As time went on, the eventual outcome became clear for all to see.
The avatar of the boar spirit had already been slow from the start, and its speed only decreased further by the minute. Even then, Zhao Yunxiao did not allow himself to get impatient, making sure to continue keeping a safe distance.
There was no need to jeopardise what looked like an imminent victory.
After skirting around the edges of the tree branch platform for close to half an hour, Zhao Yunxiao finally let out a sigh of relief as the boar spirit's movements came to a complete halt.
Thud-!
The avatar of the boar spirit fell to its knees, its breaths now so faint that they were barely noticeable.
But at the same time, Zhao Yunxiao's current state was not that great either.
The boar spirit might be relatively slow, but that was only in comparison with the other zodiac spirits. Wanting to maintain a safe distance from it still required him to repeatedly execute movement techniques, all while keeping his guard up for any unexpected changes.
He had already been exhausted from his earlier fights, and this tedious process of safely wearing the boar spirit down placed a further strain on both his physical stamina and energy reserves. He even voluntarily dispelled his four clones, wanting to conserve every bit of energy possible.
Thankfully, by pushing himself to the limit, he had still managed to last longer than the boar spirit. Before his very eyes, the breathing of the boar spirit finally came to an end, and its body turned into familiar specks of red light.
With that, Zhao Yunxiao had officially defeated all twelve zodiac spirits, clearing the first level of the Tribulation of Combat.
"You have done well in defeating me, child," the reformed dignified-looking boar spirit said. "As a reward, you shall be granted the first blessing of toughness."
"Thank you for the kind words, Senior."
This time, Zhao Yunxiao finished his line even after the boar spirit had turned into invisible matter that was sucked into the Heaven's Descent Bowl.
Watching from below, the spectators had mixed feelings.
While it was not the first time that a cultivator at the Essence Gathering realm had cleared the first level of the Tribulation of Combat on their very first attempt, it remained a fact that this was quite an impressive achievement.
However, the way he did it left a bitter taste in their mouths.
If they had to describe it in a single word, it would be 'inelegant'!
Yes, cultivators of the body strengthening system were usually not the most demure and graceful when it came to a fight. But in their eyes, there was an inexplicable beauty in the display of superior physical prowess.
As for Zhao Yunxiao, he relied mainly on enduring hits to reach his goal, and even resorted to using poison at the end.
This might not be against the rules, but it was definitely not the kind of battle style that they were used to seeing, and neither was it something that they wanted to get used to seeing!
Gan Luozhi naturally noticed the conflicted expressions on the spectators' faces, and could not help but let out a triumphant grin.
As expected, avoiding this altogether had been the right move. After his performance today, Zhao Yunxiao's standing in the hearts of the inner disciples would probably fall by a level.
On the other hand, he would gain the reputation of a kind senior who had relinquished this rare opportunity for the sake of nurturing his inexperienced junior martial brother.
Anyone would be able to tell who got the better end of the stick here!
But when he looked over at Xiong Yekong, Gan Luozhi could not help but frown.
That was because, unlike most of the spectating inner disciples, Xiong Yekong actually had a satisfied smile on his face.
Damn it, just what was the deal with Xiong Yekong and his obsession with Zhao Yunxiao?
Gan Luozhi's expression only grew darker when he glanced over at Hua Shui – just like Xiong Yekong, there was an approving look on Hua Shui's face.
Tch! He was probably just putting on a show, trying to act as a supportive leader of the Black Tortoise Sect disciples!
"Elder Xiong, have we still not found the cause of the problem?" Sect Master Kui Tui questioned.
The Black Tortoise Sect attendant had already faced off against the full roster of zodiac spirits without receiving a single blessing, and he was really starting to find it embarrassing to remain standing in front of their guests.
"Reporting to Sect Master, the team is investigating the issue as we speak. I'm sure we will have an answer soon enough," Elder Xiong Yan answered awkwardly.
He, too, was finding the situation rather uncomfortable.
"It is strange, indeed," Elder Feng Wanjia remarked. "There seems to be something disrupting the stability of the avatars of the zodiac spirits. Has this never happened in the past?"
"This is indeed the first time that we are encountering this issue," Elder Xiong Yan answered.
"I see," Elder Feng Wanjia narrowed her eyes in scrutiny. "I guess we have quite a bit of work ahead of us then."
"Shall we let Little Zhao come down for now?" Fei Weng asked.
