148: Chapter 148 Trial Tower

Watching Ling Shu and the others run over, Lin Qing nodded slightly. It seemed their relationship was quite good; they weren't just together when executing missions, but continued to act together after returning.

After they approached, Lin Qing asked casually, "Do you have any news about the Yunyin Sequence? Have they returned?"

Although Lin Qing hadn't encountered the Yunyin Sequence who went out, he knew before he lost consciousness that the Sect had dispatched the Yunyin Sequence to deal with the Demon Seeds.

The border dispute between the Immortal Sect and the Demon Court this time was quite complex.

At the very beginning, the Xuanye Demon Court mistakenly believed that the Immortal Sect was the first to break the tacit agreement by dispatching reclusive Prodigies to intervene in the border conflict, so they sent out the Demon Seeds to prepare for a head-on confrontation with the Immortal Sect's Yunyin Sequence.

However, at that time, the Immortal Sect had not sent out any Yunyin Sequence, yet the Demon Court's Demon Seeds had already arrived at the border and begun hunting the Immortal Sect's Disciples.

Later, when the Immortal Sect received the news, they naturally urgently dispatched the Yunyin Sequence to respond. Originally, this struggle would have been limited to eighth-rank Prodigies.

Who would have thought that the Demon Court would suddenly dispatch a God Realm expert to assassinate Lin Qing? Before the eighth-rankers had even truly engaged, the battle had suddenly escalated to the God Realm level.

Now that the battle has been mediated, it is unknown whether the fight between the Yunyin Sequence and the Demon Seeds will continue.

Ling Shu nodded and replied, "They have all been withdrawn."

"After the battle was mediated, both sides felt it was more important to let these eighth-rank Prodigies focus on breaking through their Realm, so they recalled them all."

After speaking, Ling Shu's eyes brightened. She looked toward the pitch-black giant tower in the center of the square and asked with a hint of anticipation, "By the way, Senior Brother Lin Qing, are you also here to challenge the Trial Tower?"

Lin Qing followed her gaze to the black tower. He had absolutely no interest in this kind of ranking competition.

His current strength had long since far surpassed the traditional seventh rank, and the Heaven Ranking was just a hollow name. Moreover, the contribution points from the Heaven Ranking were just a drop in the bucket for him.

Lin Qing shook his head gently, "No, I'm just walking around."

Hearing this, a flash of surprise and envy crossed Ling Shu's face, "Could it be that you have already achieved a Breakthrough to the eighth rank, Senior Brother?"

Lin Qing had always worn his Storage Ring to conceal his Aura, and he would subconsciously operate his Breath Concealment Technique daily, so Ling Shu and the others naturally couldn't see through his Realm.

However, Lin Qing captured some other information from Ling Shu's words. Could it be that this Trial Tower had some special effect for the seventh rank? Did one only stop needing to challenge the tower upon reaching the eighth rank?

He looked at the group and asked, "I haven't achieved a Breakthrough yet. Is there something special about this Trial Tower?"

Ling Shu was stunned, asking in surprise, "Senior Brother... you haven't ever learned about this Trial Tower, have you?"

Lin Qing nodded frankly. Ever since he entered the Immortal Sect, he had never focused his mind on Sect rankings, so naturally, he had never specifically learned about the wonders of this black tower.

Ling Shu began to explain seriously, "Senior Brother, don't underestimate this Trial Tower. Although it is like other Divine Artifacts, crafted by the Sect's experts..."

"...but the Sect put far more effort into this tower than others. You can understand it as: most other Divine Artifacts are low-grade, while this tower is high-grade."

Hearing this, Lin Qing once again carefully examined the Trial Tower before him.

The entire Trial Tower was forged from rare ink-black rock, its body densely covered with ancient Dao patterns of varying depth. The tower stood over three hundred zhang tall, divided into one hundred levels, with each level being three zhang high.

Looking at its specifications and Aura alone, one knew it could not be compared to the Spirit Mirror or the task bulletin board; it was likely on the same level as the Sect's Scripture Pavilion.

After examining the Trial Tower, Lin Qing asked again, "What is its true special feature?"

Ling Shu patiently explained, "There is a pressure within the tower that can accelerate the condensation of Spiritual Qi into Spirit Pills, which can speed up the cultivation of seventh-rank Cultivators."

This sentence instantly piqued Lin Qing's interest in the tower. He was currently in the stage of condensing Spirit Pills, and any method that could accelerate this process was very valuable to him.

Ling Shu continued to add, "The higher the level, the stronger the pressure inside the tower, and the more terrifying the cultivation boost. Our Heaven Ranking is determined based on the level reached and the duration of endurance."

