Chapter 580 - 352: One Year Later (2)

Chapter 580: Chapter 352: One Year Later (2)

Beneath his silver hair, Time Shadow’s eyes were as sharp as an eagle’s. He too was advancing steadily, but Ling Xuzi’s speed placed immense pressure on him.

On Illusory’s stunning face, her alluring smile faded somewhat, revealing a profound wariness deep within her eyes.

As for Blood Slaughter Barton, Demon Hand Hua Sha, and the others...

Barton was struggling to break through the second layer. When he saw the glaring "4" next to Ling Xuzi’s name, his pupils constricted, and a sense of powerlessness washed over him.

Hua Sha gritted his teeth; Ling Xuzi’s brilliance plunged him into despair.

As for the many mid- and low-ranked contestants, gazing up at that unattainable height left them with nothing but deep reverence and a sense of helplessness.

...

And so, the days passed, one by one.

Time flowed by silently within the accelerated space of the Enlightenment Tower.

Ten days inside the tower was but a single day in the outside world.

In the blink of an eye, Li Wen had already been on the first layer for eleven months and twenty-nine days.

Within the space of the first layer, Li Wen’s cross-legged figure seemed to have frozen into a statue.

After meditating for nearly a year, the golden and silver halo surrounding Li Wen had reached an unprecedented level of solidity and brilliance.

The light was no longer a simple glow; it was more like liquid time, flowing around him.

Wisps of pure, silver Law-light seeped out from every pore of his body.

It resonated on a deeper, more harmonious level with the unusually active Time Law permeating the illusory space.

Deep within his Dantian, the Dao Seed absorbed the vast nourishment gained from nearly a year of profound comprehension.

Its structure grew more intricate, and the power it contained became increasingly immense.

’The time limit is almost up.’

A calm thought surfaced in Li Wen’s mind.

The next instant, his eyes, which had been shut for eleven months and twenty-nine days, snapped open.

Within his gold and silver pupils, a vast Star River seemed to cycle through birth and destruction as a phantom of the River of Time flashed and vanished.

A mysterious, ineffable fluctuation of Law spread out silently from him.

"Whoosh..."

He let out a long, turbid breath, as if expelling all the dust of time that had settled over nearly a year.

A satisfied smile appeared on Li Wen’s face.

Nearly a year inside the tower, combined with the terrifying 230% enlightenment boost from [Absolute Focus], had allowed him to solidify the foundation of his Time Law, which had become somewhat unstable from his rapid advancement.

He had now firmly established himself in the initial stage of the Tier One Star Lord realm.

’Time to head to the second layer.’

Only now did he leisurely turn his gaze toward the center of the Starry Sky Illusion Realm.

His eyes fell upon the basic elemental Law fragment he had completely ignored for eleven months.

With a mere thought, he completed the final 1% of his progress.

"Initiate clearance."

His calm voice echoed in the space.

HUM!

At the center of the Starry Sky Illusion Realm, the Law fragment erupted with a dazzling light.

A thick pillar of light descended with precision, instantly enveloping Li Wen’s figure.

At the same time, on the massive leaderboard screen in the Central Square, Li Wen’s entry instantly refreshed:

First Layer Cleared. Time: 11 months, 29 days, 23 hours, 58 minutes. Current Layer: 2.

Simultaneously, Li Wen’s rank shot up by tens of thousands from the very bottom.

This clear time was almost perfectly timed, falling within the last two minutes of the first layer’s one-year time limit.

The tens of thousands of contestants who cleared at the same time or slightly after him were precisely those who had also adopted the "deadline" strategy.

Clearly, they had also chosen to use the time differential to cultivate.

The moment the pillar of light carrying Li Wen to the second layer lit up—

「Alka Empire Sector」

"Look! Li Wen! Li Wen’s name moved!" a sharp-eyed spectator from the Alka Empire cried out.

"Oh my god! He finally cleared it!" the person next to them exclaimed, nearly jumping with excitement.

"Wait... time taken... 11 months, 29 days, 23 hours, and 58 minutes?! He... he waited until the last two minutes to advance?!" someone stammered, their voice cracking as they read the jaw-dropping numbers.

"Of course! I knew it! How could Li Wen possibly get stuck on the first layer? He’s the ’God of Slaughter’ who reached the eighth layer of the Heaven-Reaching Tower at age forty! The first layer of the Enlightenment Tower is nothing to him!"

