Seeing that no one was gravely injured, the elders sighed in relief. However, they were more interested in how Krune filled the Godly Energy Orb up past 100%. No one had reached 100% before, let alone pass it. Someone who seemed to be the leader of their group then stepped forward.
"Well, can you tell me what happened?"
Without another choice, Krune could only speak the truth. He didn't lie and told how the Godly Energy Orb suddenly held his hands after he charged it up to 87%. Obviously, everyone was taken aback by what they heard. The Godly Energy Orbs had never acted like that before.
"That's strange. However, you said that you charged the Orb up to 87% on your own, is that correct?"
Krune nodded.
"Yes. I have no idea why it began to absorb my energy after that, though."
The elder pondered a bit before saying.
"Anyway, let me introduce myself first. My name is Huan Zinssian, one of the elders in charge of this test. I will need you to try it once more since I can't guarantee that you really charged the Orb up to 87% on your own. This time, I'll check it by myself."
Krune nodded, not minding it much. He then went to another Orb pointed by elder Huan and began to charge the energy inside. In the end, the same scene played once again. Krune's hands got stuck at the Godly Orb after he surpassed the 80% mark. However, the Orb didn't explode this time. Elder Huan was controlling the formation, so he turned it off when he noticed that the Orb was going out of control again.
"That's indeed weird. It seems like you have some special aptitude towards Godly Energy that makes the Godly Orb go crazy. Still, I was able to access your cultivation talent before the Orb lost control. There is no doubt that you can charge the Orb to 87% on your own. In that case, I'll put you in second place. Perhaps, this is a good thing."
Krune sighed in relief as he went to a corner with the top 10 in the formation display. Arriving there, Iem immediately asked him what happened. Krune then pondered a bit about the sensation he felt and then explained through a Divine Sense Message.
"When I got stuck, and the Orb began to absorb my energy on its own, I could feel my Heavenly Fragments stirring again. Without a doubt, these Godly Energy Orbs are connected to whatever is calling me from inside the tower. I noticed that it was slightly different from the ones of the Holy Land, so that should be the reason too."
Iem nodded.
"In that case, we can only wait to see what we can find there. Still, you better be careful. Since that Orb tried to suck you dry, the tower might pose some threat to you."
Krune agreed with Iem as they waited for the tests that continued. In the end, the top 10 changed another 3 times. However, Iem and Krune positions didn't budge. Just like that, the trial was finished.
Elder Huan then returned to the platform at the center of the field.
"Congratulations to those who passed the test. From now on, you are part of the Godly Tower. Cultivate hard so that you can help defend the city against the beast hordes. As for those who failed, we still expect you to not slack off. Every life in our town is essential to survive the attacks."
Elder Huan then continued his speech for a while longer. After that, the crowd began to slowly disperse. At the same time, the elders came back for the 10 cultivators who passed the test.
"Come with us, we are going to guide you into the tower."
There were several cultivation realms between those who passed. The weakest one was a kid at the Initial Stages of the Core Formation Realm. There was also One Divine Soul Realm, One Soul Forging, One at the Void Breaking, Two at Divine Path, and finally, Three Divine View Realms. Krune and Iem, obviously, were part of the Divine View Realm ones.
The Semi-Divinity Realm guards at the entrance opened the path for the elders. As Krune and Iem looked at the other participants, they could see the excitement on their faces.
As soon as they entered the tower, Krune and Iem felt the overwhelming concentration of Godly Energy. They could tell that it was at least four to five times more intense. Without a doubt, it was a cultivation paradise! At the same time, Krune felt the presence of the thing that was calling him. From the looks, it was on the last floors of the tower. He looks up as if instinctively, but he obviously couldn't see anything in there. At most, he could use his Mental Energy, but it definitely wouldn't reach the last floor. From what Krune could see outside, he would need to be at least at the 13 or 14th floor if he wanted his Mental Energy to touch the last floor of the tower.
Iem then sent him a Divine Sense Message.
"As we know, Godly Energy in the city is provided by the tower. In that case, from where do you think this Godly Energy is being absorbed?"
Krune understood what Iem meant.
"You are saying that there is a formation or at least something that is connected to the outside. Whatever it is, it's this connection that provides the Godly Energy for the tower, correct?"
Iem nodded.
"Exactly. It might as well be our only pass to freedom. If possible, I really don't want to enter that maze again."
Krune agreed with Iem. Those Azure Beetles were already enough to make them feel helpless.
"Have you noticed that there is some kind of pressure here?"
"Yes. However, it is very faint. It feels like the pressure given by higher cultivators. However, it seems to be avoiding us."
Just as Krune and Iem were about to continue their conversation, everyone stopped.
Elder Huan then looked at all the new cultivators of the Godly Tower before saying.
"Each one of you will be assigned a room for cultivation. This floor where we are at the moment has the smalled concentration of Godly Energy. That being said, the higher you go, the more energy will be. The Godly Tower has a total of 15 floors, so the 15th obviously has the highest concentration. The floors where you can cultivate will depend on your cultivation level."
"The first floor would be for Qi Condensation Realm, but you won't find anyone at this realm since only babies would be around this level. We did get one or another very young kid at the Foundation Establishment before on the second floor, but those were also rare. At the moment, we don't have any kid at this level in the tower, though. Finally, this kid at the Core Formation Realm, your room will be on the third floor."
Krune and Iem immediately understood that they would be assigned a room on the 8th floor. The elders then began to guide those cultivators to each of their floors. Elder Huan, as the leader of the group, guided the Divine View Realm cultivators. Other than Krune and Iem, the other cultivator at the Divine View Realm was a female called Eata Sentef. She was in the 3rd Stage.
On the way, Krune and Iem noticed that the pressure increased after every floor they passed through. In the end, Krune couldn't help but ask.
"Elder Huan. If each floor can only be accessed by a specific cultivation level, then what about the last floors? After all, the Transformation Realm would only allow one to enter the 11th floor. Is it because of this pressure that we are feeling?"
Elder Huan seemed to already expect that question, so he didn't mind answering it.
"Exactly. The pressure after the 11th floor is too high, so it is hard to cultivate there. Because of that, we limited access to those who don't have enough cultivation. After all, we can't afford to lose our talents just because they decided to bite more than what they can chew."
Krune and the others nodded.
"I understand. I wonder how the last floor should be like. Have elder Huan ever been there before?"
Elder Huan couldn't help but laugh.
"Hahaha! Only those who have a death wish would get close to that place. Let alone the 15th floor, I can barely withstand a few breaths on the 13th floor. The 15th floor had always been a mystery for us. No equipment or technique can help you fend off that pressure. Believe me, we tried."
Krune and Iem looked at each other. That answer was more or less like they expected. However, there was one thing that Elder Huan didn't know. For some reason, Krune and Iem didn't feel like the pressure affected them at all. They knew it was there, but it was avoiding them both!
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