A massive Rock Spirit with a monstrous physique suddenly appeared in front of Winay, blocking the path to the Second Floor.

  The creature stood nearly ten times larger than the previous elemental spirits. Its entire body was formed from dense stone plates, and faint elemental energy pulsed from within it.

  Winay observed it carefully.

  “Professor said sometimes the difficulty of the ruins changes depending on the cultivator’s strength or weakness…”

  “So this must be what he meant.”

  He looked at the giant spirit.

  “I still don’t understand how the Designer created a place like this…”

  “But there’s no point thinking about it right now.”

  “Let’s finish this first.”

  The Rock Spirit remained still, just like the previous spirits.

  Winay narrowed his eyes.

  “If I take a step forward, it will probably attack.”

  He began analyzing the situation.

  “If I use Void Thread right now, it won’t work properly because the core keeps shifting.”

  “If I use Singularity Crush, I could destroy it instantly… but the cost is too high.”

  “That technique consumes more than 50% of my spirit energy and soul energy.”

  “And I still don’t know what awaits on the next floors.”

  “So that option is out.”

  Winay sighed.

  “Looks like I’ll have to use that technique…”

  “But first I need to create an opportunity.”

  Winay stepped forward once.

  The Rock Spirit reacted instantly.

  “TREAAKK!”

  It smashed its fist into the ground.

  The entire floor trembled.

  Winay remained calm.

  “That wasn’t just a warning.”

  He waited for two seconds.

  “Let’s try another step… but I should stabilize the ground beneath me.”

  He coated the ground under his feet with Void energy and stepped forward again.

  “TREAAAKK! TREAAKK!”

  The Rock Spirit smashed the ground again.

  But this time it wasn’t just vibration.

  Suddenly—

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  Sharp rock spikes erupted from the ground.

  Winay’s eyes widened.

  “These spikes are coming straight for me… and they’re fast!”

  The spikes stopped just one inch away from him.

  Winay exhaled slowly.

  “Phew… good thing I coated the ground with Void energy.”

  “Otherwise avoiding that would have been difficult.”

  Winay looked at the Rock Spirit again.

  “How do I approach it without triggering its attack mechanism?”

  Then an idea appeared in his mind.

  “Wait…”

  “What if I hide myself using Void energy?”

  “If my body becomes erased from its perception…”

  “That might work.”

  Winay activated his innate skill.

  “Erase.”

  Void energy spread across his body.

  His presence faded.

  Winay stepped forward.

  No reaction.

  He took two more steps.

  Still nothing.

  Winay smiled.

  “So this Rock Spirit cannot detect Void energy.”

  “In that case…”

  “I can finish this.”

  “Void Thread – First Form: Thread Slash.”

  A sharp Void blade shot toward the Rock Spirit’s core.

  But just before the attack connected—

  The core suddenly shifted position.

  The ground began trembling again.

  Rock spikes erupted everywhere around the guardian.

  Winay quickly jumped back.

  “Good thing I kept some distance.”

  His attack had nearly succeeded.

  But the spirit adapted.

  Winay glanced toward the door behind the guardian.

  “The door to the second floor is right there…”

  “There’s no reason to waste more time.”

  He ran toward the door.

  But the moment he touched it—

  A message appeared.

  “Not enough energy to open the door.”

  Winay sighed.

  “I knew it…”

  “So I still have to defeat the guardian.”

  Winay rushed toward the Rock Spirit again.

  Rock spikes chased him across the ground.

  But he didn’t slow down.

  “Void Thread Technique – Third Form: Curtain Fall.”

  A massive curtain of Void energy sliced downward.

  It looked like a falling curtain of darkness.

  But instead of cloth—

  It was pure Void.

  The attack split the Rock Spirit cleanly in half.

  Winay immediately followed up.

  “Void Thread – Second Form: Multithread Slash.”

  Dozens of Void threads cut through the exposed core.

  The core shattered.

  The giant body collapsed instantly.

  Fragments of elemental essence scattered across the ground.

  Winay looked at them briefly.

  “I should stop overthinking things.”

  “Sometimes it’s better to just finish the fight.”

  The essence began vaporizing.

  Then a small sound echoed.

  “Enough energy to open the Second Floor.”

  The door opened immediately.

  Winay stepped through without hesitation.

  Winay arrived in a completely different environment.

  The entire floor was filled with lush greenery.

  Fresh air flowed through the surroundings.

  There was not a single hostile presence.

  “This must be the Second Floor: Breath of Life.”

  A warm energy flowed through his body.

  “My vitality is increasing…”

  “My blood vessels are being refined.”

  But just like on the first floor—

  The effect faded after about five minutes.

  “Well… time to move on.”

  “Professor said once I find the door to the third floor, the environment will become hostile.”

  Winay began searching.

  The door was not in front of him.

  He checked the sides.

  Then—

  “There it is.”

  On the left side of the floor.

  The moment he discovered it—

  The entire environment changed.

  Trees twisted violently.

  Plants began moving like living creatures.

  Winay sighed.

  “I expected this.”

  “Void Thread – Second Form: Multithread Horizontal Slash.”

  A massive horizontal slash cut across the entire area.

  Trees, vines, and plant monsters were destroyed instantly.

  Winay then used another technique.

  “Void Thread – Third Form: Erasing Curtain.”

  This ensured none of the defeated monsters could regenerate.

  The area fell silent.

  Winay approached the door.

  A message appeared.

  “Second Floor Cleared.”

  “Permission granted to enter the Third Floor.”

  Winay nodded.

  “As expected.”

  “If everything is eliminated, no guardian appears.”

  He stepped forward.

  Winay entered the next floor.

  “This must be the Third Floor: Altar of Sacrifice.”

  Rainor had warned him about this place.

  Many cultivators had lost their minds here by misunderstanding the floor’s rules.

  “To clear this floor… I need to understand its rules.”

  He looked around.

  Suddenly—

  The door behind him disappeared.

  It transformed into a stone rule slab.

  Winay walked closer and read the text.

  Rule 1: Do not let them defeat you.

  Rule 2: Do not be defeated yourself.

  Winay frowned.

  “These rules sound almost identical…”

  Then he noticed something else.

  “There’s… a third rule?”

  He read it slowly.

  Rule 3: Defeat me.

  Winay froze.

  “…What does that mean?”

  rules rather than just monsters/beasts.