Leng Qiuyue was staring at the black portal with a dejected look when a quiet voice said gently to her, "He will be alright."
She was startled when she saw that it was Ling Xiu.
"My brother is also inside. I hope that he will be able to make it out that black portal." She had taken the green portal while her brother Ling Chong had taken the blue portal.
Leng Qiuyue nodded quietly before she said, "I've heard that your Flying Armament Sect has made an alliance with the Clear Sky Pavilion?"
Ling Xiu nodded before she returned a smile, "My brother is taking Qiuxiang Huan as his first consort after the end of this tournament. You are welcome to attend his wedding."
Leng Qiuyue whispered, "But you don't look so happy?"
Ling Xiu smiled weakly, "How do you know that I am not happy for my brother? Naturally I am."
"Because I just know." Leng Qiuyue said firmly. "Or else you will be talking to Qiuxiang Huan now and not to me."
Ling Xiu: …
Ling Xiu averted her glances and said quietly, "Brother Qingyun will be alright. I have faith in him."
Leng Qiuyue was suddenly quiet. It was because she had suddenly realized that Ling Xiu may have the same affection for Lu Qingyun as her.
She forced herself to smile, "Yes, senior brother will be fine."
–
–
–
The darkness around Lu Qingyun had suddenly vaporized and he was suddenly surrounded by tall walls all around him. From beyond the wall, there was a black light that was rising to the skies.
His first thought was, "I am in a maze? I am not dead? Did I pick the correct portal instead?"
He could hear other voices from beyond the walls.
"I am not dead?"
"Where am I?"
"What is this place?"
"Did I overcome the trial?"
Shen Yufeng's voice could be heard echoing, "We have some two thousands of you who have picked the blue portal. Unfortunately for you, the choice that you had made is a bad one and it is the portal of death. However, you still have a chance to redeem yourself."
"You are all in a maze and have the same starting point as the others. Did you see the black light that is beyond the walls? You have one hour to get to the black portal to complete the second portal. This is your second chance. The countdown starts now."
With that, her echoing voice had slowly disappeared.
The mazes were muttering with exciting voices from the cultivators who could not see one another. At first they were greatly demoralized but now they were excited that they would be given a second chance.
"If it is just a maze, it should be easy right?"
"I have perfect sense of direction. This should be easy for me…"
"I have a poor sense of direction…"
Lu Qingyun was already running in the maze when he had heard that the countdown had started. He knew that this was not a simple maze and there were hidden dangers all around him.
Yan'Er was shouting to him from within his inner cultivation sea, "Master, there are desolate monsters hidden in every corner. Fifth rank desolate beasts."
He was startled. Fifth rank desolate beasts were formidable enough to bring down most of the fourth realm cultivators. Moreover, half of the cultivators that were taking part in the trials were actually at the third realm level. There would almost be no fighting chance should a third realm cultivator happen to meet a fifth rank desolate beast.
And most of the fourth realm cultivators would not be able to survive a one to one fight with a fifth rank desolate beast. Even Lu Qingyun had little confidence in that as well since he was not familiar with most of the special attacks of the higher ranking desolate beasts.
And so he had decided to cheat.
"Yan'Er. My divine sense is lacking. Are you able to tell me if there are desolate beasts in the corner?"
"That is easy, Master." Yan'Er chuckled.
"That is my good Yan'Er!" Lu Qingyun was immediately delighted.
"Avoid the left!"
Lu Qingyun had immediately flashed to the right.
All around him, there were screams and the slashing sounds of the swords.
Tens of minutes had passed before Lu Qingyun had suddenly realized that he had been running in circles. He was too successful in evading the desolate monsters and had suddenly realized that some of the desolate monsters were guarding some of the most crucial points in the maze.
He quickly headed to a part of the maze where he thought that it may lead him further to the black portal that lay in the middle of the maze.
Along the way, he saw the bodies of several of the cultivators.
Less than five minutes later, he had heard a soft scream and a beautiful maiden was seen slamming onto the wall.
Lu Qingyun had immediately recognized that she was Qian Jingjing and that an Earth Elemental Golem was now cornering her.
Qian Jingjing coughed out a bout of blood before she unleashed her Rippling Five Heavens Spirit Sword as five shockwaves exploded on the Earth Elemental Golem but it did not manage to even scratch it the least bit. It was because the Earth Elemental Golem had the most formidable defenses and was immune to the energies of her profound technique. It may have worked against another fifth rank desolate beast like the Eight-Legged Duke Lion but not against this monster.
