Chapter 550: The First Layer

"The Haotian Tower has opened!"

"Haha, I never thought I'd have the chance to enter the Haotian Tower in my lifetime. Just thinking about it gets me excited!"

"Success or failure hinges on this moment. I must rise above others!"

The unusual activity of the Haotian Tower stirred commotion among the sects and rogue cultivators participating for the first time.

Compared to them, the disciples of the Three Sects appeared quite composed.

A curtain of light cascaded down from the tower's peak, like liquid mercury, a magnificent sight.

As the light swept over the tower body, rows of names appeared!

Ye Yuan gazed intently and saw the most prominent spot engraved with a name—Li Fantian!

Above this name was marked the eighth layer; he was the only martial artist in ten thousand years to have passed the seventh layer and entered the eighth.

Ye Yuan continued looking down. Below the seventh layer were three names.

The first name was Luo Yanqing, the second was Zhuo Fei.

And the third name was none other than Lu Linfeng!

"This old fellow was probably a legendary figure in the Boundless Realm back in the day. But as time passed, his legend has gradually been forgotten by later generations," Ye Yuan sighed inwardly.

In truth, the main reason Lu Linfeng was forgotten by the Boundless Realm was the fall of the Dayan True Sect.

Otherwise, with the Dayan True Sect's legacy, at the very least it would now be a dominant power in the Boundless Realm.

As for the names below the sixth layer, they were densely packed, too many to count, so Ye Yuan had no interest in looking.

Ye Yuan's minimum goal for this visit to the Haotian Tower was the seventh layer!

If he couldn't even match Lu Linfeng, how could he intervene in the turbulent affairs of the Divine Realm?

But Ye Yuan was also curious about which era Luo Yanqing and Zhuo Fei belonged to; he had never heard of them.

Logically, those who could pass the seventh layer should not be obscure figures.

"It seems the torrent of time has buried countless geniuses! Even if Lu Linfeng now roams the Divine Realm, in a few years no one may remember him," Ye Yuan sighed quietly.

Ye Yuan suddenly noticed a blank light panel beside those names, but he didn't know its purpose.

"Once you enter, the light panel will display your name and the layer you're on. The Haotian Secret Realm is not dangerous, but if you fail a task, you'll be teleported out by the giant tower, and your name will disappear. Moreover, in the secret realm, all pain is real—even death!"

Ye Yuan turned sideways and saw that Old Man Qihai had somehow come to his side.

"Elder Hai, why are you here?" Ye Yuan asked in surprise.

"Hehe, Young Friend Ye is attempting the Haotian Tower—how could I miss witnessing this historic moment? In the past thousand years, you are the one most likely to reach the sixth layer! What a pity that time waits for no one; if your cultivation could be raised a bit, you might have a chance at the seventh layer!" Qihai said with slight regret.

Ultimately, it was because Ye Yuan's current cultivation was too low.

His current strength was at most on par with Qin Yan and others. Considering his potential, Qihai's assessment of Ye Yuan was also that he would enter the sixth layer.

If Ye Yuan could break through a few more realms, Qihai's assessment would naturally be much higher.

But the Haotian Tower clearly became harder the further one went; the seventh layer was already the limit everyone could comprehend!

However, including Qihai, no one knew that Ye Yuan's minimum goal was the seventh layer!

"Haha, since Elder Hai thinks so highly of me, I must at least try to conquer the sixth layer!" Ye Yuan laughed.

"Hehe, I'll be watching eagerly! Alright, time is almost up; you should go in!" Qihai said.

Ning Yixian declared in a clear voice, "The Haotian Tower has opened. All of you must strive hard inside! The future of our Boundless Realm rests on you! But I'll be frank: this opening of the Haotian Tower is for the future of our Boundless Realm, to resist the invasion of the Raging Wind Realm. After you emerge from the tower, you must join the Boundless Alliance and serve it! Once the Raging Wind Realm is repelled, you will naturally be granted freedom!"

"Alliance Leader Ning, we will give our all and serve the alliance!"

For those rogue cultivators, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

If anyone stood out, founding a sect in the future would be easy.

Ning Yixian said, "Good, each of you enter through the entrance!"

At Ning Yixian's command, the martial artists rushed toward the entrance, especially the rogue cultivators.

For them, this was a golden chance to leap over the dragon's gate.

Moreover, those selected were among the most powerful and talented rogue cultivators, naturally unwilling to fall behind.

Ye Yuan bid farewell to the elders and flew into the tower with the main group.

...

Entering the Haotian Tower, the scenery before Ye Yuan suddenly changed, as if he had arrived in another world.

But before Ye Yuan could land, a blur flashed before his eyes, and a shadow attacked him.

However, the speed of this shadow was as slow as a snail in Ye Yuan's eyes.

Ye Yuan casually pointed a finger, and the shadow crashed to the ground.

Looking closely, it turned out to be a second-rank demon beast.

"Hehe, Junior Brother Ye sure is lucky, encountering a demon beast right upon entry," Guo Taoqun said cheerfully as he approached Ye Yuan.

Ye Yuan smiled. "A second-rank demon beast is nothing. But... is the task of the first layer just to hunt demon beasts?"

Guo Taoqun also smiled. "Junior Brother Ye is indeed clever. Actually, the tasks for the first three layers are all hunting demon beasts, but the ranks differ. In the first layer, there are only peak second-rank demon beasts. Our task is to break through their blockade, find the entrance to the second layer, and reach it!"

Ye Yuan was stunned. "That simple?"

Guo Taoqun laughed heartily. "Simple? Haha, Junior Brother Ye is thinking too simply! Though three hundred of us entered the Haotian Secret Realm, nearly half will be eliminated in the first layer! We're only at the entrance now, so the number of demon beasts is small. Deep in the first layer, the number of these second-rank demon beasts will reach a terrifying level! Even a Huahai realm expert might not escape unscathed! Though I've broken through to the Hunhai realm, I dare not fight continuously in a beast horde, or I'll eventually exhaust my yuan power and be eliminated."

Ye Yuan then understood. If it were merely eliminating second-rank demon beasts, it would be too simple.

Though second-rank demon beasts are not strong, when their numbers reach a certain level, a qualitative change occurs.

No matter how high your cultivation, you can't withstand the attrition of numbers!

High-level martial artists are called invincible only in real-world situations.

But theoretically, low-level martial artists can exhaust high-level ones through numbers!

Ye Yuan thought for a moment and asked, "Are the demon beasts in the first layer inexhaustible?"