Dragon Blood Saint Emperor

Ye Wushuang had read about Hidden Clans and factions left over from Ancient Times in the Ancient Texts.

These people inherited their Ancestral Blood, granting them immense talent on par with any other prodigy.

Qianling continued, "The Hidden Clans and the factions left over from Ancient Times have long-standing legacies and incredibly deep foundations. They produce generation after generation of powerful experts, making them in no way inferior to any Major Sect. In fact, they might even be stronger."

"Are you talking about them?" Qiu Mo’s gaze sharpened.

"They’re only some of them." Qianling, who seemed to know quite a bit, said, "This is just a small fraction. Many of the most talented prodigies from the Hidden Clans didn’t even come for the Earth Palace training."

Ye Rou asked, "The Earth Palace training is no less significant than the Barbarian God Battle Platform. Why wouldn’t they come?"

Ye Wushuang was also curious. Logically, with disciples from Major Influences like the Ancient Spirit Sect having turned out in droves, these Hidden Clans should have been tempted as well.

Qianling said, "I once heard my grandfather say that the top prodigies of the Hidden Clans are focusing all their efforts on the Barbarian God Battle Platform. They’re preparing to compete for the title of Strongest Warrior and win the Barbarian God’s Blessing."

"The Barbarian God’s Blessing?"

Ye Wushuang had heard that term again.

’It seems the Barbarian God Battle Platform is a truly grand event that I can’t afford to miss.’

Qiu Mo called out, "Let’s go have a look."

Shaking himself from his thoughts, Ye Wushuang strode toward the crowd.

RUMBLE!

At that moment, the Divine Communication Tower trembled violently, and the ground shook along with it.

The crowd felt a tremor and nearly lost their footing.

Ye Wushuang’s group of four also stopped and stared. On the walls of the colossal tower, strange patterns swirled, forming countless Profound Array Maps that pulsed with Divine Light.

These Array Maps gradually expanded, continuously shooting out Dao Patterns that pierced the void like sharp swords.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Instantly, the space surrounding the Divine Communication Tower began to collapse from top to bottom. The destruction spread outward, reaching a radius of several hundred feet.

Seeing this, the crowd below turned pale with horror and scrambled away from the Divine Communication Tower, scattering in all directions.

"Fall back!"

Ye Wushuang’s expression changed as well. He quickly pulled Ye Rou and Qianling back with him, not stopping until they were several miles away.

The other disciples on their trial had also retreated, many now in front of them.

"Look!"

As soon as they steadied themselves, amid the gasps of the crowd, everyone saw mysterious steps materializing one after another in the shattered void.

From top to bottom, there were ninety-nine steps in total, corresponding to the ninety-nine floors of the Divine Communication Tower. The sight was incredibly grand and vast.

At each of the four cardinal directions on every level, there was a Light Gate. Connected by the steps, they formed something like a Celestial Ladder from Ancient Times, reaching straight into the clouds. It was as if by stepping onto the ladder, one could ascend to the Firmament and look down upon the heavens and the earth.

"The Celestial Ladder has appeared! The rewards for the Earth Palace training are here!"

Seeing the ninety-nine-step Celestial Ladder appear, the crowd was not fearful but ecstatic.

Most had come to the Earth Palace for the treasures within the Divine Communication Tower. Now, with the treasures available inside, they could be exchanged for with points.

"I hear the higher you go, the more valuable the treasures become."

"That’s right. The treasures on each level are different. The higher you go, the better the treasures and opportunities. If you reach the ninety-ninth level, you might even find a world-shaking opportunity."

"The ninety-ninth level... that’s just a legend. Since Ancient Times, I doubt anyone has ever set foot up there."

"You’re right. Ever since the Divine Communication Tower first appeared, the strongest person only ever made it to the eighty-first level. It’s as if the eighty-first level is the absolute limit, never surpassed, to say nothing of the ninety-ninth."

"That place is the stuff of legends. No one has ever reached it, not even the strongest disciples."

As soon as the ninety-nine-step Celestial Ladder appeared, everyone’s gaze was drawn to the very top.

Up there, a nine-colored Divine Light flickered, far too dazzling to look at directly.

It was a place everyone dreamed of reaching.

But they weren’t qualified in the slightest. All they could do was gaze up in awe.

Even the strongest disciples could only frown at the thought.

Without a heaven-defying amount of points, they wouldn’t have enough to reach that "legendary" place.

"If I could just reach that ’legendary’ place, I’d have no regrets, even if it cost me my future on the path of cultivation," one disciple lamented.

His words sent a jolt through Ye Wushuang. ’Willing to sacrifice your entire cultivation path just to reach that place? Is it truly that glorious?’

"You’re being naive. It takes a hundred thousand points just to reach the eighty-first level. The number of points needed to reach the ninety-ninth is beyond our imagination. We’re just daydreaming," a young man added with a sigh.

Ye Wushuang looked up toward the top of the Divine Communication Tower, his brow furrowed as well.

’Since Ancient Times, only one person has ever reached the eighty-first level. I wonder how high my points will take me, and what kind of opportunities I’ll find?’

Muttering to himself, Ye Wushuang walked over to the young man who had just spoken. "Greetings, friend," he said.

The young man was at the True Essence Sixth Layer, and judging by his attire, he was likely a Loose Cultivator.

Hearing him, the youth turned and gave Ye Wushuang a disdainful look.

When he saw that Ye Wushuang was also at the True Essence Sixth Layer, he reined in his contempt and asked, "What do you want?"

Ye Wushuang paid him no mind. He cupped his fist and asked, "Friend, I’ve just arrived at the Divine Communication Tower and don’t know much about the Earth Palace. I was hoping you could clarify something for me. What did you mean when you said it takes a hundred thousand points to reach the eighty-first level?"

"Alright, I’ll tell you." The young man didn’t put on any airs. "It’s not really a secret. People from past Earth Palace training events have figured out the approximate points needed for each level."

"The first level is estimated to be around one hundred points."

"The second is between two and three hundred points."

"And so on. For the first nine levels, each one costs an additional two to three hundred points."

"From the tenth level onward, each level costs about a thousand points. It continues like that up to the eighty-first level, which costs a hundred thousand points. No one knows how many points are needed beyond that, because no one’s ever gotten that far."

The young man explained in detail, then added, "An average Disciple can make it to the Eighth or Ninth Layer, and that’s about it. The strongest disciples have great Destiny, have found many opportunities, and have killed many people, so they’ve racked up a lot of points. They can probably reach the thirtieth or fortieth level."

"If the strongest disciples can reach the thirtieth or fortieth level, then Xiaoshuang, you can probably make it to the twentieth or thirtieth!" Qiu Mo replied with a grin.

"The twentieth or thirtieth level?"

Hearing this, the young man stared, then gave Ye Wushuang a hard look. His face was filled with deep suspicion and a hint of mockery.

He himself was at the True Essence Sixth Layer, same as this guy. He figured he’d be lucky to even reach the tenth level. ’And this kid in white thinks he can reach the twentieth or thirtieth?’

"Qiu Mo, I think you’ve misjudged this time," Qianling immediately countered.

The young man nodded silently, clearly agreeing with Qianling. ’The twentieth or thirtieth level is just too ridiculous.’

’Good, at least one of them can see reality!’

However, Qianling’s next words left the young man stunned.

A thought seemed to occur to Qianling, and she smiled, her expression full of a confidence that seemed to surpass even Ye Wushuang’s own. "I believe that this time, Junior Brother Ye will definitely reach the fortieth or fiftieth level!"