"However, the resources consumed to operate this Divine Artifact are terrifyingly high, so we only have one free opportunity to enter every half month."

Lin Qing had originally thought that this Trial Tower was the type where one fought against projections, which was why he hadn't paid much attention to it. Now it seemed this was simply a treasure land for cultivation.

"What are the conditions for entering the Trial Tower?"

"Any seventh-rank Cultivator registered in the Sect who has available entry counts can go in."

Lin Qing wasn't sure if he had any entry counts, but since he was already here, he would just try it to find out.

The flow of people in front of the black tower was endless. There were ordinary seventh-rank True Disciples, numerous Heaven Ranking Prodigies, and some deacons who were already involved in managing Sect affairs.

Some people had just walked out of the tower, their Auras floating and weak, clearly having exhausted their Spiritual Qi under the pressure of the higher levels; others were full of anticipation, quietly waiting in line to enter the tower.

The entire black tower was towering and heavy. Perhaps to prevent the pressure inside from leaking out, not only did the tower body have no windows or gaps, but even the entrance and exit were designed to be extremely narrow.

Ling Shu and the others were clearly also preparing to challenge the tower when they met Lin Qing, so they followed him obediently to the end of the line and waited quietly.

Many Disciples in the line recognized Lin Qing and offered to let him go first, but Lin Qing gently refused them all.

His Cultivation Technique operated automatically at all times, so there was no need to rely on his reputation to take advantage of his peers; this little bit of time didn't mean much to him.

A stick of incense passed slowly, and the line moved forward gradually until it was finally the turn of Lin Qing's group.

Lin Qing handed over his identity token and said to the Disciple on duty, "Could you please help me check if I have any entry counts for the tower?"

The Disciple on duty took the token and placed it against a Magic Treasure. A moment later, the Disciple's expression became incredibly strange. He looked up at Lin Qing and replied, "Senior Brother, you still have ninety-nine entry counts remaining! Would you like to enter the tower now?"

Ninety-nine was not the upper limit of Lin Qing's entry counts, but the upper limit of what could be displayed.

Lin Qing's expression remained calm, "Enter."

Subsequently, the group crossed a Formation light screen and stepped into the first level of the Trial Tower.

Lin Qing slightly sensed the surrounding environment and looked at Ling Shu and the others in confusion, "I don't feel any pressure."

Ling Shu smiled, raised her hand to lead the way, and explained while walking forward, "Senior Brother, this is a buffer level specifically set by the Sect."

"Many Disciples cultivate until they are exhausted in the levels above, and since they have to wait in line to leave, the Sect did not set any pressure on the first level; it is specifically for those Disciples to adjust their breathing and buffer."

"With your strength, Senior Brother, you will only start to feel it at the thirtieth level at the earliest. To obtain a substantial cultivation boost, you need to go above at least the fiftieth level!"

The fiftieth level was already very high. They were the top Prodigies of this year's Heaven Ranking, and their cultivation was at the Peak of the seventh rank, but they had only reached around the sixtieth level.

Judging that Lin Qing needed the fiftieth level to see results was enough to show everyone's recognition and awe of his strength.

The group went up the stairs inside the tower level by level. With each level they ascended, they felt that the number of Disciples decreased. Ling Shu explained the precautions inside the tower as they walked.

Arriving at the thirty-something levels, an invisible pressure enveloped them from all directions, gathering in Lin Qing's Dantian and squeezing the Spiritual Qi within it. However, this pressure was too weak; while it was still useful for ordinary seventh-rank Cultivators, for Lin Qing, it was like a gentle breeze brushing against his face.

The group continued upward: the forty-first level, the fiftieth level, the sixtieth level!

Lin Qing clearly perceived that within his own Dantian, the speed at which Spiritual Qi condensed into Spirit Pills had indeed increased visibly!

At the same time, among the Disciples in the group, the one with slightly weaker cultivation already had an unstable Aura and immediately indicated that they would cultivate on this level.

Ling Shu gritted her teeth and persisted, finally stopping at the sixty-fifth level. Her Spiritual Qi fluctuated significantly, clearly having reached her own limit.

At this moment, Lin Qing's expression remained composed. He looked up toward the darker stairs on the higher levels.

After confirming that this place could indeed accelerate his cultivation speed, Lin Qing had already decided to seclude himself in this Trial Tower for the coming period.

Unlike other Cultivators, Lin Qing's cultivation did not require him to actively operate his Cultivation Technique. Before secluding himself, Lin Qing planned to first collect some things he could learn.