Tower of Heaven

The island faded around him. Atlas definitely feared for his life for a moment there. It looked like he was going to die inside the Sovereign Sand Worm's body if he wasn't suffocated by the sand.

But, the trial was only to kill the sand worm. Escaping was not in the criteria.

The sand disappeared and the Sovereign Sand Worm did too. Its blood and guts were removed from Atlas' person as if they never existed, and suddenly, he was back in the original chamber.

"Haa…haa…haa…"

He breathed deeply as he celebrated his ability to actually do so.

'It almost feels like an illusion formation, but it cannot be one. That environment is too real for it to be a mere illusion.

Atlas was already on the road to being sucked into his thoughts again, but the pagoda ensured that he would keep his attention in the right place.

When the trial space faded away and Atlas found himself returned to the second layer of the pagoda, he was no longer there alone.

He was now joined by three different chests, each with their own designs.

The first was light with golden markings, the second was dark with silver markings, and the last was an ordinary wooden chest.

"You may choose one of these chests as your reward."

The spirit's voice told him what to do, though it was already quite obvious.

'This is a game of pure luck where I win regardless, so it's truly just a matter of my aesthetic preferences.'

And when it came to aesthetic preferences, Atlas was an ape. He couldn't tell good apart from bad in the slightest, which usually led him to just choosing the simplest things.

In this case, it led him towards the natural wooden treasure chest at the end. It was unassuming yet guaranteed good rewards, which had a subtle meaning that appealed to him.

He walked up to it curiously and clicked open the two latches on the front. The chest was not locked, so once they were undone, it opened directly.

Within the chest were two separate rewards. Considering that he was forced to choose between three chests, Atlas was only expecting one. Seeing two things pleasantly surprised him.

The first was a small cube of metal. It wasn't something that Atlas recognized, but the information appeared in his mind the moment he touched it.

'Oh…?'

The Formation Spark was the one that answered his question. This material actually wasn't something from the Mortal Plane at all, but instead something that could only be found in the land of Immortals!

'It seems like the Formation Spark will provide me basic information about a material that I come in contact with even if it is out of the scope of my current abilities.'

Or, it would only do so when it recognized the materials as his own possessions.

More important than the Formation Spark's functionality, however, was the identity of that material.

'This metal is known as Iridescent Steel, but it is not known by this name because of its color.'

No, the metal was entirely black. What went through rapid changes was not its color…

'....but its form.'

Atlas inserted qi into the metal. In a mere second, it transformed into a set of two chain sickles.

They were extremely light, yet the blades were extremely sharp and durable.

'This is not the best use for the metal, but it is also entirely capable of being used as a weapon.'

For the current Atlas, this actually was the best use.

'This is good. I have to wait until I find a properly qualified blacksmith if I want to put the Ancient Meteorite Iron to good use. Until then, this will give me access to a weapon that will not hold me back.'

His current chain sickles were already cracked after the battle with Cain. He was in need of something that could properly support his strength.

And, when the need for such a weapon disappeared, it could be returned to its original form and used for something even greater.

Really, it was a perfect reward. It was even more ideal because it didn't come alone.

'This is…'

Atlas picked up the second reward. It was a tome filled with scriptures that was absorbed into his body the moment he touched it.

[Stone Buddha's Sacred Manual]

Though its name was more similar to an ancient cultivation technique, it was actually quite recent. There was a huge difference between the techniques of the two eras, after all.

Ancient techniques relied more on spiritual aspects of nature, connecting to them purely based on the perception of them that was held in the human mind.

In recent times, those techniques had been emboldened by the study of qi and its properties. Now, cultivators had access to materials that told them exactly how qi would act and how it interacted with the world, making it much easier to gain an initial understanding of one's Dao.

The [Stone Buddha's Sacred Manual] naturally could not become Atlas' main technique, but by practicing it and learning its martial skills, he would also be able to master the concepts of the Dao of Earth.

'Once I have mastered the concept of vitality, I will immediately be able to move on.'

He wouldn't have to wait for an opportunity as he did when he comprehended the Dao of Water.

Two rewards that were most useful to the current him. The treasure pagoda delivered on its promise splendidly.

'This is a very interesting cultivation technique. I have never seen a technique that promises such great results in the realm of defense before.'

It wasn't a technique one could merely pick up on the side of the street. Something like this was even enough to start a war between Societies that focused on the Dao of Earth.

'The Xuanying Treasure Pagoda… a Supreme Heavenly Treasure indeed.'

It read his needs and fulfilled them perfectly. At the moment, that only resulted in a weapon and a technique, but what about later?

What about when he was an Immortal?

'...what about when I am a God?'

He couldn't help but feel excitement boiling in his veins when he thought about it.

"Congratulations on your success, young Challenger."

The Artifact Spirit brought Atlas' attention back to reality.

"You now have 14 years of Challenger status, and the first two layers of the pagoda can be used however you wish. I await your next visit when you have properly become an Emperor."

Atlas smiled. Indeed, the rewards didn't end there. With 14 years to complete another floor and complete freedom to do as he pleased with the area he'd already claimed, he's already thought of plenty of ideas to implement in the future.

"Indeed. I will see you again when I become an Emperor."

After bowing to the air in an act of acknowledging the spirit, Atlas willed himself out of the pagoda.

It had been several hours since he left reality, which meant that only several minutes had passed when he returned.

'Around now, Scarlet Fox should be ready, no?'

There was only one task left to complete before Atlas returned to the outside world.

And that…

Well, that was some casual mask shopping on the Tower Shop.

Even these mundane things always found ways to make themselves important, didn't they?