Eternal Heavenly Emperor

20, 21, 22, 23.

Chu Hao's hitting accuracy was improving, but he paid a considerable price, not knowing how many hits he received from the puppet. Luckily, although this puppet was a Third Tier Martial Sect, it couldn't use Starlight. This allowed Chu Hao's Jade Wall Technique to reduce the damage significantly.

Even so, Chu Hao was continuously spitting blood, his face as pale as death.

When he was breaking through the tenth meridian, he was already on the verge of death, spitting out an unknown amount of blood. Only seven days had passed, how could he have fully recovered? The new injuries on top of the old ones caused him immense pain.

He had to break through.

Chu Hao was an extremely stubborn person, once he decided on something, nothing could change his mind.

24, 27, 30, 33!

His efficiency was gradually improving, but his injuries were also worsening. Even with the Jade Wall Technique for protection, getting hit solidly by a Third Tier Martial Sect still made him feel excruciating pain.

Conversely, if the opponent was an ordinary Third Tier Martial Sect, Chu Hao would have killed them many times over. But what could he do, this puppet was indestructible?

Gritting his teeth, Chu Hao held on, pushing himself past his limits with sheer willpower.

He couldn't lose, absolutely couldn't lose.

He told himself this, his eyes shining brightly.

35, 38, 40!

Under immense pressure, he broke out with an even stronger fighting spirit and combat power, getting closer and closer to success.

Boom!

But the puppet's counterattack sent Chu Hao flying nearly a hundred meters. "Bleh," he spat out a mouthful of blood. His chest churned painfully; it was so unbearable that he wanted to die on the spot.

Was he going to fail?

No!

Chu Hao propped himself up, his body swaying, but his eyes were more determined than ever.

He still had one last chance to strike.

But truly only one more chance. If he couldn't hit the puppet's 43 vital points with this attack, he would definitely fail and end up back at the bottom.

Bring it on!

Chu Hao silently shouted in his heart, started running, and his speed increased.

Using the Sky Stepping Technique, he soared high and low, turning his body into ghostly shapes again.

Close in, attack.

Boom boom boom boom boom, Chu Hao moved all his limbs, hitting 43 times in an instant, not one more, not one less.

Did he succeed?

Chu Hao's consciousness blurred. He saw the puppet's two large hands coming at him, but before they could hit him, he passed out.

He didn't know how long had passed. When Chu Hao woke up in a daze and opened his eyes, he was startled. Above his head, the golden puppet was extending its long arms, seemingly about to embrace him in an attack.

He was startled at first, then immediately realized this was the same puppet he had fought before fainting.

He had finally hit the puppet's 43 vital points simultaneously, immobilizing it.

Chu Hao didn't want to get up, he just wanted to lie there to death, but his indomitable will forced him to stand up. A new step appeared, and on the first step was his reward.

Seriously, another 101st level?

Chu Hao shook his head. He had already performed beyond his level at this 100th level, it was impossible to pass the 101st.

Forget it, let's see the reward first.

He walked to the edge of the first step, looked down, and couldn't help but show a strange expression.

The reward was neither pills nor treasure artifacts, materials, nor cultivation techniques or martial techniques. It was a key.

A key?

Was there a treasure chest that needed a key to open?

Chu Hao picked up the key. Upon closer inspection, the key was completely silver-white, with a skull engraved on the handle, though it wasn't a human skull but likely that of a snake.

The key was about two fingers long, with very intricate and complex teeth shapes, which wouldn't be easy to replicate in a few days.

Moreover, the key was quite heavy. Even with Chu Hao's current strength, he could feel a slight weight holding it.

This was the reward for passing the 100 levels? Nothing else?

Chu Hao felt like spitting blood again, this time not from injury but from anger.

He had put in so much effort, and all he got was a key. How could he not be furious?

Hopefully, this key would be useful in the future.

Chu Hao put the key away, of course, he wouldn't throw it away.

Continue upwards?

Chu Hao shook his head, deciding to recover first. Whether he continued to challenge further or returned to the bottom, he needed powerful combat strength.

He took out some healing medicine and ingested it, beginning to channel his energy to heal.

This time he took it slow.

He had been repeatedly struck by the puppet, injuring his internal organs, which took much longer to heal than flesh wounds.

