"But Hua Xianzi is still superior, so ethereal and otherworldly, truly a fairy in the mortal realm." "I think Hua Youxiang Xianzi has a more extraordinary appearance, especially the way she holds the longsword, very much like a female hero." "If only I could have a kiss..." "You can’t say that, don’t you see Lord Heroic is still sitting in the painting boat?" At this moment, Chen Yi wasn’t too concerned with the surrounding Jianghu Guests; he was squinting at the amused Great Master. "Waiting to see my jokes?" "What are you saying, Lord Heroic? This time it’s just that our Kyoto Academy students lost some face, no big deal." Chen Yi neither agreed nor disagreed, knowing perfectly well that the old fellow was waiting to see him mess up. Seizing the moment before Erhua entered the Thousand Mechanism Tower, he directly transmitted a hint: "If you really encounter an insurmountable obstacle, Senior Brother allows you to use that Small Wooden Sword." Hmph, the Huangshan Taoist set up such a petty "training." Even if it’s for the talents’ sake, he won’t allow his junior sister to be mocked. If there’s really an unpassable hurdle, he’d rather Erhua use that Small Wooden Sword to split this Thousand Mechanism Tower; he reckons that old guy wouldn’t dare to say a word. At this time, Emperor Wei glanced at both of them and intervened, saying, "Both examiners, this is all for the sake of our Great Wei’s talents; victory or defeat is secondary." The Great Master took the hint and stopped provoking Chen Yi, nodding, "The Holy Emperor is right." The talents from his Kyoto Academy lost out because of a cup of Knockout Drug; if that gets out, what would happen? After this event, the Taoist sects are gaining the upper hand in the Confucianism and Taoism rivalry because of Chen Yi. If Jiang Ye pulls something again, how much will it cost the Academic Sacred Land to clear up? However, if Chen Yi’s fellow sect members or talents from other Taoist sects also perform poorly, then there’s no problem. Even with some grievances, it wouldn’t affect the Confucianism and Taoism rivalry. Seeing this, Emperor Wei knew Jiang Ye was in for some beatings—both Jiang Ziqi and the Great Master would have a go. He helplessly said, "Let’s see how the other talents perform." All eyes then shifted to the projection of the Thousand Mechanism Tower, where Hua Youxiang, like Jiang Ye before her, entered the maze. However, with the lesson from Jiang Ye, Erhua effortlessly passed through and reached the pavilion inside. The refined middle-aged man seated at the tea table saw her and smiled, "This young lady..." Before he finished, Erhua didn’t bother listening, raising her sword to strike. However, the expected beheading didn’t occur, but the refined middle-aged man was indeed startled by her slash. "Oh, not dead?" Hua Youxiang paused a moment. Hua Youxiang puffed out her cheeks, still not giving him a chance to speak, and pierced his head again with her sword, the tip protruding from the back, yet no blood flowed. This time, the refined middle-aged man was prepared and said helplessly, "It’s useless. You can’t kill me." "Why not sit down and have a cup of tea?" The scene of Jiang Ye being knocked out by the Knockout Drug earlier surfaced in Hua Youxiang’s mind, and she grimly continued to practice her Swordsmanship. Sword after sword, she went through her Thunderbolt Sword Technique moves. "Slash, slash you to death, slash..." However, it was to no avail; the refined middle-aged man sat calmly behind the tea table, smiling and chatting incessantly. "It’s no use, young lady, I’m here just to test you. Why don’t we sit and talk?" "Tired from practicing Swordsmanship? Why not sit and chat?" "Have a cup of tea, I assure you there’s no poison. Shall I drink first?" "Hey, hey... why won’t you respond?" No matter how he spoke, Erhua remained silent, eyes fixed only on her longsword. She had even considered pulling out the Small Wooden Sword her Senior Brother gave her if she really couldn’t pass. Fortunately, before she stopped, the refined middle-aged man, looking helpless, raised his hand and said: "Ah?" Erhua paused, "Are you sure?" The middle-aged man, seeing her expression, gently shook his head, "Young people today really lack manners. Go on." Then he waved, and Erhua vanished from the pavilion, suddenly