Jiang Chen possessed unusual strength of heart, given his level of training in Boulder Heart. Thus, he could tell that the beetle didnât seem to be lying from its expression and words.
Once the notion of refining the magnetic golden mountain began to bud within Jiang Chenâs heart, it became unstoppable.
âOle Gold, since I promised you that Iâd aid you in evolving your bloodline, Iâll surely continue to try my best. However, you canât have this Cicada today.â
Jiang Chen turned his head and said to the Rat King.
The Rat King sighed in resignation. He knew that the fate of his tribe depended entirely on Jiang Chen.
If he didnât have Jiang Chenâs help, heâd be unable to change the fate of his tribe, even though he was the king. Therefore, he had to listen to Jiang Chen.
He also knew that Jiang Chen was a man of his word. Since heâd promised to help them evolve their bloodline, heâd definitely do what heâd promised.
âYoung master, Iâll do whatever you want, so long as you remember that the fate of the entire tribe of Goldbiter Rats rests in your hands. Besides, I wouldnât have been able to capture this beetle without the young masterâs help.â
Although the Rat King was a bit reluctant, it still recognized the situation that it was in, and made the painful decision.
âAlright then, little Cicada, I now swear to the heavens that, so long as your secret is of value, I wonât make a move against this Thundercloud Tree, or you.â
He smiled at the Cicada and swore another oath immediately afterwards. âMay I be executed by heaven and destroyed by earth if I break my word.â
âMm. Youâre not as capricious or as slippery as other humans Iâve met. Alright, Iâll tell you the secret of the magnetic golden mountain.â
âAccording to my inherited memories, this magnetic golden mountain should be a treasure from ancient times. Whoever makes it to the peak of the tenth floor will have a chance to refine this mountain. However, there are many conditions needed to refine the mountain, the most important of which are to pass the tests on the tenth floor.â
âTests?â
âYes, the tenth floor is different from all nine floors before it. Thereâll be more tests than strong magnetic storms. When you pass the tests, youâll gain the chance to refine the mountain for your own use, but only if youâre able to find the magnetic heart, and refine it within two hours.â
âThe magnetic heart?â Jiang Chenâs eyes darted around. âWhere is this magnetic heart located?â
The little beetle shook its head. âI donât have any memories of where the magnetic heart is located either. I only know that the Lord of the Golden Seal has the magnetic heart. The only way you can obtain it is if you defeat the lord.â
Jiang Chen knew a lot about the magnetic golden mountain and knew that each mountain would have different characteristics based on its masterâs preferences.
As for this Lord of the Golden Seal, although he didnât know what it was, he knew that it was surely a strong spirit thatâd been nurtured with the magnetic golden mountainâs essence, and was the ultimate protector of this place.
âWhat level of strength does the Lord of the Golden Seal have?â
If the lordâs strength was mediocre, then he could give it a try. But if itâs strength was so much that he had no chance against it, then heâd likely be quick to give up on this idea.
This kind of spirit had no human emotions at all, and wouldnât listen to reason when it started to act wildly.
Although Jiang Chen wanted to refine the magnetic golden mountain, he knew that there was no point in them going towards it like moths to a flame.
âIâm not sure what level of strength the Lord of the Golden Seal has. If I recall correctly, the strength of the lord is dependent on the mountainâs spirit activity. If you happen to run into it at a time in which the mountain is erupting, then no one will be able to pinpoint how strong the lord is. If there arenât great ripples in the strength of the mountainâs force, then the lord wonât be too strong, even if it is awake.â
The little beetleâs words strongly reminded Jiang Chen of something.
âThatâs right, this mountain was once used as a testing ground in ancient times. Since this mountain belonged to an ancient mountain, it definitely wonât be subpar. If an origin realm practitioner came to this mountain, and stimulated this magnetic spirit power, then the result would surely be stronger than the level thatâd occur if it were stimulated by usâordinary practitioners. The stronger the stimulated spirit power, the more awake the lord will be. So the interesting aspect of the mountain is that it becomes stronger when it meets the strong, but weaker when it meets the weak. Is it that itâs testing the practitionerâs potential, not his actual level of strength or combat experience...?â
Jiang Chen finally understood things and was delighted. âIf this mountain grows stronger as its opponents grow stronger, then although many practitioners have arrived this time, because theyâve all confined their activities to below the fifth level, they havenât given rise to too much magnetic activity. If this is the case, doesnât that mean that even if the lord on the tenth floor has awoken, his strength will still be at a tolerable level?â
Jiang Chen had some more thoughts as he contemplated the magnetic heart.
âTo hell with it all! With great risk comes great reward. I canât stay on the ninth floor much longer. The testing period runs for ten days, and the first nine floors used up at least three of those. That means I only have seven days to conquer the tenth floor.â
âIf the Lord of the Golden Seal is truly that mighty, then Iâll retreat immediately. However, I wonât give up as long as a strand of hope remains.â Jiang Chen made up his mind.
