247. The abandoned floor

The only reason Chen Ren had shared information about the Zombie Queen’s library—and even the locations of a few other hidden caches—with Han Qingshi was because they had made a deal.

They were supposed to split whatever they found.

Half and half.

If the situation had been simpler, Chen Ren might never have agreed to something like that. But the plan on the sixth floor had been far too complicated for him to do everything alone. While he focused on reaching the lift, someone else had needed to secure the resources.

Han Qingshi had been the obvious choice.

Unfortunately, the chaos that followed had ruined any chance of dividing the spoils properly.

Between the betrayal, and the Zombie Queen chasing them onto the lift, Chen Ren had never gotten the opportunity to settle the matter.

It wasn’t as though he had forgotten about it.

He had simply assumed he would deal with it later when he met Han Qingshi again.

But now, it seems that might not be necessary.

Chen Ren looked at Princess Yanyue.

“What did you get from him?” he asked. “And where did you even meet him?”

Princess Yanyue smiled slightly. “I found him in one of the cultivation chambers inside the castle. He was training when I happened to come across him. When I mentioned the agreement we had made, he handed over the books and artifacts without much hesitation.” Her smile widened faintly. “He actually seemed eager to settle the matter. Apparently he didn’t want to carry a debt in his heart while heading into battle.”

That sounds like him,

Chen Ren thought.

Princess Yanyue added casually. “Did you know there are giant beasts roaming this floor? Quite a few of them, actually.”

Chen Ren shook his head. “Not really. I’m not as interested in hunting beasts as someone like Han Qingshi.” Then he narrowed his eyes slightly. “Did he take the better half of the loot?”

Yanyue’s expression faltered a little. She nodded. “He did.” Then she added quickly, “But that’s to be expected. He was the one who actually entered the castle and retrieved the books.”

She tapped one of the rings on her hand. “I checked a few of them already. They aren’t bad.”

Chen Ren smiled when he heard that.

If something was “not bad” in Princess Yanyue’s opinion, then it was almost certainly valuable. The two of them had already agreed long ago that any techniques or manuals they obtained would be copied and shared between them.

Knowledge multiplied easily. Artifacts did not, but they would divide them among themselves.

“So,” Chen Ren asked, folding his arms slightly, “what caught your interest among them?”

Yanyue smiled. “There isn’t much that would help us directly inside the pagoda,” she admitted. “But there are quite a few weapon technique manuals. Most of them are for weapons like scythes, bows, and hammers. Unconventional weapons. As you know, most cultivators only focus on swords, spears, or sabers. These are far less common.”

Then she glanced at him.

“But I thought you might like them. You always seem interested in unusual things.”

Chen Ren nodded slowly.

That wasn’t bad at all.

He didn’t personally know anyone who used a scythe or hammer, but bow techniques were another matter entirely. Proper martial techniques for bows were extremely rare among cultivators. Most archers relied purely on skill rather than structured techniques.

A manual like that alone could be worth a fortune.

As he considered that, the princess continued speaking.

“There are also several manuals related to elemental daos,” she said. “And a handful of books on blacksmithing techniques.” She shrugged lightly. “I believe Han Qingshi let us keep those because he had no interest in them.” Then her tone shifted slightly. “But the most interesting thing I found wasn’t a technique manual.”

Chen Ren tilted his head. “Oh?”

She nodded. “It was a catalogue.”

“A catalogue?”

“Yes,” she said. “A catalogue listing a section of the library that City Lord Xiangrui mentioned when we spoke about the upper floors.”

She pulled a thin parchment from her spatial ring and held it up. “It contains records of where certain books are located.”

Chen Ren’s eyes widened, but he controlled his expression, feeling like there would be a catch. “But?”

Princess Yanyue smiled. “It only covers a single section of the library. And it doesn’t explicitly say which library it belongs to. At first glance it just looks like a simple index. But I’m fairly certain it refers to the library on the upper floors. Han Qingshi probably assumed it was useless,” she added calmly. “Which is why he gave it to us without a second thought.”

That was huge.

A catalogue like that could save them an enormous amount of time. Libraries—especially one which even a city lord had praised—would surely be huge. Even finding a single manual could take days.

But with a catalogue, they would at least know what existed where. Even if it only covered a single section.

“You already went through it, didn’t you?” he asked after a minute. “What did you find?”

Princess Yanyue smirked. “Something you would definitely like.” She held up a finger. “There’s a mind cultivation manual listed in that section.”

“I’m not sure if it’s complete,” she added, “but it’s there.” Then she looked at him knowingly. “And you should know how rare that is.”

Chen Ren slowly nodded.

Mind cultivation manual.

That was something he had been hoping to find ever since entering the pagoda.

So far, he has progressed fairly well in both body cultivation and soul cultivation. But his mind cultivation was almost nonexistent—not because he didn’t want to practice it, but because he had never found a proper manual or a teacher willing to share such knowledge.

