Chapter 593: Chapter 568: The Ninth-Ranked Supreme Treasure
The entire challenge lasted a full seven days before it finally came to an end.
And in the end, it was not just Lu Yan who succeeded in the challenge.
In the boundless starry sky, vast and limitless, there were numerous capable individuals. Indeed, there were some monstrous talents hidden in the shadows, who were not well-known usually, but emerged spectacularly in the end.
A few powerful dark horses, after observing for several days, finally locked in on their targets and initiated their challenges. They triumphed in one fell swoop and held their positions until the very end.
In the end, including Lu Yan, a total of six people succeeded in the challenge, replacing the previous six seeded contestants.
However, Xing Yu of the Star Palace ultimately failed to secure a spot to compete.
Ever since he was heavily injured by a single strike from Lu Yan, it seemed as though his fighting spirit was shattered and his doctrine heart was wounded. Although he launched several challenges afterward, they all ended in failure.
The challenge concluded and the final spots were determined.
"All right, the first round is over. If there are no surprises, you thirty-six will be the final candidates representing the starry sky in battle. Next, we’ll proceed with the second round."
"The reason for having a second round is that for the next several hundred years, the starry sky will devote all its resources to train you. It’s not to help you increase your cultivation level, but to enhance your combat ability."
"However, since top-tier resources are limited, they can only be allocated according to rank. The higher your rank, the better the resources you can receive. For example, this time we have jointly cultivated the Reincarnation Fruit, of which there are only nine – only the top nine will receive them..."
The voice of The Ruler of Desolate Heaven rose.
"What? Reincarnation Fruit."
Upon hearing this, not to speak of those in the Tao Realm, even existences in the Creator Realm began to breathe rapidly.
Even the top powerhouses at the third step of the Creator Realm showed a glimmer of flame in their eyes.
The Reincarnation Fruit, a supremely rare and legendary treasure, was seldom seen throughout the ages.
It was said that consuming one Reincarnation Fruit would allow a person’s thoughts to enter into reincarnation, and not just for one lifetime, but for a hundred lives.
Reincarnating a hundred times, living a different life of cultivation each time.
Going through a hundred lives and experiencing a hundred different paths of cultivation could provide unimaginable help to a cultivator.
There were legends that in ancient times, someone who had consumed a Reincarnation Fruit created astonishing techniques that became renowned for eternity.
In reality, allowing a person’s thoughts to enter into reincarnation was something some powerful True One State cultivators could achieve as well.
But there was a huge downside: once a cultivator’s thoughts entered reincarnation, they would lose themselves.
Forget a hundred lives, just one life could cause confusion, making it unclear which life was real and which was false.
In ancient times, many who sought to comprehend the doctrine in this way eventually became completely lost, went mad, and perished with their doctrine collapsing.
Such incidents did not happen just once or twice.
After several such instances, no one dared to try it again.
However, the Reincarnation Fruit had an incredible effect of allowing one to maintain their true self and stabilize their doctrine heart while undergoing reincarnation, without the slightest loss of self.
This was a divine fruit that countless cultivators longed for.
Only, the conditions for cultivating the Reincarnation Fruit were extremely harsh.
It required the corpse of a True One State powerhouse as nourishment, and it would bloom after 333,300 years, bear fruit after another 333,300 years, and mature after yet another 333,300 years.
Altogether, nearly a million years.
"Quite the elaborate plan."
Many people’s breathing became rapid.
This time, the supreme powers truly went all out.
Lu Yan himself was also truly moved.
If he could obtain a Reincarnation Fruit, it would greatly assist him in creating laws and comprehending the doctrine.
It was an opportunity not to be missed.
"Of course, these are just the rewards for ranks one to nine. Other ranks will also have corresponding rewards, all top-notch treasures."
"Additionally, you are free to comprehend the cultivation methods from various major forces. This time, they are all open to you."
"As for how to determine the ranks, it’s quite simple. We will use the Supreme True Treasure ’Sky Fantasy Tower’ to create eighteen layers of space. Each layer of space will have corresponding warriors. You just need to storm the tower, and your ranks will be determined based on the layers you pass and the time used."
As The Ruler of Desolate Heaven said this, he lifted his hand, and a black tower flew out.
As soon as the small tower appeared, it rapidly expanded, growing as large as a mountain and floating in the sky.
This was the renowned Supreme True Treasure Sky Fantasy Tower, ranked ninth on the ’Supreme True Treasure List,’ higher even than the Dao Book.
"Go in. All thirty-six of you can enter together."
Declared The Ruler of Desolate Heaven.
Swish, swish, swish...
Thirty-six unparalleled talents transformed into thirty-six streaks of rainbow light, flying into the gate of the ’Sky Fantasy Tower.’
No sooner had they entered that the gate closed on its own, and with a wave of his hand, The Ruler of Desolate Heaven caused thirty-six names to appear above the gate of the Sky Fantasy Tower.
Chen Xuanhuang, Dongfang Yue, Gu Hanyang, Zhang Wei...
Behind each name, there was a numeral ’one.’
The crowd understood that this number indicated that everyone was still on the first layer.
...
As soon as Lu Yan entered the gate of the Sky Fantasy Tower, it was as if he had passed through a world barrier, and in the next moment, he arrived in a vast land.
The world was boundless, with towering waves of heat.
In the void, a silhouette emerged.
This was a young man with a longsword on his back, emanating a sharp edge, as life-like as any living person.
