Having reached the eighth level of Ancient Soul Tower and seeing so many of his seniors here, Wu Yu didn"t want to s.h.i.+ne too brightly. Or rather, he wouldn"t want to create animosity towards him. Therefore, when Prince Yu used a questioning tone, he put on a faint smile and adopted a casual tone. "Are you guys referring to the previous time with the sun? I survived that because of an ability to escape. I am fortunate to be alive now. As for how I got up.... Perhaps I took a different path and didn"t barge my way in, as I do not have the strength to endure the challenge. Wits, not brawn, brought me here. You can see it as a small secret of mine." As the saying goes, one wouldn"t slap a smiling person. Wu Yu appeared gentle now and was honest in his response. This made Prince Yu feel like his animosity had landed on cotton. Perhaps he had hoped for Wu Yu to clash with him directly so he would feel a little safer.
When he saw Wu Yu, whom he had presumed dead, suddenly appear in this place, the shock he had felt was too huge. Over the past few days, he had forgotten about Prince Le. Now that he had seen Wu Yu, the extreme discomfort he had been feeling returned again.
"This is the eighth level of the Ancient Soul Tower, it isn"t a place you should be in. Get down now." Prince Yu"s tone calmed a little but was still full of dominance.
He had a bad scare when Wu Yu went for the Blazing Bird previously. At that time, even he thought that Wu Yu was about to succeed. Now that Wu Yu had shown up before him again, Prince Yu naturally saw him as his greatest compet.i.tor.
As for the few others that were hidden in the dark corners of this level of the Ancient Soul Tower, they probably had the same opinion and were a little wary of Wu Yu. The display of this wariness could also be seen as a display of their doubts on the fairness exacted by the Ancient Emperor. After all, Wu Yu had had consecutive mysterious encounters, and it was hard for them to believe there was no guiding hand in the shadows.
Wu Yu had a hard time getting up and therefore wouldn"t just head down. He saw the Spirits of the Universe, the little beads, and knew Prince Yu wouldn"t attack him recklessly. In that case, he wouldn"t have to worry, he just had to convince the rest with reason.
"Prince Yu, those words aren"t too appropriate. We should be competing for the Yan Huang Golden Bead fairly. Since I got here with my own strength, I should be allowed to remain here. Furthermore, I won"t be interfering with you. Could it be that Prince Yu is fearful of me?" Wu Yu said while maintaining a smile.
He was only targeting Prince Yu because he started exerting pressure on Wu Yu first.
Wu Yu had a clear look and believed that the rest were still looking for a way to reach the ninth level of the Ancient Soul Tower. Therefore, they were just spectating from the side.
"You dared to speak to me in this manner?" Prince Yu"s eyes turned cold, gleaming with hidden anger.
"If Prince Yu doesn"t target me and sees me as nothing, I naturally won"t offend Prince Yu." After completing his words, Wu Yu was too lazy to continue the conversation and treated himself as one of them. He could see people lightly tapping, experimenting on the walls, floors, and even the drawings on the ceilings. Therefore, he was prepared to take a look around too.
He moved away from Prince Yu, and perhaps Prince Yu knew he really couldn"t do anything to Wu Yu on the eighth level of the Ancient Soul Tower. If he continued to press this issue, Wu Yu would likely embarra.s.s him. He was never a high-profile person, and after a short pause to think about it, he let this go. "It"s alright, you can stay. However, I have to remind you to not cause any commotion. Otherwise, if these monsters awaken, you will be the first to die. You were lucky to reach this place where you don"t belong. If you lose your life in the process, it will be your own undoing."
Saying thus, he didn"t bother Wu Yu further. Wu Yu was also too lazy to respond. Similar to the others, he was curious.
The Fencer of Gold, the Breezy Sword Master, Mu Yunxi, and the others were either on the walls at the edge, the ceilings, or the middle of the floor, where most people had gathered. Wu Yu stepped forward to check it out and saw a huge rock. It was black, irregular, and looked just like any ordinary rock. However, the word "Soulstone" was engraved in gold on the rock.
This was probably the only rather unique object on this level. Clearly, anyone that was here would take a look at the soulstone. However, despite being here for so long, they hadn"t made any breakthrough or found out its use. The soulstone was still intact at its original position.
As such, Wu Yu wasn"t in a hurry.
There were relatively fewer golden beads around the soulstone. Wu Yu floated across and landed before the soulstone. There were two other people when he arrived, and they were Mu Yunxi and Lan Qi Liu Meng. Both of them looked like they were middle-aged, mature, and steady. The man was handsome and carefree, while the lady was gentle and exceptional. Initially, they were standing to the left and right of the soulstone. After Wu Yu arrived, the three stood in a triangle around the soulstone. Both of them were fully focused on the soulstone, seemingly trying to understand something from it.
"Wu Yu, can you tell if there is anything unique about the soulstone with your eyes?" Lan Qi Liu Meng was courteous and was the first to speak with Wu Yu. Moreover, he didn"t show any emotions that suggested he was against Wu Yu. Instead, it was more like an ordinary conversation between friends.
"Can I touch it?" asked Wu Yu.