Techniques for cultivating the mind were notoriously rare.

Most sects guarded them even more fiercely than core martial manuals. If there was even a partial mind cultivation manual hidden in the upper floors’ library, then Chen Ren absolutely needed to get his hands on it.

“What else?” he asked immediately.

Princess Yanyue began listing them out.

“There are some common techniques and manuals as well,” she said. “Things you could probably find scattered throughout the pagoda.”

Chen Ren only nodded slightly at that. Those weren’t particularly interesting. But his attention came back again when she mentioned something else.

“There are also autobiographies written by cultivators.”

That might not sound impressive at first glance, but in truth, those books could be incredibly valuable.

Experienced cultivators often hid their greatest lessons inside personal writings. Sometimes they even recorded clues about hidden inheritances or secret techniques inside the biography itself.

Princess Yanyue clearly understood that too.

But before their conversation could continue, the door to the waiting chamber opened once again.

Both of them turned at the sound.

A familiar figure stepped inside.

Yalan.

Her tail swished lazily behind her as she stepped into the waiting room.

The moment she noticed Chen Ren and Princess Yanyue standing together, she walked straight toward them.

“I see you two made it,” she said openly.

Chen Ren nodded. “What was your quest?”

Yalan’s tail stiffened at the question. “They sent me to tame some wild beasts they had captured. Apparently the things were causing trouble.” She crossed her arms. “I had to beat them up a bit to make them behave.”

A faint grin appeared on her face.

“Most of them started acting properly once they sensed my cultivation.” Then her expression darkened slightly. “But there was one annoying girl who kept insisting I stay behind.” Her tail flicked sharply. “She said she wanted a pet.”

Yalan growled under her breath. “I’m not a pet.”

Chen Ren almost laughed.

“I nearly beat her too,” Yalan continued irritably. “But the guards stepped in and told me I had already done enough to move on.”

Chen Ren smiled. Part of him wished he had been there to see that.

Still, the important thing was that she had made it.

Before any of them could continue speaking, one of the knights guarding the lift barked loudly.

“Hey! You three can move ahead.” He gestured toward the platform. “Don’t keep standing around. The Great House of Long does not like climbers overstaying their welcome.”

Chen Ren nodded.

Without wasting more time, the three of them walked toward the lift and stepped onto the platform.

Chen Ren pushed a stream of qi into the lift. Immediately, it hummed to life and began rising.

Only then did Chen Ren finally relax.

He exhaled slowly and sat down against the railing.

“Alright,” he said. “Now we can talk freely.”

Yalan raised an eyebrow. “About what?”

Chen Ren looked between her and Princess Yanyue. “I got some information about the master lift… and the upper floors.”

Both of them immediately focused on him.

“I think,” Chen Ren continued calmly, “that if we manage to find it, we might even be able to go straight to the final floor.”

Princess Yanyue’s eyes widened. For a moment she simply stared at him. Then she scratched her cheek in a surprisingly un-princess-like manner.

“You always find new ways to surprise me, Sect Leader Chen.” She paused. “…What exactly is a master lift?”

Chen Ren moved to explain everything he knew.

He told them how he had first suspected that the city lords would not use the same lifts as ordinary climbers. Then he explained how that suspicion had been confirmed, and how Young Miss Niao had revealed the existence of the master lift.

He carefully described everything he had learned about it.

Both Princess Yanyue and Yalan listened quietly until he finished. Finally, Yalan spoke. “Finding something like that would be difficult,” she said. “And if every floor has a city lord guarding it, then the master lift would probably be the most protected thing they own.” Her tail flicked slowly.“I can’t imagine any of them letting us use it. Especially if climbers are meant to ascend one floor at a time.”

Chen Ren shook his head slightly. “I don’t think we’re meant to climb one floor at a time.”

Princess Yanyue raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Chen Ren placed his hands on his knees and thought through his reasoning.

The pagoda had always reminded him of a video game. And if that comparison was correct, then there was one rule that always applied.

Nothing existed without a purpose.

Hidden areas were placed there to be discovered. Secret paths existed to reward those clever enough to find them. The master lift felt exactly like that.

If it were truly meant to be used only by the city lords, the pagoda would have restricted access entirely. The fact that climbers could theoretically use it meant it was part of the system.

He looked at Princess Yanyue.

“I think the pagoda can be climbed in more than one way.”

She frowned slightly. “Explain.”

Chen Ren shrugged.

“There are multiple paths on every floor. We’ve already seen that ourselves.” He pointed downward. “Take the fifth floor. We didn’t clear it the way most climbers did. We used a completely different route.” He smiled faintly. “And if that’s possible… then there are probably ways to skip floors too. In fact, I’m almost certain that even some of the lower floors could have been bypassed if we had known where to look.”

Princess Yanyue remained silent for a few moments after hearing his explanation.

Her brows knit together slightly as she considered the idea. The lift continued its steady ascent, the wind rushing past them as the castle of the seventh floor slowly shrank below.

