Chapter 290: 8th Floor

Kael and Rue dressed in silence.

Rue adjusted her combat attire, her cheeks still carrying a faint pink flush. Her tails swayed lazily—swish, swish—and she kept stealing glances at Kael.

"I’m going up," Kael said, nodding toward the stairway to the eighth floor. "See what I can find there."

Rue perked up. "I’ll come along."

They walked to the stairway. Kael took the first step.

WHUUUM!

A strong pressure crashed down onto his body. He paused, letting his Early Tier 5 Void Body absorb the impact. It was heavy—heavier than the seventh floor by a significant margin. The pressure tested his bones, his muscles, his organs—everything.

He took the second step. WHUUUM. The pressure intensified. Then the third. WHUUUM.

He stopped. The pressure was undeniably at the Tier 5 level. If he hadn’t broken through to Early Tier 5 just hours ago, climbing this stairway would have been nearly very difficult. He would have likely been forced back like the cultivators on the floors below.

If the eighth floor’s pressure is already equal to Tier 5... what will the ninth floor be like?

He turned to Rue. She stood at the base of the stairs, her hand hovering over the first step. Her fox-kin physiology was strong, but her body cultivation was only Late Tier 4 after the pool bath. The pressure radiating from above was already pressing down on her—making her hair flatten slightly.

Kael gave her a wry smile. "Sorry, love. But it seems you’ll have to wait."

Rue looked at him as she nodded, stepping back.

"I’ll wait," she said, smiling brightly. "Be careful."

Oh, she’s a little angel.

Kael turned back to the stairs and began climbing.

Each step was a battle against raw, gravitational force. The pressure pressed against his chest—creak—making his lungs work harder. His bones and muscles ached. But his Tier 5 body held on as he ascended step by step.

He reached the top and exhaled.

Hhhh.

The eighth floor stretched before him.

Whirrr.

A mechanical voice echoed through the chamber.

[WELCOME, SILVER PLATE DISCIPLE. YOU ARE ONLY ALLOWED TO LEAVE WITH TWO MANUALS OR TECHNIQUES.]

Silver plate disciple.

Kael’s eyes narrowed. He processed the information.

It seems there are levels among the disciples. Only silver plate disciples are allowed on the eighth floor—but they also have to be capable of climbing the stairway, which means Tier 5 body cultivation or above.

If there was a silver rank, surely there was a gold rank. And possibly ranks above that. The hierarchy of this sect was structured—each level granting access to greater resources.

Kael looked around.

The eighth floor was a library.

This was a proper archive. Stone shelves rose from floor to ceiling—eight meters high—arranged in precise rows. Jade slips, ancient manuals, and technique scrolls filled every inch of space.

Kael extended his soul sense. 55 meters of perception swept the room.

There was no human signature here.

He walked to the first shelf and began scanning. His soul sense allowed him to process the contents of each manual simultaneously—reading pages without opening them, absorbing information at inhuman speed.

The techniques were organized by grade. Sky Grade. King Grade. Mystic Grade.

He moved through the shelves going through different techniques.

Sky Grade body techniques. Basic reinforcement. Outdated.

King Grade. Physical expansion. Limited application.

Mystic Grade. Aura manifestation. Advanced, but mana-intensive.

He kept searching.

Then, tucked between two massive technique scrolls, he found it.

A map.

A map of the Void Realm itself. Kael pulled it from the shelf and unrolled it on a nearby reading table. The parchment was old but preserved—runic ink still glowing faintly.

The map detailed the Void Realm as it had existed 5,000 years ago. It marked the locations of each of the Nine Court Heads’ holy grounds—the Immortal Soul Sect, the Clock Emperor’s tower, and seven others.

It also marked the territories of powerful families and sects that had existed during the Primordial Era of the Void realm.

The map won’t be entirely accurate, Kael reasoned. During the clash between the Sky Emperor and the mysterious figure, terrains were changed. Over the last five thousand years, some of these structures might have sunk—like the Immortal Soul Sect—and some might have already been raided.

Still...

He rolled the map up and secured it in his system storage.

This is invaluable. Even if some locations are gone, the ones that remain could hold treasures no one has touched in millennia.

He returned to the technique shelves.

Movement techniques occupied an entire row. Kael scanned them briefly but moved on. He already had Lightning Body and Shadow Step—two of the most versatile movement arts available. Adding a third would be redundant.

He needed offense. Something that utilized his newly unlocked Aura.

His eyes landed on a manual bound in dark leather. The title was inscribed in silver:

Sky Destroyer Palm.

Grade: King.

Type: Ultimate Offense.

Kael opened it. His soul sense absorbed the contents in seconds.

Effect: The user gathers Aura into a single palm. The Aura becomes dense enough to visibly distort light, taking the shape of a massive, translucent palm print. When swung, it doesn’t just strike the enemy—it erases the air pressure in front of them, creating a vacuum that can crush a cultivator into the ground. At higher tiers, the user can even shatter space with this strike.

Kael’s eyes gleamed.

An Aura-based offensive art. King Grade. This is exactly what I need.

He picked this as his first technique.

He continued browsing. The Mystic Grade arts were tempting—devastating, powerful, capable of reshaping battlefields. But Kael paused.

Most Mystic Grade arts consume a massive amount of Aura. I just broke through to Early Tier 5. My Aura reserves are limited right now. Unless I find a way to improve my Aura capacity, using Mystic Grade techniques would drain me in a single use.

He needed something efficient. Something that complemented his existing arsenal.

His fingers stopped on a slim manual. Heaven Grade.

Shatter-Point Strike.

Grade: Heaven.

Type: Offensive.

Effect: The user concentrates Aura into the first two fingers and vibrates it upon impact. This detects structural weak points in armor, weapons, or bone—shattering them with minimal physical effort.

Kael smiled.

If I combine this art with Raishōton and Lightning Blade... I could shatter any defense. Raishōton pierces. Lightning Blade cuts. Shatter-Point Fist breaks whatever remains.

He picked this as his second technique.

Whirrr.

[YOU HAVE SELECTED: SKY DESTROYER PALM (KING GRADE) AND SHATTER-POINT STRIKE (HEAVEN GRADE). SELECTION CONFIRMED. TWO TECHNIQUE LIMIT REACHED.]

[YOU MAY DESCEND TO THE SEVENTH FLOOR OR PROCEED TO THE NINTH FLOOR TO SEE THE ELDER.]

Kael looked toward the far wall.

A stairway led upward. The ninth floor. The final floor.

The elders.

He walked toward the stairway and placed his foot on the first step.

WHUUUUM!

A pressure unlike anything he’d felt below crashed down on him. His knees buckled—creak—and he almost fell. His Early Tier 5 body screamed under the weight. His aura flickered wildly—fzzzt—struggling to reinforce his muscles against the crushing force.

What—

He barely stabilized himself.

This pressure... it’s beyond Tier 5. It’s at peak tier 5.