Chapter 578 - 351: Enlightenment Tower (2)

Chapter 578: Chapter 351: Enlightenment Tower (2)

The difference in treatment among core members was a vast chasm.

The resources, privileges, and level of nurturing granted to the number one ranked member were worlds apart from those given to the thousandth.

It was a shortcut, a golden ticket to Immortality and even higher realms.

Li Wen’s minimum goal was to rank in the top ten in the universe!

To that end, he had to seize every opportunity.

He had to give his all in the three assessments of this first stage, holding nothing back, to strive for the highest possible scores and evaluations.

Only by doing so could he secure a more advantageous position in the subsequent rankings and earn greater attention and a larger share of resources from the higher-ups within the Source Net’s core.

...

Meanwhile, inside the colossal structure at the center of the space, tens of thousands of Immortal powerhouses were also looking at the three assessments for the first stage.

In the corner where Chen was situated.

"Old Ghost Chen, it looks like Alka actually has a chance of producing two core members in the top thousand this time."

"Indeed. Li Wen was originally a bit of a long shot, but this first test, the Enlightenment Tower, is quite advantageous for him. I heard he reached the eighth layer of the Heaven-Reaching Tower at a mere forty years of bone age. His comprehension should give him an edge."

"You’re all too kind," Chen said, shaking his head. "Li Wen is still young and certainly lacks experience. The second test, the ’Staircase of Solitude,’ might be a disadvantage for him."

...

"Now, prepare for teleportation!"

The magnificent voice boomed once more, laced with an undeniable authority that cut through everyone’s thoughts and conversations.

"The first assessment of the first stage, the Enlightenment Tower, will now begin! I wish you all... a prosperous martial path!"

"A prosperous martial path!" The four words were like the beating of war drums, stirring the hearts of the million geniuses.

The instant the voice faded.

A vast and terrifying spatial power descended abruptly.

This power precisely covered every corner.

SHWAAA—!

Exactly ten million white pillars of light, each infused with the law of teleportation, descended with precision from the void above the arena’s dome.

Each pillar of light corresponded to a single contestant, enveloping them completely without fail.

The moment the pillar of light descended upon him, Li Wen took a deep breath, bringing himself to his peak state.

His gaze was like lightning, piercing through the blinding white light for one last glance at the area designated for the Celestial Vault Divine Country.

The direction where that blurry, white-robed figure—the one who emanated heart-stopping spatial fluctuations—was located.

The next moment, boundless light swallowed all sight and sensation.

The spatial transfer was complete.

When Li Wen regained consciousness, he found he had been teleported to an entirely new space.

He steadied himself and looked around.

A silent, boundless plaza of pure white stretched out before him. In its center stood a colossal tower, emitting a soft and mysterious silver glow.

The profound runes flowing across the tower’s surface seemed to contain the ultimate truths of the universe.

This was the first trial of the assessment: the Enlightenment Tower.

A screen of light floating before the tower clearly displayed the rules:

"Enlightenment Tower Assessment: Time limit of one year. On each layer, you must comprehend a core Law fragment within one year. Failure means your trial ends here. Your score is based on your comprehension progress—the deeper your comprehension, the more points you will earn."

’One year... and the score isn’t tied to time?’ Li Wen’s eyes flashed as he instantly spotted a loophole in the rules. A bold idea streaked through his mind like a bolt of lightning.

’It seems I can exploit a bug here. Since the score has nothing to do with time, I can fully comprehend the Law fragment but not rush to the next layer. I can just drag it out and only proceed to the next layer when the year is almost up.’

’Besides, the time limit for each layer is one year. There’s no way the outside world is actually going to wait that long. The Enlightenment Tower must have some form of time acceleration, which would be perfect for me to comprehend the Time Law.’

His biggest disadvantage compared to the other contestants was the short amount of time he’d had to cultivate.

Before registering, his bone age was just over fifty.

Even though he had cultivated for several decades in the Time Tower during the six months after the preliminaries, the other contestants had done the same.

Therefore, every minute and every second was now precious to him—a chance to catch up to everyone else.

...

On the plaza, the ten million contestants wore varied expressions.

Some held their breath, focused, and prepared to charge ahead, while others were fraught with anxiety over their weakness in comprehension.

Not far away, Barton’s blood-red eyes were cold as he snorted, "Comprehension? Slaughter is the only truth."

