"You can only take one? How stingy."
"Then there's no choice — we can only pick from those top three."
While Eggy sighed, Chu Feng had already stepped forward. He leaped into the air, soaring past the first, second, and third steps before landing directly on the fourth.
He was being quite conservative. After all, his goal was the seventh step. Landing on the fourth was simply to get an initial feel for the difficulty of this trial.
But the moment Chu Feng's feet touched down, he realized he had underestimated these steps.
The instant he landed — boom.
Flames erupted from the step, and Chu Feng was swallowed in an instant.
The flames would not burn his physical body, but they struck directly at his soul.
The horrifying searing pain made Chu Feng clench his teeth, furrow his brows, and suck in a sharp breath through gritted teeth.
Most critically, Chu Feng's movements were now restricted. He could shift slightly, but there was no way to leave the step.
"Chu Feng, what's wrong?" Eggy sensed something amiss and hurriedly asked.
Chu Feng didn't answer right away. It was a good while before his voice came through: "I underestimated this place a bit. But it's fine."
Eggy, however, could tell that Chu Feng's voice was remarkably weak.
"This is only the fourth layer. You need at least the sixth to have even a fifty percent chance of unlocking it."
"This place… is truly this terrifying?"
Eggy's expression turned grave. She knew full well how strong Chu Feng's endurance was — it was practically inhuman. For something to push him to his limit spoke volumes about how fearsome this power truly was.
Fortunately, the flames didn't last long. After roughly the time it takes an incense stick to burn, they dissipated.
Once the flames faded and Chu Feng regained his freedom, he didn't press forward. Instead, he quickly sat down cross-legged.
He immediately tried to release the power of his barrier to alleviate the damage his soul had just sustained.
But he found that his barrier power couldn't be released at all.
Chu Feng then reached for his Universe Bag, intending to take out a pill, only to discover that his Universe Bag had also been sealed.
"Come on, that's going too far," Chu Feng said, exasperated.
"What happened?" Eggy hurriedly asked.
Chu Feng explained the situation to her.
"They won't let you use external means to recover?"
"Chu Feng, can you still hold on? If not, just give up."
"This was supposed to be about seeking opportunities — don't go losing yourself before you even find one," Eggy urged.
"I'm fine. Let me try again."
After saying this, Chu Feng leaped up once more, landing on the fifth step.
"AHHH!!!"
The moment he landed, Chu Feng let out a piercing scream, writhing in agony.
But soon the screaming stopped. All that could be heard was the sound of Chu Feng grinding his teeth together with tremendous force.
"Chu Feng, what's happening? Can you take it? If you can't, just give up!"
Eggy was beside herself with worry, but Chu Feng refused to make another sound.
Based on Chu Feng's line of sight, there didn't appear to be any visible attack either.
This only deepened Eggy's concern.
"Chu Feng, what exactly is going on? Can you open the Spirit Gate so I can come out? Maybe I can help you."
Eggy asked question after question, but still there was no response.
Fortunately, after the time of two incense sticks, Chu Feng finally spoke.
"Don't be scared, Eggy. I'm fine."
Although Chu Feng said this with a smile, his voice was incredibly weak.
"What on earth happened?" Eggy asked.
"It was a mental attack. A very powerful mental attack. One lapse in focus and consciousness could scatter — the consequences would be unthinkable."
"But my willpower held firm enough, and I endured it," Chu Feng said.
"This wretched place — why is it so dangerous?"
"Forget it, let's just stop the challenge. Grab a bead and let's leave," Eggy urged.
But Chu Feng lifted his head and gazed toward the sixth step.
"Chu Feng, don't take risks!"
"Remember what you said to those people before."
"Nothing is more important than life. The top priority is self-preservation. You mustn't gamble with your life — otherwise it's not courage, it's stupidity."
"You said that so beautifully — so why are you being foolish yourself?"
Eggy realized Chu Feng had no intention of giving up, so she hurriedly tried to dissuade him. She genuinely did not want him taking this kind of risk.
"Eggy, trust me."
"I should be able to handle the sixth layer."
After Chu Feng's words rang out, Eggy knew she couldn't stop him.