After a moment's pause, Lin Xiao spoke carefully, "The Absolute Kill Tower keeps the secrets of its final level tightly guarded. Only those with exceptional talents who enter will know the truth, and they are expected to keep it to themselves. Therefore, for the outside world, the sixth level remains a mysterious place. If you want to know, you must enter it yourself."

Knowing a bit about the first five floors was already enough for Tang Yan, but his curiosity about the sixth level only deepened.

Everyone anxiously waited for Su Wei to emerge.

The people of Yucheng had immense confidence in Su Wei's abilities, and as they looked toward Cloud City, besides disdain, there was a certain satisfaction. If Tang Yan lost, the humiliation of Lin Xiao slapping them earlier could be fully avenged, and Cloud City would be thoroughly shamed.

Of course, it wasn't just the four from Yucheng who thought like this. The onlookers also had little faith in Cloud City.

They had previously heard that Liu Zhi was the top expert from Cloud City. Yet, after a single encounter, he was humiliated by a few slaps from Yao Yuan. If the first expert was so helpless, what could Tang Yan possibly do?

Time passed, and after half an hour, the peaceful atmosphere in the Absolute Kill Tower was suddenly disrupted by a loud "boom!"

Everyone quickly turned to see a door open on the fifth floor, revealing the number "2" next to it.

"Fifth floor!" Seeing Su Wei emerge, the crowd gasped.

Tang Yan narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Su Wei as he came out. The latter looked exhausted, his clothes torn and tattered, presenting a rather disheveled appearance. However, there was a glint of something else in his eyes.

"Haha, fifth floor! Cloud City has lost for sure!" Yao Yuan laughed with pride.

"Mission accomplished!" Su Wei said with a grin as he approached his companions before turning to Tang Yan. "Do you want to admit defeat, or do you want to continue?"

"You can admit defeat now. If you fail to make it past the second floor, you'll be a laughing stock," someone from the crowd mocked.

"Even if he only makes it past the third floor, it's still embarrassing," another voice chimed in.

"Of course I'll continue," Tang Yan smiled, taking his token from Lin Xiao.

"You're too full of yourself!" Yao Yuan sneered.

"Go for it, Tang Yan!" Lin Dongxue said with concern in her eyes. After all, Tang Yan had only just stepped into the third rank of the Xuan stage, and his abilities were still unstable.

"City Lord, what does the '2' on the door mean?" Tang Yan asked curiously.

"It's the score for that floor. Every level has a system that automatically calculates your performance, with a maximum score of ten points. That guy scored 2 on the fifth floor, meaning he probably couldn't even last long inside," Lin Xiao explained.

"Alright, I'll give it a try!" Tang Yan confidently walked toward the Absolute Kill Tower.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Seeing that Tang Yan was still determined, the onlookers' eyes were filled with mockery. It seemed he was only setting himself up for humiliation.

Ignoring the mocking gazes around him, Tang Yan handed his token to the gatekeeper. The large man smiled, handing him two jade balls. "These are for your protection. If you use your Qi to shatter them, all attacks will stop."

"Thank you!" Tang Yan cupped his hands respectfully.

"Go ahead, young man, your courage is commendable!" the gatekeeper said before opening the door to the first floor.

As soon as Tang Yan stepped inside, the betting began.

"Betting's open, betting's open! Ten to one odds on Tang Yan coming out of the first two floors."

"Betting on him coming out of the third floor, odds 1.3."

"Third floor, 1000 taels!"

"Second floor, 20 taels!"

"Third floor, 100 taels!"

...

Bets were being placed left and right, most people betting that Tang Yan would only make it to the second or third floor. Very few believed he would make it past the fourth, and none were betting on him winning.

Lin Dongxue's eyes flashed with determination. She turned to Lin Xiao and pouted. "Father, place a bet."

"Bet on what?" Lin Xiao asked with mild amusement.

"Bet on him winning, 100,000 taels!" Lin Dongxue responded immediately.

"100,000 taels!" Lin Xiao blinked in surprise. His daughter didn't take money seriously! If Tang Yan could make it out of the fourth floor, there might be a chance, but betting on him winning... Lin Xiao wasn't so sure.

"Bet on that guy making it past the second floor, 10,000 taels!" Yao Yuan sneered, throwing a stack of silver notes onto the betting table, looking at Cloud City's people with scorn.

"Bet on Tang Yan winning, 100,000 taels!" Lin Dongxue said, her voice firm.

The crowd fell silent. Everyone stared in shock at the poised girl.

She was clever, but her actions seemed reckless now.

Lin Xiao's heart skipped a beat. His daughter had spoken before he had even agreed! But since she had already made the wager, he couldn’t back out. He retrieved 100,000 taels and handed it to the bookmaker.

The crowd erupted in laughter.

The bookmaker was delighted. 100,000 taels—essentially free money.

Lin Xiao ignored the mockery around him, sitting back and sipping his tea leisurely.

----------------------------------------

As Tang Yan stepped into the Absolute Kill Tower, he immediately felt a heavy pressure.

However, it wasn’t as difficult as he had imagined. The five times gravity didn’t feel much different from the pressure he had endured beneath a waterfall.

Tang Yan surveyed his surroundings carefully. The main hall was dimly lit, creating an eerie atmosphere.

Ahead of him lay a massive water pool, with the opposite side marking the end point. The water was about half a meter deep, and the bottom appeared dark and murky, as if there were other objects hidden beneath.

Upon closer inspection, a chill ran down Tang Yan’s spine. The pool's bottom was lined with sharp, slender steel spikes. If he fell into the water, it was likely he'd be pierced by at least a few of them.

There was a rusted copper path along the surface of the water, winding and serpentine. If the path were stretched out, it would likely span four to five hundred meters.

The water, the path, and the steel spikes blended together in the dim light, making it difficult to discern them clearly. Adding to the difficulty, the copper path was at the same height as the water's surface, making it hard to determine exactly where the path began and ended.

If one’s eyesight wasn’t sharp, it would be easy to lose balance and fall in.

Was this some kind of real-life "Temple Run"?

After assessing the situation, Tang Yan no longer hesitated. He dashed along the copper path toward the opposite side.

Despite the winding path and the hidden dangers in the water, Tang Yan moved swiftly. The five times gravity felt like nothing more than a game to him. With his Shadow Steps, he glided across the path as if it were an uninhabited space. In less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, he had reached the other side.

"Boom!"

A door on the wall opened, revealing a staircase leading upwards.

Tang Yan climbed the stairs and reached the second floor, where the pressure increased slightly.

However, compared to the pressure he had faced under the waterfall, this was nothing.

The layout of the second floor was similar to the first, but there were still subtle differences. For instance, the copper path was more winding and convoluted. Additionally, there were several large stone objects scattered within two meters of the path.

Recalling Lin Xiao's earlier explanation, Tang Yan narrowed his eyes. It was highly likely that the attacks on this floor were coming from these stones.