Chapter 233: Thousand-Year Wait
Chapter 233: Thousand-Year Wait
"Mystic-Grade Martial Art: Great Destruction Spear Art!"
Rhain’s dark grey eyes flashed with a lethal light.
This was a top-tier killing move that doesn’t concern itself with any variations or illusions, but only pursues the ultimate, pure destructive power!
At the tip of the spear, dark profound energy was instantly compressed to a high degree, transforming into a wildly spinning, pitch-black vortex.
That vortex resembled a small black hole, radiating an aura of destruction capable of swallowing even light.
He thrust the spear forward.
CLANG!!!
A deafening metallic explosion reverberated wildly throughout the ninety-fifth floor, causing the surrounding dark metal walls to tremble slightly.
The heavily armored knight, a Core Formation Realm level nine figure towering over ten feet tall and resembling a small steel mountain, held a greatsword the size of a door panel high with both hands, bringing it down with a tyrannical pressure.
However, this destructive strike, enough to instantly cleave a mountain into dust, was firmly blocked in mid-air by a jet-black spear, unable to advance even an inch further.
Snap!
The massive sword, imbued with the essence of a ninth-level Core Formation cultivator, shattered like a fragile block of ice the moment it came into contact with the dark vortex, turning into countless metal fragments that flew in all directions!
The spear did not stop.
It continued its momentum, and the dark, destructive vortex easily pierced through the several-inch-thick steel armor on the chest of the heavily armored knight with overwhelming force.
Bang!!!
A hole was pierced through the heavily armored knight’s chest as the devastating power exploded within him.
This opponent, possessing the strength at the ninth level of the Core Formation Realm was completely shattered in the violent shockwave.
A shower of dissipating spiritual light rained down upon the dark metallic arena, and the glowing staircase materialized at the far end of the room.
Rhain slowly exhaled, lowering his spear.
But this time, he didn’t immediately step onto the staircase.
He stood still, his mind spinning with rapid calculations.
’Floor 90 was ten opponents at Level 4 Core Formation. Floor 91 shifted to a single opponent at Level 5. Following that logic... Floor 92 was Level 6, Floor 93 was Level 7, Floor 94 was Level 8, and this floor was Level 9.’
Rhain’s dark grey eyes narrowed as he looked at the glowing steps leading upward.
’Every floor after the ninetieth has increased the opponent’s strength by exactly one minor realm instead of multiplying their numbers. By that logic, the opponent waiting for me on Floor 96...’
It was either going to be a Half-Step Domain Master, or a true Domain Master Realm powerhouse.
’If it’s a Half-Step Domain Master, I might still have a hope to win if I go all out and use everything at my disposal,’ Rhain analyzed rationally. ’But if it is a true Domain Master Realm expert... then there is absolutely no hope of going any further.’
The gap between a Spirit Manifestation cultivator and a true Domain Master was so huge that not even the Abyssal Sovereign Physique could bridge right now.
But whether it was a Half-Step Domain Master or a true Domain Master, Rhain had no intention of backing down without a fight.
More importantly, he hadn’t yet gotten the location Sign-In notification from the system.
’It’s certain now. The sign-in node must be located at the 100th floor,’ Rhain thought.
Rhain dismissed his Epic-Grade spear, storing it back into his spatial ring.
Instead of climbing the stairs, he simply walked to the center of the dark metallic room and sat cross-legged on the floor.
He had been inside the Heavenly Ascendent Tower for almost an hour.
Within this single hour, he had fought his way through nearly a thousand opponents.
From the very first floor to the ninety-fifth, not a single enemy had possessed a cultivation realm weaker than his own.
Most of them had been a major realm above him.
An ordinary genius cultivator might have struggled to defeat even one of those higher-realm opponents, yet he had crushed his way through a thousand of them in rapid succession.
But even with the terrifying recovery rate of his Abyssal Sovereign Physique, the relentless, non-stop chain of executing high-tier Epic-Grade and Mystic-Grade martial arts had left him feeling slightly tired.
