That idiot from the Sword Sect turned out to be a lucky charm.

Lin Zhifeng listened and continued to ask, "So, I mean I blocked two moves just now, right?"

The longsword paused upon hearing this, and the voice said, "You really know how to bargain. You must be a lazy person normally."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the long knife stabbed straight toward Lin Zhifeng's heart.

Lin Zhifeng quickly unleashed the most energy-consuming ice-type ultimate move – Ice and Snow.

This is an area-of-effect attack skill, which consumes a lot of energy. With Lin Zhifeng's current cultivation level, using it is extremely difficult. After using it once, his energy was immediately depleted, and he could no longer use any other magical moves.

But since it had been agreed beforehand that catching three moves would be enough to pass the test, he disregarded everything and used his skills directly.

A blizzard swept through the room, freezing the longsword in place, preventing it from getting any closer.

Lin Zhifeng popped a Zhongyuan Pill into his mouth and said with a grin, "Senior, I've withstood three moves, so I guess I've passed?"

The sound snorted once and then fell silent. The long sword flew back to the wall and was sheathed again.

Lin Zhifeng tried walking to the room at the exit and pulling the door. The door opened immediately, indicating that he had passed the test.

Lin Zhifeng passed through the door and entered the next room.

The room was decorated like the master's bedroom, so Lin Zhifeng quickly released the treasure-hunting rat to look for treasures.

He paced back and forth in the room, wondering what this test was about and how to pass it.

There was a guqin on the music stand by the window. Lin Zhifeng walked over and gently plucked it with his fingers, thinking to himself that if it was a music theory test or a performance test, he would just admit defeat.

Fortunately, no sound came out, and Lin Zhifeng breathed a sigh of relief.

A giant fan hangs on the wall, with the character "dragon" written on its surface in a flamboyant style.

Two boxes were leaning against the corner of the wall. Lin Zhifeng opened them and found that they contained bedding and other bedding.

The treasure-hunting rat returned to his side shortly afterward, this time carrying a jade ruyi.

Lin Zhifeng examined the jade ruyi closely and discovered that it was actually a magic artifact that increased defense by 15%.

He happily shrunk the Ruyi and hung it on his belt.

Lin Zhifeng and the treasure-hunting rat searched the entire room but found no clues to the next room. Lin Zhifeng simply sat down on the tatami mat and waited for their opponent to make a move.

He waited for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and was getting a little sleepy when suddenly a tall, humanoid creature appeared in the room.

How tall was he? So tall that his presence immediately made the room seem small and cramped, as if he himself occupied half the space.

The newcomer was strong and muscular. He had a rugged, handsome face with thick eyebrows, large eyes, a straight nose, and a wide mouth. While not exactly strikingly good-looking, he was certainly not ugly.

The reason he is described as a humanoid creature is because of the pair of huge bull horns on his head.

Lin Zhifeng thought to himself: Could this be Qiuniu? The eldest son of the legendary "Nine Sons of the Dragon".

He quickly stood up, bowed, and addressed the elder as "senior."

The man was quite friendly. He patted Lin Zhifeng's shoulder with his large, fan-like hand and said, "Please sit down, don't be shy."

Lin Zhi was almost knocked off balance by the slap, and had no choice but to sit down as instructed.

The man sat down opposite Lin Zhifeng without saying a word, only looking Lin Zhifeng up and down with his big eyes.

Legend has it that Qiuniu is gentle and docile, not fond of killing or fighting, and has a special love for music.

Lin Zhifeng thought to himself: Looking at the journey I've taken, I can see that this person is indeed very gentle and has not been ruthless in making things difficult for me.

But is there some misunderstanding about Qiuniu's special fondness for music? Just look at his large, fan-like hands, and you really can't imagine him playing that ancient zither over there.

However, it would be best if the rumor that he was "particularly fond of music" was just that—a rumor. Otherwise, if he had to compete with me in musical talent in this round, I would definitely lose.

However, Qiuniu seemed to be a man of few words, and after staring at Lin Zhifeng for a long time, he did not utter a word.

Lin Zhifeng could only smile and try to break the awkward silence: "Hello, senior! May I ask if you are Senior Qiuniu?"

Qiuniu said in a gruff voice, "It's me! I didn't expect you to have some sense, kid."

The moment he opened his mouth to speak, Lin Zhifeng knew that the person in the room earlier was him.

Lin Zhifeng asked cautiously, "Are the guardians of each level of this nine-story pagoda all Senior Qiuniu's brothers?"

Qiuniu said, "Aren't we brothers?"

Lin Zhifeng almost shed tears of regret as he considered the difficulties ahead: he only knew that one million high-grade spirit stones was a fortune. But he hadn't expected this mission to be so incredibly difficult. Even Qiuniu, the gentle spirit guarding the first floor, had nearly killed him in the third room; what would become of him then?

Lin Zhifeng decided to try and get some information from Qiuniu: "Senior Qiuniu, have you been guarding this pagoda here all this time? It must be so hard being isolated from the world."

Qiuniu said, "Of course we don't stay here all the time, or people would suffocate. We usually have our own cave dwellings, and we only come here to help guard the pass when the Tianlong Dynasty has an heir who comes to search for the sacred artifact. It usually happens only once or twice every hundred years."

Lin Zhifeng said, "That's alright then."

Qiuniu said, "It's all because of my philandering father! Our brothers' mother clans are powerful, so it's one thing to have a child. Humans are so weak and have short lifespans, why did we have to provoke them? But he's a romantic, and he promised that human that he would help him continue his dynasty for ten thousand generations."

"But the human bloodline quickly diluted the dragon bloodline, making it increasingly difficult for them to awaken."

Upon hearing this juicy tidbit, Lin Zhifeng immediately inquired whether Longquan could pass the assessment and obtain the sacred object.

Qiu Niu said, "Sigh, the heirs of their so-called Dragon Dynasty are getting worse with each generation. If it weren't for the pagoda suppressing our cultivation, we brothers could have wiped them out with just a finger. Look at the difference between us, we're all born of the same father!"

At this point, Qiuniu sighed and continued, "With their strength, we couldn't get through without giving them a break! We only let them through because of Dad's influence, by making things difficult for them a little."

Hearing this, Lin Zhifeng felt reassured. He didn't care whether Jiu Zi would go easy on him or not; he just wanted to pass.

But Lin Zhifeng had a big question: if he was going to give me a little challenge and then let me pass, what was the point of him talking to me about all this? Shouldn't he let me go to the second floor? Does he really want to have a musical duel with me?

Oh my god! Please don't!

Lin Zhifeng cautiously voiced his question, and Qiuniu hesitated for a moment before finally revealing his purpose: "Could you make me some of the food you prepared last night? It smelled even better than the food I had at the banquet in Heaven."