Days slipped by quietly, and before anyone realized it, the elders had already returned from the Penglai Immortal Realm to the sect.
Inside the Elders’ Hall, the atmosphere was grave.
Xin Xiu reported what had happened within the sect in a few brief words.
Internal strife and external threats.
“Quite troublesome indeed.” She showed not a trace of worry.
The Grand Elder was deeply dissatisfied with Xin Xiu’s attitude. He said bluntly, “Don’t forget that you are still a member of the Linxian Sect.”
“The debt of nurturing.” Xin Xiu met the Grand Elder’s gaze head-on, saying slowly, “I dare not forget.”
Their relationship was far from harmonious.
Verbal sparring had become the norm, and the others had long grown accustomed to it.
Xin Xiu had specifically instructed that no disciples were allowed near the Elders’ Hall. Noticing the subtle movements outside, she said politely, “The journey was long; the elders must be weary.”
Her tone shifted. “But the sect competition is scheduled for today. I hope the elders will understand, after all, no one wants to…”
Xin Xiu left the sentence unfinished, but everyone understood the implication.
Lin Wenxiao walked over at a measured pace. “Elders, Senior Sister. All disciples participating in the sect competition have assembled.”
The Grand Elder narrowed his eyes, stroked his beard, and said deliberately, “A-Xiu truly arranges everything with great thoroughness. In the future, the Linxian Sect will still have to rely on you younger generation.”
Xin Xiu cast a cold glance at the Grand Elder.
The elders already knew something of her intention to leave. What did he mean by saying this now?
Xin Xiu rose slowly, letting a smile pass over her face. “Then please, elders, make your way over.”
The arena stood empty, with participating disciples lined up by their respective divisions.
From left to right: Formation Division, Alchemy Division, Beast Taming Division, Demon Subduing Division, Artifact Refining Division, and Talisman Division.
Disciples from divisions not participating were already waiting in the spectator area.
As the elders appeared at the edge of the arena, deafening cheers erupted from below.
One of the elders leaped onto the arena platform, cleared his throat, and announced, “All those who meet the standard may participate in the sect competition. Participants, please step onto the arena.”
The moment the words left his mouth, disciples surged from beneath the platform, clogging the path in a wall of bodies. Everyone showed off their skills, some jumped, some flew.
After a moment, the arena was packed with people, with the strongest at the very front.
Xin Xiu was no exception.
The Grand Elder raised an eyebrow slightly, scanned the participating disciples, then turned to murmur a few words with the person beside him.
The elder on the arena flew into the air and released spiritual power to light the pillars.
The arena shook, pillars rose, and the formation was activated, enveloping everyone within. Beams of golden light fell upon the crowd, some remained unharmed, while others were lifted by the golden light and carried off the arena.
The golden light on them vanished in an instant. The formation was dispelled, and those who failed to meet the standard had been teleported to the spectator area.
“First trial: the Tongtian Tower.” The elder recited the rules as usual. “The Tongtian Tower opens a total of five floors…”
Xin Xiu’s eyes dimmed. She pondered for a moment, paying no attention to the so-called rules, and only snapped back to reality when the elder finished speaking.
Fifth Elder Qing Xuan spread her palm, upon which a small tower hovered. She moved her hand forward slightly, and the small tower flew toward the arena, finally landing steadily at its center.
As the dust cleared, a tall tower stood in the very middle. Its great doors swung open, and a sinister wind swept out, howling, sending chills down one’s spine.
Inside was pitch black, with no end in sight.
“Please wear your Soul Return Stones. If you encounter danger, crush them and you will safely leave the Tongtian Tower.” The elder’s expression was stern. “Above all, do not harm fellow disciples! Violators will be disqualified from the competition and expelled from the sect!”
Xin Xiu fastened the Soul Return Stone to her waist and strode forward, until she was completely swallowed by the darkness.
Meng Yi patted Lin Wenxiao on the shoulder, his tone provocative. “I’ll go on ahead.”
Lin Wenxiao dashed forward, and in the instant he entered the Tongtian Tower, he still turned back to glance at Meng Yi.
Upon entering the first floor of the Tongtian Tower, Lin Wenxiao found no trace of Xin Xiu. He looked around in every direction.
The second floor of the Tongtian Tower lit up. The disciples still packed on the arena stared in disbelief, checking again and again.
The disciples in the spectator area were already shouting at the top of their lungs.
“Senior Sister! Artifact Refining Division! Young Sect Master! Artifact Refining Division!”
“Talisman Division is invincible! Talisman Division takes first!”
“Floor masters, don’t go easy on them!”
…
The Soul Return Stones exposed everything happening inside the Tongtian Tower without reservation.