"I cannot afford even a single flaw when facing the biggest opponent of my life," Rhain murmured to himself.
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Outside the Heavenly Ascendent Tower.
Every single gaze was glued to the colossal, ancient stone monolith erected beside the towering spire.
[Floor 95]
The golden text glowed with a brilliant light.
For the High Preceptors, Preceptors, and Carmilla, the past hour had been an unrelenting psychological earthquake.
All of them had become completely numb.
They all had run out of words.
Rhain had already reached the 95th floor.
And it had hardly been a little more than an hour since Rhain had stepped inside.
But then something unexpected happened.
Rhain, whose ascent had been a unstoppable streak, had suddenly stopped.
Five minutes passed.
Ten minutes.
Twenty minutes.
It had now been nearly half an hour, and the golden runes on the monolith had not shifted a single inch.
"He’s been on the ninety-fifth floor for thirty minutes," High Preceptor Aldren murmured, his deep-set eyes filled with a creeping dread. "Before this, he didn’t spend more than a minute on any floor. Even the ninetieth floor was cleared in the blink of an eye."
"Could he have finally met his match?" Preceptor Krell swallowed hard. "Floor ninety-five... following the tower’s escalating logic, the opponents there must be several Core Formation Realm masters."
"But it shouldn’t stall him for half an hour," High Preceptor Octavius frowned deeply, "What kind of challenge could possibly trap him for so long? Is he... is he in critical danger?"
The very thought sent a cold chill through the gathered Preceptors.
If the greatest monster the Stormveil Academy had ever seen was killed or crippled inside the founder’s death trap, it would be an irrecoverable loss
Carmilla’s expression was also solemn.
Although she didn’t speak, her gaze were fixed unblinkingly upon the monolith.
Beside Myrielle, Seris stood as still as a statue.
Her delicate hands were clasped together so tightly in front of her chest that her knuckles had turned bone-white.
The serene, unwavering smile she had maintained since her husband entered the tower had slightly faded.
Her pale purple eyes were filled with deep worry.
’Husband... please be safe,’ Seris prayed silently in her heart. ’You promised you would come back to me. Please be okay.’
She refused to believe that anything could truly defeat him, but knowing he was trapped in a grueling battle for half an hour was enough to make her soul ache with anxiety.
Just as the tension reached its breaking point—
RUMBLE—!!!
The colossal monolith vibrated.
The golden light flickered, wiping away the previous text and illuminating the next row.
[Floor 96]
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Inside the Heavenly Ascendent Tower.
Rhain stepped off the glowing staircase and onto the ninety-sixth floor.
The moment his boots touched the ground, he immediately realized that the environment had fundamentally changed.
It was no longer the oppressive, dark metallic arena of the lower floors.
Instead, he found himself standing in a vast, boundless expanse of serene white jade.
Above him was an illusionary sky filled with drifting clouds, and the air carried a profound, ancient tranquility that seemed to calm the very soul in his body.
But Rhain did not let his guard down.
His dark grey eyes narrowed sharply as spiritual light began to coalesce at the center of the white jade floor.
However, unlike the mindless, featureless essence puppets of the previous ninety-five floors, the light formed into a flesh-and-blood human.
It was a middle-aged man dressed in simple, flowing white robes.
He had a handsome, scholarly face, with long hair tied loosely behind his back, and his eyes held the vast, unfathomable depth of the vast ocean.
But it was the aura radiating from the man’s body that made Rhain’s pupils contract to pinpoints.
It was an aura that completely transcended the Core Formation Realm.
It felt as if the surrounding space, the drifting clouds, and the very laws of the world were all bowing in submission to this man.
Half-Step Domain Master Realm!
The man did not draw a weapon like other opponents.
Instead, he stood with his hands clasped casually behind his back, a warm, appreciative smile gracing his features.
"Congratulations on arriving this far, young man," the middle-aged man spoke. His voice was rich, melodious, and echoed with authority. "I have waited in this tower for a thousand years. Out of the countless geniuses who dared to take this trial, you are the very first and only one to ever reach this floor."