"Don't rush," Elder Feng Wanjia replied. "We still haven't seen everything."
"We haven't?" Fei Weng was surprised to hear that. "Don't tell me...?"
Elder Feng Wanjia did not respond, and Fei Weng dared not probe further. Instead, he could only turn his attention back to the Zodiac Tree, silently hoping that things would end well.
On the tree branch platform, Zhao Yunxiao suddenly tensed up as he sensed something amiss.
Below him, a huge branch was rising up from the tree branch platform, carrying with it the giant leaf that he was standing on.
It quickly extended towards a higher tree branch, stopping only when the leaf was level with the new tree branch platform.
Zhao Yunxiao: "..."
He might not be the smartest kid on the block, but it would not take a genius to understand what was going on.
He had just defeated all twelve avatars of the zodiac spirits, clearing the first level of the Tribulation of Combat. Following which, he was immediately brought to a higher level.
There was no doubt that this would mark the start of a new round – the second level of the Tribulation of Combat.
No way, right?
Did they not realise just how bad a condition he was in right now?
Zhao Yunxiao took a careful glance towards Fei Weng, who promptly avoided eye contact. On the other hand, Elder Feng Wanjia gestured lightly with her eyes, clearly wanting him to step onto the new tree branch platform.
The many senior martial brothers and sisters of the Black Tortoise Sect were right.
She was a psycho indeed.
Letting out a helpless sigh, he reluctantly stepped onto the new tree branch platform. Behind him, the extended branch immediately rescinded, returning to the lower platform where it had originated from.
Zhao Yunxiao extended his spiritual sense to scan his surroundings.
This tree branch platform was not only further from the ground, but also much bigger than the previous one – almost twice as large. But apart from that, there was no real difference between the two.
At the end of this huge platform, a humanoid slowly materialised.
Well, there was no helping it.
Since this was Elder Feng Wanjia's instruction, he had no choice but to follow through.
Judging from the pattern so far, his first opponent should be the avatar of the rat spirit?
[Invisible Snap]
With his halberd in hand, Zhao Yunxiao charged towards the materialising avatar without hesitation.
He no longer had the energy for an underground battle. If he wanted to even stand a chance, he definitely had to strike pre-emptively in order to prevent the opponent from entering the ground!
But as he got nearer and the avatar of the zodiac spirit fully materialised, he finally realised just how wrong he was.
It was not the rat spirit, but the rabbit spirit!
Alas, it was too late to stop his attack.
As the Penta-Edge Grimoire Halberd shot towards it, the rabbit spirit nimbly leapt out of the way. Not only that, but it even delivered a counterpunch to his face as it dodged.
Bang-!
The punch connected, and Zhao Yunxiao's vision went black.
***
"Urgh..." Zhao Yunxiao groaned in pain while opening his eyes.
He was lying in an unfamiliar bed, in an unfamiliar room.
Judging from the supplies on the shelves, it was probably the Armed Ape Tower's version of the Medical Hall.
So, he fainted...
As expected, the second level of the Tribulation of Combat was still too much for him.
Zhao Yunxiao closed his eyes and inspected his condition with his spiritual sense.
Several torn muscles, numerous cuts, and a few broken bones here and there. But none of them seemed to be anything too serious. At the very least, it was unlikely that any of these injuries would result in lasting issues.
There were medicinal pastes and bandages applied all over his body. From the smell of it, some of them were rather expensive medicines too.
Of course, he would not complain about receiving such treatment. That was, unless they asked him to foot his own bill.
Surely they would not do that though... right? If they did, he would definitely have to demand compensation from Fei Weng!
He opened his eyes again. This time, he noticed a small note by the side of his bed.
[Don't you dare leave the bed. Rest here for now, and I will come get you when we leave tomorrow.]
This was Fei Weng's handwriting.
Zhao Yunxiao glanced at the slightly open window – it was already dark outside.
Who knew how many hours he had been unconscious?
But did he really have to just lie here until the end of the trip?
What a shame.
He had originally wanted to make use of tonight to try gathering some tips on body strengthening from the inner disciples, but that might be impossible now.
"You are awake?" a young lady stepped into the room at this moment. "How are you feeling? Any better?"
She was dressed in the usual disciple robes of the Armed Ape Tower, with a straw-woven basket hanging by her waist that carried numerous medical herbs, pills and bandages. This made it clear that she was a physician here.
