Tower of Heaven

"Tch! What is this bullshit!"

The gruff man who stood at the head of the expedition roared. Currently, he stood before three familiar tables without a single idea of what to do.

'The first test was so easy, so why did the second test have to be bullshit?! Who gives a shit about secondary professions?!'

This man was named Isaiah Brook. He was a true Earth Sage Realm cultivator who descended to the 11th floor specifically for this tomb.

'They told me this was the tomb of a Behemoth. Since when did those muscleheaded dumbasses care about useless things like alchemy?'

Isaiah shook his head in contempt. He truly didn't understand why people still felt the need to focus on such useless jobs. Ever since he joined Heaven's Gate, he realized that strength was the only truth in this world.

Alchemy? Artifact Refining? Who needed those? If one had enough strength and used their strength to climb the tower, they could easily gain any sort of pills or artifacts they desired from the Tower Shop.

Frankly, Isaiah's opinion wasn't just his own. It was the shared opinion of a large number of Ascenders. It wasn't just that secondary professions weren't combat-oriented, they didn't grant one the ability to climb the tower.

And why would they be there if they didn't want to climb? Ascenders who spent their days in bitter training to climb the tower disdained those who gave up, and in their eyes, those who practiced secondary professions were included in this category.

Isaiah grabbed the large axe on his back, swinging it heavily at the three tables. A small wind whipped up along with the force of the axe, shredding all the herbs and formation materials to pieces.

"Let me out of here, you damn system!" He yelled into the void.

[Ascenders are not permitted to leave until the conditions are fulfilled.]

"What conditions?!"

[Ascender [Isaiah Brook] does not possess the qualifications to view the clear conditions.]

"Fuck!"

Isaiah slammed his axe into the ground, but it didn't do any damage. Even if his strength could lord over everyone else on the 11th Floor, he couldn't even touch a hair on the Fallen Emperor's head.

Similar to Isaiah, many cultivators were forced to halt their progress by the second trial. The majority of people held the same thought as Isaiah, while some simply never knew of or understood secondary professions before.

Within the tower, even those who excelled in secondary professions would usually keep a low profile. Even when they gathered, they did so in neutral zones where their safety was guaranteed.

It was no wonder they were given the moniker of "cowards," but those who actually partook in the craft didn't feel the same way.

Their glory came from the glory of their weapons, of their pills, of their formations. Even if their professions were considered "secondary," the Heavenly Dao wasn't something so fixed.

With their firm belief in their Daos, even the constant criticism couldn't shake their determination.

Regardless, it was difficult to find someone who knew even a small amount about these professions. As for these select few who possessed that knowledge and passed the trial…

As they stepped through the provided portals, they found themselves grouped back together in a large empty space.

Although this space resembled the previous ones, there was a sensation as if the space continued on for eternity.

"Hmm, a group trial," Atlas muttered. He had experienced something similar in the Tutorial not long ago.

As if responding to his words, the system sent a message. It didn't even allow those who passed to greet each other.

[The Fallen Emperor's Third Test: Battle]

[The Fallen Emperor, despite his wise nature, was a member of a warring race. The reason why he flourished as an Emperor was precisely because he was adept at both utilizing his wisdom and power.]

[Defeat the Beast Horde.]

[Grace Period Beginning: 00:09:59]

The prompt was quite simple and very similar to the tutorial trial in which Atlas gained his chain sickles, but there was one glaring difference.

'This one does not have a kill requirement. We are simply meant to survive and kill until the Beast Horde eventually halts. But only giving us 10 minutes to prepare…'

It was a gruesome trial. Even if one had extreme endurance and qi control, they wouldn't be able to last forever. Whether it be Core Formation or Earth Sage Realm, they were both nothing in the grand scheme of things.

And as Atlas looked around, he noticed that not a single Earth Sage Realm expert made it to this point. There was, however, one familiar face among the crowd.

'How on earth did she manage to pass?' Atlas wondered inwardly. The familiar beauty seemed to notice his gaze and looked over, immediately perking up when she saw him.

"Atlas!"

Even seeing Artemia running over, Atlas was still confused about how she arrived at this stage at all. From what he knew, Artemia wasn't the brightest person. Even if she was extremely smart, the only knowledge she cared for was martial arts and cultivation-related.

Atlas admired her spirit but sometimes had to wearily sigh at the decisions she made. Nonetheless, since the woman herself was here, Atlas realized he could simply ask her.

Artemia was never one to put on pretenses with.

"Aria, how did you make it through the 2nd test?" Atlas asked bluntly.

Artemia's momentum immediately faltered. She grinned sheepishly and rubbed her head.

"Ah, well. I may or may not have cheated a little."

"You…what?!" Atlas exclaimed, barely managing to keep his voice down.

"Ah, quiet, quiet. They'll all get too jealous if they hear."

Artemia grinned slyly and flashed her wrist, showing Atlas a hint of a bracelet that hung from it.

Atlas's brow raised curiously.

"An artifact? What kind of artifact has the ability to aid you in this type of trial?"

Artemia leaned close, her lips brushing against Atlas's ear.

"This artifact is actually something my father gave me. Sealed within is the Wood Spirit King himself!"

Atlas didn't need to hear any more. The words "Wood Spirit King" were enough to give him a fright.

'That little brat Sylvanus? The same Wood Spirit King I know?'

If it was truly the same child Atlas was thinking of, then it meant it hadn't been too long since his death!

Sylvanus was just a small spirit the first time they met, but he was actually fated to be the Wood Spirit King's successor! From birth, his natural talent for alchemy and any nature-related subjects was excellent, almost to the point of defying the Heavens.

It was no wonder Artemia was able to pass the trial. With Sylvanus' ability, such a trial was child's play.

With this kind of talent naturally came many dangers. And Atlas, as one of Sylvanus' only friends from the beginning, helped him stave off many of these dangers.

It was just…

When Atlas thought about the times he braved danger together with Sylvanus in his thousands of years of existence, he felt a kind of sour feeling in his heart that he didn't know the origin of.

Regardless, to understand that feeling and to understand how much time had passed, he needed to speak to the Wood Spirit King himself.