89: Chapter 89 Is this an assessment? More like a medical examination!

Imperial Capital · Hidden Dragon Camp · Underground Core Training Ground

In the massive underground space, a pitch-black tower with an ancient metallic luster rose from the ground. Its spire pierced through the dome of the underground base, as if connecting to another dimension.

Heaven-Reaching Tower (Imitation No. 3)

This was a top-tier training facility built by the Federal Military at a cost of hundreds of billions, modeled after the trial levels on the "Starry Sky Ancient Road."

The tower was 99 stories high.

Each floor was engraved with complex gravity arrays and spiritual pressure arrays.

The higher one went, the pressure increased exponentially.

"Everyone, fall in!"

Zhao Tieshan, the instructor who had been "eye-killed" by Lin Yuan just yesterday, had now recovered his iron-faced Yama persona.

He stood before the tower with his hands behind his back, his cold, sharp gaze sweeping over the thirty top geniuses from across the Federation.

"Listen up! This is your first round of assessment—climbing the tower!"

Zhao Tieshan pointed to the pitch-black giant tower, his voice booming:

"The rules are simple: climb up."

"The first 30 floors are a pass. Anyone who can't even do that can pack up and get out!"

"The first 60 floors are excellent. Only those who reach this tier are qualified to enter the 'Seed List'."

"As for above 90 floors..."

Zhao Tieshan paused, a hint of awe flashing in his eyes: "That is the realm of the truly inhuman. The 'War God Seed' from the previous batch, who is now the Young Marshal of the Northern Military Region, only managed to climb to the 88th floor back then."

"Begin! Don't let me see you crawling out like spineless shrimp!"

Assessment Start · 10th Minute

As the gates opened, the thirty geniuses filed in.

The moment they entered the tower, the atmosphere changed instantly.

"Ugh..."

A scion from a prominent family in the Western Theater district turned pale the moment he stepped onto the 10th floor.

The gravity here was three times that of the outside world, and even more terrifying was the pervasive spiritual pressure, which felt like countless needles stabbing into his brain.

"Too... too difficult..."

Most people could maintain their composure for the first 20 floors, but once they passed the 30th floor, it was true hell.

Current Height: 50th Floor

Clang!

A clear sword hum rang out.

Ancient Sword Soul was surrounded by sword intent, forcibly cutting through the surrounding gravity field. He walked steadily with every step, but beads of sweat had already seeped onto his forehead.

"50th floor... is just the beginning!"

Ancient Sword Soul gritted his teeth, sword light flashing in his eyes as he continued upward.

[Current Height: 45th Floor]

Ji Hongyi was doing slightly better. She released a swarm of tiny Gu insects; these insects clung to her body, actually helping her share a portion of the physical pressure. But even so, her alluring face turned deathly pale, and her breathing became rapid.

[Current Height: 60th Floor]

Boom!

A roar erupted.

Dragon Battle was shirtless, his muscles bulging as if engorged with blood, and even blood beads seeped from the surface of his skin.

He was the fastest among them all. Relying on his abnormal physique after genetic modification, he pushed through over a dozen times the gravity to reach the "Excellent Line."

"I am the strongest!! No one can surpass me!!"

Dragon Battle's eyes were blood-red; with every step he took, he left a deep footprint.

Watching the figures struggling to climb on the surveillance screens, the old men in the monitoring room nodded with satisfaction.

Just as the old men were commenting, an incongruous figure suddenly entered the frame.

"Who is that?"

The bald old man pointed to a corner of the screen: "Why is there still someone wandering at the entrance?"

That was Lin Yuan. He didn't rush in as soon as the door opened like the others.

"This is the Heaven-Reaching Tower?"

As soon as he entered the door, Lin Yuan felt a sense of pressure.

However, to him, this pressure...

[Ding! High-purity spiritual pressure detected!]

[System defense mechanism activated: "Chaos God Grinder Visualization Technique" automatically running!]

[Mode switch: Devour!]

Deep within Lin Yuan's sea of consciousness, that ancient, mottled, and massive stone mill began to turn slowly.

The pressure from the outside, which would have caused ordinary martial artists to suffer a mental breakdown, was "slurped" up by the stone mill like noodles the moment it touched Lin Yuan's spiritual barrier!

The stone mill turned, crushing the pressure and turning it into the purest spiritual nourishment to feed back to Lin Yuan.

"Huh?"

Lin Yuan's eyes lit up.

"This isn't an assessment? This is clearly a buffet!"

"And a high-end, free buffet at that!"

Lin Yuan smiled. He looked at the "classmates" above who were still moving at a snail's pace, his lips curling into a "kind" smile.

"Then I won't be polite."

The next second, the scene changed drastically.

While others were still climbing step by step, Lin Yuan moved.

He was just... jogging.

Yes, just like a slow jog during a morning workout in the park, with his hands in his hoodie pockets, even whistling.

10th floor...

20th floor...

30th floor!

Almost one floor per second!

[55th Floor]

Ancient Sword Soul had just stepped onto this floor and was preparing to stop and adjust his chaotic breathing.

Suddenly, a brisk sound of footsteps came from behind him.

Ancient Sword Soul was stunned.

