C18 Ghost Shadow Step

However, once the old man had raised the issue, there was no way he would back down.

Ye Feng watched in dismay as the old man added several blood-red worms into the murky bowl of medicinal brew.

"Old man! What are you trying to do? Kill me with some twisted game?" Ye Feng, alarmed by the sight of the sharp-toothed worms, instinctively tried to get out of the soup.

But before he could make a move, a massive pot lid came crashing down on his head.

He could even hear the sound of it locking into place.

It seemed he wouldn't be able to leave until he had spent a full day and night there.

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination or if the old man had actually stoked the fire outside, but the longer he stayed, the hotter the pot seemed to get.

If the lid hadn't been made of bamboo, he might have suffocated in there.

Yet, what he found most unbearable wasn't the sweltering heat of the pot; it was the flesh worms creeping closer to him, some even nibbling at his wounds.

The anticipated pain never arrived. Instead, he felt a tingling numbness.

To his astonishment, the worms didn't attack him outright. After drawing enough blood, they dissolved into a red liquid that blended into the medicinal soup.

Realizing they posed no threat, Ye Feng settled his nerves, closed his eyes, and began to meditate.

The seven days flew by, and on the eighth day, he found himself once again on the first floor of the Nine-level Demon Tower.

If he succeeded today, he would undoubtedly advance to the second floor.

"Let's do this." He felt his body had grown more supple over the days.

It wasn't the herbs that had this effect, but rather the work of the flesh worms.

With everything in place, the old man promptly set the mechanism in motion.

This mechanism was different and even more intricate than the previous ones.

Seven days prior, Ye Feng would have been overwhelmed, quickly becoming a pincushion. But after the week's ordeal, his body had undergone significant changes. He was now more nimble and quicker than before. Employing the Ghost Shadow Step, he transformed into an elusive specter, effortlessly weaving through the dense barrage of arrows.

Ye Feng's mind suddenly flashed back to the words the old man had uttered during his first foray into the Nine-level Demon Tower. At the time, he had dismissed the old man's words as a mere tease. But upon reflection, it appeared the old man had intended for him to begin mastering the Ghost Shadow Step from the very start. Unaware of the oddity then, Ye Feng had cleverly used the Celestial Meteorite Pot and the little golden shovel to evade the challenge.

He pondered whether, had he unraveled the mysteries of the Ghost Shadow Step earlier, his journey through the Wailing Forest would have been significantly easier. After enduring ten relentless volleys of arrows, not one had so much as nicked his clothing.

"Not bad. You've become quite adept at the Ghost Shadow Step," the old man observed, noting Ye Feng's proficiency. With no need for further practice on the first level, the old man ceased the training there.

With a practiced motion, the old man manipulated the energy waves, triggering another shift in the array formation. The eight doors materialized once again before Ye Feng.

The familiar announcement echoed, "The first hexagram, the Zhen hexagram, the Gate of Pain Trial commences!"

The old man's voice followed, firm and clear, "This time, you are not to dodge."

"Damn it, if I don't dodge, am I supposed to just stand here and take a beating?" Ye Feng muttered under his breath.

Previously, when the old man was wounded by a sword, a simple soak in a healing potion would mend his injuries. But facing the Black Puppet, whose massive sword could crater the ground, being struck would likely reduce him to a meat patty. He doubted the old man possessed any miraculous medicine capable of reforming a meat patty back into a person.

"Take this," the old man said, tossing the long sword he had acquired from Cheng Yu straight to Ye Feng.

"I'm not skilled with swords," Ye Feng admitted, catching the long sword with precision after sidestepping the Black Puppet's strike.

Yet, holding the long sword brought him a fresh challenge. In his past life, the most dangerous blade he'd handled was a kitchen knife; he had never even laid a finger on a long sword.

"That's your concern, not mine," the old man retorted indifferently. Out of nowhere, as if by magic, he produced a chicken leg and settled against a rock, sipping his drink and gnawing away contentedly.

Ye Feng, sweating profusely as he was pursued by the puppet, clenched his teeth in frustration.

This infuriating old man!

Without the option to use a spatula or an iron pot, he was left to wield his long sword like a club.

Watching Ye Feng awkwardly chip away at the Black Puppet with his sword, the old man could hardly stand it.

He wiped his greasy mouth and said, "Kid, this is our sect's sword technique, called Heavy Mountain Sword. Pay attention to every movement of the puppet."

"How am I supposed to do that?" Ye Feng narrowly avoided another attack from the puppet and retaliated with a sword slash to its leg, adding yet another wound.

"I've shown you the technique. Whether you can learn it is up to you."

Though accustomed to the old man's demeanor, Ye Feng couldn't help but want to give him a piece of his mind each time he spoke.

Taking into account the puppet's sluggish pace, Ye Feng decided to kite it.

After evading another attack from the Black Puppet, he executed the Ghost Shadow Step, instantly reaching the edge of the arena.

The puppet, devoid of consciousness, relentlessly pursued its target.

A swift sword strike sent a fierce gust carrying sword qi hurtling towards Ye Feng's back.

Turning around, he saw the Black Puppet's fierce attack. Luckily, he was far enough away that the sword qi only ruffled his clothes without inflicting any real harm.

Yet the deep pit and cracks left by the Black Puppet's feet spoke volumes about the power behind the strike.

As the Black Puppet prepared to launch another heavy sword attack, Ye Feng steeled himself and chose not to evade.

If the old man claimed that the puppet had mastered their sect's sword technique, Ye Feng was determined to observe its form.

Whether he moved or not made no difference to the Black Puppet, which simply acted on instinct to strike at its foe.

This time, facing the puppet head-on, Ye Feng caught each of its movements: a forward step with the left foot, a bending of the body to gather strength, and finally, the raising of its sword for a horizontal slash.

The ensuing gale sent debris flying, and Ye Feng quickly raised his arms to shield himself from the onslaught of stones.

Another strike missed its mark, and the Black Puppet kept advancing toward Ye Feng. It seemed that with each step it took closer to him, it would switch up its technique.

To clearly observe each maneuver of the puppet, Ye Feng utilized the swift pace of the Ghost Shadow Step to widen the gap between them.

After several rounds of this cat-and-mouse game, Ye Feng began to grasp the pattern: the so-called Heavy Mountain Sword consisted of nine distinct moves, each one building up energy for the subsequent move.