Jiang Che ignored the chatter around him and walked confidently into the Ascension Pavilion.
"Young man, are you here to challenge the Pavilion too?"
As soon as he entered the main hall, a youth in his early twenties stepped forward to block his path.
Jiang Che gave him a quick glance. His cultivation level was around the fifth stage of the Soul Realm—completely beneath notice.
"That's right. What are the rules for challenging the Pavilion?"
"Simple, you just need to defeat me and—"
Before the youth could finish his sentence, Jiang Che knocked him out with a single punch.
Without a second glance, Jiang Che strode straight to the second floor.
By the time he reached the tenth floor, Jiang Che began to take things a bit more seriously. The guardian of this floor was a martial artist at the peak of the Innate Realm. Though stronger than the ones before, Jiang Che still defeated him with a clean, effortless punch.
When he arrived at the thirteenth floor, a young man appeared before him.
Jiang Che scanned him with narrowed eyes—late-stage Innate Realm. Strangely, this one was even weaker than the guardian of the tenth floor.
Though puzzled, Jiang Che didn't dwell on it. With one punch, he sent the young man flying.
"Kid, this floor tests your gambling skills…"
Poor Luo Mingxuan didn't even finish his sentence before Jiang Che casually smacked him aside and continued on to the fourteenth floor.
The person awaiting him there caught Jiang Che slightly off guard.
In front of him stood a young girl, even younger than the one on the previous floor.
She had fair skin, delicate features, elegant eyebrows, and almond-shaped eyes. Dressed in red and holding a silver spear, she gave off a bold and heroic aura.
"Hey, are you here to challenge the Pavilion too?" she asked, her eyes lighting up the moment she saw Jiang Che coming up the stairs.
It wasn't anything he said or did—it was simply that he was far too handsome.
Snow Moon City was known for its stunning landscapes and beautiful people, but in all her life, Sikong Qianluo had never seen anyone more striking than this man.
Clad in white like fresh snow, tall and graceful, with star-like eyes and lips red as cherry blossoms. A sword hung at his waist, and his posture was straight as a pine tree. His presence was ethereal, as if a celestial being had descended into the mortal world.
Especially after cultivating the Five Elements Spiritual Technique, Jiang Che exuded a divine charm that made Sikong Qianluo unable to look away.
Oh no! Is this what falling in love feels like…?
"Yes," Jiang Che replied simply.
"At last, someone worthy…" Sikong Qianluo whispered, a touch of excitement in her voice.
Jiang Che gave her a once-over. She looked about eighteen or nineteen, and her cultivation had already reached the third stage of the Grandmaster Realm—the early stage of the Free Spirit Domain.
Not bad. A little genius.
"What do you mean by that?" Sikong Qianluo asked, tilting her head in confusion at his cryptic comment.
"Nothing," Jiang Che said, shaking his head. "Let's begin."
"All right—be careful then!"
Without wasting time, Sikong Qianluo raised her Silver Moon Spear and lunged toward Jiang Che.
"Piercing Spear Style!"
She launched her ultimate move right away, her expression serious. She couldn't sense Jiang Che's cultivation at all—but she knew he had to be at least on par with her, or he wouldn't have made it to the fourteenth floor.
Jiang Che unsheathed his Seven-Star Abyss Demon Sword, meeting her charge head-on.
They exchanged dozens of moves with lightning speed and flowing precision.
Then, with a flick of his wrist, Jiang Che's sword flashed—and the Silver Moon Spear flew from Sikong Qianluo's grasp.
She tumbled backward, landing hard on the floor of the Pavilion.
Jiang Che gave her a quick glance and continued on toward the fifteenth floor.
"Bastard!" she shouted after him.
"Not even a shred of pity for a lady!"
Gritting her teeth in frustration, Sikong Qianluo watched his back disappear up the stairs.
She wouldn't forget this humiliation!
"Ouch…" she muttered, rubbing her sore rear as she walked over to a chair and sat down with a groan.
Upon reaching the fifteenth floor, Jiang Che was greeted by the sight of an exceptionally beautiful woman.
She wore a light purple gown that flowed elegantly around her, her features exquisite and serene. Her skin was white as jade, glowing like a blooming flower.
She stood about 1.7 meters tall, her figure curvaceous with a narrow waist and shapely hips. Her every movement carried grace and allure—she was almost impossible to look away from.
Jiang Che glanced at her briefly before averting his gaze.
Such a stunning beauty appearing here meant only one thing—she had to be Yin Luoxia, one of Snow Moon City's famed Four Beauties.
She had long held the number one spot on Beili's list of most beautiful women.
"Young man, care to place a little bet with me?" Yin Luoxia said, her eyes sparkling with intrigue.
There was admiration in her gaze. She couldn't sense any fluctuation of inner strength from Jiang Che.
Only two possibilities existed:
Either he was a powerless scholar with no cultivation…
Or his strength far surpassed her own.
But since he had reached the fifteenth floor, the former was impossible.
Yin Luoxia herself was at the third stage of the Grandmaster Realm, and yet… she couldn't see through him at all.
Just how strong is this man? she wondered, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly as she grew more cautious.