Those who had been defending Li Wen, firmly believing he was acting deliberately, could finally hold their heads high, their voices filled with excitement and pride.

...

「Inside the Central Building」

Chen, who had been closely watching the Alka contestants, allowed the corners of his mouth to lift in a barely perceptible smile.

The Immortals beside him all shook their heads and chuckled.

"This young man... he really did wait until the last two minutes to make his move," an Immortal with a refined, scholarly face said with a smile.

"It’s a testament to his composure. He sat there for an entire year, comprehending the Law without a single distraction," another Immortal with a powerful aura said, his tone tinged with admiration.

"Indeed. That level of composure, that degree of focus on the Time Law, is truly rare."

A third Immortal agreed, then his gaze swept to the top of the leaderboard. "It’s just that... others are about to clear the 7th Layer."

His words carried a hint of a reminder.

At that moment, the top of the leaderboard was occupied by none other than Ling Xuzi. The number indicating his layer had already changed to a conspicuous "7"!

He had entered the 7th Layer months ago, and his progress bar showed he was already nearly halfway through it.

He was, without a doubt, the only one standing at the tower’s pinnacle.

Ranked second was Time Shadow of the Holy Land of Time. His layer was displayed as "6," and he was arduously trekking through the latter half of the 6th Layer.

Third place, however, was not held by Illusory, who had been one of the pre-competition favorites.

Instead, it was a dark horse from a powerful secondary faction, who was also on the 6th Layer, fiercely competing with Time Shadow.

...

「Meanwhile, in the illusion of the 7th Layer」

The complexity of the Law on this layer far surpassed that of the previous six.

Ling Xuzi stood within the phantom of a micro-universe that was constantly collapsing and being reborn.

Countless Law fragments representing spatial slicing, folding, and annihilation swirled around him like a storm.

However, dressed in white, his figure remained exceptionally composed amidst the storm of fragments.

Unlike most people, he wasn’t struggling to capture and analyze the fragments.

Instead, with every blink of his eyes, it was as if he could directly perceive the very veins and core nodes of the Law operating within the storm.

Sometimes he would stroll leisurely; at others, he would form a sword-finger and tap lightly in the void.

Each tap precisely struck a Law node, instantly calming the storm in that area and revealing the core Law source fragment within.

His air of effortless mastery and absolute control, broadcast through the light screens, once again drew waves of irrepressible gasps and adoration from the audience.

Discussions outside about him possessing the comprehension of a Tier Three Star Lord in Space Law became rampant once more, and many already considered him the guaranteed victor of the Enlightenment Tower competition.

...

「The Second Layer」

When the light dissipated, Li Wen found himself in a new Starry Sky Illusion Realm.

The sense of space here was more three-dimensional, and the Law fragment floating in the center emanated fluctuations several times more complex than the one on the first layer.

It no longer contained a single basic element, but a rudimentary fusion of at least two elemental Laws.

However, the first thing Li Wen did upon entering was not to focus on the Law fragment required to clear the layer.

Instead, he once again focused on keenly sensing the spatial characteristics of the area.

’The flow rate is stable. The ten-times time acceleration is unchanged.’ He mentally confirmed the point he was most concerned about.

Immediately, intense joy erupted in his eyes. ’The activity of the Time Law is still clear! In fact... because of the addition of the Space Law on this layer, the mysteries of how space and time intertwine and influence each other are even more intuitive!’

Without the slightest hesitation, Li Wen made the exact same decision as he had on the first layer.

He sat down cross-legged.

With a thought, [Absolute Focus] activated!

The familiar gold and silver halo rose once more, enveloping him in layers and isolating him from all external disturbances.

His consciousness once again sank completely into the vast, boundless ocean of the Time Law.

The rank that had just jumped by tens of thousands on the leaderboard?

The awe or skepticism of the countless spectators outside the tower?

The commentary from the great Immortal masters?

He had already cast them all from his mind, as if brushing away a mere speck of dust.

As his mind settled into tranquility, the countdown for another precious "year" of accelerated cultivation time inside the tower quietly began.

He had only one goal: to use this gift of accelerated time to continuously elevate his attainments in the Time Law, preparing himself for the combat portion of the second stage.