Tower of Heaven

Once again, Atlas was greeted by the refreshing and slightly euphoric sensation of breaking through.

And similar to what happened when he first broke through to Dantian Establishment Realm, his breakthrough didn't simply end like other cultivators.

A familiar blue light covered his body before entering him, coating his meridians in its essence. In the next second, it turned into countless small needles that stabbed into them.

The meridians were an interesting thing. They existed as a part of a cultivator's body, but didn't function like a body part.

For example, even if one's arm was severed and the meridians within that arm were removed from the larger formation, one's energy circulation and output wouldn't be disrupted.

Meridians could also grow back if the severed body part was ever healed or replaced as long as a connection could be formed with the rest of the meridian pathways existing in the body.

Currently, Atlas's meridians were being tormented by those small blue needles and being altered into something else.

With every stab, their colorless appearance began to change into a swirling mix of black and grey, somewhat similar to his eyes.

Atlas was once again put through intense pain for an unknown amount of time as this process of alteration continued. Streams of sweat poured down his back as he endured.

Only after the process ended was Atlas able to collapse to the ground and catch his breath.

"Haa…haa…"

He had the urge to question what was going on, but it wasn't that hard to figure out. After all, his cultivation technique had explicitly mentioned that he'd be transforming his body into the Primordial God Body.

'What the hell. My eyes changed even before I started cultivating the scripture, but since it is that damn treasure that's carrying out the process, I guess it's to be expected.'

If it was truly as he guessed it, every time he broke through to another realm his body would be altered in some way.

Still, it wasn't going to be a phenomenon he experienced too often.

Now that he had entered the Qi Seed Realm, the conditions to break through would slowly become more complicated.

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The second he stopped absorbing spiritual energy, the black vortex he had conjured vanished into his sea of consciousness.

'As expected, something formed within the Mind Gate takes residence in my soul.'

The soul and sea of consciousness were interchangeable, as they essentially represented the same thing. As for the Mind Gate, it was the physical entrance to this intangible area.

For a cultivator to gain access to their sea of consciousness, they had to use their Mind Gate, and when Atlas did so, he saw a swirling black mass in the midst of a sea of pristine white essence.

[First condition fulfilled. Access to Tower rules granted.]

Suddenly, another window popped up in front of Atlas's eyes. This one was filled with words, enough to take days to read through, but surprisingly enough, he was able to decipher the base concepts behind them in mere seconds.

He was able to comprehend the most important rules of the tower. Everything else was needless drivel that wouldn't affect him much at all.

Rule 1: On every floor not including the Tutorial, an Ascender has 3 attempts. If they fail these 3 attempts, they lose their right to climb the tower.

Rule 2: The floors above and below 50 are two different worlds. Those above the 50th floor cannot descend below it and those below it cannot go above it. As for the 50th floor itself, it was something like a medium between the two worlds.

Rule 3: An Ascender can use any means necessary to clear the floor. There are no limits on methods as long as it aligns with the restrictions of the trial.

There were only a few other rules that could be deemed important, but he didn't need to look through them. To be honest, they would be much more useful to someone who knew more about the tower.

However, him finding them unnecessary didn't mean he didn't comprehend them. In but a few minutes, he had finished this task.

[Second condition fulfilled. Granting the Mark of Ascendancy.]

[Third condition fulfilled. Ascender [Atlas Vaun] will be transported to the second trial.]

'Why was the Mark of Ascendency the third condition if you gain it immediately by completing the second?' Atlas wondered. But he didn't question the tower. If he passed, he passed.

[1 Free Beginner Item granted. Choose your reward.]

A long list of items appeared in front of his eyes. Things ranging from rations to more lucrative things like mirrors or hygiene products. Although a cultivator had no need for such vanities, some people still enjoyed partaking in them for one reason or another.

And among this list, Atlas found the thing he needed most at this time. It was a wide array of masks with varying designs on them.

Atlas was a simple man, but it wasn't like he didn't appreciate aesthetics. And so, he chose a plain white mask with linear black markings on it. The markings took up enough of the mask's space for it to be considered half black and half white.

A small white light appeared in the air as the mask he chose dropped into his hand. Without further ado, he put it on his face.

A slight wriggling sensation was felt as the mask adjusted to his face shape and size before it comfortably sat in place, leaving only his piercing storm grey eyes visible to anyone who looked at him.

The mask itself didn't have a strap or anything holding it to his face, but it didn't have any trouble staying attached. While he was admiring it, another window appeared.

[Trial of Beginnings Complete. Transporting Ascender to the 2nd trial.]

A formless essence covered Atlas's body before he found himself in another room, this time entirely white. Without even waiting for the notification, he spoke.

"Begin."

[Beginning the trial of Floor 2: Trial of Control]

[Description: There are many aspects of power that an Ascender must master, but qi control is one of the most important. Showcase your mastery over this aspect within the given time period.]

Time Limit: 1 Day

[Requirement: Achieve an adequate level of qi control as judged by the system.]

'How does one showcase qi control?' He wondered as he read the prompt in front of him. There were many possible ways to do such a thing.

He could simply attack the empty air in front of him while mobilizing his qi, showcasing his efficiency, he could cultivate once more to achieve the same result, or he could even simply stand still and allow his qi to move freely, showcasing how he passively used it.

But Atlas felt that most of these options were too roundabout. Simply using a few attacks and mobilizing his qi would be the fastest option.

And for Atlas who already had ample amounts of comprehension on fire, this was especially easy. Opening his palm, he summoned a ball of fire. Although its intensity and power were lacking, he was still able to control it like before.

It only took a small amount of readjusting to his new body and such before he could control it with ease. The fire lightly danced on his palm before he flicked it, causing it to separate into 5 smaller wisps. After making these wisps dance for a small amount of time, he received a new notification.

[Ascender [Atlas Vaun] has surpassed the threshold requirement for qi control.]

[Trial of Control complete. Transporting Ascender to the 3rd trial.]

The formless essence once again covered his body before he repeated the same process as last time.

"Begin."

[Beginning the trial of Floor 3: Trial of Mobility]

[Description: An Ascender must have the necessary reflex to react to any situation, as well as the speed to escape when necessary. Within the time limit, reach the end of the stage without sustaining critical damage.]

Time Limit: 1 hour

[Requirement: Receive the least amount of damage while completing the trial.]

Immediately as he regained clarity, he felt danger from his right side. Without pause, he slightly twisted his body, watching a steel arrow fly by.

'I have reflexes like this?!' He inwardly screamed as he dodged yet another arrow. He hadn't even had the time to read the prompt that appeared before him.

However, in a brief moment of respite, he was able to scan the text. 'I just have to get to the other side? Done.'

Atlas immediately began running, making a beeline for the other end of the long white corridor. Arrows continued to fly at him, attempting to skewer him, but none were able to land a hit.

However as their speed increased, his reflexes weren't able to keep up. An arrow flew from his blind spot, directly impacting his shoulder. But this wasn't enough to elicit a groan out of him.

Even in this life alone, he had suffered too much to let such small amounts of pain overwhelm him. As he continued to run, another arrow punctured his calf, but it didn't slow him down.

And by the time half an hour passed, only these two arrows had impacted him, but he was safely at the other end of the room.

[Ascender [Atlas Vaun] has taken no major damage during the trial.]

[Trial of Mobility complete. Transporting Ascender to the 4th trial.]

As he was once again covered in what he assumed to be the essence of space, considering how he kept getting teleported from place to place, Atlas only had one thought.

'If it continues like this, it'll be a breeze.'