This makes one wonder if the Immortal Sword Skill is a Divine Technique crafted just for it.
"Senior Brother, can we trust the Gatekeeperâs words?"
At this moment, the second senior brother, who has always trusted Xu Ran, uncharacteristically spoke up first to inquire.
This inquiry signifies his doubt regarding the conversation seen in the mirror.
After all, the second senior brother, carrying memories from the Ancient Times, has not found any traces of Immortal Sword Skill despite his vast knowledge.
Now, it suddenly appears on someone, making him skeptical.
Upon hearing this, the senior brother showed a slight hesitation in his cold eyes, evidently skeptical of the conversation too. Yet, after thinking for a moment, he shook his head.
"The Gatekeeperâs words do not lie!"
After speaking, he paused, filled with contemplation, unsure whether to say more.
Instantly, the Dueling Arena became silent; all the Soul Bodies awaited the senior brother, yearning for an explanation.
After all, Baixiao Sheng was not called this for no reason.
Soon, the senior brother gritted his teeth, seeming to come to a decision.
"Gatekeepers are not just mere Gatekeepers; before they became Gatekeepers, they were beings of Great Power from ancient times."
"The powerful beings of that era would never mistake an aura worthy of being recorded in ancient texts, so..."
The senior brother didnât continue speaking here.
Everyone understood his implication, regardless of the Gatekeeperâs identity; at the very least, their words were unconditionally trustworthy!
Now, everyone confirmed that Xu Ran indeed harbored the Divine Technique of Immortal Sword Skill!!
Otherwise, considering these Gatekeepers have lived such long years, for them to forfeit without a fight, dismantle their bodies, and reset the trials has never happened before.
Only a few possibilities could force beings of such power in those times to do so, among which Immortal Sword Skill is one, even an Innate Saintâs Sacred Body couldnât.
Regarding the senior brotherâs words, none of the Soul Bodies had any doubt.
After all, among them, only he understood the secrets best, and there was no reason to deceive them.
Although it was indeed the first time they learned the Gatekeepers were Great Powers from ancient times.
"What about the upcoming trials?" asked the junior sister, full of curiosity.
After all, if all the Gatekeepers have self-awareness, would they simply let a trialist specializing in Immortal Sword Skill and having forged the first Immortal Sword pass easily?
This question also attracted the attention of all the Soul Bodies, all eagerly looking at the senior brother for answers.
"No!" The senior brother shook his head, "Not every trial has a Gatekeeper, at least the next one doesnât have a Gatekeeper..."
As for whether the subsequent trials had Gatekeepers, he didnât know.
After all, he only passed the Stone Giant trial. The upcoming checkpoints are extremely difficult, and even a slight mistake could lead to total death!
Somehow, all the Soul Bodies sensed the implication of the senior brotherâs words.
That is, the senior brother hadnât managed to clear the subsequent trials, so he didnât know if there were any Gatekeepers!
All the Soul Bodies sighed with relief for some unknown reason.
If even the senior brother couldnât clear the trial, itâs imaginable how difficult it would be.
Even a newcomer who practices Immortal Sword Skill wouldnât necessarily pass smoothly.
After all, the trials seal the Innate Qi within, making it unusable.
The Gatekeeper knew about this situation by using Divine Sense to probe Xu Ranâs body and noticing foreign elements trying to investigate his physical information. Instinctively, Xu Ranâs body activated a defense mechanism, utilizing Immortal Sword Skill to obliterate the probing aura completely.
This allowed the Gatekeeper to perceive the aura of Immortal Sword Skill.
But in the upcoming trials, without Gatekeepers and without using Innate Qi, merely relying on the Innate Qi dissipated to the body surface, itâs impossible to evoke Immortal Sword Skill.
Now, no one could believe the trials that even the senior brother couldnât clear could be passed by a less than two-year-old child!
"That newcomer is in for trouble!" the junior sisterâs voice chimed in.
At this moment, having recovered from the shock of the Immortal Sword Skill through the senior brotherâs descriptions, she spoke again.
"The senior brother is an offspring of several generations with Extreme Ice Body luck, and even such a being couldnât clear the next trial. This newcomer, without Innate Qi and Immortal Sword Skill, wonât be able to surpass the senior brother!"
The junior sisterâs analysis seemed reasonable to some extent.
The other Soul Bodies, listening to the three senior siblings, also cast a sympathetic look at Xu Ran in the mirror.
If in the external world, relying solely on Xu Ranâs Innate Qi and Immortal Sword Skill, they might have been somewhat concerned.
But within the trials, with these sealed, whether he could surpass the senior brotherâs record was uncertain.
Of course, once out of the Nine-Layered Giant Tower, their cultivation wouldnât be the same.
Facing Xu Ran, these ancient monsters, representing the pride of their era, could obliterate Xu Ran with a single breath!
...
Letâs return our focus to Xu Ran.
After that desolate valley vanished, Xu Ranâs vision blurred momentarily, and in an instant, his vision restored, revealing the surroundings clearly.
Now, he was no longer in the valley but in a colossal Dueling Arena.
This Dueling Arena was different from the first soul-filled arena he had seen.
This arenaâs floor was composed of five colors: red, green, yellow, white, and black, each carrying a distinct aura.
Beyond the arena wasnât regular seats but numerous illusory backgrounds.
Those backgrounds included fiery magma, towering ancient trees, sprawling iron mines, heavy loess, and rushing rivers.
Xu Ran immediately recognized them as representations of the Five Elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.
"Is this trial about the Five Elements?" Xu Ran murmured as he surveyed the arena.
[Defeat the Five Elements Guards!]
With the appearance of an emotionless voice, the five colors on the ground glowed brilliantly, and suddenly the entire arena was awash in red, green, yellow, white, and black lights, leaving Xu Ran unable to open his eyes.
Soon, the lights dispersed, and Xu Ran regained his sight.
In view, there were now five Puppets, each with a distinct color matching the colors on the ground, standing still.
These five Puppets were crafted from hard wood, with clearly visible wooden grains, standing at adult height, with square-shaped heads lacking facial features except for two black stones serving as eyes.
Their limbs, too, were made of hard wood, their arms hanging straight down, their feet seemingly nailed to the ground, utterly motionless, with no aura fluctuating, like five ordinary wooden figures.
The only distinct feature was the glow emanating from the chest of each wooden Puppet, reflecting their respective attributes, seemingly their source of energy.
Soon, Xu Ranâs eyes glowed with a faint golden hue, from which a golden Spiritual Qi shot out, aiming to see inside the Puppetâs chest.
He saw.
In the depths of each Puppetâs chest was a glowing orb, each in a different color corresponding to the ground beneath them.
At the same time, from each glowing orb in their chest emerged a barely visible thin line connecting to the arenaâs background.