Chapter 105: The Tower to Heaven (4)

One thousand youths entered the first level of the Heaven-Reaching Tower. From the outside, it did not seem like much, but upon entering, one could truly sense the vast, expansive nature of the structure. The thousand youths were like a thousand tiny ants scattered across the first level; they had been teleported to various corners of the perimeter, and unless they traveled toward the center, it would be extremely difficult for any two of them to encounter one another.

It was evident that all the youths were here for the first time. They were filled with curiosity about the environment of the Heaven-Reaching Tower. Even a local youth from Qingchi like Yang Fengge did not rush toward the center to find the entrance to the second level, but instead lingered along the outer rim, observing and wandering continuously.

"They said every level would have corresponding treasures, damn it, so why haven't any appeared yet? Are they trying to trick me?" A burly youth in green robes strode toward the center, muttering curses as he walked. He cared little for the environment of the tower; his mind was entirely occupied by the thought of treasures. According to what Yang Guan had implied, one should encounter treasures on every level, yet after walking for a long time without seeing any, his mood grew increasingly irritable.

"This... this..." No sooner had the green-clad youth finished his cursing than a green medicinal pill flew abruptly toward him. The youth was genuinely startled. He stared at the pill before him, taking a long moment to realize what had happened. Damn, there really were treasures here; this stroke of luck had come too suddenly.

The youth grinned, reached out with a hand as large as a palm-leaf fan, and firmly grasped the pill. Just as he was about to tilt his head back and roar with laughter, his expression suddenly shifted. He began to beat his chest and stomp his feet, howling, "Ah! Ah! I’m furious! I’m absolutely furious! Where is the promised treasure? Damn it, how did it turn into an 'Appetite-Stimulating Pill' instead?..."

Regardless of his dissatisfaction and angry shouting, a flamboyant, eye-catching line of red text appeared above his head: "One Zhu of low-grade origin stone." In the Southern Continent, ten Zhu were roughly equivalent to one Liang of low-grade origin stone. This Appetite-Stimulating Pill did not even rank among medicinal grades, so it was naturally of little value; it was no wonder the youth was so angry.

Meanwhile, Che Wuyou had been moving with extreme caution since entering the tower, as no one knew what other risks might lurk within. After scouting the outer perimeter and finding nothing but giant boulders and ancient trees, he began making his way toward the center. Yet, the further he traveled, the more mysterious and unfathomable the tower seemed. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth within the tower appeared far more abundant than outside, a sensation that intensified the closer he drew to the center.

Stepping on the dry, fallen branches beneath his feet, Che Wuyou heard nothing but the rhythmic crunching of wood; there was no other sound to be found. It felt like a lost world, one in which he was the only living soul. He looked up at the dark, mysterious cyan ceiling of the second level. Although it was hundreds of feet above him, it still evoked a sense of oppressive weight.

"Wait, why is it so high?" Since arriving, Che Wuyou had overlooked a crucial question: why did the tower appear to be only a hundred feet tall from the outside, yet the first level alone seemed to possess that same height inside? Could he be looking at the ceiling of the sixtieth level? But that seemed impossible.

Che Wuyou glanced back at the path he had traveled, and a jolt of terror sent his soul reeling. There was nothing behind him—only a bottomless abyss beneath his feet. He had clearly walked from that direction just moments ago; why had the path vanished, only to be replaced by a massive chasm? He caught a fleeting glimpse of the thick, black fog shrouding the depths of the abyss and shivered uncontrollably. Was it an illusion? Not daring to linger, he hurried toward the center.

He had not traveled far when he felt his foot strike something. Looking down, he discovered a coarse cloth bag. He hesitated for a moment before carefully opening it. The bag was filled entirely with origin stones. Although they were of the low-grade variety, the sheer quantity was enough to make his eyes ache from their shimmer. At that moment, a striking line of red text appeared above his head: "Twenty kilograms of low-grade origin stones."

Che Wuyou looked at the bag, then at the flamboyant red text above his head, and could not help but offer a wry smile. Twenty kilograms of low-grade origin stones was a massive fortune. Even back at the Miao family, if one excluded low-grade treasures, all of Liu Lanzhi's wealth combined would barely amount to this. Yet, such a massive fortune had been bestowed upon him so casually. However, before he could even revel in his joy, the red text above his head had placed him in an incredibly conspicuous position; it was as if the tower were terrified that no one else would notice, displaying the words in a font both large and eye-catching.

In truth, Che Wuyou did not know that there was another person whose text was even larger and more conspicuous than his own. This person was named Yun Fan. Like Che Wuyou, he came from an insignificant family. During the ten-stage test in Qingchi, his performance had been entirely mediocre—he had passed by the skin of his teeth—so no one had paid him any mind. Yet, above his head, the text read: "Twenty kilograms of mid-grade origin stones." He held nothing in his hands, for what he had obtained was a rare spatial bag. Although its internal storage space was very small, any spatial item was of heaven-defying value, making the twenty kilograms of mid-grade origin stones a fitting reward.

Inside a small room in the "Sword-Questioning Pavilion" of the Qingchi Sword Sect, an old man with a face full of wrinkles stroked his snow-white beard and laughed, "I truly never expected this boy named Yun Fan to have such fortune. To be a child of such ordinary aptitude and yet obtain such a treasure on the first level of the Heaven-Reaching Tower—truly remarkable."

Li Muqiu looked at the image projected on the wall, which displayed the scene from the first level of the tower. He watched the youth named Yun Fan, whom Mu Chen was fixated on. Although obtaining twenty kilograms of mid-grade origin stones was indeed extraordinary, Li Muqiu was not particularly concerned with it. Instead, his gaze fell upon another youth in the scene. "Second Brother, do you think this boy, Che Wuyou, can pass the test?"

"Che Wuyou?" Mu Chen followed Li Muqiu's gaze. "Is this the boy you brought back?"

"Indeed."

"In my opinion, it will be difficult—extremely difficult—for this boy to pass the Heaven-Reaching Tower test," Mu Chen said, his expression turning grave. "Junior Brother Sect Master, this boy is merely a child of ordinary aptitude. No, strictly speaking, he can only be considered a child of very low aptitude."