On the morning of the second test, the outer sect was filled with excitement.
The ten-storey pagoda was at the edge of the West Lake, and disciples made their way there before first light.
Yu Nianzhen and Jiang Yue were no different.
They didn't know the procedure for taking the test or entering the tower. Therefore, it was better to arrive earlier than later.
However, they had underestimated the enthusiasm for the ten-storey pagoda.
More than fifteen thousand disciples were already gathered on the banks when the two arrived.
Additionally, thousands of inner sect disciples were gathered on the far bank to observe the excitement.
"Why did they come?"
Jiang Yue was astonished when he saw the inner sect disciples.
From what he knew, it was impossible to observe the test from outside the tower.
In that case, it made no sense to spectate the event.
"The pagoda opens every ten years. Most of the inner sect disciples did not have a chance to enter. They probably came to have a look because of that."
Jiang Yue understood the explanation and turned a sympathetic look at the inner sect disciples.
"Young master Jiang, young master Yu."
The two turned to see Zhu Bing.
The boy was walking toward them, and he carried a huge sack bag on his back.
"Why did you bring your things?" Jiang Yue was surprised.
However, when he looked around, he saw that most odd job disciples were carrying similar bags.
"It is food."
Jiang Yue soon understood.
The pagoda would be open for a month, and there was no way to get out even if one failed the test.
Unfortunately, their cultivation was too low, and they couldn't go without food. If one didn't make plans, they would starve in the latter half of the month.
The two and most other disciples had prepared by taking a bigu pill, but odd job disciples were too poor to afford one.
Jiang Yue and Yu Nianzhen looked at each other.
In the month they had been at the sect, they had grown close to Zhu Bing.
The boy was diligent in his work and never complained about anything.
If they could, they wanted to help him. Because of that, they had given him the body tempering and meridian strengthening pills that they received from the sect at the beginning.
However, Zhu Bing was a proud person even though he was in a miserable situation.
At first, he had refused to take the pills.
It wasn't that he didn't want them, but he didn't want to take advantage of the two.
After all, they had only known each other for a short time and couldn't be considered friends.
In the end, Zhu Bing took the pills on loan and was determined to repay them as soon as he could.
Since they had already done so much, Yu Nianzhen and Jiang Yue didn't mind doing a little more.
"Take this."
Jiang Yue handed him a brown pill.
The pill was a one-month bigu pill.
Zhu Bing looked tangled and didn't immediately reach for the pill.
"Add it to the amount that you already owe."
Zhu Bing took the pill and looked at them gratefully.
It was unknown what would happen within the pagoda. If things were particularly unfavourable, carrying such a sack bag could turn into a disadvantage.
"I will keep your bag for you."
Jiang Yue took the bag without waiting for permission.
He placed it in his storage bag before turning his attention back to the boy.
"Your cultivation has improved."
Compared to when they met him, Zhu Bing had undergone a dramatic change.
His body was no longer as frail, and his face had some colour.
His cultivation had also improved from the third level of the meridian awakening realm to the peak of the fourth level.
He was only a step away from breaking through to the fifth level, but Jiang Yue was still worried about him.
The new disciples only needed to clear the third floor of the ten-storey pagoda to become outer sect disciples.
However, odd job disciples needed to clear the fifth to be promoted to outer sect disciples.
"Do your best." Jiang Yue said with a sigh.
From Zhu Bing's performance in the past month, his talent wasn't poor.
Jiang Yue hoped that the other could pass the test so that he wouldn't waste his potential.
"Thanks." Zhu Bing said in a small voice.
The three waited for a shichen before two groups of elders arrived at the West Lake.
One group was led by an old man, and the other was led by a middle-aged woman.
The old man was the outer sect grand elder called elder Bu.
His cultivation was at the peak of the origin forging realm, and the group he led were outer sect elders.
The middle-aged woman had a cultivation at the qi transformation realm and was an ordinary elder of the inner sect.
"The pagoda will open in a quarter of a shichen. All outer sect, new, and odd job disciples should get ready." Elder Bu shouted.
The atmosphere began to boil.
Everyone was eager to enter the pagoda and see what it was about.
"I have heard some new things about the pagoda." Zhu Bing suddenly said.
Yu Nianzhen and Jiang Yue turned to look at him.
"It is said that the pagoda is different for everyone."
"What do you mean?"
Zhu Bing frowned a little as he organised the thoughts in his head.
"The pagoda is an ancient treasure that can submerge everyone in different illusions."
Yu Nianzhen and Jiang Yue were shocked.
The total number of disciples who would enter the pagoda was more than twenty thousand.
Jiang Yue had already doubted that the pagoda could hold everyone, and now he learned that all of them would take different tests!
"As expected of an ancient treasure."
He glanced at the pagoda in appreciation.
"It's good that we prepared to be separated."
Yu Nianzhen also looked at the pagoda in amazement.
Ancient treasures were the remnants of a more prosperous age in the Cangxing world.
He didn't know why the world had declined, but he knew that powerful cultivators in the current age couldn't compare to those in the lost age.
Thirty minutes later, the air in front of the pagoda began to distort.
The distortion formed a purple-black portal that was five metres tall and two metres wide.
"Enter in an orderly manner." Elder Bu shouted again.
Those closest to the portal jumped in and soon disappeared.
Zhu Bing, Yu Nianzhen, and Jiang Yue were at the edges and had to wait a long time to get their chance.
"Good luck." Zhu Bing said and disappeared into the portal.
"Take care."
"You too."
Yu Nianzhen was the first to enter, and Jiang Yue followed a second later.
As soon as he entered the portal, Yu Nianzhen appeared in a diagonal channel that pointed downwards.
The channel was filled with purple light, and his body floated down before he fell out at the end.
Although the fall was only three metres, Yu Nianzhen had not expected it, and his body tumbled to the ground.
Right after, the channel disappeared and abnormal gravity crushed his body.
The trepidation he had been suppressing increased two-fold, and his heart rate grew rapid.
His hands shook slightly and for a moment, Yu Nianzhen could not stand up from the ground.
He felt that he was standing at the edge of a blade.
He was convinced that he would be pierced into a sieve if he dared to stand up.
Yu Nianzhen closed his eyes and clenched his fists to suppress the terror.
He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
However, it took ten breaths before his heart rate decreased.
The terror was still there, but he could manage it so that it didn't paralyse him.
He opened his eyes and slowly unclenched his hands.
His face and palms were sweaty, and he used his sleeves to wipe himself before he stood up.
After standing up, Yu Nianzhen looked around.
Now that he was calm, he found that he was standing in a corridor.
Each end of the corridor tapered into darkness, and only the square patch he stood on had some light.
In front of him was a set of stairs.
The stairs were well lighted, and they ascended upwards.
Yu Nianzhen counted ten steps, and at the end of the tenth step, there was a heavy door.
"It looks like I am supposed to climb." He said and lifted his leg to place it on the first step.
…..
At the same time, Jiang Yue had also fallen out of his channel.
Unlike Yu Nianzhen, he felt no gravity or trepidation.
Instead, he felt unsteady and lost.
He felt like he was on a small boat in the middle of a tsunami.
The boat had no direction and was being tossed around aimlessly.
He was afraid that the boat would break or collapse.
Even if the boat remained intact, he was worried about where he would drift.
Jiang Yue closed his eyes and fervently wished for stable ground.
When he opened his eyes, his intense emotions had calmed down, and the view around him had changed.
"This…" His mouth dropped open in shock.