A deafening boom resounded, and a blinding golden light erupted from the ground. The light shot skyward in a pillar so radiant it was impossible to look directly at it. The earth cracked and splintered beneath their feet.
The air thickened, an overwhelming pressure crushing down on everyone. Even the strongest cultivators gasped for breath. Bai Xiao shielded his eyes with one arm, bracing against the gale-force winds. Xia Hua clung to him, her knuckles white, while Li Wei gritted his teeth, barely managing to stay upright.
The golden pillar of light surged higher and higher until it seemed to pierce the heavens. Within the glow, a colossal shadow began to take shape—a tower—no, a monolith—rising with impossible speed yet carrying an undeniable weight.
For five whole minutes, the colossal structure climbed. When it finally stopped, an eerie silence fell, broken only by the groans of the earth settling beneath its weight. The glow faded, revealing the Heavenly Tower in its full, terrifying majesty.
It was impossibly vast, its base made of a shimmering, dark stone that seemed to drink in the light. It towered so high that its peak disappeared into the clouds. Brilliant carvings adorned its surface—runes and patterns that pulsed faintly with an otherworldly energy. Four great gates, larger than any mortal palace, stood at its base, their edges inscribed with glowing golden sigils.
The atmosphere crackled with raw power. The sheer presence of the tower seemed to suppress the world around it, making the cultivators gathered feel like ants before a mountain. Its aura was both inviting and repelling—a promise of boundless opportunity and imminent doom.
"Is this it...?" Bai Xiao muttered, his voice trembling as he staggered to his feet. His heart pounded in awe and fear as he stared at the towering monolith.
Xia Hua's voice was barely a whisper. "The Heavenly Tower…" Her knees shivered as she stared at the majestic structure. Li Wei was fallen on the ground, his mouth agape at the sight.
"This must be the work of the gods themselves. No mortal could create such a thing."
"I can feel my cultivation straining against the pressure. How can anyone climb this?"
"The runes... they're pulsing with power. This tower is alive."
Murmurs and whispered flooded the air as soon as the earth stopped shaking, but no one dared to approach the tower first. They were waiting for someone else to go and test it.
Feeling the delay, Bai Xiao scoffed and moved forward. His eyes were set with determination as he stepped on the cracked earth.
"I am going in first, Fe Rou, follow me if you wish."
"Young master can't be serious, are you going first? What if there is a trap or something for impatient participants?" Li Wei tried to reason with him, but Bai Xiao ignored him.
"I don't have any death wish, you go on, brave brother.." Fe Rou sat down on the ground, his hands still trembling. He decided to wait and watch for now.
"As you wish, cowardly brother. Li Wei, just follow me, we have to go in anyway, then why waste time?"
"But young master—"
Before Li Wei could say something, Bai Xiao himself stopped in his tracks. In front of him was a bald old man with a long beard. He was pulsing with high cultivation aura, his eyes were sunken in barely visible among the think wrinkles.
"Stop right there, dried lamp of the Bai Clan. We have things to discuss with everyone first.." He said, grabbing Bai Xiao's shoulder.
"Old bastard Qin... what are you doing here, and even blocking my path towards my destiny? Move..." Bai Xiao was about to clash with the old man but was immediately pulled back by Li Wei.
"Now, now, young master, that isn't how you talk to Elder Qin. Our clan may fall in trouble if you do. Let's just listen to what he has to say." He said, dragging him back. Bai Xiao also didn't resist; he had no intention of really messing with this Tribulation Realm Expert.
"Lords & Ladies as most of you may know, I am Gu Qin. As someone who has climbed the tower once in the past myself, I have been tasked by the emperor to provide information and guidance to all the elite clan factions. It won't take long, so listen carefully before anyone enters the Heavenly Tower."
Gu Qin was an famous elder in the emperor's court. His Tribulation Realm Cultivation had named him one of the strongest in this whole empire.
"Firstly, the thing about this tower being a gateway to heavens. Keep in mind that no one has ever confirmed such a thing. Most participants go inside to face challenges and increase their cultivation. Some even go to look for valuable items and relics. However, there surely are a few immortal cultivators climbing for the sake of heaven itself." He paused, looking around if there was someone like this in the gathered crowd. He found none.
