Ascending the Tower

In less than a quarter of an hour, Xia Liheng emerged from the restriction, carrying the token from the twelfth floor of the Martial God Tower.

His aura was steady, and he bore no injuries, appearing entirely relaxed.

Hong Guang took the token and nodded in deep satisfaction. He announced, "Xia Liheng has earned a viewing seat. Who is next?"

Chu Hao was just about to speak when he saw Zi He step forward.

"Greetings, Senior Hong. Zi He, Slaying Guard of the Demon-Slaying Bureau, is willing to try."

Hong Guang looked at Zi He, a flicker of curiosity in his eyes.

The Demon-Slaying Bureau claimed externally that Zi He was a genius nurtured in secret, but no one knew of his true origins.

"To rank third on that list, this child must have learned some secret technique of the Demon-Slaying Bureau. I wonder what path he walks."

Hong Guang pondered inwardly, then raised his hand. "Very well, enter."

After Zi He entered the restriction, the commotion of his ascent was much smaller than Xia Liheng's.

The observing cultivators could only sense a brief ripple of spiritual power each time he passed a floor.

His speed was slightly slower than Xia Liheng's, taking just over a quarter of an hour to retrieve the twelfth-floor token.

To achieve such results upon entering the Martial God Tower for the first time was already considered extremely outstanding in the eyes of Hong Guang, the Martial Academy's head instructor.

"Your turn, Brother Chu," Zi He said as he stepped aside.

"Heh, Brother Zi He praises me too highly."

Chu Hao smiled faintly and stepped into the restriction. Immediately after, the lights signaling his ascent began to flare rapidly, one after another.

In less than half a quarter of an hour, under the utterly shocked gazes of the crowd, Chu Hao strolled out calmly, gripping the twelfth-floor token.

"Senior Hong, this replica of the Martial God Tower is quite interesting. I hope to have the chance to try the true artifact in the future."

"Hahaha!"

Hong Guang laughed heartily as he took the token. "That is naturally not an issue! As long as you can break through to Condensed Origin, our Martial Academy will welcome you at any time!"

He then raised his hand, and four more restriction entrances materialized before the replica tower.

Having given the top three a stage to display their strength, it was time to hasten the pace.

"Enter through the restrictions. The spatial realms within the tower are isolated from one another. Five at a time-line up and step forward."

As his voice fell, the remaining five Ninth-Realm cultivators who had mastered the way of spirit control stepped forward in turn and entered.

Two quarters of an hour later, the five emerged from the restrictions one after another, all holding twelfth-floor tokens.

But unlike the first three, although they had obtained the tokens, they all bore varying degrees of injury. One of them looked exceptionally wretched, appearing far from relaxed.

From this, it was evident that the rankings on that list carried significant weight. The top three existed on an entirely different level from the remaining five.

These five could reach the twelfth floor because it was their absolute limit.

Meanwhile, Zi He and the top two reached the twelfth floor simply because the tower only had twelve floors.

With eight people directly obtaining viewing seats, only twenty-two spots remained.

The next batch belonged to cultivators at Ye Lan's level.

They also possessed cultivation nearing the peak of the Ninth Realm, but because they had not mastered spirit control, their strength fell just a hair short.

Hong Guang looked at the group of five. When his gaze swept over Ye Lan, his brow furrowed slightly.

"Her aura seems... somewhat shallow?"

A sliver of doubt rose in Hong Guang's mind. At the joint gathering of the Academy and Martial Academy a few years ago, he had seen Ye Lan once before.

At that time, the girl's spiritual energy had been abundant and her foundation perfectly solid, leaving quite a deep impression on him.

"A few years have passed. Her cultivation should have grown even more stable. Why would it be like this?"

Ye Lan had concealed her restless aura quite well. Aside from Hong Guang, who stood at the Condensed Origin realm, only Zi He, possessing a specialized pupil technique, could discern the subtle clues.

"Alas..."

Zi He let out a soft, inward sigh.

