"Choosing a faction, huh..."
Based on the normal background setting, Shushan must be the righteous faction, and Xiu Luo must be the evil faction. One righteous, one evil, they naturally form two opposing factions. But what's the deal with having a Buddhist faction in between? Could it be that Shushan and the Buddhist faction aren't both righteous?
After pondering for a moment, Chu Feng realized that the background of the second level of the Tower of Heavens might not be as straightforward as he imagined.
Based on his experience from the first level, it's not hard to see that the small worlds within the Tower of Heavens follow their own rules. The first level's teleportation point was just a small city called Yu Yang, with faction conflicts revolving around four martial arts families. But here on the second level, the scope had expanded to the Luo Domain. The disputes among the three major sects involved many nations, making the realm far larger than the first level of the Tower of Heavens. The background must be much more complex.
And is the Buddhist faction necessarily as righteous as Shushan? Probably not. Buddhism has dual aspects; with a demonic heart and a Buddhist seed, it can be both righteous and evil, both good and evil. This Buddhist faction feels like an undercover agent in a game of Three Kingdoms, appearing loyal on the surface but potentially betraying the leader. Such a lineup must be more complicated than it seems. Experienced Heavenly Eyed players might see this faction as a special choice.
To be cautious...
Don't choose it!
Moreover, Chu Feng had no interest in playing a bald monk, ringing bells, and chanting scriptures every day. Such a life would be too dull.
So the remaining choices were Shushan and Xiu Luo.
"Heavenly Eyed players are more likely to appear in the righteous faction. Besides, Shushan's cultivation style leans more towards techniques and true essence. Xiu Luo might involve the path of slaughter as well. Although my strength might allow me to gain evolution points faster by choosing the Xiu Luo path, it may not be suitable for the supreme cultivation method."
Therefore...
"I'll choose the Shushan faction!"
After selecting his faction, a ten-minute countdown began. Once all Heavenly Eyed players were ready...
The next moment,
Chu Feng opened his eyes to find himself sitting cross-legged in a square.
A role information panel for this Heaven's task appeared in front of him—
**Role:** Lu Yu
**Age:** 17
**Identity:** Shushan test disciple (not yet admitted)
**Cultivation:** None
**Fortune Points:** 0
"Fortune Points?"
Chu Feng's mind stirred. This panel was much simpler than the one from the martial arts world. Fortune Points might be the key to this quest.
And in the previous martial arts world task, he received an SSS rating and the reward of a Heavenly Halo, which granted "a portion of fortune." Could this trigger some sort of chain reaction?
Looking around,
Chu Feng saw that everyone else was sitting on a meditation cushion just like his. They were all about the same age, with some meditating with solemn expressions, some reading books, and a few younger disciples fidgeting and looking around, seemingly waiting for something.
"If I'm not mistaken, this should be the outer sect of Shushan, and these disciples are likely here to participate in the test."
With just a glance, Chu Feng assessed the basic situation. About 400 Heavenly Eyed players were participating in this task, a figure he calculated using his Supreme Eye's super visual ability at the moment of transmission. However, the total number of disciples here approached a thousand, meaning many were natives, with Heavenly Eyed players forming only a part of the group.
Like in the previous task, Chu Feng waited, holding back his actions.
Upon entering the second level, it was evident that the Heavenly Eyed players here were much more experienced. Unlike the first level, they weren't eager to recruit teammates or reveal their identities. The key to the Tower of Heavens tasks lay in role-playing, not factional conflicts. The right strategy was to integrate into the role, quickly find a way to grow stronger within this world, then rapidly rise to the top and use this advantage to snowball. During the second phase of factional conflicts, eliminating opponents was the correct strategy for the Tower of Heavens tasks.
Experienced Heavenly Eyed players who had passed the first level generally understood this well. Without activating his Supreme Heavy Pupil, it was impossible to guess others' identities accurately.
However, Chu Feng wasn't in a rush to activate his eye technique. This was just the first phase. Some Heavenly Eyed players might be eliminated, and only the information from remaining elites would be valuable.
After waiting for about half a stick of incense,
An elder in a Daoist robe, with an indifferent expression, floated to the front of the square, glanced at the seated disciples, and waved his hand. In an instant, everyone had a copy of the "Foundation Establishment Heart Sutra."
"In seven days, those who rank in the top 100 in cultivation will go up the mountain to participate in the apprenticeship ceremony. Those who fail will leave the mountain. Each of your books contains a key with a corresponding number. You will live in the wooden house corresponding to your key during your cultivation. If you are maliciously disturbed during cultivation, you may report it to the outer sect disciples."
After briefly explaining the situation, the elder left.
"So, it's about Fortune Points."
Seeing this, Chu Feng roughly guessed the key to this task lay in "Fortune Points." Cultivating in the wooden house alone wouldn't make you one of the top 100. The system gave every Heavenly Eyed player the same basic template — the most basic waste template! Only the Heavenly Eye talent was a real weapon! And being in the top 100 didn't necessarily mean you had to outwork everyone else in cultivation. You could just eliminate your competitors, and rankings wouldn't matter.
If only 100 test disciples remained, would rankings even be needed?
You would directly pass the test!
The elder didn't mention any punishment for maliciously disturbing others' cultivation, only saying it could be reported to the outer sect disciples.
Tsk, tsk.
Would these outer sect disciples, who weren't even part of the sect yet, care if someone reported them?
So, here was a loophole!
After the elder left, leaving the "Foundation Establishment Heart Sutra" for the test disciples to cultivate, everyone stood up.
Soon, at least 200 native disciples permanently sat on their meditation cushions. Various mental control eye techniques were unleashed. Some Heavenly Eyes reached the third and fourth tiers, making it easier to eliminate native test disciples than cutting weeds.
Having cleared the first level, these seasoned Heavenly Eyed players were highly experienced. Some veterans could even identify each other's identities at a glance. The first round of conflict involved dealing with obstructive natives. If the remaining number exceeded the threshold, then they would start targeting each other. Some eye techniques also targeted Chu Feng, but they had no effect on him. All were mental eye techniques aimed at controlling potential rivals.
His Supreme Eye had already reached the fifth tier. Even without activating the Supreme Heavy Pupil, few others' eye techniques would surpass his.
"Hmm, this guy... my eye technique has no effect on him!"
Not far away, a Heavenly Eyed player opened his eyes, surprise flashing in his pupils as he looked at Chu Feng. Although they were competitors, they were in the same faction and might cooperate in the future. Knowing that Chu Feng wasn't ordinary, most other Heavenly Eyed players chose to ignore him, saving themselves the trouble.
This brought significant convenience. Soon, Chu Feng found the wooden house corresponding to his key. Entering it, he activated the system, which promptly displayed a message:
"Detection complete: Supreme technique 'Path to Immortality' is a product of the Xianxia world. World background matches. It can be used."
"Only one use of Heavenly Legacy is permitted."
"Would you like to use it?"
Chu Feng chose to confirm.
The next moment, a manual fell to the ground not far away, its cover inscribed with four characters: "Path to Immortality."