Chapter 21

"Swish, swish..."

In the corner of his eye, he saw the slight sound of the wind. As Tanggu attacked the leftmost black iron puppet, the other two black iron puppets did not remain idle, both thrusting their swords at him.

Two green wooden swords, carrying a cold and piercing light, attacked his shoulders from both sides.

"Whoosh!"

A large clump of snow flew over, the cold wind howling, icy and bone-chilling. Tanggu's figure instantly moved.

He did not dodge or avoid, but instead charged towards the two green wooden swords. Just as the swords were about to pierce his shoulders, his feet made a slight movement, and his entire body miraculously tilted, causing the two swords to miss.

Then, Tanggu's figure stood up again, and he simultaneously struck the chest of the left black iron puppet with both palms.

"Crack!"

A muffled sound, the left black iron puppet staggered, almost falling over, and the sword light from the side came again.

Tanggu's body leaned back, and he moved like a dragon, completely ignoring the right puppet. He struck the back of the left black iron puppet with both palms again.

This time, the black iron puppet could no longer hold on. The pale green crystal inside it instantly shattered, turning into threads of spiritual energy that dissipated into the air. The green fire in its eyes instantly went out, and it fell straight to the ground behind it.

"Another one down!"

Seeing this, Tanggu was greatly relieved. Only one black iron puppet remained, which would be easier to handle.

Dozens of purple sword lights rose, like smoke and mist, instantly enveloping the last black iron puppet. In a short while, all the joints of the last black iron puppet were dismembered, and it fell to the ground with a "thud," causing snow to fly up.

Pine needles rustled and fell, and Tanggu's figure did not stop, rushing forward.

With experience, it was easier to handle. In the following process, whether it was a sneak attack from behind or being surrounded by puppets, Tanggu always found the gaps in their attacks and calmly dealt with them one by one.

In this way, in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, all twenty-five black iron puppets were defeated, and he smoothly reached the end.

A pale white teleportation array and a long, icy and cold stone staircase appeared before him. Tanggu hesitated for a moment, seeing that there was still plenty of time, he finally gritted his teeth and stepped onto the stone staircase.

Entering the second level of the Snowman Cave!

...

Outside the Qiu Dao Martial Academy, in a special training room.

"Black Iron Sword" Du Pengfei was in a good mood today.

He had specially changed into a black and white outfit, with a pattern of a pale golden dragon, simple and elegant.

If it weren't for the fact that his eyes always carried a hint of gloom, he would indeed be a rare young talent in Shiyan Town.

However, his mood soon turned bad.

A disciple from the outer academy, whom he had instructed to keep an eye on Tanggu's movements, stumbled over and pointed in the direction of the outer academy: "Not... not good... Senior Brother Du... Tanggu... he... he has gone to challenge the Snowman Cave... There are many people watching..."

"What?"

Upon hearing this news, Du Pengfei's face instantly darkened. He glanced at the disciple who brought the news and nodded: "Let's go and see!"

"Yes!"

Immediately, the disciple who brought the news led "Black Iron Sword" Du Pengfei to the dark courtyard. Indeed, a large crowd had gathered there, including the fifth-ranked disciple of the outer academy, Wang Zheng, and "Ice Maiden" Li Youxue, who had also rushed over upon hearing the news.

Everyone immediately straightened their faces and respectfully called out: "Senior Brother Du!"

"Hmm."

He casually nodded and asked: "How long has he been inside?"

"Already three incense sticks, and he hasn't come out yet!"

"Three incense sticks?"

Upon hearing this, Du Pengfei's face became even darker.

In the Qiu Dao Martial Academy, there were specially made silver soul incense sticks, with one incense stick burning for about ten to fifteen minutes. Therefore, half an hour was roughly four to five incense sticks.

Now, Tanggu, a mere outer academy servant, had managed to stay inside for more than three incense sticks, which was indeed surprising.

After all, even some ordinary first-turn Qi Dao disciples would probably not last one incense stick. This meant that a servant was actually much stronger than many official outer academy disciples.

"Senior Brother Du, don't worry. The longer this boy stays inside, the more suffering he will endure, and the lower his chances of passing. Once he lasts half an hour, regardless of whether he passes or not, he will be considered a failure and will not be admitted to our academy."

"That's right. Our academy is not a place for a mere servant to enter so easily. If he were to be admitted, wouldn't we be on the same level as a servant? He definitely won't succeed!"

Everyone discussed this, and then they continued to flatter Du Pengfei. Normally, Du Pengfei would be very pleased to hear such words, even if he appeared humble on the surface. However, he had no such thoughts now.

Others thought that Tanggu would definitely fail if he lasted half an hour, but Du Pengfei thought deeper... If he could last half an hour now... what about in the future?

Du Pengfei still vividly remembered that half a month ago, Tanggu was just a mid-level Qi Sensing outer academy servant. But after disappearing for half a month, his cultivation speed was now faster than that of their official disciples, the pride of heaven. Wasn't that terrifying?

"Hmph!"

He coldly stared at the cave entrance, ignoring the discussions around him, and waited for Tanggu's appearance with unblinking eyes.

...

Second level of the Snowman Cave.

Tanggu had already persisted for more than two incense sticks. He was unaware that his challenge had already caused a stir outside, with many disciples who were usually in seclusion coming out to watch. He was still struggling in a fierce battle with two second-turn Qi Dao snowman puppets.

The second-turn Qi Dao snowman puppets not only had a higher level of strength but also knew more advanced sword techniques. Made of silver, they were more flexible than the cold and hard black iron, and each sword technique was executed with precision. Various strange and unique moves could be seen in their hands.

Even though Tanggu now had the strength comparable to a second-turn Qi Dao, he still found himself struggling, being hit by the swords several times, but he managed to endure them.

However, such intense battles left Tanggu with no room for distraction. His mind was highly focused, causing sweat to drip from his forehead, wetting his long hair that fell over his eyes.

But his eyes remained sharp and bright, with a unique sharpness and indomitable spirit.

Even though his body was fatigued, he did not intend to give up. He had completely forgotten his purpose for coming here and lost track of time, only knowing to fight, fight, and fight.

In the corner of his eye, another sword flew swiftly towards his forehead.

Tanggu sighed inwardly, and a purple sword light flashed, deflecting the sword. However, he could not block the sword from behind.

"Smack!"

A wooden sword struck his knee joint heavily. Tanggu grunted and took a step back, rolling on the ground to avoid the second sword. But the two silver puppets finally gained the upper hand, continuously sweeping with their swords.

After persisting for a short while longer, Tanggu could no longer hold on and was teleported out of the Snowman Cave, reappearing in the dark courtyard.

PS: Second update, more to come. Seeking votes and collections for the rankings!