Finally, she nodded slowly.

“That… does make sense.” Then she added carefully, “But I don’t think finding the master lift will be easy.”

Chen Ren agreed. “It won’t be. But that’s exactly why it’s valuable. If we find one and manage to use it, the entire pagoda becomes far easier for us.”

He gestured upward.

“It would let us skip floors completely. In theory, it could even take us straight to the end.”

Yalan sighed.

At the same time, she glanced around as the lift reached the clouds, meaning the portal to the next floor was near. The seventh floor stretched below them—fields, forests, and distant structures dotting the landscape.

“That sounds dangerous,” she muttered finally. Her tail flicked uneasily. “If something like the master lift exists, it would be heavily guarded. Probably by creatures just as dangerous as that Zombie Queen.”

She looked directly at him. “How exactly are you planning to get through that?”

Chen Ren fell silent.

He had asked himself that same question more than once already.

If the master lift truly existed the way he believed, then it was probably the single most valuable resource in the entire pagoda. Something like that would never be left unprotected.

Getting to it alone would likely be extremely difficult. Actually using it might be even harder.

Still, that problem could wait.

“First we find it. Then we worry about how to take it.” Yalan let out an annoyed noise but he ignored it and continued. “Besides, it’s a good goal to have.”

He glanced upward again.

“The sixth and seventh floors didn’t really offer much in terms of treasures. But the eighth floor is different.”

Princess Yanyue looked at him curiously. “Isn’t that the floor City Lord Xiangrui said was full of puppets?”

Chen Ren smiled. “Yes.” Then his smile widened slightly. “But there’s more to it than that.”

He was just about to explain further when he noticed something ahead. The portal. A massive shimmering gate had appeared in the sky before them.

Chen Ren pointed toward it.

“I’ll explain once you see it for yourself.” He looked at them with a faint grin. “It’s definitely going to surprise you.”

A moment later, the lift touched the portal. The moment it did that, the same burning sensation struck them.

It was sudden and violent.

Chen Ren’s body jerked as heat seemed to tear through his veins for a brief moment. The familiar force of the pagoda’s teleportation wrapped around them, twisting space and dragging them across the boundary between floors.

Then the lift stabilized, and the burning faded. Chen Ren slowly opened his eyes.

What greeted him made him pause.

Even after everything he had seen inside the pagoda, the sight before him was unlike anything he had expected.

Behind him, Princess Yanyue gasped. Even Yalan—who rarely showed surprise—stared ahead in open shock.

Floating before them was a city. It was not a small settlement either. He saw a short stretch of road that was wide enough for large caravans to move and a city that spread outward in layers of wide streets, tall towers and unique structured buildings.

Tall pillars supported decorative archways over the streets, while bronze mechanical ornaments were embedded into walls and rooftops.

Several towers rose above the surrounding structures, their pointed roofs reaching high into the sky. But there was a dread that hung on top of it all—windows were shattered, banners had long since faded, and parts of the streets were cracked.

His eyes caught the curved surface of a massive transparent dome stretching across the sky. The barrier shimmered faintly, like glass catching the light.

Through that barrier, he could make out other shapes floating in the distance.

Three more cities were there.

Each one enclosed another floating landmass similar to the one they stood on. From this distance he couldn’t see what lay inside them clearly, but the outlines suggested they were similar to the city they were in.

Four cities in total. Each sealed within its own dome and drifting quietly in the sky.

Yet despite the breathtaking beauty of the city… Something felt wrong.

The streets were empty.

No people moved through the avenues. No voices echoed between the buildings. No smoke rose from chimneys.

The entire place was abandoned. Like a kingdom that had been suddenly frozen in time.

For several seconds, none of them spoke.

Then Chen Ren finally broke the silence.

“Like I said,” he said calmly, “the eighth floor is perfect for getting stronger.”

He stepped forward slightly, looking over the floating city.

“In one of the books I read, this place is known as the Abandoned Floor of Puppets.”

Princess Yanyue frowned slightly. “Abandoned?” she asked. “Why?”

Chen Ren shrugged lightly. “I don’t know the full story.” He looked toward the empty streets below. “Apparently humans used to live here. Puppets were a major part of their society. But one day, something went wrong. The puppets went mad. They started killing everyone.”

Princess Yanyue looked back at him. “So the people fled?”

Chen Ren nodded. “Exactly.” He gestured toward the silent cities. “Everyone ran away. As fast as they could.”

The wind whistled faintly against the dome above them.

“It’s basically a ghost town now.”

Then Yalan finally spoke. Understanding dawned in her amber eyes. “So everyone left in a hurry…” Her tail slowly swayed behind her. “…which means they probably didn’t take everything with them.”

Chen Ren smiled. “Exactly.”

He looked toward the massive, empty city stretching before them.

“And since we’re probably the first climbers to reach this floor in centuries…” His grin widened slightly. “We’re going to loot everything.”

***

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