"Sure, you can. We have tried all means previously, including hitting it with full strength. However, that awoke those monsters. Therefore, it"s better to stick to gentle means for now," replied Lan Qi Liu Meng.
Mu Yunxi from the Immortal Kingdom in the Clouds also nodded. "The truth is that it has been a long time since the first person arrived here and started researching it. We have tried all possible methods we could think of, but none of them worked. Perhaps there could be people who already understand the secret but aren"t willing to share it." Prince Yu seemed to be going against Wu Yu previously, and this group was standing on the opposite side of the Yan Huang Tribe. In other words, they were against Prince Yu. It would appear Prince Yu wasn"t particularly welcome here. If there was a conflict, he might be targeted by others who allied together.
Wu Yu used his Eyes of Fire and Gold to scan the soulstone bit by bit. At certain areas, he even touched it with his fingers. Yet, after spending half a day studying it, he couldn"t help but furrow his brows. He said, "I"ve seen it from top to bottom and inside to outside. There"s nothing special about it and it isn"t any treasure. However, there"s no way to manipulate it, not even sc.r.a.ping something off the surface."
"You are right. There"s nothing we can do to it. Initially, we just thought we couldn"t break it. Subsequently, we realized we couldn"t even blow a speck of dust off it. Describing it as invisible would be apt."
Wu Yu nodded. "The soulstone might very well be the entrance to the ninth level of the Ancient Soul Tower. It might also be a key to getting the Yan Huang Golden Bead. However, I can"t tell how."
Mu Yunxi chuckled and said, "Yeah, even I have pondered about it for over 20 days without getting anything from the soulstone. If I still can"t figure anything out, I will likely look in other places. It"s undoubtedly arduous to find the point of entry through this."
Wu Yu continued surveying the soulstone and said, "Perhaps we have to change our train of thought. We need to consider anything that might be connected to it, or use more of our imagination."
Lan Qi Liu Meng said, "Your thoughts are interesting. Perhaps there"s something here that might be related to the soulstone. No wonder those guys went to look around in other areas after they failed to get anything from the soulstone. Clearly, they are seeing this as a single ent.i.ty. Nonetheless, they weren"t willing to share despite coming up with the conclusion. You are a really sanguine young man." The trio were speaking in secret. Therefore, those that were searching other areas didn"t know what they were talking about.
"Alright, then. I"ll be looking in other areas." Lan Qi Liu Meng left the place, leaving Wu Yu standing opposite of Mu Yunxi.
"Wu Yu, are you confident you can get the Yan Huang Golden Bead?" Mu Yunxi suddenly lifted her head and looked at him gently. Her warm eyes made Wu Yu feel a little motherly. His mother had pa.s.sed away a long time ago and he didn"t have many memories of her. Therefore, he was empty in this aspect. Perhaps this was why Wu Yu would still hold positive feelings towards girls with a motherly demeanor.
This was probably why he was more fond of Luo Pin than Nangong Wei.
Wu Yu thought about it before answering, "Truth be told, I"m not too sure. Nonetheless, I"m guessing no one could answer this. This is because none of us know what the Ancient Emperor has in mind or how an immortal would think."
"In that case, if you got the Yan Huang Golden Bead, would it be yours or Prince Le"s?" Mu Yunxi looked right at him.
This was a difficult question. However, Wu Yu had an agreement with Prince Le on this. He answered, "Definitely Prince Le"s. With the Yan Huang Golden Bead, he would be the new Emperor. I"m his Kingmaker, and if I succeed in this compet.i.tion, it would also be the merit of Prince Le. It would be the same for other Kingmakers." Mu Yunxi was slightly surprised. "Isn"t this a little tragic? You got something after working so hard for it and yet you have to hand it over to someone who has not helped and still keeps holding you back?" Wu Yu shook his head and said, "Senior, you don"t have to worry about it. There are so many treasures within the Yan Huang Golden Bead. Prince Le wouldn"t scrimp on them. He has the freedom to do the allocation."
"In that case, he could also choose not to give you anything, right?"
"That"s not possible. I got them for him and I"ve done all the work. He naturally wouldn"t be so short-sighted.” Seeing that she was using a conversational att.i.tude, Wu Yu was willing to continue the chat. The truth was, he had long decided how he was going to handle this.
Mu Yunxi smiled gently and said, "That"s not certain. If I were Prince Le, I would probably be afraid of you. If I were him and had such a frightening talent beside me, one that eclipses the limelight while making me look like useless trash, I would be afraid and jealous. If I did become the new Yan Huang Emperor or an immortal, the first thing I would do would be eliminate you."
She said it with a light-hearted tone.
Wu Yu had thought about everything she spoke of. However, Wu Yu wasn"t afraid of that happening. This was because in his opinion, Prince Le would never become stronger than him. He was confident that even the Ancient Emperor couldn"t make Prince Le stronger than him.
The only one Wu Yu was a little fearful of was the Ancient Emperor.
"Oh... Thank you, Senior, for your reminder. I"ve noted what you"ve said. When it"s time to prepare for it, I will," Wu Yu said while nodding.