appearing in a desert. Hua Youxiang, holding her longsword, looked around, saw no one around, put away her sword, and chuckled: "Senior Sister Xue Ru has the way. Never mind who they are, just cut them all with a sword." As soon as she finished speaking, seeing the barren emptiness around her, her smile vanished, and she said with a worried look: "What kind of test is this again, without a hint? How am I supposed to deal with this?" "Hmm... It’s all because of that Huangshan Taoist, and then the Taoist seniors, um..." Hua Youxiang suddenly remembered that her words inside might be heard by the people outside watching, so she quickly closed her mouth and, with politeness, clasped her hands pleadingly: "Please don’t be mad, seniors, I really didn’t mean to say it." "Blame Jiang Ye, if he weren’t so clueless, hadn’t passed a few more levels, I would’ve known what to do." "Yes, it’s all his fault!" After murmuring a few words, Erhua glanced around and then stepped in a certain direction. The desolate desert was empty, she truly didn’t know what to do other than blindly follow one path... The Huangshan Taoist, who had been criticized a few times more, looked even gloomier. "This is outrageous!" "These juniors are too disrespectful!" Just after he finished complaining, Daoist Xuanjian in the pleasure boat mocked and said: "They’re scolding you, who’s to blame you old guy for not being decent? Hmph, if it’s a competition, then compete; don’t use such petty tricks, just makes us a laughingstock." "You understand nothing, old Taoist does it for their own good. If they ever face war, will those evil demons and monsters fight fairly?" "Anyway, the disciples of my sect are right to scold!" Seeing the two old Taoists bickering from a distance, the Jianghu Guests watching the Thousand Mechanism Tower fell silent. They didn’t dare to speak up, fearing if they angered either, they couldn’t handle the consequences since they didn’t have seniors like Daoist Xuanjian to support them. Within the Thousand Mechanism Tower. Erhua still couldn’t think of a good solution, but she indeed walked down a single path into the dark. Literally into darkness. The sky over the desert turned to night, with only a bright moon hanging. And Erhua looked as if she had walked a long time, parched and close to exhaustion. As if her need were answered, she suddenly saw an oasis not far ahead. Hua Youxiang’s eyes lit up, and she rushed toward it. But just as she was about to jump into the river and drink to her fill, she suddenly recalled Fairy Hua’s advice to cut with one sword, no matter what appeared. Thinking of this, Erhua looked at the clear lake and, despite her thirst, drew her sword and slashed. "They’re all evil demons!" A tender rebuke, and the gleam of a sword, as the Sword Qi cut across the lake, and in an instant, her sight no longer held the desert or the lake, but she found herself inside a tavern. Regaining her senses, Erhua’s brows furrowed, inwardly cursing the Huangshan Taoist for his petty trick of creating an illusion to make her feel unbearably thirsty. Luckily, she didn’t jump into the lake before, or she’d have ended up like Jiang Ye, being laughed at by many. Immediately after, Erhua began scrutinizing her surroundings, seemingly an ordinary tavern—just four tables, at one of which sat an elderly person with a young one, while another table was surrounded by three fierce-looking Jianghu Guests. "Sir, what would you like to eat?" At this moment, a waiter in gray hemp clothing with a cloth draped over his shoulder walked over, enthusiastically wiped the nearby table and said: "Please, have a seat, have a seat." Hua Youxiang thought of the refined middle-aged man from the second level, then looked at the grinning waiter and the other table’s guests, yet hesitated to draw her longsword. After all, she saw the refined middle-aged man dancing on Jiang Ye and knew he was a bad guy, while the guests now—except those Jianghu Guests—didn’t seem like villains. After a moment’s hesitation, Hua Youxiang sat at that table and asked: "What does the fourth layer’s ’Trial’ test?" The waiter looked at her in surprise: "Sir, what are you talking about?" Hua Youxiang frowned, muttering: "I want to see what you are up to..." After all, she already passed three levels, better than Jiang Ye!