After firmly regaining her footing on solid ground, Bai Xifeng calmly walked out of the grand Cultivation Hall.

The exact moment she stepped outside into the fresh air, she froze in her tracks. A massive crowd of students had gathered in a tight perimeter around the entrance. They had clearly been waiting around for hours just to see her emerge from her second run. As soon as her figure appeared in the doorway, countless pairs of eyes immediately whipped turned toward her.

Although faint traces of dried blood still stained her clothing from the earlier, vicious attacks, Bai Xifeng looked incredibly energetic, radiating pure vitality and absolute confidence. There were absolutely no visible injuries or lingering fatigue on her body at all.

The crowd immediately erupted into a frantic flurry of quiet whispers and sharp gasps. Everyone had fully expected her to emerge heavily wounded, pale, and covered in fresh blood all over again. Instead, she looked perfectly fine, walking out as though she had simply returned from a leisurely, relaxing stroll through a peaceful garden.

Bai Xifeng stopped walking entirely when she realised that literally everyone in the plaza was blatantly staring at her. One of her dark eyebrows rose slowly as she looked back at the gathered crowd.

"What?" Bai Xifeng uttered, tossing out only a single, blunt word.

The surrounding students immediately realized they had been caught red-handed staring at her without a shred of restraint. Several people awkwardly coughed into their fists and quickly looked away at the sky. Others rapidly turned around to face whoever was nearest and started frantic, random conversations with the people standing next to them, even if they had never actually met before in their lives. The atmosphere across the courtyard instantly became incredibly awkward.

Meanwhile, a few lingering students secretly glanced over toward the massive ranking board on the wall. Their eyes quickly found Bai Xifeng’s name at the top of the freshman bracket.

888th Floor.

It was the exact same floor number as before. Many of them secretly breathed a massive sigh of relief. At least the monster freshman had not managed to climb any higher today.

Of course, if they actually knew that Bai Xifeng had already successfully cleared the trial floor and had deliberately, casually chosen not to climb the newly appeared stone staircase, they would probably be grinding their teeth in absolute envy and frustration.

At that exact moment, Xie Lanying pushed through the crowd and walked toward her. Ning Shoukai, Xie Yanlin, Xie Zixin, and several other prominent Xie Family members were also accompanying her.

"Xifeng!" Xie Lanying immediately called out, her face filled with concern.

Bai Xifeng’s eyes instantly lit up with joy when she saw her close friends. She enthusiastically waved her hand in the air and hurried over toward their group.

The moment Xie Lanying reached her side, she immediately grabbed Bai Xifeng tightly by the shoulders and began frantically inspecting her from head to toe.

"Why on earth are you in such a ragged state?" Xie Lanying asked worriedly, her eyes darting over the damage. "Are you truly alright?" Xie Lanying asked in a worried tone.

Seeing the torn fabric and dark, dried bloodstains completely covering Bai Xifeng’s outer outfit, Xie Lanying could not help but feel incredibly anxious.

"Oh, this old stuff?" Bai Xifeng glanced down at her tattered sleeves before waving her hand dismissively. "Don’t worry about it at all. I am already fully healed inside. I took several wound-healing elixirs right after the fight ended."

Xie Lanying still looked entirely unconvinced, her brow furrowed.

"Xifeng, why don’t you go and change your clothes first?" Xie Yanlin suggested gently.

After all, it was hardly appropriate or comfortable for a young lady to continue walking around a crowded campus in torn, bloodied clothing.

"Yeah." Ning Shoukai nodded repeatedly in agreement. "You definitely have a few spare sets of clean robes resting inside your storage rune, right?"

"Oh, yeah! I definitely do." Bai Xifeng nodded immediately, realising how ridiculous she must look.

"Then go change into them first." Xie Lanying said firmly, shooing her along.

Bai Xifeng obediently searched the hall for a public washroom and slipped inside. A short while later, she emerged looking refreshed and wearing a fresh set of clean, crisp clothes. The dried blood and torn fabric were finally gone.

Before she could even open her mouth to suggest where they should go next, her enthusiastic friends immediately dragged her away toward a popular nearby restaurant. Several refreshing drinks were quickly ordered for the table, and everyone gathered around a large, circular wooden table in the back. They had been waiting anxiously the entire day just to hear a firsthand account of what had actually transpired inside the mysterious Cultivation Pagoda.

"So..." Xie Lanying leaned forward over the table, her eyes wide with anticipation. "Tell us exactly what happened inside that pagoda today."

"Oh..." Bai Xifeng took a slow, relaxed sip of her cold drink, tapping her fingers against the cup. "Where do I even start?"

Then, she began recounting the entire chaotic tale. She explained the brutal ambush that had happened yesterday, and vividly described the nature of the invisible creature. She talked about the frustration of being repeatedly attacked by an unseen force, and explained the cryptic clue Teacher Ji had given her. Then, she detailed exactly how she finally discovered the unique method of seeing the creatures by closing her eyes, and how she had fiercely fought them off.

The more she spoke, the wider everyone’s eyes became. Several people at the table were openly staring at her with completely dropped jaws. The entire experience sounded utterly absurd.

"What kind of bizarre, twisted trial is that?" Xie Yanlin commented, shaking his head after listening to the crazy story. "The higher the floor, the stranger the trials apparently become."

***This novel is a contracted work with w e b n o v e l. c o m. If you do not read this novel on w e b n o v e l. c o m, that means it has been stolen. Thank you, from your shameless author, ZerahNeko***