Chapter 2303: Ning Gu's Scheme

Ning Gu said, "Friend, please let me finish."

Lu Ye immediately put on an attentive look, ready to listen.

"Actually, before you arrived, we had already discussed this," Ning Gu explained. "I will remain on the lowest step. However, the next step up will require either you or Junior Sister Shuang to stay there. This is because, apart from the two of you, everyone else's cultivation is insufficient, and rashly stopping would only increase the risk. As for who specifically will stay, you and Junior Sister Shuang will need to draw lots separately. Do you understand what I mean?"

The "Junior Sister Shuang" he mentioned was his female cultivation companion, who, like him, was at the peak of the Fusion Path realm.

Lu Ye had not expected Ning Gu to be so selfless. By choosing to stay on the step with the most pressure, Ning Gu was essentially giving up his chance to contend for the rare treasure. If that was truly the case, Lu Ye found himself with little to say.

They were all trapped here, and to escape, they naturally had to work together.

With him and Junior Sister Shuang drawing lots separately, it was a fifty-fifty chance; whoever had worse luck would have to stay on the next step up.

"I understand," Lu Ye nodded. "However, Fellow Daoist Ning, I still have one question."

Ning Gu displayed great patience, likely because he no longer wished to remain trapped. It had been a long wait for Lu Ye's arrival, and if Lu Ye didn't cooperate, who knew when the next cultivator would appear? Those trapped here were always the curious ones...

"Are you certain, Fellow Daoist, that we can leave this place using this method?"

Ning Gu shook his head. "Everything is merely our speculation. No one can guarantee that opening that portal will allow us to leave. But given our current situation, we have no choice but to take a gamble, don't we?"

If Ning Gu had been overly confident and made grand promises, Lu Ye might not have believed him. But Ning Gu's words were reasonable, and Lu Ye found no suspicious points.

"Then we shall proceed as you've suggested, Fellow Daoist."

Ning Gu smiled. "There will be two rounds of drawing lots, with everyone relying on their own luck. Since I won't be participating in the drawing, I'll oversee it. Please rest assured, Fellow Daoist, I will not resort to any tricks. Everyone's wish is the same now: to leave this place as quickly as possible." He then turned to look at the other Fusion Path cultivators trapped there. "If there are no other issues, shall we begin?"

"Let's begin."

"Thank you, Senior Brother Ning."

Everyone echoed their agreement.

Ning Gu immediately drew two jade slips from his storage ring. With a slight rub in his hand, he used his palm to conceal the lower half of the slips, leaving only an equal length exposed. He then presented them to Lu Ye and Junior Sister Shuang. "The one who draws the shorter slip will stay on the next step up. Who wishes to go first?"

Lu Ye stepped forward without hesitation. "I'll go first!"

Although any fluctuation of Ning Gu's power would be evident under the watchful eyes of the crowd, making it impossible for him to cheat, it was always best to be cautious. If Junior Sister Shuang went first, there might be some way for him to exploit the situation.

Junior Sister Shuang did not contend for the first turn.

Lu Ye carefully observed the two jade slips. In this situation, it was difficult for him to secretly use any power to probe, so he could only rely on his eyesight.

He found that the visible portions of the two jade slips showed no difference.

Since that was the case, it truly came down to luck.

He casually drew one, and upon closer inspection, it appeared to be about a finger's length.

Ning Gu then revealed the other jade slip, which was significantly shorter than the one Lu Ye had drawn.

Lu Ye couldn't help but raise an eyebrow; his luck was good.

Ning Gu nodded. "Then Junior Sister Shuang will remain with me on the bottom two steps. As for the rest of you, please draw lots again!"

He then retrieved more jade slips from his storage ring and performed the same action.

The cultivators of the Fusion Path realm each stepped forward to choose.

After a round of drawing and comparison, the person who drew the longest slip was visibly delighted, as it meant he would be the last to ascend the steps, and the rare treasure would fall into his hands.

Lu Ye's luck was neither good nor bad. In terms of position, he should be on the eighth step from the bottom, a position quite close to the top.

"Fellow Daoist Ning, I have another question," Lu Ye said, looking at Ning Gu.

Ning Gu nodded. "Please, feel free to speak your mind."

"What if I were not at the ninth level of the Fusion Path, but only at the second or third level?"

The premise of the first round of drawing lots was that he could withstand the pressure of the bottom two steps. If he were only at the second or third level of the Fusion Path, that would definitely not be possible, and thus there would be no first round of drawing lots.

"In that case, Junior Sister Shuang and I would simply have to stay at the bottom," Ning Gu replied, smiling as he looked at him. "But since you are at the ninth level of the Fusion Path, it's only fair to give Junior Sister Shuang an equal opportunity, isn't it?"

Lu Ye nodded. "Fellow Daoist Ning is truly honorable!"

Ning Gu said no more, turning his gaze to the other Fusion Path cultivators. "If there are no other questions, then may I ask all fellow daoists to take your positions!"

As he spoke, he was the first to walk onto the steps and stood firm!

Naturally, no one objected. Lu Ye had arrived the latest, and some of them had been trapped for a long time. Now that they finally had a chance to leave, they were naturally impatient.