The temptation that the mountain offered was obviously much greater than that of the Thundercloud Tree and Golden Beetle.
Not to mention the fact that these two were part of the mountain. If he managed to refine the mountain, then theyâd naturally become his!
And of course, since Jiang Chen had promised that he wouldnât kill the Cicada, he naturally wouldnât go back on his word.
The light of enthusiasm shone within Jiang Chenâs eyes as he looked towards the Rat King. âOle Gold, are you interested in braving the tenth floor with me? Youâre like a fish in water on this magnetic golden mountain.â
The Rat King chuckled, âDonât you go provoking me young master. Iâm gonna say this firstâyou have to think of me if there happens to be anything good on the tenth floor!â
Jiang Chen smiled, âDonât you worry, youâll share in the profits.â
The Rat Kingâs eyes creased in a smile, and he charged up to the tenth floor like a flash of lightning, murmuring, âIâll scout ahead.â
The Goldbiter Rats were normally timid and cautious, but just as Jiang Chen had said, the Rat King was like a fish in water whilst on this mountain.
In an environment such as the magnetic golden mountain, the Goldbiter Ratâs abilities were greatly enhanced.
Therefore, the Goldbiter Rats wouldnât even be afraid of an origin realm practitioner whilst on this mountain!
Origin realm practitioners would be restrained by the force from the mountain, while the opposite was the case for the Goldbiter Rats.
Not to mention the fact that the Rat King truly wanted to help Jiang Chen refine the mountain.
Once Jiang Chen made this mountain his own, in the future, his Goldbiter Rats would have an even more appropriate home. It was better than always hiding away in their nest, stored within Jiang Chenâs space ring.
An environment like the magnetic golden mountain would be of utmost benefit to both the growth and evolution of the Goldbiter Rats.
Jiang Chen didnât hesitate either, dashing up to the tenth floor when he saw the Rat King streak forward.
The little Cicada heaved a long sigh of relief as he watched Jiang Chen and the Rat King disappear.
âThat human was quite strange... and he understands the ancient beast language? He... he actually really wants to refine the mountain? However, if itâs refined by him, then wonât he become the mountainâs master, and therefore my master in turn?â
The little beetleâs consciousness had awakened not too long ago, and so apart from instinct, it relied on the memories within its heritage to think.
Therefore, its thoughts towards the outside world were quite simple and naive.
Jiang Chen had long since been mentally prepared regarding the tenth floor, but when he actually set foot on it, he discovered that the tenth floor was indeed quite different from the previous nine.
If it wasnât for the fact that he was seeing it with his own eyes, Jiang Chen wouldâve almost suspected that heâd arrived back in the outside world.
There was no end to the verdant forest. All of it was as a beautiful, green ocean.
Stone stairs stretched out endlessly through the forest, forming a winding path amidst a secluded place with no end in sight.
âIs this... is this really the tenth floor?â
If it wasnât for the stairs giving off the same feeling as before, Jiang Chen wouldâve absolutely suspected that heâd left the mountain.
âMm, canât get careless. This mountain was refined by an ancient expert, thus itâs normal for all sorts of scenes to appear. If Iâm mesmerized by the scene at hand, then there might be another magnetic storm that churns me away the next second!â
Jiang Chen followed the steps, and continued climbing upwards.
Heâd climbed three, four thousand steps before too long.
There were ten thousand steps on each floor, yet heâd climbed between three and four thousand steps in one go, and hadnât met any obstacles at all.
There were faint magnetic pulses in the air, however the feeling was the same as what heâd felt in the first three floorsâso faint that it was almost negligible.
It was also a good thing. These faint pulses reminded him to never be off-guard while he was in the magnetic golden mountain.
A terrace appeared about a third of the way up.
The terrace was several hundred acres wide, like a big courtyard. However, there was an enormous statue that stood proudly and aloofly in the middle of the courtyard.
Some humanoid sculptures were also scattered randomly around the statue. Each of them seemed almost lifelike in appearance, as if theyâd been built according to actual, human proportions. Their features stood out amidst the flowing lines of their clothes and their accessories. Their gestures and expressions were also incredibly vivid.
The situation seemed to be one where real people had simply fallen asleep whilst standing up, and that a single crack of thunder would be able to wake them all up.
âThese sculptures are incredibly lifelike!â Jiang Chen felt that things were slightly odd. Ever since heâd set foot on the terrace, a strange feeling had risen in his chest.
The sculptures were all standing on the terrace in twos and threes, following no particular pattern, as if they were pedestrians rushing to and fro on the streets.
However, Jiang Chen quickly discovered an area of commonality, in that all of the sculptureâs heads were slightly lifted and looking in the same direction.
It seemed as if all of their attention had been caught by the same thing in the moment that time had frozen them.
Jiang Chen followed their gazes, and noticed that they were all focused on the eyes of the giant statue.
Suddenly, the giant statueâs eyes seemed to blink.
âEh?â An extremely ominous feeling suddenly rose in Jiang Chenâs heart.