Hopping onto block after block while being cautious of any sudden drop, Ace and Sova were fully concentrated on each jump they made as they attempted to find a pattern which would get them onto that hanging bridge.
Up, up, down, down, up, down, down, up, up, up, down…
Again and again, they went up and down, following an irregular pattern that led them nowhere closer to the bridge, they were actually travelling back and forth even though they were advancing forward.
Something was fooling around with their senses, but just what could it be?
"New system mission has been issued."
Mission details: As someone who's chosen by the system, prove yourself worthy by making it out of this floor unscathed.
Reward: Blood capsule containing the blood essence of the Infernal dragons.
Infernal dragon blood capsule: Contains concentrated blood essence from the Infernal dragons, able to assist the host with cultivating the slaughter law until the hundred blood pools, doubles the awakening speed of the blood pools if used as a foundation.
At that point of time, Ace made his decision even though the reward wasn't confirmed. The blood capsule was a must, it would be used to strengthen his foundation even further, that was the edge he had over others after suffering inhumane pain, he deserved to polish it and use it to help him rise up against his enemies.
"Sova, the next time we're supposed to drop down, trust me and jump backwards, there should be a block around the same height."
Hopping forward again, Sova asked, "Are you sure about it? One mistake and the both of us would lose our lives here, our ambitions would be buried and unknown to others in the separated dimension."
"I'm not, but if you treat me as a trustable friend, the two of us shall leap back during the next drop."
Ace wasn't saying this on a whim, from what he observed, whenever they drop down as supposed to based on their sight, they would actually rewind backwards slightly due to some mysterious time law in this dimension.
The only plausible way to get out of this, would be doing the reverse and since leaping up would just be a repeated cycle of their actions, it would only result in them being stuck in a loop.
The next moment, just before Sova was about to reply to Ace, the drop occurred. Without any hesitation, Sova and Ace leaped backwards at the same time, their feet coming into contact with solid ground.
"Seems like you were right." Sova commended as they followed the same pattern and soon made their way onto the suspended bridge platform. One more step and they would be standing on the bridge suspended in the air, held together by two ropes on each side that connects to the other end.
One mistake here meant death as well, but before they could even formulate a plan, something caught their attention, it was footsteps left behind by someone who had most likely left this place much before them.
Ace couldn't help but be impressed by the Sword Scholar, even though the two of them were believed to be geniuses of the same tier, it was evident that the Sword Scholar was superior to him in all aspects in the time being at the very least.
As for age being a reason, that was just the worst excuse a cultivator could come up with. From the moment someone enters the cultivation world, age is nothing but a number, when one shines so dazzlingly that the older generation feels threatened, it would be the beginning of a new challenge.
Live and a future Great Saint is born. Fall and be forgotten by everyone. That was the cruel truth.
"Sova, we have to hurry, if you make any discoveries while we're on the bridge, just let me know."
"Sure."
The two of them stepped onto the bridge with Sova taking the front while Ace followed closely behind, about a few metres distance between them so that they could retreat without being in each other's way while being able to assist the other party in time.
To their expectations, the first problem soon arose after they travelled far enough to see nothing but the endless bridge, the platform behind them was already too far to be seen in this darkness.
The bridge twisted reality, time and space distorted to be unknown. It felt like an endless journey, but the feeling of danger around them only grew stronger with each step they took.
*Click*
*Swoosh*
The sound of a mechanism being triggered disturbed the silence, followed by a flurry of arrows that ambushed Ace and Sova from the side.
Ace who reacted before Sova made use of his sword to deflect the arrows away one at a time while Sova made use of his hidden strength to deflect all the arrows with one swing on his sword.
In the Sword Tower, there was one rule which was known to all. All cultivation is suppressed here, in here, Ace expected himself to be the strongest, yet the Sword Scholar and Cody who they have yet to see until now made him understand his placing.
"Sova, be careful from here onwards, there should be more traps and hidden mechanisms nearby, this one was just a teaser of what we're going to be up against next." Even though Ace himself was in a perilous situation, he remained unfazed against the impending trouble that was lurking in the dark while he was in the light.
If he didn't know what was coming up next, all he could do was remain calm and take things one step at a time, settling them before they snowball against him.
It even gave him an inspiration for what the sect needs right now, the experience in dealing with hidden mechanisms would be useful as he began to formulate a plan in his mind.
"Sure thing, if needed, please cover my back."
"You can count on me."
During this time, Ace also sent a message to Cidd through the voice transmission function of the main hall.
"Cidd, please alert the disciples that in another week's time, a new building will be added to the sect. Also, for those disciples that want to enter the building, conduct a test for them, their speed must be at least of the late stage Martial Master realm."
"I'll see to it, sect master. By the way, something happened to Arith and only you might be able to…" Cidd explained the whole situation briefly while Ace remained composed, he understood the gravity of the situation considering that even Jay was helpless against this situation for now and the pain that Clarissa was feeling, it wasn't any lesser than the pain in his heart for Charlotte.
All they could do was move on and progress, in order to seek a way to save their loved ones from the clutches of death and an unknown fate which might be worse than hell.
"Tell Clarissa that I'll find a way to bring Arith back to life, not because he's an important asset to the sect, but because it's my duty to take care of him as his sect master, yet all I did was implicate him into this situation."
Before Cidd could even reply again, Ace had already closed the communication system.
"Sova, whatever traps lay up ahead, stay sharp and be alert. I have a feeling that the traps are only the cover to hide something else."
"Sure thing once again."
In the meantime, Cody was actually the first person to arrive at the third floor, even the Sword Scholar himself was still figuring out how to get past the third and final challenge of the second floor.
The only reason Cody made it to the third floor this quickly was because he exploited the ability of his Illusion law and saw through the hidden paths easily. In the first stage, the disguise was nothing in his eyes.
In the second stage, every trap and mechanism in the bridge including the final surprise were avoided by him with careful footwork while being able to see through the activation keys for the traps.
As for the third stage in which the Sword Scholar was stuck in, Cody made use of his Illusion law and fooled the guardian, slipping past the guardian and entering the third floor without even being noticed. That's right, he was going to make use of this advantage to become the first person to arrive at every floor.
He wasn't a kind person as he seems on the surface, he was scheming even though his heart for the sword remained pure.
"Sova, don't move!"