141: The taunts of the Tower of Gods

The god ascension tower, towering in the very center of Tianxuan City, stood like a pillar connecting the Nine Heavens Divine Palace with the endless mortal world, exuding supreme Divine Might that could make all Laws submit and the heavens and earth tremble!

The tower's body, crafted from an unknown material, was entirely of an ancient Chaos color, its surface intricately carved with dense, mysterious Divine Runes filled with the profound truths of the Great Dao. These Divine Runes seemed not to be Acquired carvings, but rather a natural evolution of the Laws of this world. Just a single glance was enough to make the Divine Soul of a Demigod expert… sink into oblivion!

The tower reached ten thousand zhang high, piercing the clouds, its summit already hidden deep within the sky, perpetually shrouded by dense Spiritual Qi. Its full appearance was impossible to discern.

This was… the god ascension tower!

It was the most mysterious and sacred place in Tianxuan City, and indeed, the entire Cangxuan Divine Realm!

At this moment, beneath the colossal tower, which was as majestic as an ancient Divine Mountain, a sea of people had already gathered!

Thousands of figures, like tiny ants, congregated on this vast square paved with massive bluestone slabs.

Among them were "Ascenders" with fierce auras and eyes filled with vigilance and unease. They gathered in small groups, discussing in low voices, their gazes towards the towering god ascension tower filled with apprehension and… longing.

There were also "natives" with arrogant expressions and luxurious clothing, their foreheads branded with various clan insignia. Most stood with their hands behind their backs, observing the "Wild Gods," who, in their eyes, were like "country bumpkins," with a sense of superiority and… disdain, as if watching an amusing monkey show.

In the very center of the square, near the base of the tower, a long queue had formed. Every person in line had faces full of tension and anticipation. They were the… test-takers, about to face the judgment of fate!

Lin Ye, holding Su Qingyue's hand, silently merged into the end of the long queue, like two raindrops falling into a river.

He tightly suppressed his terrifying aura, which had already reached the Middle Stage of Demigod, to the dangerous edge of the Early Stage of Demigod, with an extremely unstable Divine Spark. His face wore a perfectly appropriate expression of "bewilderment" and "vigilance," flawlessly playing the role of a "Wild God" who had just Ascended from the Lower Realm, full of uncertainty and unease about this entirely new world.

As for Su Qingyue, although her peerless beauty still attracted many admiring glances, her aura, also deliberately suppressed to the Peak of Dharma Body Realm, and her coldness that kept others at a distance, made her appear more like a… "trophy wife" who needed to depend on others to survive.

"Tsk tsk, two more 'Wild Gods' who don't know their place have arrived." "Looking at their unstable auras, they probably haven't even fully adapted to the Laws of the Divine Realm yet, have they? And they dare to challenge the god ascension tower?" "Hehe, just wait for the show! I bet they can't even light up five floors!"

All sorts of contemptuous and gloating whispers, like a tide, surged from all directions, clearly reaching their ears.

Su Qingyue's usually calm eyes, which still held a hint of curiosity, instantly became covered in a layer of frost. She instinctively wanted to retort but was stopped by Lin Ye's gaze.

Lin Ye merely shook his head calmly, signaling her to be patient.

He knew that in this Divine Realm, full of hierarchy and prejudice, meaningless arguments would only attract more… trouble.

To earn respect, the only way was to… use strength to utterly… shatter all doubts and mockery!

The queue moved slowly forward.

Lin Ye's gaze calmly fell upon the base of the towering god ascension tower.

Embedded in the very center of the mountain-like, massive tower base was a ten-zhang tall, giant stone tablet, entirely of a warm, white jade color!

The stone tablet was blank, with only faint Divine Light flowing like ripples, exuding a peculiar aura that calmed the mind.

Evidently, this was the… God Ascension Stele, used to test talent!

"Next!"

Just then, a cold voice, full of arrogance and impatience, rang out from in front of the stone tablet.

A young man dressed in a silver lightning-patterned deacon's robe, with a very conspicuous silver lightning mark branded on his forehead, was glaring unpleasantly and shouting sternly at the front of the queue.

He was Lei Ming, the Thunder Cloud Clan deacon responsible for this talent test!

His cultivation had astonishingly reached the Early Stage of Demigod Realm! Although he had only just condensed his Divine Spark and his aura was still somewhat unstable, when facing these "Wild Gods" who were mostly still in the Dharma Body Realm, the sense of superiority stemming from being a "native" and a "scion of a noble family" was… undeniably evident!

