Chapter 117: The Cage

The last time the Qitian Tower recognized a master, Ke Bei suffered a setback upon stepping onto the top floor and nearly lost his life. Having learned his lesson, he was extremely cautious this time. Although the biting cold was gone, Ke Bei still enveloped his entire body in the Nether Purple Flame, and his Nine Suns Divine Art internal energy flowed into his legs, ready to respond to any sudden change. Should anything go wrong, he was prepared to use the Lingbo Micro-steps to escape instantly.

Moving with measured steps, Ke Bei scrutinized his surroundings with vigilance as he slowly ascended to the second floor of the Crystal Palace.

"Nothing here?"

Upon reaching the second floor, Ke Bei found it empty, save for the patterns etched into the walls, which had grown more intricate and appeared even more profound and mysterious.

With the experience of the Qitian Tower’s master-recognition still fresh in his mind, Ke Bei dared not lower his guard. Even though the second floor was empty, danger might await on the top floor. Thus, he remained cautious, unable to relax for a single moment.

"Hoo—"

Taking a slow breath, Ke Bei hesitated for a moment before lifting his feet to ascend to the third floor.

"How can this be?"

Stepping into the top floor of the Crystal Palace, Ke Bei was stunned. The third floor was just as empty as the others, with no changes other than the patterns on the walls and floors becoming even more complex.

The danger Ke Bei had anticipated did not materialize. There was nothing here—just a vacant hall.

"Damn, what a wasted trip!"

Ke Bei sighed in disappointment and slowly withdrew the Nether Purple Flame into his body.

"Sigh, might as well go back. Where would there be so many divine artifacts? I’m just being too greedy."

Ke Bei shook his head with a bitter smile. When he first saw the Crystal Palace, a glimmer of hope had sparked within him, thinking he had stumbled upon another divine artifact. Now that he was inside and found nothing, and realized the palace itself was no such thing, he couldn't help but feel let down. Taking one last deep look at the palace, he sighed, turned around, and walked toward the stairs.

Rumble!

Just as his foot was about to touch the crystalline, translucent stairs, a thunderous roar erupted.

Accompanying the sound, a transparent wall suddenly appeared, instantly sealing off the staircase leading to the lower level.

"What’s going on?"

At the very instant of the boom, purple flames erupted from Ke Bei’s body. His feet blurred as he moved, his body darting backward. Staring straight at the wall that had appeared out of thin air, he was dumbfounded.

"Damn it, don't tell me it's trying to trap me here!"

Ke Bei’s expression shifted abruptly. He clenched his fists, the Nine Suns Divine Art surging wildly as he delivered a fierce punch toward the glass-like transparent barrier.

Boom!

As his fist collided with the wall, a deafening sound rang out. The massive rebound force sent Ke Bei flying backward, yet the transparent barrier remained unmoved, not even trembling.

"Damn it!"

Staring fixedly at the wall, two streams of purple flames ignited in Ke Bei’s eyes.

"You want to trap me? Fat chance!"

Ke Bei let out a low growl, stamped his feet, and lunged toward the wall again, his fist, encased in Nether Purple Flame, slamming into the barrier once more.

Bang!

Ke Bei was sent flying again, leaving only a flicker of purple flame on the wall. Suddenly, the arcane patterns on the transparent surface shimmered, and the Nether Purple Flame was repelled just as Ke Bei had been.

"Dammit!"

Ke Bei’s face flushed red, his teeth grinding together, bloodshot veins appearing in his eyes. He never imagined that instead of finding a divine artifact, he would be trapped here.

Little did Ke Bei know, this Crystal Palace was no divine artifact; it was a prison used by the God Race to seal away their own kin who had committed grave offenses.

The God Race had arrived on Earth nearly a century ago, and this palace had only ever held one prisoner. What that individual had done was a secret known to only a handful of the God Race. Twenty years ago, the Progenitor of the God Race had personally sealed their then-number-one genius within this very palace.

Yet, to everyone’s shock, within a mere three years, that trapped genius had broken through to the God King realm, reaching its absolute peak. After the breakthrough, the genius shattered the palace, fought a battle against the God Race’s elite, and escaped with the building in tow. No one knew where they had vanished to, and the Crystal Palace had been lost ever since.

Fate is unpredictable; no one could have foreseen that Ke Bei would encounter this palace and end up trapped within it himself.

