Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

"The Tower of Calamity?"

This wasn’t the first time Mu Chen had heard of this place. ’But isn’t the Tower of Calamity just a symbol of strength? Can it actually increase one’s power?’

As if sensing Mu Chen’s doubt, Di Cang chuckled. "Let’s talk as we walk. I’ll take you to the Tower of Calamity right now for a look. Yun’Er, you stay here and handle the student reports. I’ll be right back."

Di Cang gestured to Mu Chen, and the two of them left the square, talking quietly. Lingyun remained, yawning with boredom as she watched the students milling about. Inwardly, however, she was thrilled. Having returned to the academy two days early, she hadn’t told Di Cang about Mu Chen comprehending a Secret Technique. She wanted to see the look of surprise on Di Cang’s face when Mu Chen used that powerful Secret Technique.

Hehe... Lingyun covered her mouth and giggled to herself at the thought.

Meanwhile, Mu Chen walked beside Di Cang, who spoke as they moved in a specific direction. "Mu Chen, I recall telling you a few things about the Tower of Calamity before. The training plan I designed for you is also meant to be carried out inside it."

"Yes." Mu Chen nodded, though it was clear he was more interested in how to advance his realm.

Di Cang didn’t beat around the bush. "The Tower of Calamity is a resource unique to the Xuanling Empire. I’m not too clear on its history, but the academy chose this location precisely because of it. The tower is an Ancient Ruin. It’s called a ruin because the script carved on it is from Ancient Literature. According to research by some experts, this writing dates back about a million years."

"A ruin from a million years ago? Then it can only be called an Ancient Ruin." Mu Chen clicked his tongue in amazement. ’For something so ancient to have survived to this day is truly a rare thing.’

"Indeed. It’s a mystery that remains unsolved to this day. It seems every Empire has its own exclusive Ancient Ruin, each with different effects. Hmm? I’ve gotten a bit off track. Let’s get back to the Tower of Calamity. Within the Imperial Academy, the tower has always been the perfect training ground for Holy Hall Students to increase their strength. As for why, after years of research and consolidation, we’ve managed to gather a relatively complete set of information about it."

"The Tower of Calamity is gray, no different from an ordinary tower. It has thirty floors in total, and each floor is a trial. Those who enter are challengers. According to students who have been inside, when you enter the Tower of Calamity, a Clone that looks exactly like you will appear. However, it is a real entity, not an Illusion. I believe I’ve told you this before as well."

"Back then, I only told you about the restrictions for entering and what you would encounter inside. Now, I’m going to tell you about the benefits of clearing the trials." Di Cang paused for a moment.

Mu Chen asked, confused, "Benefits? Aren’t the benefits just honing my techniques and mastering my skills?"

Mu Chen knew that the Clone-like entity that appeared inside would definitely be much stronger than him. Defeating such an opponent would undoubtedly help him improve, especially since that opponent was himself. ’But besides that, could there be other benefits?’

Di Cang stroked his beard and smiled. "If that were all, this tower wouldn’t be worthy of being called an Ancient Ruin. As I just mentioned, each floor of the Tower of Calamity is a trial. After you kill the Clone on each floor, you are considered to have successfully cleared it. And since they are trials, there are naturally rewards for clearing them."

"Clearance rewards?" This new term made Mu Chen’s eyes widen. ’There are rewards after clearing a trial? Who’s giving them out?’

Di Cang said, "It’s incredible, isn’t it? But it’s absolutely true. Every time a student clears a trial, a hollow, emotionless voice, like that of a dead person, appears. It allows you to choose from various rewards: weapons, pills, Cultivation Techniques, Combat Skills... Of course, it all depends on how perfectly you clear the trial." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"At first, we didn’t know the rewards varied based on the perfection of the clear. Some students could get Yellow Tier or even Profound Tier pills, weapons, Cultivation Techniques, and Combat Skills. But others could only get items below Yellow Tier. Worse, some students weren’t given a choice at all after clearing a trial; the Tower of Calamity would just randomly give them something."

As Di Cang finished speaking, the path they were on split into many forks. Di Cang, clearly familiar with the route, chose a narrow, dark path. Having seen the campus map, Mu Chen recalled that this was actually a shortcut to the Holy Hall.

But Mu Chen wasn’t thinking about the Holy Hall right now. Instead, he asked, "Teacher, you said the Tower of Calamity could rapidly advance my Martial Artist Realm. Is it because the pills one can obtain have that effect?"

Di Cang shook his head. "No. The rewards generally consist of those four common types I mentioned, but there are also special rewards."

"Special rewards?"

"That’s right. In the thousand years from then until now, only one person has ever received a special reward: the strongest dean in the history of our Xuanling Empire. He was the only one to achieve a perfect clear in the Tower of Calamity, and his reward was a direct advancement of his Martial Artist Realm by one ring."

Hearing this, Mu Chen stopped dead in his tracks. He had never heard of a place that could directly advance a Martial Artist’s realm. ’If this is all true, how terrifying must the Cultivation of the person who built this Tower of Calamity have been?’

Di Cang continued, "But since then, no one else has ever received a Cultivation advancement reward from the Tower of Calamity. However, you are an Outsider. If anyone can get a special reward from it, it has to be you."

