82: 16th floor

After the Red Dragon's body hit the ground, it rapidly began to vanish and disintegrate.

Just as Li Changkong put away his short blade, preparing to continue upstairs,

Black Flame, who was in the alternate dimension, began to struggle as if something was happening.

Li Changkong didn't think much of it and immediately released Black Flame.

After Black Flame landed, it surprisingly flew down towards the platform below.

Before Li Changkong could react, it directly plunged into the lava below.

"Black Flame!"

Seeing this scene, Li Changkong exclaimed.

As soon as he spoke, Black Flame, who had entered the lava, flew up again.

However, in its mouth, there was an extra pearl.

Black Flame then placed the pearl in front of Li Changkong, as if waiting for him to decide its fate.

Li Changkong was slightly startled, his gaze falling upon the pearl.

"Red Dragon Pearl: The essence of a Dragon Yao Beast. After a Dragon Yao Beast consumes it, its grade can be improved."

Upon seeing the effect of this pearl, Li Changkong immediately reacted.

He hadn't expected this Red Dragon to possess such a good item.

"Since this thing is beneficial to you, then take it."

Li Changkong said, flicking his hand.

Upon hearing this, Black Flame lunged forward and swallowed the Red Dragon Pearl.

After swallowing it, it even nodded with apparent satisfaction.

"Ding! Your summon, Black Flame, is about to enter a dormant state. Dormancy duration: 24 hours."

A mechanical voice sounded in his ear, causing Li Changkong to be slightly stunned.

He hadn't expected that swallowing this Red Dragon Pearl would cause Black Flame to fall into a dormant state.

Normally, twenty-four hours wouldn't matter.

But now that he had finally made it to the fifteenth floor, with only three more floors to clear.

Falling into dormancy at this moment would certainly cause a lot of trouble.

However, there was nothing he could do; Black Flame was probably evolving.

Without much thought, Li Changkong placed Black Flame back into the summoning array.

Then, taking Little Purple with him, he arrived at the sixteenth stage.

"The sixteenth floor! He actually entered the sixteenth floor!"

Exclamations and screams echoed continuously outside the tower.

As the crowd grew, it was no longer just the students and teachers; even the deans of the four academies had appeared.

The only one who hadn't appeared was the Dean of the Fire Institute.

"This is actually just a newcomer?"

Jin Buhuan looked at the lit sixteenth-floor checkpoint, somewhat surprised.

"He's said to be the Newcomer King from last time, but the Newcomer Kings of previous years weren't this fierce."

The Dean of the Earth Institute, dressed in a dull yellow uniform, said with confusion,

"The Dean of the Fire Institute didn't come this time. If he knew that such a Genius had emerged from his own academy, I wonder what his attitude would be."

The Dean of the Water Institute was a slender, enchanting woman.

"Anyway, if he stays in the Fire Institute, it probably won't end well. How about we try to get him to transfer?"

At this moment, the Dean of the Earth Institute also showed a hint of hope on his face.

After all, such a strong student certainly had a promising future.

If he could be transferred, he would undoubtedly shine brightly in the next Five Academy Grand Competition.

"Old Man Huang, what do you mean? You know how he is. If you want him, then go for it."

Upon hearing this, Jin Buhuan's eyes revealed a hint of fear.

The Dean of the Earth Institute, who had been so confident, chuckled awkwardly upon hearing this.

"I wonder if this kid can make it to the end? If he really can break into the eighteenth floor, I'll go to Old Man Huo myself to ask for him."

The Dean of the Water Institute's eyes were exceptionally excited.

"Up until now, only that Prodigy has broken into the eighteenth floor."

"Now that Prodigy has already carved out a name for himself in the Sea of Chaos. It's impossible for these to achieve what he has."

The Dean of the Gold Institute shook his head and sighed upon hearing this.

Upon hearing this, everyone around them agreed, as if they had all thought of something terrifying.

...

After entering the sixteenth stage, no monsters appeared before them, but rather a series of stairs.

Counting them briefly, there were exactly ninety-nine steps.

Li Changkong lifted his foot and began to walk up the steps.

At first, he didn't feel anything unusual, but gradually, he found his steps becoming heavier.

It was as if an invisible force was pressing down on him.

Facing this mysterious force, Li Changkong took a deep breath.

He finally understood that the sixteenth floor required reaching the end of these stairs.

With each step forward, the invisible force on his body would increase, and it would increase exponentially.

For example, if the first step was one, the second step was two.

If it was the tenth step, the force on his body would increase by a thousandfold.

Li Changkong was able to pass the first few dozen steps relatively easily, but after reaching the eightieth step, he felt the force on his body was extremely terrifying.

His originally straight posture had now completely lowered.

His face was as red as a cooked shrimp, already flushed crimson.

After taking another deep breath, Li Changkong barely managed to step onto the eighty-first step.

The sudden surge of power also caused him to sharply lower himself, almost kneeling on the stairs.

But in the end, he forcefully relied on the strength of his knees to barely stand straight and continue moving forward.

Although he hadn't reached level 35, his overall attributes had already reached level 40.

Whether it was equipment or attribute points, the bonuses they provided him were extremely terrifying.

Relying on his own perseverance, he still managed to reach the ninetieth step.

At this point, looking at the steps before him, he only had a feeling of endlessness; he couldn't see the end.

Just as Li Changkong felt he was about to exhaust his strength, Little Purple suddenly ran out of his pet space.

The moment Little Purple appeared, Li Changkong felt as if a significant amount of the pressure on his body had been lifted.

Little Purple let out a low growl, seemingly reminding Li Changkong.

It was then that Li Changkong suddenly understood that if there were other people or other creatures on the steps, the force should be partially alleviated.

Having figured this out, a plan formed in his mind.

Soon, he stepped onto the ninety-first step, and a terrifying force seemed to be crushing him.

The next second, Li Changkong waved his hands, and four Sand Soldiers were immediately summoned by him.

The moment the Sand Soldiers formed, Li Changkong instantly unleashed his full power, and his body shot forward several steps.

As his feet landed on the ninety-fifth step, the Sand Soldiers beside him instantly exploded.

Before the exploding Sand Soldiers could disappear, Li Changkong summoned several more Sand Soldiers.