Just as the Earth Elemental Golem was about to use its massive fist to land a hit on Qian Jingjing, Lu Qingyun had intercepted its massive fist with his sword.
In a split second, Lu Qingyun had grabbed Qian Jingjing and had pushed her to his back.
Qian Jingjing was startled that it was actually Lu Qingyun who had come in a nick of time to rescue her and was even startled that he could block off the massive fist of the Earth Elemental Golem. How was it possible?
All of a sudden, she had noticed that there was an animus that was glowing from Lu Qingyun. She was greatly shocked because profound aura could only be displayed by a cultivator that had reached the fourth realm cultivation level. Moreover his profound aura looked really solid and was even more formidable than she could muster.
Was he not a first realm cultivator?
Why was he suddenly a fourth ream cultivator now?
He was actually on the same cultivation realm as her?
Her sharp eyes suddenly saw that he had a spirit entity on his left hand and she was gasping. There was a rumor that he had a golden roc flame but she had not believed it. It was because it was considered to be unusable and too instable to capture one until the cultivator could reach the sixth cultivation realm.
"Alpha Soaring Heavens as One." Lu Qingyun had immediately merged his spirit entity into his profound aura and combined it into his unique sword art as he flashed his sword on the Earth Elemental Golem.
The Earth Elemental Golem was instant kill by his sword art and had immediately crumbled to dust.
Lu Qingyun heaved a soft sigh. This Earth Elemental Golem may have formidable defenses but it was too slow moving and hence easier for him to execute his sword art.
Qian Jingjing was startled as she stared in disbelief at him. It was because he had just instant kill an Earth Elemental Golem. This means that his martial power was also at an extreme level…
"Maiden Qian, are you alright?" Lu Qingyun asked. He was a little afraid that she may suddenly jump on him to scold him for causing her to pick the wrong portal.
But instead Qian Jingjing was smiling sweetly at him, "Brother Qingyun, just call me Jingjing in the future. I shall call you Brother Qingyun, alright?"
"Erm, alright…" Lu Qingyun was perplexed why she was suddenly so friendly toward him. But he did not have the time to think further as he was preoccupied with completing the trial. "Let us move quickly."
Qian Jingjing smiled as she stole a glance at him, "Alright!"
As Lu Qingyun began to run hastily in the maze, he was thinking. "Finally I have the chance to display my new sword art in the tournament. Not only will Keqin be surprised but the others will also be quite startled that I am now able to defeat a fifth rank Earth Elemental Golem. In the future, no one will dare to say that I am a good-for-nothing cultivator anymore."
However, he did not know that he was in another space where the outside speculators were not able to see what was going on inside.
"Jingjing, wait!" Lu Qingyun had suddenly caught her wrist. "This way please. That way is not safe."
Qian Jingjing gasped softly when Lu Qingyun had suddenly caught her wrist and she was trembling lightly. She muttered shyly, "Alright. Why do you know that way is not safe?"
"My Instinct tells me." Lu Qingyun explained quite awkwardly.
"Then why are you in the death portal now?" Qian Jingjing giggled.
"Erm…I did tell you not to follow me, right?"
"You're such a weird fellow. Why did you choose the death portal when you know that the other portal is the life portal?"
"I'll tell you when I've thought of the reason." Lu Qingyun replied weakly.
Qian Jingjing giggled, "You are so interesting. Luckily I have met you."
"Erm, you don't blame me for leading you here?" Lu Qingyun asked.
"Why should I? That is my very own decision. After all, you've already warned me in advance."
Lu Qingyun laughed weakly, "I've thought that you will surely blame me for that."
"Do I look like the sort of petty maidens that you have met in the past?" Qian Jingjing pretended to be annoyed.
"Erm, no." Lu Qingyun replied.
"Say, are you really a fourth realm expert?"
"Yes, I am."
"Which tier are you on now?"
"Upper tier." Lu Qingyun answered.
"The same as me then." Qian Jingjing was most astonished and she was secretly smiling as she thought. "We are quite compatible in our cultivation level…"
Elsewhere in the maze, Nangong Yu was cursing out aloud. "Lu…Qingyun…I hate…you…why did…I have to follow…you…"
In the next instant, a gigantic desolate wolf had ripped him apart.