Following the Li family's downfall, the Ye family's Patriarch, who merely possessed Tenth-Realm Perfection cultivation, was completely powerless to protect the clan while surrounded by hungry wolves.

Apart from this "beauty," what else did the entire Ye family possess that could catch the Su Family's eye?

Only by sacrificing her own body could she preserve her family's foundation and her loved ones.

Before the restriction, Ye Lan took a deep breath and stepped inside.

Five beams of light began to ascend, reaching the eighth floor almost simultaneously.

But after the eighth floor, their speed noticeably slowed down.

The young cultivators looked up, staring intently at the five beams of light, and began to murmur among themselves.

"Do you think any of these five will reach the twelfth floor?"

"It will be difficult. Without having cultivated the art of spirit control, forcing their way to the twelfth floor will cost them dearly."

"Among the five, Senior Sister Ye from the Academy possesses the deepest cultivation. She should have a chance."

Li Qingwan stared fixedly at the beam of light representing Ye Lan, a shadow of worry lingering in her eyes.

When Li Qingwan first entered the Academy, Ye Lan, mindful of the old ties between their families, had helped her immensely.

But during their recent meetings, Li Qingwan increasingly felt that Ye Lan's condition was wrong. It was as if she had lost the vibrant, ethereal spirit she had possessed when they first met.

Within the replica Martial God Tower, the five had already reached the tenth floor.

At that moment, a light flared from below, and a Ninth-Realm disciple from the Myriad Transformations Sect staggered out.

Seeing the dark crimson stain on his shoulder, the crowd understood he was unwilling to risk any further harm and had voluntarily abandoned the climb.

"Tenth floor. Not bad. Enter the next round," Hong Guang nodded.

A quarter of an hour later, the remaining four points of light leapt up to the eleventh floor.

But after a few breaths, three of the lights ceased flickering.

This meant that aside from Ye Lan, the other three had yielded.

When they emerged from the restrictions, they were utterly drained of strength, nearly collapsing onto the ground.

It was only when Hong Guang intervened, employing his True Essence and bestowing Pills, that they finally managed to recover.

Seeing this, the other cultivators felt a chill run through their hearts, unable to imagine what kind of trial awaited on the eleventh floor.

Hum.

At that moment, Ye Lan's light on the eleventh floor stabilized. This signified that she had endured the eleventh floor's trial. With just one more step, she would earn a spot in the viewing ceremony.

"Only Senior Sister Ye remains!"

"You can do it, Senior Sister Ye!"

"Senior Sister Ye can definitely pass. She is the future leader of our Painting Academy!"

The disciples from the Academy were filled with visible excitement.

But Li Qingwan only clenched her hands tighter, silently praying that Ye Lan would voluntarily abandon the climb.

On the eleventh floor of the replica Martial God Tower.

Ye Lan knelt on one knee, clutching a wound that had pierced straight through her waist.

"Cough..."

She lifted her gaze toward the staircase leading to the twelfth floor. Just as she wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, a surge of sweetness rose in her throat, and she violently coughed up another mouthful of blood.

A suffocating sense of unwillingness welled up from the depths of her heart. Tears, tinged with streaks of crimson, slid down her cheeks.

Had she not suffered through that ordeal, how could she, Ye Lan, possibly fail to climb a mere twelve floors?!

It was only a single step away, but to the current Ye Lan, that step felt like an insurmountable chasm.

For a fleeting moment, an impulse seized her to abandon all caution and force her way up.

Rather than living out her days in such a disgusting, ruined state, it would be better to die cleanly!

But the very next instant, the innocent faces of her younger siblings surfaced in her mind, shattering the thought.

She had to keep living. If she died, the Ye family would immediately plummet into eternal damnation.

"Heh... pathetic... how laughable!"

Ye Lan let out a miserable laugh. Swaying on her feet, she forced herself upright, turned around, and walked down the high tower.

88.181.249.5

ns88.181.249.5da2