core realm

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Following that pattern, the next floor should contain beasts that were in the 9th and 10th tier.

8th floor: 9th - 10th tiered beasts

9th Tier beast = ~5th stage Divine realm

10th Tier beast = ~1st stage Heavenly realm

"Then, since we're on the 7th floor right now, does that mean we'll be going up against 8th tiered and 9th tiered beasts?" Xiao Hei asked nervously.

"Mn, it seems like it. We'll know once we're inside."

Xiao Fang could tell that she was nervous, but he couldn't understand what she was nervous about. 8th and 9th tiered beasts shouldn't be a problem for him. His battle power was equivalent to that of the peak of the Divine realm with his spirit attribute. So this was going to be a walk in the park.

...

Once they peaked out of the entrance, Xiao Fang could sense that Xiao Hei's expression had change to shock. Sensing her expression change like that made Xiao Fang curious, so he took off his blindfold to get a better look, what he saw made him suck in a breath of cold air.

The 7th floor was almost a hundred kilometers long and wide, and there were mountains, rivers, and forests with giant trees standing as high as 30 meters tall.

"It feels like we're looking at a lost province for giants."

Another thing to note was that the natural qi on the floor was significantly higher than anything he had ever felt in the inner court. It was several times stronger than what he felt in the basement of his guild house too.

Suddenly, they heard a roar. Xiao Fang didn't react to it, but it sent shivers down Xiao Hei's spine, making her jump up and hug Xiao Fang like a startled cat.

Although Xiao Fang had the strength to rival anything under the heavenly realm, he never actually fought a tiered beast that was in the 8th or 9th tier before, so he started to wonder if he was being too arrogant.

"Y-Y-You said they're all 8th and 9th tiered beasts, right? Doesn't that mean they'll have a battle power equal to that of the 1st stage and 5th stage of the Divine realm?" Xiao Hei asked.

Xiao Fang finally realized why Xiao Hei was being so scared. She was unable to copy his lightning spirit attribute, so her battle power couldn't exceed the Profound Realm.

"Xiao Hei, stay here. You'll only get in the way."

"Un, good idea. I'll stay here and wait for you," she said in relief.

Xiao Hei was quick to reply so it nearly made him laugh.

"Xiao Fang, don't get hurt. Get out of there as soon as you think it's too dangerous."

Xiao Fang patted her on the head.

"Mn, don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

In the next moment, Xiao Fang disappeared.

Xiao Hei sighed, then set on the end of the cliff, dangling her feet over the edge as she watched Xiao Fang enter the woods.

'Come back safe, Xiao Fang.'