The elders watched the scene inside with unwavering attention.
First floor: Fire Haze Prison.
From the moment she stepped into the Tongtian Tower, Xin Xiu felt as though she had been dragged into molten lava.
Inside an airtight room, there was not a single soul besides herself.
Xin Xiu remained perfectly calm. Spiritual power gathered in her hand, and she casually summoned her weapon. Holding a bamboo staff, her smile did not reach her eyes. “Won’t you come out and meet me?”
The temperature around her kept rising. Xin Xiu extended her arm straight, and it passed through a wall hot enough to melt a person.
Her smile faded, replaced by a cold gleam in her eyes.
The very next moment Xin Xiu vanished completely, Lin Wenxiao entered.
Even the first floor alone had already left many scratching their heads in frustration, unable to take a single step forward.
The Grand Elder watched the actions of everyone inside the tower. Cultivators were never short on courage, but he couldn’t figure out, was the first trial really just about courage? If so, why did no one dare take the risk?
He rubbed his teacup, and a woman’s voice reached his ears.
Qing Xuan had noticed something was off. “It’s fear holding them back.”
Hearing this, the elders were instantly enlightened.
The disciples inside the tower gathered together.
At the edge, Sui Xuan noticed something different. She walked quickly toward the opposite side, and before she realized it, her steps grew heavier and heavier.
Just as she was about to arrive, a memory that wasn’t hers flooded into her mind. She clutched her head with both hands and screamed in agony, “Ah!”
Seeing this, everyone wanted to help Sui Xuan up, but anyone who approached her was inevitably wracked with pain.
“So many people… then come find me.”
A voice echoed through the air.
The disciple at the very center suddenly opened his eyes. “Found it.”
He tossed out a talisman, raised his hand, and wrote a few characters in the air. The talisman suddenly flew off and, right before everyone’s eyes, vanished into the wall.
The disciples’ eyes lit up, and they summoned their weapons one after another.
Sui Xuan’s hands, propped on the ground, moved beyond her control. She couldn’t move at all.
“Look at me.”
The Fire Haze Master appeared before Sui Xuan out of nowhere. She reached out and lifted Sui Xuan’s chin, while her other hand held a talisman between two fingers.
Their eyes met, and Sui Xuan’s gaze gradually went blank.
The Fire Haze Master smiled in satisfaction. She withdrew her hand, slowly rose to her feet, and flicked the talisman in her hand into the air.
“Bang!”
The talisman exploded, scattering sparks of fire.
The disciples from the Formation Division opened their protective barrier first, but to their surprise, the sparks pierced through the barrier and landed on their skin.
Those touched by the sparks staggered, their faces twisting with discomfort, and gradually lost their strength.
The Fire Haze Master watched the people before her fall one by one, and couldn’t help but recall Xin Xiu’s first time entering the Tongtian Tower. Back then, she was barely over ten years old, fighting without any sense of restraint, like a madwoman.
The Fire Haze Master shook her head and returned into the wall.
The Second Elder watched their performance and sighed. “Even when retrying the Tongtian Tower, there are still those who struggle to cross the hurdle in their hearts.”
Xin Xiu was the exception. No matter how many times she started over, she never feared.
The second layer, the Suoluo Forest.
“We meet again, little Tower Master.” The woman was held high aloft by vines, the corners of her eyes slightly upturned. “Did you miss me?”
She seemed to know Xin Xiu wouldn’t answer that question, so she continued, “It’s been a long time since we last met. My hands are getting a bit itchy.”
Xin Xiu said nothing and hurled her bamboo staff. The vines surging toward her froze mid-air instantly.
“Clever.” The woman toyed with her long hair, saying casually, “But is that all?”
The bamboo staff shattered into pieces for no apparent reason, and the vines, freed from their restraint, surged forward with full force.
Seeing Xin Xiu looking completely at ease, the woman’s heart tightened. She carefully controlled every plant in the area, she didn’t want to be humiliated again.
Xin Xiu slowly parted her red lips, and a wisp of faint white smoke drifted from her mouth, carrying a subtle fragrance.
The smoke was absorbed by the plants, and the lush vegetation immediately crawled with venomous patterns.
Watching Xin Xiu’s actions, the woman opened her mouth to speak but changed her words: “Stubborn as ever.”
Every plant she cultivated could automatically expel toxins from its body.
When she first fought Xin Xiu, she had relied on this specialty to drag the battle out for a long time. Though Xin Xiu had ultimately come out on top, whenever her companions mentioned Xin Xiu, she could always proudly say she had fought Xin Xiu the longest. But now, things were different.
The toxins couldn’t be expelled.
The woman was deeply curious, how did she do it?