"Yeah, I'm all good now," Zhao Yunxiao said while sitting up. "Thank you for your care."
"Don't worry about it. The job is easy when there are specific instructions stating that all costs will be borne by the sect," the female physician shrugged while preparing some elixir on a side table. "But still, try not to move around too much. It might cause your wounds to reopen."
"Hah, I guess I was lucky enough to receive some special treatment," Zhao Yunxiao let out a chuckle.
Good, at least he no longer had to worry about the bill.
"That's not surprising, considering you are part of the Black Tortoise Sect and got injured while helping to test our newly expanded tribulation chamber," the female physician answered. "That said, congratulations on beating the first level on your first try."
"I just got lucky," Zhao Yunxiao tried to play it down.
"The Zodiac Tree is not something that you can beat with just luck," the female physician answered while feeding him a spoonful of elixir. "Here. Take this."
"Nine Grass Internal Paste?" Zhao Yunxiao exclaimed in shock as he saw what was in the spoon. "Is this necessary?"
The Nine Grass Internal Paste was a viscous mixture of nine different ingredients, each with a different shade of black. Despite its pungent smell, it was an extremely precious elixir with a price tag that was well out of reach of outer disciples like him.
Made of nine precious herbs, each worth a mountain of spirit stones, it was something that even inner disciples of the Black Tortoise Sect would treat as an invaluable treasure. For it to be administered to him despite his relatively minor injuries that would recover by themselves in a matter of weeks – Junior Martial Sister Huang An would probably go crazy if she were to catch wind of this matter!
"Oh? You know about the Nine Grass Internal Paste?" the female physician revealed a look of surprise. "Do you happen to study the art of healing as well?"
"I am a physician at the Black Tortoise Sect," Zhao Yunxiao nodded. "However, I have to confess that my attainments in this field are only of the elementary level."
"I see, that explains," the female physician said. "Now you know just how much emphasis the elders are placing on your recovery. Here, open up."
"Mm," Zhao Yunxiao swallowed the spoonful of elixir.
He could feel its effect within moments. He might not have recovered in an instant, but he could feel his pain being alleviated slightly, and his wounds starting to itch as a sign of healing.
The Nine Grass Internal Paste truly lived up to its reputation.
That said, he definitely had to note down the effect of the Nine Grass Internal Paste when he had the time. After all, it was not every day that he would get to study the use of such an expensive medicine.
"So, how do you feel about challenging the Zodiac Tower?" the female physician asked while keeping away the used spoon.
"It was really difficult," Zhao Yunxiao confessed. "I was not just being humble when I said that I got lucky. I was already barely hanging on by the end of it all."
"Isn't it? That said, I wonder what went wrong," the female physician thought out loud. "This is the first time that I've seen the zodiac spirits not grant the challenger any blessings. I hope the recent expansion did not end up hurting the great Zodiac General's zodiac spirits. That would be a huge shame!"
"It seems like the Zodiac General is really loved," Zhao Yunxiao remarked. "He would have been glad to know that the descendants of the Armed Ape Tower respect him so."
"Of course, we do! Without the Zodiac General, there would not be today's Armed Ape Tower," the female physician answered. "And yeah, he would have been glad, wouldn't he? Unfortunately, it is not meant to be. What happened to the ancestor in the end is truly regrettable!"
"Hmm? Did something bad happen to him?" Zhao Yunxiao asked cautiously.
Come to think of it, he had read a lot about the exploits of the Zodiac General Long Shiqian, but there was nothing detailing anything about his death. Because of that, he had simply assumed that the ancient cultivator simply lived out his life.
But from the sound of it, that might not be the case.
"Oh, did you not know? I guess most people only know of the Zodiac General's achievements but not what resulted in his death. That's understandable as well. The sect probably wants the ancestor to be remembered for his contributions throughout his life, instead of the tragedy that happened," the female physician sighed. "But it is no secret either, so there's no harm in letting you know. Do you know about the Soul Devil?"
"Soul Devil Luo Qin?" Zhao Yunxiao was surprised to hear a familiar name here.
Wasn't that the evil ancient cultivator who had wreaked havoc until he was eventually subdued by the Untethered Sage?
"So, you do know of him," the female physician's eyes turned cold with hatred. "If not for that bastard, the Zodiac General might even have lived to this very day!"