The wind howled like a banshee, whipping his strands of unruly hair into a frenzy as Zhao Wei navigated the serpentine path that snaked around the mountain. From miles away, he could see 'it'. It was the sacred building of the clan and many referred to it as the Hollow Building. The magnificent tower was like an unfettered spear, effortlessly piercing through the clouds and the heavens.
With each distance that he continued to cover, the tower became clearer and more defined. Its imposing height and the grey mist constantly surrounding it, like a cloak, gave the majestic tower a sacred yet mysterious aura.
'Now this is a Korean dungeon tower. Which Constellation lost their toy from a crack in the space-time continuum?' Zhao Wei thought in amusement. The tower had an unmistakable resemblance to the ones he used to read in regression Manhwas. From some Manhwas, the towers were just mere artifacts of some higher existences called Constellations and each constellation had its own domain of power. In other scenarios, the tower was just an amalgamation of independent dimensions stacked together into ascending levels.
'Let me analyze its material composition and structural integrity.' Zhao Wei activated [π§πΏπππ΅ ππΆππ°π²πΏπ»πΊπ²π»π].
A rare look of surprise formed on his face after reading through the brief description of the tower.
...
β¨β¨Grand Archival Towerβ©β©
An incomplete peak-tier spiritual artifact found and bound by the Sect Ancestor or the progenitor of the sect thousands of years ago. It's a repository of innumerable martial techniques ranging from the low-level mortal techniques to the highest, spiritual class skills(the minority in the list).
Fragmented from a low-tier Earth-level Artifact. Over time, it birthed an artifact spirit.
...
'So it had such a history. I bet the guardian inside the tower is the artifact spirit. If I remember right, it never avails itself in the novel and just communicates telepathically with the protagonist.' Zhao Wei began to recall the details.
'I don't like the idea of someone creeping into my mind. But if it's just communication, I can allow that. I am confident of shielding against deliberate mental intrusions.' A cautionary glint intensified in his silvery-golden irises.
Soon, he arrived at the top. Zhao Wei saw lines of guards strategically positioned near the entrance to monitor any type of visitors. Each of them was an elite at the Third Rank of the Ascended Realm and some were even in the beginning phase of the Fourth Rank. They were soldiers bred and groomed by the Sect.
The moment Zhao Wei's figure came into view, they all went into alert. They studied his unique black robes that were only worn by Inner Disciples which easily guaranteed a pass into the Tower. It was widely known that only Inner Disciples, Core Disciples, Deacons, and Elders could access the Hollow Building. For an outer disciple to access it, they would need to have a special hollow token provided by the higher-ups. However, it wasn't that easy to begin with. To receive the token one had to be leagues above thousands of other outer disciples. They had to be an elite among elites.
The guards were usually haughty to the weak, especially to the Outer Disciples. On some occasions, they could even show indirect disdain to some common Inner Disciples who were weaker than them.
In their eyes, Zhao Wei was a bonafide Inner Disciple as no one in the Broken Moon Sect would court death by illegally wearing Inner Court robes. He had an annoyingly handsome face that made them want to punch it. What bothered the guards and made them apprehensive was the feeling of oppression emanating from Zhao Wei.
"S-State your business!" One of the guards, presumably the leader, mustered up the courage to ask. Sadly, he thought it was wise to send a mental energy probe against Zhao Wei.
Zhao Wei ignored the weak mental probe as it couldn't even tickle his mind realm. From just a glance, he had already deciphered what type of people stood guard at the entrance of the Hollow Building. He only had one word for them "Trash." They liked to assert their superiority over the weak while cowering to the strong and influential.
"Are you dumb? Our leader is talking to you. Failure to comply to answer equates to an all-out attack from us!" Another rather courageous minion warned. It was just a bluff to sound brave and make others fear them. They weren't stupid enough to attack an Inner Disciple.
Zhao Wei icily gazed at that particular guard. His stare made him instinctively jump back while his trembling hand held onto his sheathed sword. Beyond all doubt, he didn't dare even for a second to think about unsheathing it. Any unnecessary movements warranted different kinds of death! The young man could absolutely kill him like a giant unknowingly squashing on an ant. The giant didn't really care about insignificant existences.
"I am Zhao Wei and I don't think I have to explain the reason for coming here. I would really appreciate it if all of you behave. Manners maketh men, right?" He said nonchalantly with an emotionless glare. Without waiting for their replies, he then opened the huge gate leading inside the wondrous tower.
The guards watched his receding figure as the gates closed behind him. Their heads were trickling with cold sweat and the muscles all over their bodies were tensed. They felt as if they had escaped from hell unscathed and that was only because the devil had allowed them in all his magnanimity.
It was then that whispers began to travel amongst themselves.
"Phew! That was hella scary!"
"Fuck, when did our sect have such a terrifying fella?!"
The guard who had jumped backwards due to the fear of death, touched his neck with trembling fingers. It was only after confirming that his neck was intact that he breathed out an intense sigh of relief.
'Was that a hallucination? Or was that a future showing my head rolling off my neck?' he thought in fear, his face as white as a sheet of paper.
"Boss, what do you think of him?" A slender guard with slightly heterochromatic eyes asked the middle-aged leader.
The leader of the guards showed a self-deprecating smile as he shook his head with pity.
"I don't think of him. At that moment when he talked, all of us would have already ceased our thinking capabilities."
"I got the feeling that he could decapitate all of us in one move. It is just a feeling, an instinct. We were simply prey and he was the apex predator."
"If I had to compare his level of power, I wouldn't know where to categorize him. He's that unmeasurable!"
Everyone sucked in harshly at the revelation from the leader.
"Does that mean if we were not in the Sect's grounds that person would have destroyed us without as much as blinking an eye?"
"I think we should try to change our ways."
"We shouldn't try, but do it like our lives depend on it."
"We have been arrogant for so long."
The leader looked at everyone and felt that he had been a bad example. They needed to start behaving just like how that person had warned them. Outside in the wild, beyond the protection of the Sect, they were truly insignificant. That inner disciple had hidden himself very well.
'When I get the chance to descend the mountain, I will need to have all the information about the new disciples. It seems I have been lagging too far behind.'
"Everyone let's have a talk," He ordered the guards to convene around him.
***