Shan Yifeng furrowed his brows. "But Master, didn't we help the hua family before? I even entered the dragon and Phoenix tournant on their behalf."
"We did," Ace replied. "And I believe they have already repaid that debt in full."
Shan Yifeng nodded, satisfied with the answer.
Ace continued, "Sarah, Hua Sarah, is too strong. I also have reasons to believe that she is already a realm above Legend Rank."
"Master!" Liu i gasped, suddenly springing upright. "There's a rank above Legend?! Ahhh yessss!"
"Calm down," Ace said, but it was already too late.
With a blur of motion, Liu i threw herself into his embrace, tears brimming in her eyes.
"Master…" she sniffled, her voice trembling with relief. "I thought… I thought I wouldn't have anything left to do after reaching Legend Rank. That you wouldn't have anything to reach anymore."
Ace blinked in surprise as she clung to him like a child seeking comfort. "Why would you think that?"
"Because I heard that… when a disciple learns everything they can… the Master 'fires' them and they stop being a disciple and beco… I don't know, sothing else…"
Her words were broken by sniffles, but they ca with an adorable pout.
Ace couldn't help but chuckle. He gently wiped away her tears. "Unless you conquer the heavens themselves, there will always be a higher mountain to climb. Rember that, i'er."
She nodded against his chest, still sniffling. "Master… I'm at Legend Rank now…"
And with those words, as though all her burdens had lted away, she drifted into a peaceful sleep in his arms.
Ace let out a warm laugh. "Must've been all the stress… She really thought she'd be replaced."
Careful not to wake her, he carried her gently. His voice softened as he addressed the others.
"Let's leave this place. If who I think is behind all this, then an artifact as powerful as this palace would be sothing they need and more importantly…" His eyes narrowed. "I just don't like Sarah."
Shan Yifeng didn't argue. He simply nodded in quiet agreent.
The black dragon also nodded solemnly, though whether in loyalty or fear, no one could say.
Sensing the danger ahead, Shan Yifeng stepped forward. "Master, allow to scout for another path. If everything truly has been orchestrated from the outside, the main exit might be trapped."
Ace adjusted Liu i gently in his arms, her peaceful expression soft against his chest. He gave her a fond squeeze and then nodded to Shan Yifeng. "Alright. First, we get out of this place."
Shan Yifeng stepped forward with a thoughtful look. "Then we should head back to where Senior Sister and I first arrived… That was near the central atrium on the first floor."
Ace raised a brow. "And how far is that, exactly?"
Shan Yifeng scratched his head sheepishly. "Uh… quite a ways down. But if what you say is right, Master, the others who got caught in this place will probably be scrambling floor by floor, thinking there's so great treasure hidden here."
Ace let out a small chuckle, eyes glinting with mischief. "They're not entirely wrong. But don't worry about them. Your Master's still plenty strong."
His tone was casual, but there was steel underneath. After all, the strongest person caught in this ss was only peak Gold Rank—and he, Ace, was already in Dark Gold.
"There's no need to waste ti. Let's move," he said, turning decisively.
Shan Yifeng gave a crisp nod and fell into step beside him.
They descended slowly and stepped onto the fourth floor.
"Well, this place still hasn't recovered from your little workout session, has it?" Ace remarked with a smirk, eyeing the walls that were still in the process of repairing themselves, threads of light stitching shattered stone back into place.
Shan Yifeng gave the wall a long stare, then muttered, "I did tell Senior Sister to just use the treadmill…"
When they reached the third floor—the only floor where real combat had taken place—Ace noticed sothing unusual.
There were no spirit tigers waiting for him this ti. Instead, two groups of youths were locked in a tense standoff. One group, dressed in green, was clearly outnumbered, while the other, clad in red, had them surrounded from all sides.
"Should we interfere, or wait for an opening?" Shan Yifeng asked, watching the scene unfold.
Ace opened his mouth to suggest they just move on, but paused.
Then he turned to his disciple with a firm tone. "Yifeng, if we don't get out of here quickly, we might end up stuck or worse. No treasure is worth our lives."
"Oh—right, right…" Shan Yifeng blinked as the weight of Ace's words sank in.
It was a strange realization. It hadn't even been a few days, yet he was already picking up Liu i's habits.
Funny how I spent years with her when she was completely unhinged and never caught the 'stupid' back then, he thought with a sigh.
Avoiding the escalating conflict, they continued downward and arrived on the second floor.
The sight that greeted them was grim. Bodies lay scattered across the floor, young cultivators dressed in red, green, and blue alike. It no longer mattered what faction they belonged to—death had made them all equal.
Black Midas stepped forward, his voice deep and calm. "Grandmaster, we must hasten our steps. Too many have already fallen."
Ace gave a silent nod. "You're right. Let's not waste ti."
"What do you think of the murals, Midas?" Ace asked casually.
Midas turned to study the ancient carvings lining the walls. His golden eyes flickered with thought before he answered solemnly, "Grandmaster… I don't believe I recognize these. I was only ever trapped on the fifth floor, after all."
But Midas's words barely registered.
Ace's gaze was fixed on the system screen hovering before him, and what he read there sent a jolt down his spine. The information flashing across it was more than enough to shake him to the core.
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