Swish!
"Divine Copy System."
"Host: Lin Xuan."
"Realm: Qi Gathering Layer Four."
"Talents: Spirit-grade cultivation talent, Extreme-grade talents (Speed, Strength, Sword Dao), Top-grade Blade Dao talent, Extreme-grade elemental talents (Sharp Gold, Gale Wind), Top-grade elemental talents (Crimson Fire, Thick Earth), Mid-grade elemental talents (Azure Wood, Heavy Water)."
"Martial Arts: ..."
"Intent: Twenty percent Sword Intent, ten percent Wind Intent, five percent Fire Intent."
"Energy Points: 14,000."
"Personal Space: 44."
On the first floor of the Puppet Tower, Lin Xuan gazed at the void before him, where the attribute panel had drastically transformed, and nodded slightly.
These were the changes brought about after copying from the core disciple Xu Anlan.
Though his cultivation level remained the same, Lin Xuan could feel that his strength had undergone earth-shattering changes.
He could now easily defeat his former self.
Lin Xuan was quite satisfied.
All of this happened in the span of a breath, and with two hundred outer disciples locked in fierce combat on the field, the air was thick with chaotic energy.
Even the steward recording in the shadows failed to notice the change in Lin Xuan.
"Next, it's time to clear the floors and harvest energy points."
Lin Xuan murmured to himself.
And along the way, he might as well test how far his newly surged strength could take him.
With that, Lin Xuan took a step forward.
Whoosh!
The crowd only heard the sound of a gale howling.
Then, after a series of crackling noises.
Before their eyes could adjust, they saw that the numerous puppets blocking the path had shattered into a pile of rubble on the ground.
Instantly, everyone froze, their eyes filled with disbelief.
"What happened?"
"What just occurred?"
"Who took out all those puppets?"
"Senior Brother Li, was it you?"
"..."
The first floor erupted into chaos.
The disciples buzzed with discussion, their voices loud and frantic.
Their eyes were full of incredulity.
To destroy so many puppets in an instant!
Such strength was utterly terrifying.
It was something no outer disciple should be capable of!
Yet it had appeared before them, making it hard to believe.
Many eyes turned to a tall, lean young man.
This was Li Cheng, one of the top ten experts in the seventh squad.
As the strongest member of the seventh squad on the surface, he was theoretically the only one who could have done it.
"It wasn't me!"
Li Cheng shook his head.
Then, he dropped an even bigger bombshell.
"It was Lin Xuan. After I entered, I kept an eye on him. He suddenly burst out, destroyed these puppets in an instant, and rushed to the second floor. His speed was so fast, I couldn't even make out his movement technique!"
As he spoke, Li Cheng's eyes were filled with uncontrollable shock.
He hadn't expected Lin Xuan's strength to be so formidable, far beyond his own.
With Li Cheng's words, the field fell into a strange silence.
Then, it erupted once more.
Accompanied by sharp intakes of breath.
"Lin Xuan did this?! How is that possible?"
"Senior Brother Li said it himself. He's not close to Lin Xuan, so he wouldn't lie for him. It must be true!"
"So, it really was Lin Xuan?"
"Hasn't Lin Xuan only been here for a month? How can he be this strong?"
"To achieve this, even the top three outer disciples might not be able to do it, right?"
"It seems Lin Xuan's talent is even greater than the rumors suggest! In just one month, he's reached such terrifying strength!"
"..."
The disciples kept talking, exclaiming in shock.
Their words were laced with deep astonishment.
They couldn't believe that the scene before them was the work of Lin Xuan, a new disciple who had only been here a month!
But even Li Cheng, the strongest on the field, admitted he couldn't do it and pointed to Lin Xuan.
They had no choice but to believe it.
Because no one else on the field had the ability to do so.
Thinking this, the disciples were even more shaken.
In just one month, Lin Xuan had surpassed the top ten outer disciples and was on par with, or even stronger than, the top three experts.
Such a cultivation speed and progress were mind-boggling!
They had truly witnessed just how terrifying Lin Xuan's talent was!
Even the steward recording in the shadows was stunned for a long time, unable to believe it.
As a steward specialized in recording tower-clearing results, he had seen countless outer disciples challenge the Puppet Tower.
But he had never seen any disciple achieve what Lin Xuan had.
Not even those who had become core disciples!
Thus, his shock was several times deeper than that of the disciples on the field, and he couldn't snap out of it for a long time.
After a while, the disciples finally came to their senses.
They exchanged glances and could only force bitter smiles.
Thanks to Lin Xuan's actions, most of the puppets on the first floor were destroyed.
They didn't need to fight anymore; they could just pass through and head to the second floor.
Normally, they would have been happy about this.
But now, they couldn't even muster a smile.
A new disciple who had been here for only a month had already surpassed them, old disciples with years of experience, leaving them far behind.
Their minds were a mess, deeply unsettled and unable to calm down.
Second floor.
Lin Xuan stood at the stairway entrance, watching as all the puppets on the floor stirred and surged toward him, a smile spreading across his face.
"So this is my current strength? It feels amazing!"
Lin Xuan muttered to himself, clenching his fists.
His power had surged far too much.
Even without using his intent, he was far stronger than before.
On the first floor, he had barely done anything—just charged through and casually swatted a few times.
Those puppets had shattered like they were made of tofu, unable to withstand him at all.
Only then did he realize that his strength was no longer comparable to his former self.
"Let's keep going!"
The puppets on the first floor were all at the Meridian Opening stage, too fragile to test his true power.
Those on the second floor were at the Qi Gathering stage, much sturdier.
Perfect.
With that, Lin Xuan charged into the crowd of puppets like a boulder.
The force of his charge compressed the air, producing a deafening boom.
Wherever he passed, the puppets had no resistance, flying back with missing limbs, already broken and shattered.
In just one breath, Lin Xuan had vanished into the stairway leading to the third floor.
When the disciples from the first floor reached the second floor and saw the dense pile of puppet wreckage, they fell into another daze.
...
On the open ground outside the Puppet Tower.
Nearby, the Grand Elder and Xu Anlan sat on stone stools, drinking tea and watching the competition.
Xu Anlan, however, was growing impatient:
"Elder Liu, did you call me here just to watch this?"
He was a core disciple at the Spirit Opening stage, with talent among the top twenty or so core disciples.
A competition among outer disciples seemed like child's play to him.
If this was all there was to it, wasn't it a waste of time?
"Anlan, in two months, when you face Luo Feixue, do you have confidence in winning?"
The Grand Elder didn't answer but asked instead.