However, Lu Yan knew that this young man was merely an illusion created by the Sky Fantasy Tower and not a real person.
As the young man appeared, his longsword was already unsheathed, aiming a dazzling sword light straight at Lu Yan.
Tao Seventh Layer Peak.
Lu Yan assessed the young man’s cultivation level.
But it was just an ordinary Tao Seventh Layer Peak, with no special qualities.
Lu Yan swung his sword, and with a flash of his blade, the young man was split in two, dissolving into a shower of light and disappearing.
Immediately in front of Lu Yan, a pitch-black vortex appeared, and with a single step, he entered another space.
At that moment, on the gate outside, the numeral behind Zhang Wei’s name changed from one to two.
Almost simultaneously, the ones behind the other thirty-five names also turned to twos.
It was clear that to the thirty-six monstrous talents, a mere ordinary Tao Seventh Layer Peak was no obstacle at all; they each dispatched him with a single move.
Entering the second layer, this time, two men appeared in the air.
One wielded a blade, the other a longsword, together forming a combined strike array, and they attacked Lu Yan.
But these two were merely ordinary cultivators at the Tao Seventh Layer Peak, each individually not much different from the ones on the first floor.
Yet, when they launched an attack in a combined strike array, their strength was significantly greater than that of an individual alone.
But to Lu Yan, there was no difference.
With a flash of the blade, the two turned into a shower of light, a vortex emerged again, and Lu Yan stepped into the third layer.
On the third layer, there was only one person.
However, this individual possessed two Organ Miracles and naturally was at the Tao Seventh Layer Peak. His strength was naturally a lot more formidable than the previous opponents.
But the result was still the same.
A single slash, and the figure dissipated.
On the fourth layer, there were two figures, both with two Organ Miracles, and even their combined strike was resolved with a single blade.
On the fifth layer, there was one figure, but he possessed three Organ Miracles.
On the sixth layer, there were two figures...
On the seventh layer, one figure, with four Organ Miracles...
By the ninth layer, the single figure that appeared was significantly stronger, possessing an Innate Magic Body and executing domain attacks.
Yet, he was still resolved with a single blade.
On the tenth layer, two Innate Magic Bodies.
And by the eleventh layer, although there was no qualitative change, there appeared four figures.
Among them, two were Innate Magic Bodies, one was a special soul practitioner with a powerful soul, specializing in the art of soul attacks, targeting the soul directly.
And the fourth one was a cultivator from the Immortal Tao.
The four of them teamed up and set up a Combined Strike Array, complementing each other perfectly, as if they were one being.
Some were skilled in defense, fending off the frontal assault, some excelled in speed, entangling with their pace, some resorted to soul attacks, and others attacked from the sides...
Honestly speaking, the power was quite impressive.
If an ordinary Initial Body faced them, they would be thrown into disarray, and victory would not come easily.
But Lu Yan was no ordinary Initial Body.
"Dead men!"
His powerful soul clamped down on the four figures, followed by the deathly Sword Light sweeping out, accurately striking all four figures and slaying them.
A Space Door appeared, and Lu Yan stepped through it to the twelfth layer.
Starting from the eleventh layer, a gap began to manifest among the thirty-six prodigies.
Most of them still managed to defeat their opponents instantly, rapidly advancing to the twelfth layer.
But a small portion slightly delayed, clearly not able to achieve instant kills.
On the twelfth layer, there was only one person.
But there was a qualitative change.
Because that one person was an Initial Body.
This person belonged to the Lightning Initial Body.
A powerful domain surged out, attacking Lu Yan.
Puff!
One blade, resolved.
The thirteenth layer.
This layer had two Initial Bodies.
The Lightning Initial Body and the Earth Initial Body.
With the two combining their attacks, one offensive and one defensive, complementing each other, they were much more troublesome than a single Initial Body.
But still, they did nothing to hinder Lu Yan.
Lu Yan unleashed his Tao Sixth Layer Cultivation Level, operated the Saint Soldier’s Formula at full power, and used six types of Magic Fusions.
The six Magic Fusions drove the Heavenly Punishment Blade to tear through space, effortlessly shattering everything in its path.
The two Initial Bodies exploded, reduced to dust.
Thirteenth layer, passed.
Onto the fourteenth layer.
The fourteenth layer saw the number of figures double instantly, reaching four.
Two Initial Bodies, one offensive, one defensive.
The third specialized in soul attacks, the fourth followed the Immortal Tao.
The setup, similar to the four figures on the twelfth layer, but the strength, was worlds apart.
However, under Lu Yan’s domineering Sword Light, they were still effortlessly defeated.
And starting from the thirteenth layer, some faced difficulties.
After all, only about half were comparable in strength to a Multiple-Origin Body.
The rest, although stronger than the ordinary Initial Body, found handling the combined forces of two Initial Bodies not so easy.
After spending some time, all thirty-six finally passed through the thirteenth layer.
But the fourteenth layer was different.
Those who managed to pass through swiftly and without any hindrance were only six.
The others, including the Dual Primebody, were bogged down, after much struggle and expenditure of time and energy, they eventually made it through.
And from this layer onwards, failures began to emerge.
Hum!
The Sky Fantasy Tower gate glowed, and a figure flew out, landing on the ground, pale-faced.
"Xu Huanshan, fourteenth layer, defeated."
Above the gate, a name was followed by a few words.
Seeing his name, the person’s face turned gloomy.
He had become the first to fail, bottoming out among the thirty-six.