The person he called was a burly man, appearing to be around thirty years old, whose aura had also reached the Peak of Dharma Body Realm. He was clearly a "Wild God" who had recently Ascended, his face filled with tension and anticipation.

He took a deep breath and, under the gaze of countless eyes, walked step by step to the front of the giant white stone tablet.

Trembling, he extended his right hand and slowly pressed it against the cold, warm-jade-like surface of the stele!

Buzz—!!!

The stone tablet trembled violently!

A soft white light instantly lit up from where his palm made contact, and like a living thing, it rapidly spread upwards!

One layer… two layers… five layers… ten layers!

When the white light painstakingly broke through the tenth layer's boundary and finally stopped just at the twelfth layer, a surge of ecstasy instantly flooded the burly man's face!

Twelve layers!

Although it was merely the pinnacle of "Mortal Aptitude," at least… he had gained the qualification to remain in this Divine City!

"Hmph! Twelve layers, Mortal Aptitude." However, Deacon Lei Ming, who was responsible for recording, didn't even bother to lift an eyelid. He merely said coldly, in a tone full of disdain, "Go over there to register. A third-grade Immortal Cave in 'Black Stone Cave' in the west of the city, identity token… Servant-level."

Servant-level?!

The ecstasy on the burly man's face instantly froze! He opened his mouth, as if to argue, but upon seeing Lei Ming's eyes, full of coldness and impatience, he ultimately lowered his head dejectedly and silently walked to the side.

And the expressions on the faces of the surrounding "Wild Gods," who had initially cast envious glances at him, instantly… dimmed.

Is this… reality?

Even if one exhausts all efforts to prove one's worth, in the end, all that can be obtained is… a "servant" identity?

Lin Ye watched this scene, a cold glint flashing in his dark eyes.

But he still didn't speak.

The test continued in an even more oppressive atmosphere.

One "Wild God" after another walked forward full of hope, only to mostly leave dejectedly.

Among them, the best result was only lighting up twenty-eight layers, barely reaching the threshold of "Good Talent." In the end, they only received a "Guard-level" identity token and a fifth-grade Immortal Cave located in the city's outskirts, where Spiritual Qi was sparse.

Gradually, it was Lin Ye and Su Qingyue's turn.

When the two of them walked out of the queue side by side, the entire square unconsciously quieted down by half.

There was no other way; Su Qingyue's peerless beauty, even after deliberate disguise, was still enough to make the heavens and earth lose their luster. She was simply… too eye-catching.

Even Deacon Lei Ming, who was in charge of the test, instantly had a flash of astonishment and… greed in his eyes, which were previously full of arrogance and impatience, the moment he saw Su Qingyue!

But when his gaze fell upon their equally "unstable" auras and their undeniable "Wild God" identities, that astonishment was instantly replaced by an even stronger… disdain and aversion!

Especially when he saw Lin Ye's ordinary face and his intimate posture standing side by side with Su Qingyue, an unnamed fire suddenly surged from the bottom of his heart!

What a beautiful flower, to be stuck in… cow dung!

"Hmph!" He snorted heavily, his eyes, full of scrutiny and disdain, like two invisible sharp swords, harshly raking over Lin Ye, "Two more… useless people who just crawled up from the Lower Realm!"

His voice was neither loud nor soft, but it was just right for everyone around to hear clearly!

Instantly, it drew a wave of uncontrollable, malicious laughter!

"Looking at them, they probably can't even light up ten layers, can they?" "Ten layers? I think if they can light up five layers, their ancestors' graves must be smoking!" "It's a real pity about that woman, so beautiful, but her talent… tsk tsk…"

Listening to the undisguised mockery and sarcasm around them, Su Qingyue's originally calm, beautiful face instantly became covered in a layer of frost! A cold killing intent even flashed in her clear eyes!

However, Lin Ye remained… as calm as an ancient well.

He didn't even bother to lift an eyelid, as if the noisy buzzing of flies around him was nothing more than… an insignificant breeze.

His "submissive" demeanor only fueled Lei Ming's arrogance!

He walked in front of the two, looking down at them from above, and said impatiently in a tone as if he were bestowing a favor: "Go on."

"If you can light up ten layers, then you're… lucky."

He paused, and a flash of undisguised aversion and… warning appeared in his eyes.

"And…"

"Don't… dirty the tower!"