"What happened here? Where are the guests? Did they leave already?" Elder Xuan showed up at the scene a few minutes after the other Sect Masters left.
"Oh, Elder Xuan. You've missed it. The Dragon Essence Temple is about to be rich!" Bai Ling said to Elder Xuan with a broad smile on his face.
"Rich? How so?" Elder Xuan sat down before looking at Bai Ling with raised eyebrows.
"Well… This is what happened while you were away."
Bai Ling proceeded to explain to Elder Xuan what had transpired not long ago, about how the other Sect Masters have decided to send three disciples from each sect to challenge the Carp Leaping Over Dragon's Gate Tower, and if none of the disciples can clear 100 floors, they will each forfeit a Divine-grade treasure.
However, if a single disciple from any of the participating sects manages to clear 100 floors in the tower, the Dragon Essence Temple will forfeit the Dragon Slaying Saber.
"Heavens! You actually dared to use the Dragon Slaying Saber in a gamble, Sect Master?" Elder Xuan looked at Long Yijun with disbelief on his face.
The Dragon Slaying Saber is one of few precious treasures left behind by the Founder over 100,000 years ago before his disappearance, and it was unthinkable that Long Yijun would dare to risk it in a gamble.
"Though, unless they have someone even half as talented as Disciple Yuan, they will struggle to reach even the 99th floor. As for the 100th floor… hahaha! That's plain impossible unless they're as talented as Disciple Yuan!" Elder Xuan laughed.
Everybody in the room looked at Elder Xuan with wide eyes, as this is the first time they've seen him laugh in such a manner.
"Elder Xuan, did you perhaps ask Disciple Yuan about the 100th floor?" Elder Shan asked him.
"I certainly did! And it shocked me speechless when I heard about his experience in the tower!" Elder Xuan continued to laugh.
"Stop teasing us and share it with the rest of us already! What kind of challenge exists on the 100th floor?" Long Yijun said to him.
Elder Xuan nodded and cleared his throat before he recalled what Yuan said to him.
"Not only did Disciple Yuan have to ascend the tower at the highest difficulty set by the tower but he also had to slay magical beasts at the Spirit Warrior level on every single floor. Furthermore, he only had 10 minutes to clear each floor or he would automatically fail the challenge. To top it all off, he was only allowed 15 minutes of rest for every 10 floors!"
"Heavens! What kind of ridiculousness is that?! Even I didn't have such restrictions when I challenged the tower!" Long Yijun exclaimed in a terrified voice.
"Me neither. I had 15 minutes to rest after every floor, and I had unlimited time to clear each floor. 10 minutes per floor is simply impossible for me, especially after the 70th floor." Bai Ling said.
"Did you forget how fast Disciple Yuan cleared the tower? Not including the 100th floor, he did it in only a couple of hours! It took me nearly an entire week to reach the 85th floor!" Elder Shan sighed with admiration in her gaze.
"What about the 100th floor, Elder Xuan?" Xin Ming asked him.
"The 100th floor…" Elder Xuan took a deep breath before speaking in a slow but clear voice, "Disciple Yuan… He had to defeat a total of 100,000 peak level Spirit Warrior magical beasts…"
"One hundred— What?!"
Everybody in the room exclaimed in a terrified voice, sounding like they'd just witnessed their ancestor climbing out of their tomb.
"Not only did he have to defeat 100,000 magical beasts but he also only had 24 hours to rest. Once he uses up that 24 hours, he would no longer be able to rest. I don't know about you guys, but I wouldn't dare to claim that I can achieve such a feat at my current level even if you gave me a week of rest time, and I am a Spirit Master whilst Disciple Yuan is only a Spirit Warrior." Elder Xuan shrugged.
"A 5th level Spirit Warrior defeating 100,000 peak Spirit Warrior… I am beginning to believe that Disciple Yuan might belong to one of the Four Ancient Families." Bai Ling mumbled.
"Four Ancient Families? I doubt even they would have someone as freakish as Disciple Yuan! This young man is probably an Immortal in disguise!" Xin Ming spoke with a sweaty feeling.
"It's no wonder the Founder called it 'terrifying'. I wouldn't dare to step on the 100th floor even if I can now that I know what's waiting there." Elder Shan sighed.
"100,000 magical beasts… Hahaha… HAHAHAHAHA! There's absolutely zero chance for those idiots now!" Long Yijun stood up and burst out laughing like some kind of maniac.
Sometime later, Elder Xuan spoke, "Oh, right. One more thing. You're going to have to give Disciple Yuan an even stronger concealment pill, Elder Shan."
"Eh? Why?" Elder Shan raised her slender eyebrows.
"Because he… he is now at the peak of the Spirit Warrior realm. I think clearing the tower had significantly improved his cultivation base." Elder Xuan said.
"P-Peak of the Spirit Warrior realm?!?!?" Elder Shan stood up from shock as did the other people there.
"B-But he's only like what? 18 years old? That's ridiculous! At this rate, he'll reach Spirit Master before the Mystic Realm even opens!" Xin Ming mumbled in a dazed voice.
"Luckily for us, the Mystic Realm doesn't limit participants by their cultivation base but their age instead." Long Yijun said. "Anyway, you guys can continue to prepare for the Mystic Realm. I shall stay here for a few more days just in case there are more guests later."
"Yes, Sect Master!"
Long Yijun then turned to look at Elder Xuan and said, "I'll leave Disciple Yuan in your hands."
Elder Xuan nodded and said with a smile on his face, "Don't worry, I'll take care of him as if he's my own grandson."