Just as she was lost in thought, a tingling electric sensation shot straight to her brain, both unfamiliar and familiar. In a daze, she understood.
The woman leaped down and dashed forward in a single stride. She threw a punch without mercy, the wind whistling in its wake.
The two exchanged blows back and forth, seemingly locked in a fierce battle, but in truth, it was more like playing around.
“That’s about enough. There are still people waiting behind you.” The woman teleported behind Xin Xiu, her slender arm wrapping around Xin Xiu’s neck. “Little Tower Master, see you next time.”
Fortunately, those outside the Tongtian Tower could only see the images.
“We’ll meet again soon.” Xin Xiu grabbed the woman’s hand in reverse, and with a shoulder throw, slammed her to the ground.
She took the opportunity to break free and put distance between them. Flicking her toe, she kicked up a section of bamboo staff from the ground, channeled her spiritual power to send it flying, and the staff embedded itself into a tree trunk.
The door to the third layer appeared.
The Grand Elder watched Xin Xiu’s every move. “What time is it?”
“One stick of incense has passed.” The Second Elder praised without reservation: “She is exceptional. In the sect, there are many whose cultivation surpasses hers, but how many can gain an advantage over her? Among her peers, there’s no need to even mention it.”
In truth, he didn’t understand why Yi Bugua held such prejudice against Xin Xiu, or perhaps, fear.
“Would any of you dare say you don’t fear her?” The Grand Elder took a sip of tea, bitterness spreading across his tongue. He spoke bluntly: “I simply refuse to put on airs like the rest of you. We’re all intelligent people.”
They feared her vast ambition, and the strength that matched it.
They even feared the talent she was born with.
The Second Elder’s brows carried a smile, but his tone was icy cold: “So what exactly did you divine?”
The other elders paid no mind to the situation within the Tower of Heaven; their gazes all fixed on Yi Bugua, each wearing a different expression, yet all feigning nonchalance.
“Heaven’s secrets cannot be revealed.” The Grand Elder turned his head to look at them, speaking with deliberate meaning: “That’s something we’re all more than familiar with.”
A burst of cheers drew their attention back to the Tongtian Tower.
Lin Wenxiao caught the final moment of Xin Xiu’s disappearance, and a sour feeling stirred in his heart.
They always seemed to just miss their chance.
No.
It was more that he could no longer keep pace with her steps.
The Wood Layer Master glanced at the distracted Lin Wenxiao, silently muttering a few incantations as the plants surged wildly.
Lin Wenxiao swept his gaze across the surroundings, only to spot the Wood Layer Master’s trail. He launched his attack first.
The Wood Layer Master darted back and forth through the tree fern forest, and Lin Wenxiao simply couldn’t get close.
He summoned his longsword, twisted his wrist, and slashed out a sword aura.
The strike landed on the tree trunk, kicking up dust, yet the trunk remained completely unscathed.
Lin Wenxiao realized the Layer Master had no intention of fighting him.
The longer this dragged on, the more disciples would enter the second layer, there was no question who that favored.
Why?
Lin Wenxiao halted his movements, pondering for a moment.
More and more people gathered, and he’d tried multiple approaches.
How to pass?
It seemed no one had a solution.
“Why has everyone stopped moving?”
“All attacks are blocked by the plants, and fire won’t burn them either. Blindly attacking is just a waste of effort.”
“I saw the Senior Sister pass through with ease, why is it so hard for everyone else?”
“The first trial was the same. Who knows what tricks she used.”
…
Until the fourth layer lit up.
Only then did the Wood Layer Master launch a perfunctory attack before letting them through.
The elders saw it.
Saw it all clearly.
The Wood Layer Master smiled at them, blatantly.
The first time could be called an accident, but the second was deliberate.
The Grand Elder asked Qing Xuan: “You didn’t reach an agreement?”
“No.” Qing Xuan chewed on the spirit fruit in her mouth. “Is that unusual?”
The Grand Elder said nothing.
The first and second layers were completely empty now, and the outside world could no longer see what was happening within.
“Excluding the time you spent talking nonsense, half an incense stick.” The Fire Haze Master smiled ambiguously at the person before him.
The Wood Layer Master hurled a medicine bottle at the Fire Haze Master. “Get over here and help me apply the medicine.”
She muttered under her breath, “Cut from the same mold, no sense of restraint, and holds grudges too.”
“We knew that from the very first meeting.” The Fire Haze Master said seriously: “For now, we can only hope she grows stronger.”
“We’re already at a dead end.” The Wood Layer Master paused. “What else is there to worry about?”
The Fire Haze Master rarely contradicted her. “What we worry about isn’t just people.”