"That won't happen!"
Xu Bei put down his coffee, squinting at the dark building across the window with a relaxed smile.
"Gao Xiaofeng, those fellow practitioners are not fools. If they can't handle it, they will back off. Didn't you see they blocked the door with cabinets?"
"Besides, with you and Ye Bing watching over, nothing will go wrong."
"I was overthinking it! Regardless of anything else, with Sister Bing here, saving people is definitely not a problem."
Gao Xiaofeng scratched his head, and his burly figure also loosened up, winking at the cold-faced woman next to Xu Bei.
"Sister Bing, why don't we make a bet on who will last until dawn? Whoever guesses right wins!"
"Childish."
The cold-faced woman, true to her name, crossed her arms coldly.
"We have to stay here all night, so we might as well find something fun to pass the time! Come on, Sister Bing, who do you think will last?"
Gao Xiaofeng was in high spirits.
Although he was burly, a closer look at his face would reveal that despite his rugged appearance, he was actually the youngest of the three.
However, the imposing presence of his burly figure often made people subconsciously overlook his age.
"I think that Daoist disciple named Zhang Molin and the female mage named Tie Shenglan are both pretty good..."
"Boring."
Regardless of what Gao Feng said, Ye Bing remained indifferent, staring out the window the whole time without even moving her eyes.
Gao Xiaofeng, having hit a brick wall, quietly shut up, feeling bored.
At this point, Xu Bei showed an interested smile: "I think, that little shopkeeper from Sinisterium Pawnshop is not bad."
"Isn't he just someone introduced by Old Master Duan?" Gao Xiaofeng was surprised.
"Xiaofeng, you've misunderstood something," Xu Bei said with a gentle smile. "Having connections and having strength are not mutually exclusive."
"If we really talk about it, Sinisterium Pawnshop has existed for much longer than our Ling Yin Society."
"This pawnshop had been dormant for many years, but in just two months, that young shopkeeper has managed to run it quite successfully, with a rising reputation."
"Is this something an incapable person could do?"
"Even if Sinisterium Pawnshop does have some skills, those are past glories. Relying on the family business, it's simply living off their ancestors' achievements!" Gao Xiaofeng touched his nose, looking very不服气 (unconvinced and resentful).
"He can only prove his ability if he gets through the Ruby Tower tonight!"
Xu Bei smiled and did not argue with him.
"Alright, it's about time. You and Ye Bing go down and see to it. Don't really cause any trouble."
"Yes!"
The two figures flickered and left the café.
The café was booked for the night, leaving only XuBei alone.
He quietly savored his coffee, preparing to fully appreciate this special selection process.
The Ruby Tower loomed gloomily under the sky.
This once premier building had long been overshadowed by the city's rapidly rising new skyscrapers, becoming a forgotten corner.
But tonight was an exception.
A chaotic glow spilled out from the dilapidated entrance.
Bright flashlights, outdoor lanterns, and several beams of light converged haphazardly, casting an uneven light over the hall.
These more than twenty members of the Mystic Sect, some sitting cross-legged in meditation, others polishing their magical instruments, were all preparing to survive the night safely.
On this Fire Memorial Day, grievances ran rampant.
No one knew what would happen tonight.
"Gentlemen, may I have a word?"
An elderly man stepped forward and cupped his hands in a bow towards the crowd.
"Just now, I cast three divinations, each one more ominous than the last. Tonight, there will surely be three major obstacles within this building! Relying solely on individual strength, it will be extremely difficult to get through safely!"
"Why don't we all gather together? With many people, the collective yang energy will be strong, and even if ghosts appear, they won't dare to approach easily."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone nodded in agreement.
"Master Xiang has always been known for his divine calculations and infallible divinations! Tonight will definitely not be peaceful; we should follow Master Xiang's advice!"
"Unity is strength. Since there are no limits on the number of participants in this evaluation, we should all help each other!"
Subsequently, the group, which had previously split into several smaller groups, came together and gathered in the center of the hall.
This Master Xiang was the same person who had analyzed the feng shui of the building earlier, and he was highly respected among the crowd.
Lu Fei sat quietly among the people, keeping a low profile.
The combined light from all the flashlights made the center of the hall as bright as day, with the door just ten meters away.
But he still had an uneasy feeling in his heart.
It's too quiet!
It's fine for the building to be quiet, but why is there no sound outside the main gate?
The city nights shouldn't be so silent.
The neon lights appeared hazy and distant, as if something was separating them from here.
"Is there something wrong with the exit?"
Lu Fei furrowed his brows, and his nose suddenly caught a faint, strange smell in the air.
"Do you guys smell anything?" He twitched his nose.
"What smell?"
Jing Jian stopped wiping his Seven Star magic sword.
Dazuo's Kuleng and Tianyuan immediately opened their eyes.
In the crowd, many people also smelled this strange odor.
"It seems like something is burning."
"No, it's the smell of burning paper!"
Burning paper?!
Everyone's nerves tightened at once, and they all grasped their respective magical instruments, looking around anxiously.
At the entrance to the stairs.
A dim flicker of firelight could be seen.
The firelight cast an eerie human shadow on the pale walls.
As the firelight flickered, the shadow swayed, and the smell of burning paper, along with black ash, floated out from the stairs.
"Be careful, the ghost has appeared!"
Without needing to be reminded by the master, everyone was already on high alert, huddling together and cautiously approaching the stairs.
In the narrow hallway, there was a hunched old woman crouching.
In front of the old woman was a blackened brazier, with yellow paper burning dimly inside, and sparks dancing about.
"Come here."
The old woman, crouched behind the brazier, waved her withered, blackened hand at the group.
The flickering firelight did not illuminate her face clearly.
"Come and burn some paper."
"Burn more, everyone will die tonight! If you don't burn it soon, there won't be any time left..."
"Come on, burn the paper..."
The old woman's voice was hoarse and grating, and a strong smell of paper ashes permeated the air.
The smell was suffocating, and Lu Fei felt his head becoming dizzy and muddled.
Ghost enchantment!
Lu Fei bit his tongue, and his mana slowly circulated in his dantian, quickly restoring clarity to his mind.
This was just a small trick used by ghosts to confuse people, and it wasn't much of a threat to him.
Most people in the Xuan Sect could handle it.
However, at this moment, three people were still staggering towards the fire basin.
Their expressions were blank, and the flickering flames reflected in their eyes, as if they could see nothing else.
"Come back, don't go there!"
Master Xiang shouted anxiously.
"Lu Fei, we must go save them quickly..." Jing Jian was greatly alarmed, hurriedly picking up his peach wood sword.
But before Lu Fei and he could act, two people rushed out from the crowd, one in front of the other, blocking the three men.
With seals formed in their hands, they rapidly slapped the foreheads of the three men a few times.
The three men's movements stopped, and they immediately came to their senses.