Chapter 71: Designing a Trap

On Gaotai Mountain, there were five chief examiners, and Meng Zhongliang was one of them. He had privately activated the intermediate difficulty and even the real mode, which made the other four examiners exchange glances, watching to see how Meng Zhongliang would handle the situation.

"It's just a coincidence. The Seven-Star Tower has malfunctioned before. Why are you making such a fuss? If he has the ability, he will naturally come out alive," Meng Zhongliang said indifferently, attributing the situation to a transmission error in the Seven-Star Tower, a rather flimsy excuse.

"You are so despicable! To do such a dirty deed in front of all the disciples, framing and harming new disciples, you are truly disgracing the academy," Tutor Li said angrily, scolding Meng Zhongliang.

"Are you looking for death? Do you believe I will kill you right now!" Meng Zhongliang burst with a powerful killing aura, ready to attack. If not for the four others holding him back, he might have really suppressed Tutor Li.

"What a great show of power! During the examination, private favoritism is strictly prohibited. You, Meng Zhongliang, are actually suppressing a talented new disciple out of personal grudge. How shameless!" Tutor Li, along with the other three tutors, stood below the platform, pointing at Meng Zhongliang, refusing to back down.

"Everyone, calm down. The Seven-Star Tower has had transmission errors before. The light is still on, which means he is safe. Let's wait a bit longer. Once he comes out, we will teleport him to the beginner difficulty level," one of the examiners stepped forward, trying to defuse the tension. If this news spread, it would damage the reputation of Tianling Academy.

Although they knew Meng Zhongliang had tampered with the system, the other four examiners maintained a unified stance to protect the academy's reputation, attributing the incident to a malfunction in the Seven-Star Tower to avoid any unfairness.

Seeing the other examiners maintain a unified stance, Tutor Li was indignant but helpless, hoping that Ye Feng could safely come out of the intermediate difficulty and real mode.

After entering the Seven-Star Tower, the surroundings suddenly changed. The space inside was identical to the real world. As soon as he entered, a large number of beasts rushed at him. These beasts were real, emitting genuine roars.

Ye Feng was puzzled. According to Tutor Li, the beginner difficulty should not be this challenging, and the environment seemed real. A scene flashed through his mind: when he entered, he saw a cruel expression on Meng Zhongliang's face. Could it be that...

Realizing something, Ye Feng concluded after fighting the beasts that he had been teleported to the real mode.

Without time to think, Ye Feng was immediately attacked by a large number of Eighth Rank beasts, completely surrounding him.

"Jiasha, appear!" Ye Feng shouted, a golden axe appearing in his hand. He swung it through the air, the overwhelming momentum causing the surrounding beasts to explode into pieces.

The essence blood of Eighth Rank beasts was useless to Ye Feng. He could only kill them. Only the essence blood of Ninth Rank beasts and humans could significantly increase his strength.

"Xiuyue Slash!"

Ye Feng shouted again, swinging his axe, clearing all the beasts around him, and passing the first level.

A door appeared ahead, and a passage behind, which should be the way out. Ye Feng stood in the middle of the first level, hesitating whether to leave or continue.

Ultimately, Ye Feng chose to continue, heading to the second level. He had thought it through. If he left and confronted Meng Zhongliang, and Meng Zhongliang denied it, claiming he failed the test, Ye Feng would have no place to appeal. Moreover, he couldn't be sure if this was the intermediate difficulty.

Secondly, this was also a good opportunity for training. Ye Feng didn't want to miss it. It was a chance to hone his martial skills and absorb a large amount of essence blood to replenish his true qi.

Upon entering the second level, the surroundings changed again. Ye Feng found himself in a desert, with waves of heat and a large number of Ninth Rank desert green lizards surrounding him.

The desert green lizards were hidden in the sand, making them hard to detect and difficult to deal with. The desert was also filled with quicksand, which could easily suck one into the ground. Ye Feng was very cautious.

"Whoosh!"

Ye Feng suddenly sprang up, head down and feet up, his hands plunging into the sand.

"Crack!"

A series of bone-cracking sounds came from under the sand, and a large green lizard was pulled out by Ye Feng, its blood staining the desert.

In a few rounds, Ye Feng killed over a dozen green lizards. These Ninth Rank beasts couldn't pose a threat to him. In less than a cup of tea's time, Ye Feng passed the second level.

There were two doors again, but Ye Feng didn't leave, heading to the third level.

Tutor Li saw the light on the second level disappear and the third level light up. The intermediate difficulty was the most prominent, with only one light, indicating that Ye Feng was inside.

Seeing Ye Feng enter the third level, Tutor Li and the other three tutors were anxious, hoping Ye Feng was safe.