Though this was not his forte, the Blade Intent he had condensed from his will to slaughter gave him the confidence to brute-force his way to the upper layers.

Elsewhere, Ling Xuzi stood elegantly in his white robes, Space Law swirling around his fingertips. He closed his eyes and chuckled. "The first layer of the mere Enlightenment Tower? Three minutes is more than enough."

On another side, Time Shadow from the Sanctuary of Time brushed back his silver hair, his gaze electric. "The Enlightenment Tower? Perfect."

...

"The assessment begins!" The magnificent voice rang out like a universal decree, echoing throughout the entire white plaza.

RUMBLE!

The colossal tower gates boomed open, and ten million figures transformed into a surging torrent, scrambling to be the first to pour inside.

With a flash of light, Li Wen found himself teleported to an independent space—a Starry Sky Illusion Realm.

Against a backdrop of the deep cosmos, a single fragment of a Law, shimmering with the light of a basic element, floated in the center. It emanated the most fundamental of lawful fluctuations.

However, Li Wen’s gaze lingered on the Law fragment for only a moment before he immediately shifted his focus to sensing the very nature of this space.

He carefully sensed the surrounding ripples of spacetime.

’Ten times! One day in the outside world is ten days inside the tower. And... the Time Law here is exceptionally clear and active. This place is a natural paradise for cultivation.’ Verifying his suspicion, a flash of intense joy crossed his eyes.

Only then did Li Wen turn his gaze back to the Law fragment in the center.

’Too easy.’ With a thought, Li Wen instantly activated the "Absolute Focus" state in his sea of consciousness.

The terrifying 230% bonus to his comprehension caused his thought speed to soar to an unimaginable level.

In his eyes, the basic elemental Law fragment held no secrets.

In just a few minutes, a complete deconstructed model of it formed in his mind, its analysis reaching 100% in an instant.

But he had no intention of completing the trial and proceeding to the second layer.

He didn’t even bother to spare the fragment another glance, simply sitting down cross-legged in the void.

He completely immersed his consciousness in the Time Law, which was far clearer and more active here in this accelerated space than in the outside world.

...

Just as Li Wen was immersing himself in a deep comprehension of the Time Law, having seemingly forgotten the assessment itself...

...the other contestants, especially the top-tier prodigies, were ascending the tower at an astonishing pace.

Outside, on the giant screen in the center of the magnificent arena, the "Enlightenment Tower Live Leaderboard" was now displayed.

Over ten million names were rapidly scrolling and jumping across it.

The shifting leaderboard instantly captivated the audience and became the focus of the tens of thousands of Immortals within the central structure.

A little over two minutes after the start, one name shot up like a dazzling comet, leaping from the bottom to the second layer and firmly seizing the top spot.

"Ling Xuzi (Celestial Vault Divine Country): First Layer Cleared. Time: 2m 17s. Current Layer: 2."

"WHOA—!" Even among the circle of Immortals, a wave of quiet astonishment rippled through.

"It’s him, of course! A little over two minutes... that level of comprehension... he’s truly a prodigy the likes of which isn’t seen for dozens of epochs."

"When one’s comprehension of the Space Law has reached his level, basic elemental Laws are naturally child’s play. It seems he’ll clear the first three layers in under ten minutes."

"He’s truly earned the title of number one in this competition."

Immediately after, the leaderboard updated again:

"Time Shadow (Sanctuary of Time): First Layer Cleared. Time: 3m 30s. Current Layer: 2."

"Illusory (Mimeng Dynasty): First Layer Cleared. Time: 3m 50s. Current Layer: 2."

One famous name after another followed suit, all stepping into the second layer within an incredibly short period.

The top one hundred spots on the leaderboard were almost instantly claimed by the top prodigies from the various Divine Countries and Holy Lands.

They were like stars racing across the cosmos, each one shining with a dazzling light.

In the Alka Empire’s section, the audience anxiously scanned the middle and lower sections of the leaderboard.

Finally:

"Barton (Alka District): First Layer Cleared. Time: 8m 03s. Rank: 2,463. Current Layer: 2."

For Barton, who was known more for his will to slaughter than for pure comprehension, this was a rather impressive result, placing him squarely in the middle of the first echelon.

However, the other name the people of the Alka Empire were waiting for had yet to appear on the list for the second layer.