Mu Tai, Xia Guo, and Gao Zhu all had shocked expressions on their faces. They still couldn't believe Li Yun could clear the third floor. They had experienced the difficulty of the third floor and knew how challenging it was, and yet someone weaker than them had achieved what they had failed to accomplish.
Among them, Mu Tai sighed. Only he had seen Li Yun's true strength. He vividly recalled how Li Yun had defeated Wang Min with just one move at the end of their battle. Therefore, although he was also shocked like the others, it wasn't as intense for him since he had already seen Li Yun's strength.
However, Xia Guo and Gao Zhu were not like him. Xia Guo clenched his fists when he saw that Li Yun had crossed the third floor while he himself had failed to do so. He looked at Li Yun's name on the list with intense jealousy and hatred in his eyes.
On the other hand, Gao Zhu appeared calm and indifferent. He even stopped staring at Li Yun's name on the list and closed his eyes. No one knew what he was thinking at that moment.
Lie Hua, on the other hand, looked at Li Yun's name with a complex expression, mostly solemn. If one looked closely, they could even notice a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
"Everyone, you have around twelve more hours. So, don't waste your time here. Go and hunt some stronger beasts to boost your points," the middle-aged man puppet said loudly to all the disciples gathered around the pagoda.
The disciples looked at each other before warily leaving the area of the Combat Pagoda. Some were cautious of each other while leaving, whereas some roamed in groups, but in the end, they all left.
The middle-aged man puppet watched as their figures disappeared into the forest and closed his eyes.
---
In an ever-changing background of walls and ceiling, the floor appeared to be made up of pristine blue tiles of various shapes.
At the moment, Li Yun stood on those tiles, his eyes looking around at the ever-changing background of colors in amazement.
He had appeared here just a moment ago after entering the fourth floor. The difficulty of the fourth floor shocked him to the core. If others thought the difficulty of the first three floors was immense, they had no idea what awaited them on the fourth floor.
There were only three puppets on the fourth floor, but all of them possessed the cultivation of the 3rd level of the Qi Training Realm.
When Li Yun arrived on that floor, he was quickly overwhelmed by the three puppets. He could barely handle one on the third floor, and now facing three of them, even with his Raging Heaven, proved to be an even more difficult task.
Therefore, after exchanging some blows with them, he was supposedly killed by the puppets and then found himself in this amazing place.
Looking around the ever-changing ceiling and walls of wherever he was, Li Yun found it very fascinating.
"Well, we have another one after so many years..."
At this moment, an aged voice sounded behind Li Yun, causing him to quickly turn around when he heard it.
"You!"
Li Yun was shocked to find another him standing behind him.
"No, you aren't me!"
However, he quickly realized that the one in front of him wasn't real but a replica—a puppet of him.
"Who are you?" Li Yun asked cautiously.
The puppet, with the same face as him, smirked like how Li Yun himself had done countless times to others. "I am the one who controls the Combat Pagoda."
"Why do you look like me?" Li Yun asked again.
The puppet raised his forefinger and shook it. "I don't look like you. It's just that since you aren't the master of the Combat Pagoda, there are certain things you can't really see here, and one of those things is me. What you're seeing when you look at me is the thing you adore the most. It could be anything from martial techniques to your favorite food or even someone you love."
The puppet regarded him with a strange expression. "And I won't judge you for seeing your own face in me."
Li Yun was surprised by this. If what the puppet said was true, he should be seeing either his father or his mother, but instead, he was seeing his own puppet.
"Is there something wrong with the array?" Li Yun asked after some thought.
"Oh," the puppet seemed surprised that Li Yun could identify the array responsible for all of this.
"You're perceptive to recognize this as the work of an array, but you're mistaken in thinking something is wrong with it. It's just that you view yourself as the most important person," the puppet remarked.
Li Yun smiled slightly in embarrassment. "You might be right, but why am I here?"
"You're here to receive your rewards." The puppet waved his hands, and three bubbles floated in front of him, each one pitch black. None of them were transparent.
"Only one of these three can be your reward for climbing the fourth floor on your first try. Choose carefully. Each reward holds equal value to you," the puppet explained.
Li Yun nodded and examined the bubbles carefully. It didn't matter which one he chose. If his luck was good, he would get something beneficial; if not, he would get something less useful.
'The puppet did say each of the rewards holds equal value to me. So, a bad reward isn't really a concern here.'
He thought, considering the three black spheres in front of him. After deliberating, he made his decision and looked at the puppet.
"Do other disciples also receive a reward?" he asked. He wanted to clarify some things before making his choice.
The puppet shook his head. "No, they don't receive any rewards besides the points earned for successfully clearing a floor. Only by clearing the third floor or beyond would one have a chance to come here."
Li Yun understood and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, his hand pointed at the middle black sphere floating in the air.