Rhain looked at the man, his mind spinning rapidly.
A sentient projection. An aura of a Half-Step Domain Master. And waiting for a thousand years.
"Are you... the founder of the Stormveil Academy?" Rhain asked, his voice steady despite the overwhelming pressure bearing down on him.
The middle-aged man stopped for a moment, then chuckled softly, giving a slight nod.
"Indeed. I am the one who laid the first stone of the Stormveil Academy," the founder confirmed, looking at Rhain with undisguised admiration. "Your talent, your foundation, and your willpower are truly unprecedented. You have already proven yourself beyond any shadow of a doubt."
The founder waved his hand, and two glowing orbs of light materialized in the air beside him.
One radiated the oppressive might unique to that of a Mystic-Grade artifact, while the other one was also clearly a Mystic-Grade martial art.
"Because you have reached this floor, you have earned the right to make a choice," the founder explained gently. "If you wish, you may stop here. You can take this Mystic-Grade artifact and this Mystic-Grade martial art as your reward, and walk out of this tower with your life, your sanity, and your cultivation perfectly intact. No one will ever doubt your supremacy."
It was a temptation that could drive any cultivator completely mad with greed.
Two Mystic-Grade treasures simply handed over just like that.
But Rhain didn’t even glance at the glowing orbs.
He didn’t care about the tower’s rewards.
The only thing he cared about was the Location Sign-In reward waiting for him at the pinnacle of this millennium-old structure.
"I wish to continue," Rhain responded without a single second of hesitation.
The founder’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, before a booming, hearty laugh escaped his lips.
"Hahaha! Good! Excellent!" The founder laughed, his eyes shining with profound approval. "A true cultivator must possess an unyielding heart that never settles for the easy path! Since you wish to continue, then I must explain the rules of the final trial."
The founder’s expression turned solemn.
"For the next three floors—the ninety-sixth, ninety-seventh, and ninety-eighth—I severed a portion of my own soul before I departed this place to manifest these figures. Each of these three manifestations possesses the exact strength of a Half-Step Domain Master Realm expert."
Rhain’s dark grey eyes flickered.
Three Half-Step Domain Masters.
"We are each skilled in three distinct realms of combat," the founder continued. "Here, on the ninety-sixth floor, I represent the mastery of Martial Arts. The one above me is the master of Soul Attacks. And the final fragment on the ninety-eighth floor specialize the peak of Physical Combat."
The founder unclasped his hands, letting them fall to his sides as his Half-Step Domain Master aura erupted.
"If you wish to reach the top, you must defeat all three of my soul manifestations. But be warned, young man. I will not hold back simply because you are a disciple of my academy."
The founder raised one hand, his fingers curling into a relaxed but utterly flawless combat stance.
"Get ready."
Rhain didn’t waste any time with words.
He knew exactly how vast the gap between a Level 6 Spirit Manifestation cultivator and a Half-Step Domain Master was.
It was a chasm of nearly a major realm and a half.
He couldn’t afford to hide even a single fraction of his power.
BOOM—!!!
A cataclysmic explosion of blood-red fire erupted from Rhain’s body.
The Red Tribulations Heavenly Flame surged outward, transforming him into a blazing God of Fire.
At the exact same time, he channeled his essence to the limit.
Boundless Sky Wind!
An incredibly dense, howling tempest of wind wrapped around his body, perfectly merging with the blood-red flames.
The dual elemental enhancement pushed his speed, reflexes, and raw kinetic output to a dimension that completely shattered the logic of the Spirit Manifestation Realm.
His dark grey eyes, ignited with a brilliant, piercing golden light, locked directly onto the founder.
He was going to fight the strongest opponent he had ever faced.
A Half-Step Domain Master.
A being who possessed the strength to annihilate mountains and dry oceans, an existence that would easily be worshipped as a literal God in the Outer Frontier he came from.
But Rhain’s eyes held no fear.
He was going to defeat this god.