Without lingering, Tang Yan unfolded Phantom Step and rushed forward.

"Clack!"

After only a few steps, the bronze path half a meter ahead suddenly sank, revealing a water pit. More than ten sharp spikes thrust up from below in an instant.

Tang Yan did not slow. His body tilted slightly to the right, skirting the spikes as he leapt past.

"Clack!"

The moment he landed, a stone beside him suddenly split open, and six bronze pillars shot out from within.

Tang Yan had been on guard the entire time. Sensing the change, his freshly landed body sprang up again. He stepped on the highest bronze pillar and borrowed its force to leap forward, narrowly escaping disaster.

At that moment, Tang Yan admired the design of Absolute Kill Tower from the bottom of his heart.

If his reactions had been even a little slower, that chain of traps would likely have caught him!

He took a deep breath, focused with all his might, and once more used Phantom Step to rush ahead.

In less than a hundred meters, Tang Yan had already endured eight collapses beneath his feet and six chained attacks.

"Boom!"

After a few more steps, a bronze wall about one and a half meters tall sprang out of the path, blocking Tang Yan's way.

At the same instant, every hair on Tang Yan's body stood on end.

He grabbed the bronze wall, pulled hard with his arms, and used the force to vault onto it. The place where he had just been standing had already caved in, and more than ten spikes had risen there as if waiting for him.

"Holy crap!"

Even with Tang Yan's composure, he could not help cursing at such a design.

If he had failed to dodge, those spikes would have pierced straight through his soles and up his calves!

Seeing that several hundred meters still lay ahead, Tang Yan became even more cautious. Fortunately, no new tricks appeared along the way. After several frights but no true danger, he finally ran to the end.

He drew in a long breath and looked back at the winding bronze path, his heart still lingering with fear. As expected of Absolute Kill Tower. Under such heavy pressure, anyone lacking reaction speed or strength would suffer badly on the second floor.

Following the passage to the third floor, his shoulders sank again. An even stronger pressure bore down on him fiercely.

Fifteenfold gravity made even Tang Yan feel some strain.

He looked ahead, and his eyes narrowed.

There was still a pool before him, but the winding bronze path was gone. In its place were wooden boards floating on the water.

The boards varied in size. The large ones were like washbasins, while the small ones were no bigger than the mouth of a bowl. Beneath each board was tied a thin iron chain.

Their spacing was uneven, and their positions were scattered in disorder, with no pattern to follow.

Several rocks of different shapes were scattered throughout the pool.

Judging from his experience on the second floor, those rocks were definitely hiding something!

Tang Yan's gaze sharpened. After roughly memorizing the positions of the wooden boards, he took a deep breath, and his Black Rank third-grade cultivation erupted without reservation.

With a low shout, his body moved like a nimble ape, leaping toward one of the boards.

The instant he landed on it, Tang Yan's heart gave an involuntary tremble.

The wooden board that had been floating quietly on the water actually began to move!

Thousands of wooden boards moved at different speeds, and none followed a fixed direction. Some slid in straight lines, some curved in arcs, and some even changed direction without warning, drifting toward places no one could anticipate.

Tang Yan felt as though ten thousand alpacas were stampeding through his heart. Every foothold he had roughly chosen had been thrown into chaos!

Could the one who designed this Formation have been the Minister of Justice in a past life? How many ways could he find to torment people?

Fortunately, Tang Yan's movement technique was exceptional. With a shift of his feet, he swept toward a nearby board drifting in his direction.

This time, Tang Yan learned his lesson. He kicked hard against the board and sprang high into the air. From above, it was easier to choose a place to land.

"Whoosh!"

Just as he was about to descend, a sharp sound cut through the air. Tang Yan glanced from the corner of his eye and saw a black shadow rushing toward him.

Long tempered by battle, Tang Yan did not lose his composure.

He drew up a breath of True Qi, forcing his body sideways in midair. The black shadow brushed past his face, and only then did Tang Yan see clearly that it was a bronze ball.

His control of force had already reached a seasoned degree. At that moment, he drew back his leg, then tapped the bronze ball with the tip of his foot with perfect precision.

Borrowing the force of that step, his body, which had been about to fall, shot forward instead.

"Whoosh!"

Before he could land, another bronze ball flew over. With experience now, Tang Yan did the same again, stepping on the ball and rushing forward once more.

After repeating this several times, Tang Yan had actually advanced twenty meters!

Outside Absolute Kill Tower.

Everyone craned their necks, waiting for Tang Yan to come out.

The bookmaker shouted loudly, "Anyone else placing a wager? It's about to close!"

Just as he was about to stop accepting bets, a clear voice rang out.

"I wager one hundred thousand taels of silver on Young Master Tang's victory!"

Everyone followed the voice and looked over. Only then did they discover that the one placing the wager was a woman. She was rather beautiful, with a fiery figure, distinct brows and eyes, and a capable, mature charm about her.

"Wan Fei!"

Some who recognized her cried out in surprise.

Wan Fei was an extremely special existence among the Mercenaries of Fang City.

She had only appeared in Fang City half a year ago, and no one could clearly explain her origins.

Though she was a woman, she lived a life on the edge of the blade.

Her strength was fierce, her actions decisive, and she was no weaker than any man. Her success in taking assignments had always been very high, and before long, she had gained some reputation in Fang City.

A month and a half ago, one assignment Wan Fei accepted drew quite a bit of attention: obtaining the pelt of the giant wolf king.

Ordinary giant wolves were not especially strong, but they had the advantage of numbers. There was simply no end to killing them. More importantly, the giant wolf king was a genuine third-rank Demon Beast, and if it hid in the dark, it was an enormous threat.

Even high-grade Black Rank experts were unwilling to challenge a giant wolf pack lightly. Yet this woman had forced her way into Cangyun Mountain and completed the assignment.

That exceptionally difficult assignment had also made her reputation soar.

Everyone was greatly astonished by Wan Fei's wager.

She should know nothing about that kid from Yun City, so why would she bet on him to win? And with the enormous sum of one hundred thousand taels of silver at that?

Even if she had money, she could not squander it like this, could she?

The bookmaker had not expected that, at the very last moment before closing, someone would still come to hand him money.

That boy who had gone inside would at most come out on the third floor. How could he possibly win?

Afraid Wan Fei would regret it, the bookmaker beamed as he accepted the silver notes, wrote out the wager document, and handed it to Wan Fei.

Lin Xiao and the other two were also somewhat stunned. This woman looked entirely unfamiliar, so why would she wager on Tang Yan?

"She couldn't be Tang Yan's sweetheart, could she?" Lin Dongxue suddenly said, her tone sour.

Hearing the resentment in his daughter's words, Lin Xiao teased, "Why are you so concerned about him? Have you taken a fancy to Tang Yan?"

Lin Dongxue's pretty face reddened at once. She shot Lin Xiao an annoyed glare and spat, "Father, don't talk nonsense!"

"Miss Wan Fei, do you know that kid? Why wager so much silver?"

Questions kept coming from the crowd.

Faced with everyone's doubts, Wan Fei had no intention of telling the truth. She had wagered on Tang Yan's victory entirely because of a feeling in her heart-that Tang Yan would win. Even though the last time she had seen Tang Yan, his strength had only been at Yellow Rank!

From an objective point of view, Tang Yan was at most Black Rank first grade now. But women were often creatures of feeling, and in many situations, they made decisions by intuition.

The mystery Tang Yan had shown that day, his unique insight into martial moves, and the openhanded way he had given up the White Wolf King's pelt had all left a very deep impression on Wan Fei.

She believed in Tang Yan, so she placed her wager. What was wrong with that?