Taking out his sword, Li Yun prepared for the real battle that was about to commence. He couldn't take advantage of the puppets any longer, as the remaining four had now formed a formation to fight him.
The 3rd level Qi Training puppet was leading the group, flanked by the two 2nd level Qi Training puppets, while the last 1st level Qi Training puppet followed behind the leader.
Seeing their battle formation, Li Yun felt confident in his previous assumptions. They were indeed being controlled by someone in the Combat Pagoda, or perhaps they were designed to function that way.
Li Yun immediately activated Raging Heaven again. Feeling the strength coursing through his veins, he chose his target.
He swiftly moved forward, appearing in front of the 3rd level Qi Training puppet, which was advancing towards him.
Li Yun slashed using the 5th layer of the Thunderclap Dragon Sword.
The puppet also swung its sword, but it was just a casual swing.
Their swords collided with an epic clang, but neither Li Yun nor the puppet took a step back—they were locked in a stalemate.
Li Yun attacked again with the Thunderclap Dragon Sword, and so did the puppet.
Once again, their swords clashed, resulting in another draw. However, this time, the two 2nd level Qi Training puppets had caught up with Li Yun.
Noticing them, Li Yun immediately shifted to the side, catching one of the 2nd level puppets off guard. Seizing the opportunity, Li Yun harnessed the 6th layer of the Thunderclap Dragon Sword and swung his sword down at it.
The puppet tried to defend itself but was easily overpowered by Li Yun's attack. It was blown away like a kite, cracks appearing on its wooden body, leaving it just one strike away from being destroyed.
At that moment, the 3rd level puppet attacked from Li Yun's left side.
Li Yun could only defend the attack with his sword.
Clang!
He was pushed back several meters, but this pushed him towards the 2nd level Qi Training puppet he had just attacked. Using the momentum from the 3rd level puppet's attack, Li Yun sprinted towards the 2nd level puppet and struck again.
"Thunderclap Dragon Sword!"
Using the 6th layer once more, his sword destroyed the puppet, reducing it to pieces.
'Three more to go.'
Li Yun turned around and noticed that the 3rd level Qi Training puppet and the remaining 2nd level Qi Training puppet were now in front of him. All these puppets possessed a movement technique that he lacked, allowing them to close the gap between them and him quickly, while he had to plan each of his attacks carefully.
Li Yun sighed and attacked the 3rd level puppet again, this time using the 6th layer of the Thunderclap Dragon Sword.
As he swung his sword, the puppet used a sword technique. In that moment, Li Yun only saw a blur as the puppet appeared before him, its sword stabbing straight at his heart.
Fear.
Li Yun felt fear at that moment.
His heart pounded like a drum as he felt the coldness of the sword that almost touched his robe.
It was too fast—too quick for him to react.
But there was one part of him that did react: his right eye. The moment the puppet decided to attack with a martial technique, Li Yun activated his right eye, causing it to glow with a deep purple light.
Though he couldn't react to the puppet's attack, he managed to detect a flaw in that moment.
In the last possible instant, Li Yun, who was mid-swing, changed his attack and flicked his sword upward toward his chest. His right eye had been focusing on the entire scene with incredible precision.
As he flicked his sword, a loud clang rang out, and Li Yun was blasted back like a missile. His feet skidded across the white tiles as if on slime before he eventually came to a stop.
Clang.
His sword fell to the ground with a clang, having been blasted back along with him.
However, since his sword had come between the puppet's sword and his chest, it remained with him the entire time until it fell when he finally stopped.
"That was close and painful."
Li Yun felt pain coursing through his body, like he'd been struck by a speeding motorbike. The impact left him aching from head to toe, but it was manageable.
He picked up his sword and looked at the 3rd level Qi Training Realm puppet, which was still standing in the same spot where he had attacked. Behind it were the remaining 2nd level Qi Training puppet and, at the very end, the last 1st level Qi Training Realm puppet.
Li Yun immediately retreated several steps to create more distance between himself and the puppets as he reflected on the attack that had nearly killed him.
If not for his right eye, he would be dead by now.
That attack... Li Yun had no answer to it. It was simply too fast for him to react—too swift for him to even register. He hadn't even blinked, yet he didn't see the attack at all.
But he knew one thing: it wasn't teleportation.
If the puppet had used teleportation, then his right eye shouldn't have been able to detect a flaw in the attack.
In truth, his right eye hadn't seen the flaw—it couldn't see the flaw of something moving that fast. It had simply noted the trajectory of the attack, and Li Yun had used that information to his advantage, using his sword at the last possible moment to save himself.
'If I can't find a way to block that sword, then I'm a goner. My ascent through the Combat Pagoda will end on the third floor.'
Li Yun contemplated this while constantly moving around the large stage. He didn't want to give the 3rd level Qi Training Realm puppet another chance to attack him. Until he figured out a way to block that sword, Li Yun wouldn't face it directly.
He also stopped using Raging Heaven at that moment.
'The pain...'
Li Yun took out another bottle of beast blood and gulped it down. Moments later, relief washed over him as the fatigue and pain vanished.
The Raging Heaven state consumed a significant amount of his Qi. While he wasn't worried about depleting his Qi, he had to be cautious about his body. The longer he maintained Raging Heaven, the more severely his body would be injured from within.
Therefore, since he wouldn't be directly fighting the 3rd level Qi Training puppet, he decided to let his body rest for a bit.