Upon entering the third level, Ye Feng almost fell into the water. The third level was a vast ocean, with a small boat in the middle. Ye Feng landed on it, and the merciless waves began to crash.

"Whoosh!"

A water spout shot up, almost capsizing Ye Feng's boat. Fortunately, Ye Feng was prepared. After the first two levels, he was more alert.

A water dragon appeared, formed by water spirits. Although it was a shadow, its attack power was already at the Ninth Rank level.

Facing the water dragon's attack, Ye Feng roared, his body gliding through the air, and he swung a punch at the water dragon.

"Boom!"

Water splashed everywhere, and the water dragon was shattered by Ye Feng's punch, merging with the sea, and the surroundings calmed down.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

Suddenly, four water dragons appeared, attacking Ye Feng from four directions. Each dragon had the power of five flying dragons, totaling twenty flying dragons. A Ninth Rank beginner entering here would be instantly killed.

"Roar!"

Ye Feng shouted, his body rising into the air. Nine shadows appeared, and Ye Feng's fists turned into nine gusts of wind, each targeting a water dragon. Each punch had the power of five flying dragons, and Ye Feng activated the energy from nine dantians.

"Boom, boom, boom, boom!"

Four explosions sounded, and Ye Feng's body flipped in the air, landing on the sea. The small boat he had been standing on was shattered by the water, leaving only broken planks floating on the surface. Ye Feng gracefully landed on one of them.

The sea calmed down, but the passage did not appear. The battle was not over. The surroundings were quiet, and the calm before the storm was ominous.

Suddenly!

A fierce wind arose, and the previously calm sea was now a raging storm. Ye Feng's body moved with the waves, firmly controlling the plank under his feet to prevent himself from falling into the sea.

His body was already soaked, and the merciless waves were whipped up by the hurricane, each wave reaching over ten meters high. The plank under his feet was like a surfboard, jumping on the wave crests.

A massive water dragon appeared, over a hundred meters long, slowly rising from the water, about three meters thick. This water dragon was even more powerful than the previous ones, with the strength of fifteen flying dragons.

With a roar, a huge wave rolled toward Ye Feng. If he was caught in the wave, it would be hard for him to escape. He had to avoid the water column's impact.

Suddenly, nine figures appeared in the air. Ye Feng had reached the peak of the Shadow Step technique. The nine shadows merged into one, forming an overwhelming energy flow. The nine dantian energies were combined, and the wind from his punches split the air, causing the surrounding waves to roar.

"Mutual Destruction!"

His body shot out, and the massive wave, like a mountain, pressed down on him, almost suffocating him. But he couldn't afford to hesitate. A desperate attack was necessary. If he didn't force the water dragon back, he would sink into the sea.

"Boom!"

The sea was like a bomb had been dropped, sending water spouts over a thousand meters high. A huge gap appeared in the water dragon's body, and its movement slowed. Ye Feng's body shot out again, delivering a punch with the strength of seventeen flying dragons, his ultimate power, combining true qi and strength.

"Bang, bang!"

The earth shook, and the water columns that had risen into the air began to fall. The sea roared, and the water dragon made its final attack.

"Jiasha" appeared, and the overwhelming axe mark slashed through the air, seemingly able to split the space and reach the other side.

The water dragon split in two, cut in half by Ye Feng's axe. Ye Feng spent a full incense stick's time to safely pass the third level. The sea calmed down, and a door appeared. With a few leaps, Ye Feng entered the fourth level.

Seeing the light on the third level disappear, Tutor Li's heart skipped a beat, but then he was relieved when the fourth level lighted up. The four tutors cheered.

Standing on the platform, Meng Zhongliang was surprised that Ye Feng had safely passed the third level, which was equivalent to a Ninth Rank attack. He found it hard to accept. Thinking of the terrifying monsters in the fourth level, a hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.

Seeing the cruel smile on Meng Zhongliang's face, Tutor Li felt uneasy, hoping Ye Feng could safely exit. Otherwise, a talented disciple would be lost.

This time, nearly half of the participants were eliminated, leaving fewer than two thousand. Yi Buqiu walked out of the Seven-Star Tower with a confident stride, having passed six levels and only failing the last one. He was currently ranked first.

After coming out, Yi Buqiu immediately looked for Ye Feng, puzzled when he didn't see him. Could he still be inside?

Soon, he saw a light in the intermediate difficulty and heard the surrounding discussions. He learned that Ye Feng had entered the intermediate difficulty and activated the real mode, now in the fourth level. His face turned pale.

"Roar!"

As soon as Ye Feng stepped into the fourth level, a roar sent him flying.