Bai Xiao, still being held by Li Wei, listened closely since he didn't have much strength; he wanted to absorb as much information as possible.
"Now, to climb the tower, there are two ways. The first one is to climb from outside, however, it's not recommended. Even if you could climb so high for years, all the while hanging on the thin runic carvings of the tower's surface, you wouldn't get any rewards or items, neither would you be able to utilize the dense qi it has to offer. This method is only for those who want to reach the heavens without having to deal with the challenges inside."
He paused again, looking if someone would want to try this method. He found none.
"Only some idiot would even try this method.." Someone said dismissively.
"And a coward to boot.." another chimed in.
Bai Xiao didn't even consider this method; his goal was to cultivate, not reach the heavens.
"Next, the proper way is to enter one of the 4 great gates. The northern gate, the southern gate, and so on. The four gates aren't parallel, however, they don't merge for the first 10 floors, meaning the people who enter a certain gate wouldn't meet people who entered the other gates for the first 10 floors."
"No need to be so specific, we are not your disciples, hurry up, old man." Hei Lan glared at Gu Qin, being impatient. This much information was common knowledge among elite clans.
"Ah, the heir of the Hei Clan. It seems junior Hei hasn't taught his son how to speak with elders.." He laughed, ignoring him like a child.
"Oh well, it seems all you young lot are impatient. Fine, let me wrap it up. To register your faction, you must be holding hands with each other while entering the gates. A faction should have at least three members; there is no known upper limit."
"There are uncountable floors, with each floor having a floor spirit to guide you. To clear each floor, you have to meet one certain condition which can be absolutely anything. Each floor tests a different aspect of you, from strength, intelligence to honesty or even luck."
"After clearing each floor, the spirit will reward you accordingly. After every 4 floors, the 5th floor is of high difficulty. It is after clearing these hard floors that you get an option to quit & get out of the tower. However, this option is only available for the first 100 floors. After that, there is no return. That's all, the rest you can ask from the floor spirits themselves. Does anyone have any questions?"
"Me. How high had you climbed in your time, Elder Qin?" Mei Jing asked with a glint in her eyes, wondering if she could surpass him.
"Oh, how high was it again? 40-45 floors, I was quite young those days and couldn't keep up with my faction mates, and they forced me to quit." He said, recollecting his memories. "But no regrets, heavens have given me another chance. This time I will surely reach 100." He said as his eyes shone through the wrinkles.
"Huh?" Bai Xiao, Hei Lan, and Mei Jing all startled by his sudden declaration. "You are also climbing, at this age?"
Gu Qin smiled bitterly at the rude youths. "Why not? Heavens have given me another chance, after guiding the participants for the first nine days, I myself will enter the Tower."
"Whatever, Bai Xiao freed himself from Li Wei's grasp and walked past Gu Qin. "You already wasted a lot of time. Let's hurry, Li Wei, Xia Hua."
"Yes, young master." They both sang in unison, averting their eyes from Gu Qin.
"Girls, follow me, we should also get going." Mei Jing gestured as she began walking gracefully towards the Gates.
Hei Lan also walked with fast steps, wanting to take first-mover advantage. It was clear that these three factions were the boldest among the crowd and were ready to dive right in.
"Fragrant warm breeze; that flows from the east.." Mei Jing recited, going towards the Eastern Gate.
"The Majestic mountains; stand tall in the north." Hei Lan circled around, going towards the northern gate.
"The western gate that's closest to me.." Bai Xiao didn't put any thought, going straight towards the nearest gate.
The western gate, as huge as it was, wasn't any bit different from the other gates. No matter how hard they looked, the entrance was pitch black.
"Eek, you...young master...." Xia Hua gasped as Bai Xiao took her hand suddenly. Her face reddened as she looked down.
"Li Wei, I am not holding a man's hand, take my elbow.." Bai Xiao said, lifting his sleeves to expose his elbow.
"Young master, seriously..? I feel disrespected somehow.." Li Wei said, grabbing Bai Xiao's elbow.
"Now, on the count of three, we will walk in...Three... Two.... One..."
Six footsteps responded in unison, all of their visions darkened.
"Mortals. Welcome to the Heavenly Tower."