Chapter 479 - 210: Li Fire (2)
Twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five!
Upon reaching the twenty-fifth layer, the speed finally slowed a fraction, but it continued its upward climb.
"Twenty-five layers! That’s a pretty impressive score, even among the veteran Inner Sect disciples!"
"Wu Anren has Late-stage Astral Force Cultivation, and he’s cultivated two types of Superior Swordsmanship to the Extreme Realm. His Power of Attack is immense; the twenty-fifth layer is definitely not his limit."
Sure enough, after a brief pause, the number jumped again—the twenty-sixth layer!
A wave of suppressed gasps went through the square.
However, it wasn’t over yet!
The light on the stone stele stabilized once more, though its rate of ascent had slowed considerably.
The twenty-seventh layer!
Everyone’s hearts were in their throats, their eyes locked on that name.
Even the indifferent gazes from the high pavilions in the distance seemed to focus a little.
Time seemed to slow, each breath feeling exceptionally long.
Finally, under the watch of countless eyes, the flowing light on the stele struggled but stubbornly surged upward one more time, coming to a halt at—
The twenty-eighth layer!
ROAR!
The square instantly erupted into a clamor!
"The twenty-eighth layer! He reached the twenty-eighth layer on his first attempt at the tower!"
"Heavens! Only two layers away from the thirtieth-layer threshold! This Wu Anren... he’s truly something else!"
"I’m afraid that in a few more months, he might actually reach the thirtieth layer and solidify his title as a ’True Successor Candidate’!"
The discussions were tinged with envy.
Even Shang Lujing, standing beside Chen Qing, felt his pupils contract slightly, his expression growing incredibly solemn.
The twenty-eighth layer. This achievement placed immense pressure on him.
Qiao Hongyun, Zhu Yu, Kong Yian, and the others exchanged horrified glances. This height far exceeded their current expectations.
Shen Xiuyong sucked in a sharp breath and muttered, "The twenty-eighth layer... just how many Contribution Points would that be worth..."
A moment later, the Celestial Treasure Tower flashed with light, and Wu Anren’s figure was teleported out.
His face was slightly pale and his breathing a little ragged. His robes were even stained with a bit of dust; the last few layers had clearly been anything but easy.
But his eyes were bright, and his expression held a mix of unconcealable joy and exhaustion. He had clearly gained a great deal.
His gaze swept over the crowd. Seeing the countless eyes focused on him, he simply gave a faint smile, casually cupped his fist to a few acquaintances who came forward to congratulate him, and left in a hurry without saying much. He was clearly anxious to go back and digest what he’d gained from his attempt at the tower.
Wu Anren’s achievement stood like a towering mountain before all the disciples of Xu Wang Mountain.
With the bar he had set, other disciples who considered themselves quite capable could no longer hold back and stepped forward to attempt the tower.
However, the results only highlighted the vast disparity.
Most disciples’ scores were concentrated between the twenty-third and twenty-fifth layers. Those who could reach the twenty-sixth were exceedingly rare.
As for the twenty-seventh layer?
So far, no one had reached it, to say nothing of Wu Anren’s twenty-eighth layer.
Wang Bo of the Four Extremes Sect couldn’t resist trying as well. In the end, he walked out with a bitter smile, his score fixed at the twenty-fifth layer.
He returned to his circle, shaking his head and sighing. "After the twelfth layer, they’re all genuine experts. It’s my first attempt, so some mistakes were inevitable. Once I’m more familiar with it, I might be able to advance further, but... the twenty-eighth layer? Don’t even think about it in the short term."
His gaze turned to Shang Lujing and Chen Qing. The meaning was clear: only the top-ranked few had any hope of challenging the higher layers.
Hearing this, Shen Xiuyong was secretly alarmed. ’Wang Bo is stronger than I am. If even he could only reach the twenty-fifth layer, then I’ll probably struggle to even get that far.’
He looked at Chen Qing and asked, "Nephew, how many layers do you think you can reach?"
"Hard to say."
Chen Qing shook his head. Wang Bo was at Mid-stage Astral Force, and he was currently at the twenty-fifth layer.
’If I don’t reveal my multiple True Astrals,’ he thought, ’I’d estimate my result would be about the same as Wang Bo’s.’
Zhuo Xiaoyun’s expression was grave.
Shang Lujing took a deep breath, suppressed the fighting spirit in his eyes, and said in a low voice, "No matter. There are still five months until the final rankings are decided. Wu Anren has set a high bar, but he has also shown us the gap we need to close."
Everyone nodded, but the intangible pressure in the air grew ever heavier.
Over the next few days, as everyone gradually settled in, the Celestial Treasure Tower became increasingly lively.
After all, just by climbing the tower, one could obtain tangible Contribution Points, and these initial rankings were directly tied to the final monthly stipends six months later. No one dared to be complacent.
「On the third day.」
A bombshell piece of news arrived, like a giant boulder dropped into an already turbulent lake.
He Shuang had also attempted the challenge and, in a single go, reached the twenty-eighth layer, putting her on par with Wu Anren!
This immediately caused a considerable sensation.
He Shuang cultivated Three True Astrals, so she had already been in the spotlight. Now that she had been accepted as a personal disciple by a True Essence Realm Elder, such rapid progress in her strength seemed logical, but it was still astonishing.
She and Wu Anren had become like two twin peaks among the new disciples of Xu Wang Mountain.
In addition, experts like Luo Qianjue of the Celestial Blade Sect and Qiu Qixing of the Four Seas Sect—who were top-ranked in the selection and had long since reached Late-stage Astral Force—also made their attempts. Before long, their scores had all stabilized at the twenty-seventh layer, forming a second tier in hot pursuit.
Shen Xiuyong also gave it a try, and his final score stopped at the twenty-fourth layer. While not at the very top, it was in the upper-middle range, allowing him to breathe a small sigh of relief.
Qiao Hongyun, with his deep foundation, barely managed to reach the twenty-fifth layer.
But the one who was somewhat surprising was Zhuo Xiaoyun of Water Mirror Square. This seemingly gentle woman actually broke through to the twenty-sixth layer, stunning the few in their small circle and causing them to see her in a new light.