Chapter 107: Another Twenty Kilograms

The first level of the Heaven-Reaching Tower.

A large crowd had already gathered in the central area of the first level. Above every person’s head hovered a line of striking red characters. While the depth of the color, the size of the font, and the thickness of the strokes varied from person to person, they generally fell within a specific range, with no glaring disparities among the majority.

Suddenly, a burly youth dressed in green emerged from the ancient woods bordering the center. His face had initially been twisted in fury, but as he caught sight of the red inscriptions floating above the crowd, half his anger vanished in an instant. When his gaze fell upon the most prominent figure in the group, he was stunned into silence, followed immediately by a burst of raucous laughter. Gone was his earlier rage; he now looked thoroughly delighted.

"Li Zhen, what is the meaning of this? Why are you staring at us and laughing?" A youth in fine robes standing beside Yang Fengge demanded, glaring at the green-clad youth with evident displeasure.

"I laugh because I feel like it. What business is it of yours?" Li Zhen retorted, casting a sidelong, contemptuous glance at him. "I thought our so-called genius would be something extraordinary, but to think he only managed to obtain a measly ten zhu of low-grade essence stones. Truly impressive, absolutely marvelous! Hahaha!"

It was clear that Li Zhen was mocking Yang Fengge. Even a talent as outstanding as Yang Fengge was not immune to provocation—a testament to the saying that the tallest tree in the forest is the first to be felled by the wind. Yang Fengge himself, however, remained unmoved, as if he hadn't heard a word. Only those who knew him well noticed that his already indifferent expression had turned even colder.

Seeing that Yang Fengge ignored him, the robed youth beside him couldn't help but snap back, "Don't get too smug, Li Zhen. You only obtained a single zhu of low-grade essence stones yourself. Throughout the generations of the Li family, every successor has been a peerless figure who stirred the winds and clouds; I have never seen one as incompetent as you. You had better be careful—if you fail to even pass the test of the Heaven-Reaching Tower, you will not only humiliate yourself but also tarnish the reputation of the Li family."

The burly youth’s face changed abruptly at these words. Before he could erupt in anger, another robed youth beside Yang Fengge interjected, "Yang Yu, what do you think you are? The Li family is filled with masters, and in Qingchi, their status and merit are unparalleled. Is that something a junior like you can judge or even discuss? Apologize to Li Zhen at once! You really are speaking nonsense in a feverish state."

"Brother, you..." Yang Yu protested, feeling aggrieved. They were all descendants of the Qingchi elders, so why was it that a Li could mock or even insult a Yang, yet the Yangs had to observe so many taboos when even mentioning the Li name? However, upon catching the icy, indifferent gaze of Yang Fengge—the most outstanding figure of the current Yang generation—he lowered his head and muttered, "Li Zhen, my apologies. I was speaking out of turn. Don't take it to heart."

"Get lost. To hell with your apology. If you have the guts, let’s see who makes it further in the Heaven-Reaching Tower." As Li Zhen spoke, he shot another look at Yang Fengge. The test of the Heaven-Reaching Tower required not only strength but, at times, luck. Though his strength might not match Yang Fengge’s, he refused to believe his luck was inferior. Besides, this was only the beginning; once his bloodline awakened, he wouldn't care much for Yang Fengge. He was a direct descendant of the Li family, and his awakened bloodline would be nothing short of extraordinary.

As the group bickered, another figure emerged from the woods. Above this person’s head, the red characters were exceptionally large and deep: "Twenty kilograms of low-grade essence stones." For some here, twenty kilograms was unremarkable, but on the first level of the tower, where everyone else possessed only a few or a dozen zhu, it was a striking sight. It represented both strength and luck—how could others not be envious?

In the world of cultivation, luck was an ethereal and mysterious concept, yet it undeniably existed. Generally, those with greater strength possessed greater luck; they acquired powerful artifacts, obtained heaven-defying medicinal pills, and even turned catastrophes into blessings. There were others born with immense luck, which only grew as their strength increased. Consequently, some powerful entities existed solely to plunder the luck and resources of these favored individuals to strengthen themselves.

Some who were unaware of the situation grew restless, harboring thoughts of seizing those "twenty kilograms of low-grade essence stones," if only for the sake of the luck they represented. However, before they could act, a few impulsive individuals rushed forward. They reached the person quickly, but were sent flying back even faster. No one could clearly see how the figure had struck; all the attackers were defeated, including several at the early stage of the Guiyuan Realm, and one who was even at the middle stage.

Yang Fengge remained cold and detached, the commotion seemingly failing to disturb him for even a second; he barely seemed to notice the figure who had appeared. The burly youth in green, however, felt his expression shift slightly. To repel a middle-stage Guiyuan expert with such casual ease—even if he could do it, could he be so effortless?

For the first time, Li Zhen spoke the person's name aloud: "The Ye family, Ye Xuan!" Although she had displayed her talent during the ten-pass test in Qingchi, he hadn't paid her much mind then. But now, he truly took note of her—the girl in black, whose formidable strength posed a threat even to him.

Regardless, he would test her strength. Li Zhen walked toward the girl in black step by step. Despite her prowess, he felt no fear, nor did he ever consider the possibility of defeat. It wasn't that he was arrogant; it was simply his nature never to dwell on such concerns until a fight had been lost. Even then, he would wait for the next opportunity to challenge his opponent again, unless the gap in their strength was truly insurmountable.

The crowd noticed the green-clad youth heading toward the "twenty kilograms" mark and looked on with anticipation. Twenty kilograms was no easy opponent; the fact that he dared to act immediately suggested he was no pushover. Yet, having just witnessed the clean, decisive strike of the "twenty kilograms" contender, and recalling her stellar performance in the Qingchi ten-pass test, many did not favor the green-clad youth. After all, the "twenty kilograms" was Ye Xuan of the Ye Prefecture, a direct daughter of the Ye family.

Just as Li Zhen’s fighting spirit surged, ready to engage Ye Xuan, another person darted out from the woods. Above this person’s head, the red characters were dazzling and exceptionally clear: they, too, read "Twenty kilograms of low-grade essence stones."