Chapter Seventy-Seven: There’s Definitely Something Strange!

Outside the tower, exclamations filled the air, yet none of these sounds could penetrate the walls within. At the entrance to the seventh floor, Chen Xiang lay sprawled on the ground like a dead dog. But it was not his own will that forced him down; rather, it was the crushing weight of the pressure in this place.

Even pinned to the floor, his face could barely contain his wild grin as the system notifications echoed endlessly in his mind. In just this short span, he had amassed over six thousand reputation points! Counting what he’d earned before, his total now surpassed twelve thousand—a fortune beyond his wildest dreams, and the number was still climbing, albeit slowly.

The seventh floor’s rewards were equally generous: after staying here for just half an hour, he’d earn fifty points of divine will, with a fifty percent boost to his cultivation speed in the Spirit-Refining Technique. And it didn’t end there. If he endured another hour after that, he’d be granted thirty more points of divine will, and his cultivation speed would still benefit from a thirty percent increase during that time.

Double the rewards! Naturally, he decided to remain here and cultivate for a full hour and a half.

Time slipped by, and half an hour passed swiftly.

“Ding! Congratulations, Host ‘Chen Xiang,’ on refining divine will—fifty points earned!”

“Ding! Endure for another half hour to receive thirty more points of divine will and a thirty percent boost to Spirit-Refining Technique cultivation speed!”

As his divine will surged, Chen Xiang sprang to his feet—a hero once more! With the points gained from cultivation, he’d increased his divine will by over sixty points in one go. Though he no longer lay helplessly crushed to the ground, the pressure here still far surpassed what he’d faced on the sixth floor.

He settled into a cross-legged position and continued refining his spirit. A thirty percent bonus to cultivation speed over the course of an hour was nothing to scoff at. Glancing at his progress, he saw that he’d already reached nearly twenty percent completion on the first layer of the Spirit-Refining Technique—and he had only been cultivating it for a few hours!

While Chen Xiang cultivated with delight on the seventh floor, the scene outside the tower was far more tense.

A sharp gust sliced through the air, its force stabbing painfully at the eardrums of all cultivators present who had yet to reach the Nascent Soul stage. Some of the weaker Core Formation cultivators even bled from the ears and fainted. It was none other than the reclusive Ancestor of the Snowveil Sect.

He arrived without the slightest hint of oppressive aura, yet even the faint presence he exuded was more than the assembled cultivators could bear.

“So this is the Snowveil Sect’s Ancestor—a powerhouse of the Infant Transformation stage?”

“He seems so unassuming, yet I feel like an ant before him!”

“Infant Transformation cultivators truly are terrifying!”

The Ancestor’s appearance was that of a kind, gentle elder. As soon as he arrived, the sect leader and all the elders bowed deeply.

“Greetings, Ancestor!” The Snowveil Sect’s members paid their respects, and the rest of the cultivators bowed their heads in reverence as well. After all, a powerhouse commanded natural awe.

“Rise, all of you,” the Ancestor intoned softly.

Obediently, everyone straightened—except for the members of the Snowveil Sect, the other cultivators stepped back a respectful distance.

“Chu Nan, have you found that sixth-rank alchemist yet?” the Ancestor asked mildly.

The sect leader stepped forward, bowing slightly. “Ancestor, forgive my incompetence. We have not found him yet, but I have ordered surveillance on all Nascent Soul cultivators. I believe we’ll uncover him soon.”

The old man nodded, asking nothing further. Instead, he turned his gaze to the seventh floor.

“That boy is still inside?” he asked with a frown.

“Yes, Ancestor. He’s been in there for half an hour already!” The sect leader’s tone was filled with incredulity—even he could only last half an hour on the seventh floor at most!

“Oh?” The Ancestor’s eyes glimmered, his thoughts unreadable.

Another hour slipped by.

“Ding! Congratulations, Host ‘Chen Xiang,’ on refining divine will—thirty points earned!”

With the system’s chime, Chen Xiang’s eyes snapped open. He stood instantly, finding himself completely unburdened by pressure. This time, he’d gained over forty points of divine will, and his spiritual sense underwent another transformation. If it had once been like gauze, it was now like coarse cloth.

“Heh, I fear nothing! Earning reputation and growing stronger—this is a win!” Chen Xiang declared boldly.

His gaze burned as he looked toward the entrance to the eighth floor.

The rush of reputation points made him crave more. Unable to resist, he strode towards the eighth floor.

But this time, his ambition was thwarted.

Bang! The moment he set foot on the eighth floor, a crushing force slammed into him, overwhelming his spiritual sense. His body was flung backward, crashing heavily to the ground. Instantly, a beam of white light enveloped him, and he was teleported away.

Outside the tower, all eyes were fixed on the pristine white wooden plaque. Under the crowd’s watchful gaze, the plaque suddenly moved, shooting up to the eighth floor!

“Holy—!”

“Gods! Is this for real?”

“My heaven, he’s actually trying for the eighth floor!”

Even the Ancestor of the Snowveil Sect could not conceal his astonishment, his face dark and inscrutable. The elders were even more shocked, nearly frightened out of their wits.

Just as everyone was marveling, the white wooden plaque suddenly dropped, and in a flash of white light from the teleportation array outside the tower, a figure appeared—Chen Xiang, the plaque once more in his hand.

Clutching his chest, Chen Xiang stepped from the teleportation array. His spiritual sense had nearly shattered just now; had the pressure lasted a moment longer, he’d be either a fool or a corpse.

“Greed nearly got the better of me,” Chen Xiang sighed.

He had been too reckless. The pressure he’d felt was definitely beyond the Infant Transformation stage, or he wouldn’t have been so battered. It must have been at the Void Refining stage or higher! The gap was simply too great; it was no wonder he couldn’t withstand it. Still, the system had granted him a small reward for his efforts—ten points of divine will—and he’d gained about two thousand reputation points in this brief attempt.

As soon as Chen Xiang appeared, everyone wanted to approach and befriend him. Such a monstrously talented genius was sure to bring great benefits in the future.

But with the Ancestor of the Snowveil Sect still present, and not having spoken yet, who would dare make the first move?

The Ancestor, seeing Chen Xiang emerge, greeted him with a kindly smile and stepped forward. “You must be young friend Chu. As expected, you are a remarkable talent—truly extraordinary. Such innate gifts are breathtaking.”

Chen Xiang cast him a cool glance. The moment he’d stepped out, he’d already taken in the assembled crowd, and upon seeing the old man, a faint sense of wariness rose in his heart. This elder was definitely not what he seemed.

“To be continued…”