Auditory hallucination?

This was the 55th floor!

Who could run with this sound under such gravity?

He turned his head abruptly, only to see a black afterimage "whoosh" past him.

"Excuse me, excuse me, let me pass, buddy."

Lin Yuan's voice drifted over, but he had already reached the 60th floor.

Ancient Sword Soul: "???"

He looked at his own trembling legs, then at the back of the person who hadn't even broken a sweat, his Dao heart nearly shattering on the spot.

Is this f*cking an illusion?!

[65th Floor]

Dragon Battle was still roaring.

"Roar!! I am number one!! I am..."

"Move aside, you're blocking the way."

Dragon Battle only felt a blur before his eyes. The youth who had thrown him out of the cafeteria earlier passed him lightly as if taking an elevator.

When passing by, Lin Yuan even looked back at him with concern: "Buddy, stop roaring. You'll lose your voice if you keep it up."

"Also, you're bleeding. Why don't you go down and get bandaged? This is only the first stage of the physical exam, don't throw your life away."

Dragon Battle: "..."

"Pfft!"

A mouthful of blood sprayed out directly.

A physical exam?

You call this a physical exam?!

[Monitoring Room]

"Crack!"

The walnut in the bald old man's hand was crushed. The other old men also stood up, their faces almost pressed against the screen.

"This... this data isn't wrong, is it?"

"Is the gravity system in the tower broken? Why is he running inside?!"

The technical staff sweated profusely as they operated the controls: "Report, Chief! The system is completely normal! The gravity coefficient in Lin Yuan's area is even 1.5 times that of the others (automatic adjustment mechanism)!"

"But he... completely ignored it!"

A group of old men, totaling several hundred years of age, looked at each other.

"Monster..."

After a long time, the bald old man squeezed out a sentence:

"This kid... is using the Heaven-Reaching Tower as a treadmill?"

Heaven-Reaching Tower · 99th Floor · Top of the Tower

This was a realm that only the truly "inhuman" could step into.

The pressure was great enough to crush heavy mechs instantly, and the spiritual pressure was like the arrival of a Ninth-Rank Martial Saint, staring directly at the soul.

But at this moment, Lin Yuan stood on the empty rooftop platform, even stretching.

"That's it?"

"It's not even as painful as when I was changing my bones in the Dragon Palace."

"However..."

Lin Yuan's gaze fell on the very center of the tower top, where a fist-sized, diamond-shaped crystal emitting brilliant starlight was suspended.

It was this crystal that maintained the operation of the entire Heaven-Reaching Tower, releasing terrifying pressure.

[System Prompt: High-energy core detected!]

[Item: Star Fragment (Imitation Source)!]

[Origin: Origin energy extracted from a fallen star.]

[System Craving: Extremely high! Devouring it can upgrade the system version!]

"Gulp."

Lin Yuan swallowed hard.

Originally, he had planned to come up to see the scenery and then go back down.

But this thing... was just too tempting!

"This is an assessment prop, right? Is it bad to take it?"

Lin Yuan hesitated for 0.1 seconds.

"Forget it, didn't Instructor Zhao say? Let me display my strength to the fullest."

"Then me breaking the tower is also a form of strength, right?"

Thinking of this, Lin Yuan didn't hesitate anymore. He walked to the Star Fragment and slowly reached out his sinful right hand.

"god-demon furnace... time to eat!"

Boom!

In his palm, a pitch-black vortex erupted instantly!

The Star Fragment, which had been operating stably, seemed to have encountered a natural enemy and began to tremble violently. Immediately after, endless star energy was forcibly stripped away, rushing wildly into his body along Lin Yuan's arm!

[Outside]

Just when everyone was staring at the screen, wanting to see how long Lin Yuan could persist on the 99th floor.

Suddenly.

Hum—!!!

The entire Heaven-Reaching Tower shook violently! The runic light on the tower began to flicker crazily, and then...

Snap!

It went out, one lamp after another.

[Warning! Warning!]

[Heaven-Reaching Tower core energy exhausted! Energy reading zero!]

[Defense array collapsed! Gravity system offline!]

[Assessment forcibly ended!]

Before everyone could react.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Heaven-Reaching Tower's emergency ejection mechanism activated.

Dragon Battle, who was still struggling on the 60th floor, Ancient Sword Soul on the 55th floor, and all the other students who were still climbing below, were all ejected out of the tower by a gentle force with dumbfounded expressions.

"What happened?"

"Earthquake? Or did the tower explode?"

"I haven't finished climbing yet! Why am I out?"

Just when everyone was covered in dust and looking at each other in dismay.

They saw the Heaven-Reaching Tower, which was originally radiant and arrogant, now completely dark.

And at the exit on the top of the tower, Lin Yuan walked out slowly, hands in his pockets, whistling.

He looked at the group of stunned "classmates" and instructors below, and scratched his head a little embarrassedly:

"Um... Instructor Zhao."

"I'm really sorry."

"I used a bit too much strength just now..."

"It seems... I broke your server?"

Zhao Tieshan's mouth hung open, his chin nearly hitting his feet.

Broke it?

You f*cking came here for an assessment, or to do demolition?!