Chapter 4873

“I am Shen Zhiyan, and I pay my respects to you, Mr. Chen…”

The Confucian scholar knelt on one knee, fully submitting to Kai.

“Get up,” Kai waved his hand.

After Shen Zhiyan stood, he asked, “Mr. Chen, do you intend to move on to the next level?”

“Of course!” Kai nodded.

“Mr. Chen, the guardian of the fourth floor is formidable, and the fourth floor itself is home to many powerful beings. If you decide to go, you must be careful,” Shen Zhiyan warned.

“I helped him remove the prison seal; can he really defeat me?” Kai smiled slightly.

But Shen Zhiyan shook his head. “The guardian of the fourth floor wasn’t imprisoned by anyone. He locked himself here to train. If you try to help him remove the seal and give him freedom, I’m afraid it won’t be that simple.”

“Self-imprisoned for training? Isn’t that a serious mental issue?” Kai felt perplexed. Who in their right mind would imprison themselves?

“That’s why I advise Mr. Chen to proceed with caution. People like that are often unstable, and their mental state can be unpredictable,” Shen Zhiyan cautioned.

Kai fell silent for a moment before asking, “Is there any way to skip the fourth floor and go directly to the fifth?”

“Definitely not. The Ladder to Heaven must be climbed step by step,” Shen Zhiyan replied, shaking his head.

“Who cares? When the enemy comes, the general will block and the earth will cover. Let’s go to the fifth floor first!” Kai said.

“But how can your strength be suppressed so much? You’d better find a way to recover. Otherwise, with your current strength, it’ll be easy to be killed in the Heavenly World!” Shen Zhiyan advised.

Kai then took out a storage bag and tossed it to Shen Zhiyan, filled with fairy stones.

After his battle with Young Master Ming, despite losing many on his side, Kai had gained plenty of resources from the three gates, the Huo family, and the Four Underworlds. After cleaning up, he ended up with a million fairy stones.

“Mr. Chen, I’m not as weak as you think. For some unknown reason, my strength was suddenly suppressed. If we were to fight now, I’m afraid you wouldn’t be my match,” Shen Zhiyan said.
“How is this possible? I knocked you away with a single punch!” Kai couldn’t believe it.

Suddenly, Shen Zhiyan struck back, landing a punch squarely on Kai and sending him flying.

Caught off guard, Kai was hurled straight out of the hall’s entrance, crashing heavily onto the ground. A sharp pain coursed through his body as his internal organs churned.

“Damn it! Why did you attack without warning?” he exclaimed, frowning.

“This is called a preemptive strike. You can only blame yourself for not being cautious enough,” Shen Zhiyan replied with a faint smile.

“Alright, let’s go again…”

As soon as Kai finished speaking, his body transformed into a golden blur, vanishing in an instant. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared in front of Shen Zhiyan.

With a swift motion, Kai swung his Dragon Slashing Sword, unleashing a terrifying sword intent that enveloped his opponent.

If this had been the same situation as before, Shen Zhiyan would have been knocked out instantly.

But this time, a book suddenly appeared in Shen Zhiyan’s hand. As its pages flipped rapidly, flashes of light emerged, forming countless sharp blades.

Kai’s sword intent shattered instantly. At the same time, a barrage of luminous blades shot toward him.

Reacting quickly, Kai retreated at high speed. His indestructible golden body emitted a series of loud impacts as the blades struck.

By the time he exited the hall, he noticed cracks forming on his once-impenetrable golden body.

Clearly, Shen Zhiyan had become far stronger than before.

Shen Zhiyan followed Li Chunfeng out of the hall.

“Mr. Chen, are you alright?” Shen Zhiyan asked.

“Senior, when I was breaking through the level earlier, did you go easy on me?”

Kai found it hard to believe—how could Shen Zhiyan’s strength have grown so drastically in such a short time?

“I was nearly beaten to death and left covered in injuries. Do you really think I was holding back?”

Shen Zhiyan sighed helplessly. He had simply stopped suppressing his power—there was no question of going easy.

Little did Kai know that the true master of the ladder had been the one to let him pass.