407 Hands That Can Pluck the Stars
He used to be Xie Zhize.
This answer was too ambiguous.
"So right now, are you a human or a ghost?" Xiao Se asked slowly.
"Not a human, nor a ghost." Xie Zhize slowly opened a path. "Go then, go to the fourth floor."
Xiao Se was stunned. "I’m allowed to go up?"
"Yes." Xie Zhize nodded.
"Why?" Xiao Se asked.
Xie Zhize grinned. "Because I’m very satisfied with your answer."
"I pass just like that?" Xiao Se said in confusion.
"Yes, but I also want to give you a gift." Xie Zhize stepped forward. "I can only give this kind of gift a total of three times. After three times, I will really be able to leave this world. You are the second?"
Xiao Se frowned and thought for a while, then suddenly said, "Mo Yi?"
Xie Zhize raised his eyebrows slightly. "Do you know him? He's not the same as you, but he's really the most talented person I've ever seen in this world. Even His Majesty the Emperor can't compare to him. It only took him a moment to reach here from the first floor."
"Why didn't he go to the fourth floor?" Xiao Se asked.
"Because he made a choice," Xie Zhize said faintly. "How is he doing now?"
Xiao Se replied, "He’s now in retreat in a grand dream for ten years. Before that, he was number one under Heaven."
"That’s how it should be." Xie Zhize suddenly jumped and flew right up to Xiao Se. He pointed a finger at him, his speed so fast that Xiao Se couldn’t even react, and the finger landed right between Xiao Se's eyebrows.
Xiao Se started and felt an incomparably cool qi flow from Xie Zhize's finger into his body. This qi was subtly similar to the qi he received from Mo Yi before.
"The First Tower Under Heaven. It’s not your martial arts that ascends, but your realm. On the first floor, one person’s sword could challenge all swords under Heaven. On the second floor, resolve your inner demons and settle your mind. On the third floor, witness the battlefield of carnage and understand why you draw your sword. But if you really want to enter the Spirit Wandering Profound Realm, your martial strength is still not enough. I will give you a wisp of qi that will assist you half a step to ascension. When you reach the fourth floor, you will truly be one whose hands can pluck the stars." Xie Zhize smiled, then retracted his fingers and stepped back three steps.
Xiao Se felt the qi in his body had instantly gone through a tremendous change. He hurriedly cupped his fists. "Thank you, mister."
"You don't have to thank me. Having a high realm is not necessarily a good thing. Go on, then." Xie Zhize waved his sleeves.
"What's on the fourth floor?" Xiao Se asked.
"Don't worry, there’s no one there. There is only an item, an item that should have belonged to you," Xie Zhize said pointedly.
Xiao Se was stunned for a moment, and pondered, "An item that should have belonged to me…" He couldn’t guess the answer so he cupped his fists at Xie Zhize again and walked towards the stairs.
"Wait," Xie Zhize said suddenly.
Xiao Se turned his head. "Mister Xie, what is it?"
"Perhaps you will need to make the same choice that Mo Yi made back then!" Xie Zhize suddenly shouted, then he flicked his long sleeves. "You can go to the fourth floor, but she will die!"
Eight large windows on the perimeter of the tower flew open at the same time!
Xiao Se hurriedly turned his head to look.
A silver light flashed outside the window.
The Silver Moon spear in Sikong Qianluo's hand clashed with Xie Jiucheng’s sabre and was repelled. She had finally exhausted all her qi and could no longer defend herself. She closed her eyes.
Goodbye. Sikong Qianluo whispered softly, "Xiao Se."
"Qianluo-meimei!" Ye Ruoyi cried out and immediately stepped forward, preparing to save her!
However, a flying knife suddenly shot out from the dark, aiming straight for Ye Ruoyi. Qi Tianchen took a step forward and pulled Ye Ruoyi back. A heavenly talisman in his hand ignited instantly and he flung it forward. The heavenly talisman knocked the flying knife to the ground, and then disappeared into the darkness. A low voice sounded from the darkness, and a shadow quickly swept away. Presumably, he was the one who had been controlling everything from the dark.
"Escaped," Qi Tianchen muttered softly.
"Celestial master, please save Qianluo-meimei!" Ye Ruoyi cried urgently.
"Don't worry!" Qi Tianchen pressed down his palms, and his celestial master robes fluttered without wind.
Xie Xuan sighed. "Celestial master, you will sacrifice your life to save hers."
"I'm old, but they are still young," Qi Tianchen said. "It's not a loss to trade my life for hers!"
Inside the First Tower Under Heaven.
Xie Zhize said coldly, "Once you leave the First Tower Under Heaven, you can never enter it again. You had best consider it carefully, I…"
Xiao Se ignored him completely, picked up his Wuji staff, and stepped right out!
Xie Zhize laughed, and with a wave of his hand, the eight large windows closed immediately.
"Chief, when I see this Xiao Se, it feels like I’m seeing you when you were young."
Sikong Qianluo was flung up by Xie Jiucheng’s sabre and she had lost her spear. She was falling and Xie Jiucheng’s next sabre was coming right down at her.
But it was repelled by a staff.
Suddenly, Xiao Se jumped down from the window and knocked Xie Jiucheng away with one staff. Xie Jiucheng's body flew back and knocked over half the wall. Xiao Se wielded his staff in his right hand, his left arm wrapped around Sikong Qianluo as they landed slowly on the ground.
Sikong Qianluo opened her eyes and stared blankly at Xiao Se. "Xiao Se… how did you come out?"
Xiao Se looked at the dozen or so wounds on Sikong Qianluo's body and frowned slightly, "Who caused all your injuries? Was it that person just now?"
"Which floor did you challenge up to?" Sikong Qianluo asked.
"Your injuries are too severe. Why are you here?" Xiao Se asked again.
"Why did you jump out of the window?" Sikong Qianluo asked.
Xiao Se sighed helplessly. "Can we answer each other's questions first?"
Sikong Qianluo hurriedly stood up from Xiao Se's arms, her face starting to blush.
Xiao Se suddenly whispered, "I heard you."
Sikong Qianluo blushed even more.
"Leave this to me." Xiao Se raised the Wuji staff and walked forward. "You stay here and rest."
Wuchan and Ming Hou had retreated and they looked at Xiao Se. Wuchan exclaimed happily, "Xiao Se, you’re really here!"
Xiao Se glanced at them and smiled slightly. "Oh? You’ve both come to Heavenly Revelations too. All our old friends are here."
Wuchan looked at the string of shattered Buddhist beads in his hand and sighed. "Heavenly Revelations is indeed full of hidden talents. These people are not easy to deal with! Ming Hou and I have tried our best, but they don’t seem to tire at all."
"Don't worry. Leave them to me." Xiao Se patted Wuchan's shoulder. "You two step back."
Wuchan and Ming Hou exchanged a glance and asked in confusion, "You’re going to fight the five of them on your own?"
"No, I’m only going to fight this one." Xiao Se raised his staff and pointed at Xie Jiucheng, who had stood up again. "As for the rest, Lei Wujie! Li Fansong!"
Xie Xuan stood up and hurled his Book of Knowledge sword into the tower. "Tell them, it's their turn to take the stage."
Qi Tianchen slowly lowered his hands and smiled. "This one staff earlier."
Xie Xuan raised his eyebrows. "Was half a step to Spirit Wandering."