Following closely behind Ning Gu was Junior Sister Shuang. She stepped onto the next level of steps and stood there expressionless.

Then came the third, the fourth...

Only after the first seven steps were occupied did Lu Ye finally take his stride.

As he passed Ning Gu, he specifically observed him, noticing that Ning Gu indeed showed signs of enduring immense pressure. However, for a peak Fusion Path cultivator like him, while the pressure was considerable, it was clearly still within a manageable range.

Junior Sister Shuang was in a similar state; her expression, which had previously shown no change, now subtly revealed signs of pressure.

Soon, Lu Ye passed everyone and stood on the eighth step.

When he tried to move further up, he found he couldn't.

The steps above seemed to have an invisible barrier, preventing his forward movement.

Not only that, but standing on this step, he was actually unable to move, as if he were glued there. Even all his power was confined within his body.

Lu Ye found himself puzzled as to why this trap possessed such characteristics. What exactly was this trap testing? Human nature?

As Lu Ye settled into his position, the ninth person began to move.

Then came the tenth, the eleventh...

Finally, it was the last Fusion Path cultivator. Everyone watched him; whether they could leave this place depended on this final push.

This person was extremely lucky. Among eleven who drew lots, he had drawn the longest slip, and he quickly ascended to the very top of the steps.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, he reached out and retrieved the token from within the misty light cluster, a look of delight on his face.

"Fellow Daoist, open the door quickly!" urged one of the Fusion Path cultivators.

It was one thing for the rare treasure to be taken, but if the door still couldn't be opened and they couldn't escape, that would be a huge loss.

At this moment, Lu Ye suddenly made a surprising discovery: as the last person stepped onto the top of the stairs, the power that had been confined within his body was freed once more, flowing freely again.

Not only that, but he also found that he could move.

However, he could only move back and forth on his current step, unable to take another step upwards...

Lu Ye did not attempt to go down, because, judging by the characteristics of this trap, if he were to take a step down, all their previous efforts might be rendered futile. Therefore, it was better not to try.

The Fusion Path cultivator at the very top, after collecting the rare treasure, was already beginning to push the portal. It looked arduous, but the portal was indeed slowly opening!

Great joy swelled in everyone's hearts!

Suddenly, an unusual movement came from below.

Lu Ye looked down and saw that on the very bottom step, one of Ning Gu's arms had, for some unknown reason, broken off and fallen to the ground. Strangely, not a single drop of blood flowed out.

Lu Ye was startled, instinctively thinking Ning Gu had been attacked.

But he quickly realized something was amiss, because the severed arm on the ground, amidst a distortion and transformation, turned into another Ning Gu!

As soon as this Ning Gu appeared, it swiftly darted upwards, moving incredibly fast.

A clone? Lu Ye raised an eyebrow.

Clone techniques were not particularly profound secret arts; many cultivators practiced them. However, there were many types of clone techniques, and those who, like Ning Gu, refined a part of their own body into a clone were not uncommon in the cultivation world.

Such clones could often exhibit at least 70% of the main body's strength, and when cultivated to an advanced level, could even reach 90%.

This was a very powerful clone technique.

While the benefits were considerable, there were also drawbacks: if the clone was destroyed, the main body would suffer significant repercussions and a loss of strength.

From the moment they met, Ning Gu had presented himself as a model of fairness, justice, and selflessness. Lu Ye hadn't actually spotted anything overtly wrong, but he instinctively felt that something wasn't right. While such cultivators weren't unheard of in the cultivation world, they were exceedingly rare.

Furthermore, in that situation, if Ning Gu had allied with others to force Lu Ye to stay on the next step up, Lu Ye would have been powerless.

Yet, he hadn't done that. Instead, he had allowed Lu Ye and Junior Sister Shuang to draw lots separately.

And he himself had even proactively stayed on the lowest step.

Now, it seemed his so-called selflessness was merely a facade, for even by staying at the bottom, he had his own contingency plan!

This clone was his backup plan.

Who wouldn't want a rare treasure? With his peak Fusion Path cultivation, even if his clone could only exert 70% of his strength, it would still possess one hundred and forty dao power without the aid of a dao artifact.

This was certainly not something an ordinary Fusion Path cultivator could contend with.

He clearly had this plan from early on, so he began to act almost simultaneously with the Fusion Path cultivator at the very top pushing the door.

The clone instantly traversed six or seven steps, moving so fast that most people didn't even react. The one or two who did react furrowed their brows in hesitation, not daring to obstruct it.

Even if they had realized Ning Gu's intentions at that moment, it wouldn't have been wise to rashly offend him. After all, Ning Gu was targeting the Fusion Path cultivator at the very top; it was none of their business, so they naturally stayed out of it.

Ning Gu's clone quickly surged to Lu Ye's position, its face full of wary vigilance.

He didn't need to care about the others, because even with just his clone, those Fusion Path cultivators were no match for him. During the time he had been trapped, he had already gauged the cultivation and strength of those cultivators.

Only Lu Ye... at the ninth level of the Fusion Path, was truly not someone his clone could contend with.

However, he was confident that if Lu Ye was a smart person, he wouldn't try to obstruct him.

Indeed, Lu Ye showed no intention of stopping him, allowing the clone to sweep past him.