"One step to ten steps, two steps to three steps, four steps to five steps to laugh, six steps to seven steps to dance, eight steps to nine steps to sing."
Just after entering the ruins, these words came to my ears.
A phantom with an unclear face appeared in front of everyone: "Everyone, how is this poem?"
Tao Zi looked at the phantom, twitched the corner of his mouth, and reluctantly praised: "It's easy to understand, I'll clap my hands."
Seeing that she was the first to speak, the strange monks around her all turned their gazes to her in unison, with vigilance in their eyes, but more of them were watching.
When Tao Zi answered, he calmly scanned the surroundings. It was obvious that almost everyone here was in the body refining stage, but Xi Jing and the others were not there.
Compared to her, the others here are somewhat restrained.
Phantom asked with a smile: "Oh, what do you mean?"
Tao Zi said sincerely: "It's like vernacular."
Phantom stared at her silently, and the surrounding atmosphere suddenly became depressed.
Many monks were silent and did not speak, but some monks could not stand the atmosphere and whispered: "Is this person's brain not working well?"
Looking at the older fellow who seemed to be the speaker, he scolded him upon hearing this: "Stop talking!"
The man reluctantly agreed, bowing his head in silence with some disdain.
In a blink of an eye, the phantom appeared in front of the man and said with a threatening tone: "What do you think of the poem I made?"
The man rolled his eyes and said tentatively: "Easy to understand, good poem."
Phantom asked: "Easy to understand, is good poetry?"
"That's it for me." His words obviously left a way out for himself.
Phantom nodded with a smile: "I like your words very much, this is my reward, go on."
Suddenly there was something wrapped in white light next to the man. He was ecstatic and reached out to take it.
When he held that thing, he had a hint of pride on his face, completely unaware of the flash of sarcasm in the eyes of the fellow disciples beside him.
The phantom waved his hand and the man disappeared. Someone tentatively said, "Where did he go?"
"Go where he belongs."
The new ordinary monks were unsure of its meaning for a moment, but they did not speak rashly again.
Phantom looked at the people around him with a smile and said: "Everyone, does anyone else want to comment on my poem? No, this level is enough."
It's almost there. Is it almost the beginning or almost the end? Come to think of it, most people would think it was the latter.
Intermittently, some monks who couldn't restrain themselves started to praise him.
Likewise, they all got their rewards and disappeared.
Within a quarter of an hour, at least one-third of the monks disappeared.
Some of the remaining monks were also ready to make a move, but they suppressed their thoughts after looking at some of the disciples from the sects. After all, these disciples must know more rules than they do.
Tao Zi smiled. Now, there was probably a fight at the exit. After all, no one was willing to leave with so little stuff.
At this time, someone slowly spoke: "This poem is easy to understand, just like vernacular, and is suitable for children to listen to."
This is no different from what Tao Zi said.
She turned around and saw that it was the fellow senior who spoke first.
Phantom snorted without expressing anything, and then asked: "Does anyone else want to comment on my poems?"
No one spoke anymore. At this time, the remaining group of people could be considered calm.
Phantom laughed heartily and said: "If you don't know how to praise others, then I will give you a little punishment."
A monk whispered: "How could it be possible? Didn't you mean..."
He swallowed the next words.
Tao Zi took another look, and judging from his clothes, he must be a newcomer to the Nine Turns Gate.
The phantom disappeared out of thin air, leaving only one sentence: "When you reach the door, the punishment ends. Every step you take must leave something on you."
A rough and simple door appeared not far away, and grids appeared under the feet.
Some monks complained: "It's not fair, I'm so far away from the door."
The person closest to him laughed and said, "Luck is also part of strength."
Tao Zi didn't care about the voices in her ears and counted the steps. Thirteen steps. Not counting clothes, she only had ten things on her body - charms and medicine.
It's so poor. This level is not very friendly to casual cultivators. She sighed secretly in her heart.
There are people with poor self-control who can’t wait to walk away.
"What's going on? I can't walk!"
Everyone looked and found that the person closest to the exit was trapped in a grid and could not move.
He anxiously took out various talismans, but they were of no use.
Tao Zi narrowed her eyes and carefully recalled every detail from before.
After a while, she took out a talisman. After the talisman disappeared, she jumped a step and was not trapped.
Looking at her movements, someone suddenly understood and said loudly: "Junior brother, dance ten steps in one step, walk two steps three, laugh four steps five, dance six steps seven, and sing eight steps nine. That is the way to pass the level. It’s not poetry!”
So kind.
When this idea flashed through Tao Zi's mind, the phantom's voice sounded again: "I told you it was poetry. Since you think it's not, I will take away an utensil as a small punishment."
The man's face turned pale.
Tao Zi counted the distance between herself and the person in front of her. There were five steps in total.
She took out five charms in one breath and walked over with an emotionless laugh.
The man realized something was wrong and wanted to retreat but couldn't: "What are you going to do?"
Tao Zi smiled and said: "You won't be able to pass the test anyway, why don't you give the things you have to me to my daughter, I will be very grateful."
"Despicable!"
He was so simple and naive, and he didn’t know which sect he was a disciple of.
Tao Zi moved her hand without hesitation, but in just a few seconds, the man was at a disadvantage.
The phantom's voice sounded at this moment: "I can't see the blood."
Hope appeared in the man's eyes, and Tao Zi stopped.
"It's better to do this. Whenever someone jumps into your grid to compete, and you lose, you can take one step, but you have to take out an equal number of items - the number is the time when the contestant enters your grid. number of steps, you win, you are free, the loser stays in your place, and you can take away a random item from the opponent."
The man's expression was unpredictable. He didn't come from three sects or four sects, and he didn't have that many tools and charms to squander, but there was no other way.
Tao Zi got five talismans as she wished, and they all seemed quite low-level.
There are nine items on his body now, and the remaining steps are seven, which seems more than enough.
She didn't hesitate anymore and reached the door in one go.
Phantom's smiling voice sounded: "Someone has arrived at the door in the first level. The remaining free players can use their items as collateral to exchange for the number of attacks. The winner can choose to exchange positions or the items they pledged."
Tao Zi's face was expressionless, but he didn't care about the temporary extra rule.
The first level of Xuyan Relics is always like this, either to collect "wealth" or to disperse "wealth". The next three levels of questioning the heart are the real difficulties. However, in this case, many of the monks below who can reach the door directly may have to hesitate.
It is not difficult to say that this level is difficult, especially for those disciples of the big sects. The difficult thing is how to keep the talismans on their bodies.
