The lion-bodied, human-faced monster with wings slowly turned its head towards Qin Yan, Lin Shiqi, and Dream Butterfly in the distance, then opened its mouth and uttered a deep, rumbling voice, "Humans... it's been a long time since humans came here..."

Upon hearing this, all three of them were extremely surprised. Lin Shiqi couldn't help but exclaim, "Ah, this monster, it can actually speak!"

"Impudent humans, how dare you call me a monster?!" The Sphinx's face showed a look of reproach as it spoke in a strong and forceful voice, "I am the Sphinx, guardian of wisdom and strength. You foolish humans dare to offend me, it's unforgivable!"

As the creature called the Sphinx spoke, its wings behind it moved, and three stone coffins in the chamber floated up and flew towards Qin Yan, Lin Shiqi, and Dream Butterfly.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that about you. I'm so sorry, respected Lord Sphinx," Lin Shiqi said, her face pale with fear, quickly begging for forgiveness. She thought to herself that if she had been hit by those thousands of pounds heavy stone coffins, she wouldn't have survived.

"Very well..." The Sphinx's face softened slightly, and the suspended stone coffins slowly descended with a loud crash onto the ground.

"May I ask... Sphinx, what are you doing here?" Qin Yan said calmly, trying to communicate with the creature since it could speak.

"This question should be asked by me to you, humans..." the Sphinx said with a deep voice, "Why have you intruded here? But even if you don't say, I already know. Like everyone who comes here, you came for that sword, right?"

After saying this, the Sphinx turned its head towards the black sword inserted in the high platform at the deepest part of the chamber.

Qin Yan nodded and said, "Yes, we did come here for that sword. Can you allow us to obtain the sword?"

"I can..." The Sphinx elongated its voice, bringing joy to Qin Yan, Lin Shiqi, and Dream Butterfly's faces.

However, the Sphinx quickly added, "But, this sword is not something anyone can obtain. If you want to get the sword, you must prove that you are worthy of it."

"That's troublesome. Can't you just give it to us directly?" Lin Shiqi complained.

"No, if you dare to approach the sword, I will kill you immediately."

After hearing this, the stone coffins in the chamber floated up again. Lin Shiqi quickly said, "Okay, we understand. We won't go near the sword."

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The stone coffins slowly landed on the ground again.

Qin Yan thought that the Sphinx could control such heavy stone coffins out of thin air, indicating its strength. He realized that using force wouldn't work, so he asked, "What do we need to do to prove ourselves?"

"It's simple. If you can pass my three tests, you will prove that you are worthy of obtaining the sword. But beware, if you fail my tests, you will all die here. Now, I ask you, are you willing to accept the challenge?"

After thinking for a moment, Qin Yan replied, "Yes, I accept..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lin Shiqi quickly interrupted, "Wait, Qin Yan, didn't you hear him say that failing the test would lead to our death?"

"There's no other way," Qin Yan whispered to Lin Shiqi, "Even if we don't accept the challenge, it won't let us have the sword. If we fail, we can just try to escape."

"Alright, we'll have to go with that." Lin Shiqi nodded and looked at the Sphinx, saying, "We accept the challenge. How will the test be conducted?"

The Sphinx spoke in a deep voice, "The first test is to prove your intelligence. I will give you some riddles to solve. If you all guess correctly, you will pass the first test."

"Riddles, that's interesting. Go ahead," Lin Shiqi said.

The Sphinx smiled confidently and said, "Listen carefully. What animal walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening..."

Before he could finish, Lin Shiqi exclaimed, "I know, it's a human!"

"Um, I haven't finished speaking," the Sphinx said with a hint of embarrassment.

"What's wrong? Isn't the answer correct?" Lin Shiqi asked.

"The answer is correct indeed," the Sphinx composed himself and said, "Well, it seems I underestimated you. The previous question was a bit simple, but the next riddle won't be as easy to guess. Listen carefully. What comes but never arrives?"

"The answer is tomorrow, right?" Lin Shiqi confidently stated.

"How is that possible?!" The Sphinx looked shocked. "How could you answer my question so quickly?"

"Hehe, don't you know?" Lin Shiqi's face lit up with a smug smile. "I've seen a lot of brain teasers before, so if you know the answer in advance, it's quite simple."

"Brain teasers, what's that?!" The Sphinx looked puzzled.

"Well... you wouldn't understand even if I told you. Let's not talk about it. Please continue with the questions."

"Despicable humans, how dare you underestimate me!" The Sphinx was both embarrassed and angry, his expression becoming unusually solemn. "Well, it seems you do have some intelligence, but this level of intelligence is not enough to earn my approval. Listen carefully, the next riddle is..."

The Sphinx then presented a few more riddles to Lin Shiqi, but just like before, she quickly answered them all.

The Sphinx seemed to be greatly shaken. He looked panicked and muttered to himself, "Impossible, how can this be? There are people in the world who are wiser than me, it's truly unbelievable!"

"These riddles aren't that difficult. So, how about it, have we passed the first test, wise Lord Sphinx?" Lin Shiqi said with a mocking smile.

The Sphinx felt ashamed and wished he could disappear. After a while, he reluctantly said, "Well... I admit that you have remarkable intelligence. You have passed the first test. Now, onto the second test, which will require you to prove you have enough ability."

With that, the Sphinx's wings on his back opened completely with a "whoosh," and with a "whoosh," nearly twenty stone coffins in the chamber floated up into the air out of nowhere. These stone coffins seemed to come alive, swimming around the rectangular stone chamber like fish.

The Sphinx said, "If you can pass through these obstacles and reach the location of that sword, then you will have passed this test."