Chapter 102: The Tower That Reaches the Heavens (1)

“All right, but I still don’t know how to address you, senior brother, nor do I know who our respected master is,” Che Wuyou hurriedly asked when he saw the young man finish speaking and was about to turn and leave.

This was the first time in two months that Che Wuyou had dealt with a senior figure from the Azure Pool Sword Sect. Naturally, he wanted to know the sect’s current attitude toward him, who had arranged his test, and what position that person held within the sect. As for the proud young man before him, Che Wuyou dismissed him—just a messenger, surely unrelated to the one overseeing his trial.

“You want to know my name, huh?” The youth curled his lips slightly, a hint of disdain in his voice. “Wait until you pass the trial in the Tower of Ascension, then we’ll talk... And don’t go thinking that simply qualifying for the Tower trial makes you an official disciple of the Azure Pool Sword Sect. Let me be blunt—you’re a long way from that.”

“...Uh.” Though the youth had insulted Che Wuyou, he had also revealed something important. To confirm his suspicion, Che Wuyou humbly asked, “Senior brother, how so? The ten preliminary tests have already concluded, and since I qualify for the Tower of Ascension trial, why am I still not considered an official disciple of the Azure Pool Sword Sect?”

“Senior brother? Who are you calling senior brother?” The young man frowned as Che Wuyou kept using the term, clearly enjoying himself. “Pass the Tower trial first, then we can discuss seniority! But from where I see it, even if you manage to pass by luck, you’d probably have to call me great-uncle or even grand-uncle…”

The youth sneered, looking at Che Wuyou with slight contempt before proudly continuing, “As for the Tower of Ascension trial you’ll soon face, it was established by our sect’s founder. No matter who you are, or what status you hold in the Azure Pool Sword Sect, if you want to become an official disciple, you must pass this trial. No exceptions.”

“Take our little great-uncle, Miss Yi Qiu, for example. She is the daughter of our sect’s leader and holds an extremely honorable position, yet she made no exceptions and took the Tower trial even while ill. If she had to do it, how could others avoid it?”

When the youth mentioned Li Yi Qiu, a flicker of fervor shone in his eyes. It seemed only a woman of such beauty and wisdom could make this proud youth lower his noble gaze.

Seeing Che Wuyou’s expression falter, the youth thought he must have paid a great price to avoid the ten preliminary tests and felt a bit schadenfreude. “It’s thanks to our founder’s foresight. He feared that, over time, the sect’s legacy might breed some unruly elements. To prevent scoundrels like you from sneaking in or cheating, he set up the Tower of Ascension trial as a safeguard. Even if someone tampers with the preliminary tests, they’ll still be weeded out in the final Tower trial. Ha ha, what a brilliant idea.”

“...Uh.” Che Wuyou saw the youth’s laughter was hearty and didn’t want to interrupt. When the laughter finally ceased, he offered a somewhat stiff smile and respectfully said, “Senior brother—no, respected elder.”

Seeing the youth’s expression darken, Che Wuyou quickly corrected himself, “Respected elder, may I ask how many will take part in this Tower of Ascension trial, and how many will be eliminated? Also, what exactly does the trial test? Are there any precautions I should be aware of?” Though the youth’s good humor was based on ridiculing him, Che Wuyou seized the moment to ask his questions.

“You want to know?” the youth asked.

“Yes,” Che Wuyou nodded seriously.

“Do you really want to know?” The youth’s teasing vanished, replaced by a serious gaze.

“Of course... but I wonder if you actually know the details of this trial?”

“Of course I know. But I’m not going to tell you.” The youth’s serious expression gave way to an arrogant smile as he turned and walked away. He despised people who tried to slip in through the back door and naturally would not share such information with Che Wuyou.

Watching the youth’s retreating figure, Che Wuyou felt a bit bewildered—he had just been played by someone who seemed honest. As the youth was about to vanish from sight, Che Wuyou called out again, “Respected elder, you still haven’t told me who our revered master is!”

The youth, hearing this, felt three dark lines flash across his forehead. This kid was truly persistent—he didn’t even have the right to know his name, yet he wanted to know the name of his master as well. Shaking his head in disbelief, the youth disappeared from Che Wuyou’s sight.

The next day, before dawn, Che Wuyou tidied himself up and set off toward the Tower of Ascension. The Tower was one of the Azure Pool’s iconic ancient structures. Standing sixty stories tall, it could be seen from a great distance, making it easy to find. Che Wuyou followed an ancient path for about an hour until he arrived at the tower’s base.

When he reached the foot of the tower, a crowd of youths had already gathered. Most were around eleven or twelve years old, with the eldest appearing no older than fourteen or fifteen. They gathered in groups of three to five or even dozens, with the largest group numbering over a hundred. They chatted animatedly, boasting of youthful triumphs with unrestrained joy.

Che Wuyou recognized none of them. After scanning the crowd, he quietly stood aside, though inwardly he was quite surprised. Hadn’t the ten preliminary tests already concluded? How were so many youths still here? It was hard to imagine how many had applied to the Azure Pool each year—and how many had fallen in the arena, their hopes dashed.

Lost in thought, Che Wuyou noticed there was still some time before the trial began around the hour of Chen, so he decided to stroll around. According to the arrogant youth, some candidates would still be eliminated in this Tower trial. Though he knew the number culled wouldn’t be large, his heart was uneasy. This opportunity was hard-earned, and he could not afford to fail now. He wanted to get a rough idea of who his opponents would be.

By then, almost all the youths expected had arrived. As Che Wuyou walked and counted, he estimated nearly a thousand were present. The sheer number of talented youths from the southern border was staggering—truly astonishing.