It took him a full two days to mostly recover, but the large blood loss would need more time to replenish.

Fortunately, Martial Artists had abundant blood vitality; having all walked the path of the Martial Disciple Realm, each had the physical fitness of a superhuman.

Chu Hao stepped onto the stairs, walking, walking, walking.

Hum. Upon reaching the last step, he felt a slight tremor throughout his body, and his surroundings changed drastically. When his vision cleared, he found himself outside the high tower.

Luckily, there were only 100 levels.

Chu Hao first said to himself, then immediately noticed something different.

First, the high tower beside him was glowing.

It had always been glowing before, but with a gentle jade light, not very bright. Now, however, it was completely different. It was as if it was fully powered, almost blindingly bright.

The difference was clear. Previously, one could only vaguely see the silhouettes of the towers on either side, not the one on the diagonal. Now, not only were the adjacent towers clearly visible, but even those farthest away were brightly illuminated.

Logically, next should be the Spirit Chamber. The more levels passed, the better the Spirit Chamber's effects, giving martial masters hope of breaking through to the Martial Sect.

But this in front of him definitely wasn't a Spirit Chamber.

In the originally empty space, a huge entrance had suddenly appeared, leading into unknown darkness.

Chu Hao wanted to enter the high tower to see and ask others what was happening, but he hadn't even moved when the bright light hurt his eyes. Even closing his eyes didn't help; he couldn't get close.

There was no going back.

Chu Hao touched his chin, thinking perhaps this entrance had opened because he had passed the 100 levels? By this logic, three other towers should have three individuals who also passed 100 levels, causing those towers to light up too.

He imagined wildly, thinking perhaps their paths would converge, leading to a treasure trove that required four keys to open.

One of those keys should be the one he obtained after passing the 100 levels.

So, were the people inside the tower already teleported out? Or could only those who passed the 100 levels enter this entrance? Were the others still in the high tower, preparing to enter the Spirit Chamber?

However, with this unexpected situation, would there still be a one-month limit?

Chu Hao couldn't judge. He began moving, entering the portal that resembled an underground tomb passage.

The path was smooth, and although it was dark all around, Chu Hao only had to ignite his right hand to light up the surroundings.

He walked briskly, and after about ten minutes, he saw a faint light ahead, so he extinguished the flame within his cells.

A few minutes later, the space opened up, and a garden appeared.

Chu Hao looked up, unexpectedly seeing a patch of sky!

However, this was a peculiar space, where common sense didn't apply.

At the garden entrance, there was a map engraved on a stone.

The entire underground space was square-shaped, with the outermost layer forming a square, while the second layer was also square but rotated 90 degrees, and the third layer was yet another square rotated another 90 degrees.

Thus, the deeper one went, the smaller the space got, with a total of only four layers.

There was a path in the garden, flanked by various flowers and grasses. As Chu Hao walked on the gravel-paved path, he felt the uneven stones under his feet very distinctly.

Looking around, he saw that the flora was quite ordinary, not the rare medicinal herbs he had hoped for.

So, there was no reason to stop. He continued walking.

As he walked, the path soon branched into two. Chu Hao randomly chose one, but within two minutes, new branches appeared.

This was turning into a maze.

He couldn't allow himself to be led by the nose.

Chu Hao decided not to follow the main path and instead cut through the garden. He carefully entered the flowergrass zone, readying himself for any traps.

To his surprise, everything was peaceful.

However, this didn't mean it would be easy. After walking a bit, Chu Hao discovered a strange fragrance that muddled his mind, making him react sluggishly.

He passed through one spot three times before realizing he was going in circles.

Quickly, he exited the flower and grass area. After a while, his mind cleared.

It seemed he could only follow the prescribed path.

As he walked, Chu Hao memorized and deduced the paths, which constantly merged and branched, leading people astray time and again. Even with his powerful deduction skills, the first pass left him circling.

He continuously refined the garden's paths in his mind. As he encountered more wrong turns, his mental map became more complete.

This outermost layer was the largest; the next three layers grew progressively smaller. Despite walking for two days, he hadn't reached the end. But by his estimate, he would find the exit to the first layer within a day.

Hmm?

Chu Hao suddenly stopped, spotting a single, unique plant amidst the grass. Unlike the others, which were only an inch tall, this one was a full foot high, standing out conspicuously.

Could it be?