Ke Bei sat dejectedly on the top floor of the palace. He had tried every method imaginable, but he could not shake the transparent wall.

"Damn, what kind of karma have I brought upon myself!"

After struggling for a long time to no avail, Ke Bei had no choice but to give up.

"Hoo..."

Taking a deep breath, his restless heart gradually calmed. He had exhausted all his options and could do nothing against the wall. He reached into the leather pouch on his back and took out the last bottle of Green Spirit Liquid. Staring at the small jade vial, he fell into deep thought. Since he couldn't leave for the time being, he had to find a way to survive.

The Green Spirit Liquid contained vast life energy; a single drop could sustain him for a day. There were about a hundred drops in the vial, enough to last him three months. If he could comprehend the first-level technique of the Qitian Tower within those three months and receive the system's reward, his strength would grow, and perhaps he would have a chance to break the barrier.

This was his only hope. If he failed, he would likely starve to death in this palace.

"I will succeed!" Ke Bei clenched his fists.

He closed his eyes and sank his consciousness into the small golden tower within his brow. When the tower had recognized him as its master, he had received the inheritance of the technique, but he had been too weak to activate it. Having found the technique too profound, he had temporarily shelved it. Now, he had no choice.

Day one passed, and Ke Bei made no progress. The profound technique remained an enigma.

Day two, still no progress.

By the fifth day, Ke Bei finally grasped a sliver of understanding.

"So that's how it is! Hahaha!"

On the fifth day, Ke Bei opened his eyes, a flicker of wild joy on his face. He was finally making headway.

"Let’s try it!"

He closed his eyes again, sinking his consciousness into the tower.

Boom!

With a thought, nine patterns shimmering with golden light appeared before him. He had successfully broken down the first level of the technique into these nine patterns. He stared at the first one and began to trace the nine arcane lines with his hands. As he did, the tower trembled.

One line, two lines, three lines... The vibration grew stronger.

Four lines, five lines, six lines!

Hum, hum... The tower shook as if it were about to fly out of his brow!

Seven lines!

Boom!

As he traced the seventh line, the vibrations abruptly stopped. The tower became deathly still.

"Wrong!"

Ke Bei frowned. The special resonance he had felt had vanished. He realized he had misinterpreted the seventh line. He took a deep breath, and after a long silence, he brought up the massive, complex pattern containing all eighty-one lines of the first level. He spent three more days studying it.

On the eighth day of his imprisonment, Ke Bei opened his eyes again.

"This time, it should be right!"

With a confident smile, he moved his hands along the nine lines of the first pattern.

One line, two lines... eight, nine!

Boom!

As he completed all nine lines, his brow throbbed, and the golden tower slowly floated out from his forehead.

"It’s done!"

Ke Bei clenched his fist, ecstatic. After eight days of research, he had finally mastered the first pattern. He had found the method; he was confident about the remaining eight.

Time flew like a white horse passing a crack in the wall. Two months passed in the blink of an eye. At the Jiujiang Genius Training Camp, the annual Green Dragon Ranking tournament began.

"Ke Bei, where did you go?"

Luo Ling sat by the Green Dragon Lake, watching the clear water. Since Ke Bei left, she had been in seclusion, cultivating the 'Mystic Ice Armor' technique she had obtained from the Qitian Tower. Two months later, she had mastered two or three layers of it. She was confident that even her brother, Luo Han, couldn't hurt her while she used it.

But the person she missed had yet to return.

"Next time, you won't be able to leave me behind!"

"I'm strong now, really strong..."

Luo Ling stared at the green water, her eyes misting over at the thought of Ke Bei.

"When you come back, I’ll show you that I’ve made it into the top ten of the Green Dragon Ranking!" she whispered.

"Ling'er," a deep voice sounded. It was her brother.

"I knew you'd be here." Luo Han looked at the tear stains on her face and felt a pang in his heart. He ruffled her hair affectionately. "Still thinking about him?"

Luo Ling didn't speak; she bit her lip, and two large tears fell, shattering against the ground.

"Don't worry, that kid will be fine," Luo Han said firmly. "Go and prepare. Your first match is about to start. Don't stress about the ranking; if you can't win, just concede."

Luo Han was worried. His sister was talented, but she hadn't inherited the family's core abilities, making her weaker than others. Her opponent today was ranked 97th—a tough battle for anyone.

"I will win!" Luo Ling wiped her tears, looked at her brother, and spoke with unwavering resolve.