"Why are you so certain, Teacher?" ’It has to be you...’ That single sentence pulled Mu Chen’s thoughts back to reality.

"Hehe... Because of how special you are, of course. As a Sixth-Ring Martial Master, you can defeat a Three-Ring Martial Spirit. You can even Walk on Air without having reached the Martial Spirit realm. A talent like that will definitely allow you to achieve a perfect clear in the Tower of Calamity."

"I see." It dawned on Mu Chen. Indeed, upon reflection, if even he couldn’t achieve a perfect clear, then it would be impossible for anyone else.

Seeing Mu Chen’s eagerness, Di Cang smiled. "However, I have no idea what the trigger or method for a perfect clear is, so you’ll have to figure it out for yourself. For now, I’m just taking you to the Tower of Calamity to get qualified to enter. But entry is restricted to the two-day weekend break each week, so after you get your qualification, you can head back to your dorm. I’ve already moved you, Little Tiger, and Qing Lei into the dorms for attribute martial artists. Your Ice Attribute is plain for all to see. As for Little Tiger’s Earth Attribute and Qing Lei’s Dark Attribute, they couldn’t escape my eyes either."

"But..." Mu Chen was about to say that it didn’t seem right, but Di Cang cut him off with a single sentence. "In the attribute martial artist dorms, you’ll at least have a private environment. I’m sure you have plenty of secrets you don’t want others to know. Since that’s the case, don’t overthink it."

Seeing how thoughtful Di Cang was being, Mu Chen felt a warmth in his heart. ’Why have both teachers I’ve met treated me with such dedication?’ Although Di Cang had decided to take him as a disciple because of his strength and uniqueness, everything Di Cang had done for him since becoming his teacher was with utmost care. Mu Chen tucked this gratitude away in his heart, determined to transform it into the drive to become stronger. In the next inter-empire competition, he would elevate the Xuanling Empire to the status of a mid-class or even a High-class Empire.

As the two conversed, a colossal, ancient gray tower gradually came into Mu Chen’s view...

This was the first time Mu Chen had seen such a tower-like structure. The entire tower was situated in a sunken basin surrounded by mountains on all four sides. If you looked straight ahead, you could see the top of the Tower of Calamity at a glance. This meant the tower was actually located underground.

As they continued forward, the surrounding forest gave way to flat ground, and a steep slope appeared ahead. Mu Chen followed Di Cang, and as they got closer, he saw that it wasn’t a slope but a massive, circular staircase. The stairs numbered in the thousands, reaching a height of nearly a hundred meters. Below was a circular platform, and in the middle of that platform stood the Ancient Ruin, the Tower of Calamity, its surface carved with countless lines of Ancient Literature.

Looking at the giant structure before him, Mu Chen’s mind naturally drifted to the Profound Ice Palace where the Profound Old Ghost lived. No matter how he looked at it, he felt the architectural styles of the two were somewhat similar. He didn’t study it further, as there was no way of knowing what the carvings on the tower said. Below the tower, a two-story, elegant pavilion had been built. Outside the pavilion sat a table and a rocking chair.

CREAK, CREAK... The rocking chair swayed. An old man in black robes was dozing in it with his head bowed. But when Mu Chen saw him, he couldn’t help but freeze for a moment.

That’s right—Mu Chen had seen this old man before. Three years ago, at Luofeng Square, he was one of the three representatives from the Imperial Academy’s recruitment team during the entrance trials.

Several thousand steps were no challenge for Mu Chen, let alone Di Cang. Grabbing Mu Chen’s arm, Di Cang moved his feet and appeared before the old man in an instant.

Sensing the fluctuation of energy, the old man’s closed eyes snapped open, and two sharp glints of light shot out.

The corner of Di Cang’s mouth curled up as he cursed, "Tch, Wu Kui, you old coot. You’re really enjoying life, aren’t you?"

The old man named Wu Kui beamed when he saw Di Cang and nodded. "Of course. It gets a bit busy on the weekends, but the rest of the time is quite enjoyable. What do you say, Dean Di? Care to join me?"

Di Cang snorted. "Forget it. What’s so enjoyable about a former Grand Elder of the academy being assigned to this godforsaken place to guard the Tower of Calamity?"

"Heh, you’re even unluckier than me. At least I’m still an internal member. You were kicked out entirely."

The two went back and forth, relentlessly tearing each other down. Despite their words, Mu Chen had a faint feeling that their relationship was the complete opposite of what it appeared to be on the surface.

At that moment, Wu Kui waved his hand. "Alright, alright. First, tell me what you’re doing here. I know that for the past few decades, you’ve never come to the Holy Hall or interfered in its affairs. You must have a reason for bringing this little fellow here today."

Di Cang gave a sly grin. "It wasn’t that my return was never coming, the time just wasn’t right. Now I’m here, so the time has come."

Wu Kui’s hand, holding a teacup, suddenly froze by his lips. His half-closed eyes snapped open and fixed on Mu Chen. The intense gaze lasted only a moment before he returned to his previous state. He took a light sip of the weak tea and raised his eyes to Di Cang. "It’s him?"