"Here, take it, brats," the stone tablet said.
10 jade vials materialized on the ground in a row.
It was evident that there was one vial per person.
This was a team victory, and thus everyone's reward was naturally the same. One wouldn't get a richer reward just because they contributed more to the victory.
Everyone grabbed their vial of pills. However, Xia Wuque had an advantage over everyone else. This was because the spear-wielding man was clearly his subordinate, meaning that he would have to give all of the benefits to Xia Wuque.
Ling Han grabbed a vial of pills and noticed that there was no label on the vial. He turned to the stone tablet, and said, "May I ask what kind of pills these are?"
"Purple Pattern Mountain River Pills," the stone tablet answered.
"What's that?" None of them had ever heard of this kind of pill before.
"After ingesting it, one's power will increase by one star for a period of two hours," the stone tablet explained.
"It's that trashy?" Ling Han said in disappointment.
"Oi, oi, oi, you have to learn to be thankful after receiving something from others," the stone tablet said in displeasure. "Moreover, you guys have only passed the first level. Did you expect some extremely valuable reward?"
"So you're saying that… we can still receive more rewards after passing the second, third, and other levels?" Ling Han asked.
"That's right, as long as you guys are powerful enough," the stone tablet replied.
Their fighting spirits were instantly ignited. They weren't motivated by the rewards per se, but rather by their unyielding ambitions and confidence as prodigies to become number one.
"What are the remaining levels like?" Ling Han asked.
"Why should I tell you?" the stone tablet countered. "If you want to know, then go and experience them for yourself. However, I can tell you this—the second level is a labyrinth, and only those who navigate out if it within two hours will receive a reward.
"There's no need to form a team for this level. In fact, forming teams is forbidden. You guys can set off now."
The stone tablet fell silent after saying this.
A set of stairs that led to the second level appeared before them.
"Hehe, let's go," Du An said with a smile. He was the first to walk toward the stairs.
Ling Han didn't move. He found this situation to be particularly strange. This was a tomb, so why were there trials and challenges? Even if this old senior had left a wisp of his will, wouldn't it be better for him to guard his tomb? Why did he have to make it seem as if he were selecting disciples for a large sect?
However, since there were rewards involved, Ling Han was still prepared to take part in these trials. There was nothing to lose, after all.
"Ling Han, didn't you want to fight me?" Xia Wuque said, his finger pointed at Ling Han.
"Come at me!" Ling Han was naturally unafraid.
"I won't kill you, since we have fought side by side just then. However, I'll have you know that there are always those who are stronger and more talented than you! Don't be too full of yourself!" Who would've thought that Xia Wuque could utter such truthful words?
Ling Han was slightly surprised. He had initially thought that Xia Wuque was a petty and narrow-minded person. To his surprise, he was actually open-minded to a certain degree.
He pondered for a moment before saying, "I'll also spare your life since you were able to utter such words. I'll simply have you understand the meaning of what you just said."
"Haha, how arrogant!" Xia Wuque chuckled coldly, and said, "Let's fight!"
He roared softly, and over 60 divine patterns lit up on his hands. At the same time, four Mountains and Rivers materialized behind his back, each of them radiating with a terrifying aura.
The fact that he possessed over 60 divine patterns signified that he had a power of six stars.
"You want to threaten me with such measly power?" Ling Han said with a smile. It wasn't as if Xia Wuque hadn't seen his defenses before. Although six stars above the peak stage of the consummate level of the Mountain River Tier was indeed powerful, it still wasn't enough to defeat Ling Han.
"Of course this isn't all!" Xia Wuque retrieved a black arm armor and wore it on his arm. He shook his arm, and the arm armor was instantly activated. The patterns that were carved into it lit up, and the number of divine patterns on his hand instantly increased dramatically.
71 divine patterns.
This signified that his power had gone up another star!
Ling Han was surprised, and he exclaimed, "You didn't use this God Tool when challenging the stone statue formation just then!"
"It's not that I didn't want to use it. It's because this God Tool is damaged and can only last for a quarter of an hour." Xia Wuque didn't hide the truth from Ling Han.
It would definitely take far longer than 15 minutes to pass the stone statue formation, and thus he would've only been able to advance a short distance had he used it at that time. It definitely wouldn't have helped him pass the formation.
Ling Han laughed loudly, and said, "You're confident that you can defeat me within 15 minutes?"
"It's more than enough!" Xia Wuque said proudly.
Although Ling Han's defenses were astonishing, Xia Wuque's power was already near the pseudo-Sun Moon Tier. After unleashing his secret techniques, it was even possible that he could kill Ling Han.
"Hehe, I hope you can maintain your confidence," Ling Han said with a chuckle. He took out the Lion Seal that he had received. This seal could be used a total of 10 times, though this upper limit might decrease depending on the period of time that it was activated during each use.
His battle prowess was far weaker than that of Xia Wuque's—this was inevitable due to the large gap in their cultivation level. If they fought without using external items, Ling Han would definitely be crushed.
However, how could someone as proud as Ling Han accept the fate of being crushed?
Thus, he resolutely decided to use the Lion Seal.
He slapped the divine seal onto his body, and divine patterns instantly formed on his skin. At a rough glance, there were as many as 800 divine patterns!
Pu!
Xia Wuque immediately spluttered loudly, his face painted with shock.
He only possessed a tad over 70 divine patterns, yet Ling Han possessed a whopping 800! How big a difference was this? This wasn't simply a case of being 10 times stronger, but rather a case of being one major tier plus dozens of minor levels stronger!
Even though he was a prodigy, could he defeat someone at the Sun Moon Tier? In any case, Ling Han's power wasn't simply at the Sun Moon Tier—it was at the consummate level of the Sun Moon Tier!
"I surrender!" he said with a bitter expression.
Ling Han flashed a smile, and said, "Do you think I'll stop just because you surrendered? I've already activated the Lion Seal, so how can I let you off like this?"
He charged over with his hands open, the divine patterns providing him with boundless power.
Ling Han's power was already miles above that of Xia Wuque's, and thus there was no need for him to utilize any techniques. A simple grab was all it took for him to capture Xia Wuque. Afterward, he pummeled Xia Wuque to his heart's content.
Although his impression of Xia Wuque had improved a tiny bit, it was only enough for him to spare Xia Wuque's life. He would still beat him regardless, and there was no need for him to hold back.
"You've gone too far!" Xia Wuque wailed in agony.
Ling Han ignored him and continued to dole out the punishment.
The spear-wielding man was utterly stupefied by the scene playing out before him. In his eyes, Xia Wuque was an invincible god of war, unrivaled among those at the same cultivation level. Yet, right now, he was being mercilessly beaten by someone who was one minor level weaker than him!
Regardless of what the reason was, the truth was the truth. Young king tier cultivators should have been invincible no matter what.
Ling Han casually tossed Xia Wuque aside after beating him for a good while.
"Ling Han, I'll definitely wash my humiliation away when we meet at the Majestic Heaven Sect!" Xia Wuque shouted loudly.
Ling Han laughed loudly, and said, "You won't stand a chance!"
His cultivation was flying ahead, and the distance between his and Xia Wuque's cultivation level was only growing smaller and smaller. Moreover, the barrier between the Mountain River Tier and Sun Moon Tier was tremendously hard to overcome, so there was definitely a chance for him to catch up to Xia Wuque in the short term.
"Wife, let's go!" Ling Han held Shui Yanyu's hand and walked toward the second level of the tower.