As the hours passed, the faces of the disciples gathered before the tower grew increasingly strange.
The scoreboard remained the same.
[{1st Place} Long Aotian…]
Yes, there was only one name. The twenty-four hours were about to end, and everyone inside would soon be expelled from the tower. Yet, no second place had appeared.
On the contrary, increasingly familiar faces occasionally emerged at the entrance, expelled with varying degrees of injury.
Mu Luyin, the only Nascent Soul disciple, Lin Xiaxue, Xiao Ling, Bai Jingjing, Bai Yan, Cang Song, Hui Lang, Huo Qing, and Lan Jun — though not in that order — all, without exception, had been expelled from the tower.
Whether new or veteran core disciples, representing the sect's finest, none had managed to even pass the first floor.
But among them, there was one particular person whose elimination on the first floor shocked everyone: Senior Sister Liu Rihai.
As Aotian's partner and known together with him as the sect's most powerful couple, everyone had expected her brilliance not to be completely overshadowed by his — yet this time, it seemed that it was.
In truth, it wasn't that Rihai was weak. Under Aotian's deliberate strengthening, she was extremely powerful and talented, mastering many spells of different levels.
Because of that, she was one of the last to leave the tower, being the disciple who had advanced the farthest in unlocking the missions after Aotian himself.
In that regard, she even surpassed a former Mahayana like Lei Yun, since she possessed better methods for capturing without injuring, allowing her to unlock the highest challenge difficulty.
But it was precisely that ability that led to her downfall.
The moment she selected the Immortal difficulty and entered the arena, she was crushed by the puppet.
Before she could even understand what was happening, she found herself outside the tower, stunned and wide-eyed, with a wound that would have been fatal if not for the tower's protection.
It took her several hours to process the sheer terror of the puppet on Immortal difficulty.
At that moment, after so many events, only a few minutes remained before the tower's closure, and there was just one disciple still inside — and he wasn't merely enduring, he was thriving.
[{1st} Long Aotian — 3F — Achievement: 12 Points
Floors: 1F {Immortal}, 2F {Immortal}, 3F {None}]
When the final minute arrived, the disciples fell completely silent, waiting for the result.
Even if nothing else happened, in their hearts Aotian was already a legend, and his position as the sect's Holy Son seemed, at least for now, unshakable.
It was then, as everyone shared that same thought, that a figure appeared out of nowhere before the tower.
He was tall, broad-shouldered, and strikingly handsome, with deep black eyes and dark hair like the night. An imposing aura radiated from him, and after so many battles, a sharp and intense presence surrounded him — something the disciples had never seen from him before.
This was no longer the gentle and amiable Senior Brother Long they knew, but rather the strongest man in the sect beneath the elders.
Even Rihai, his wife, looked at him in surprise, having never seen such a cutting and heavy side of Aotian.
It wasn't that she had never seen him after battle, but before, he always seemed light and calm, as if he had merely been warming up.
Perhaps the only time she had glimpsed this before was during the ambush they suffered while weakened, in the small Blue Cloud City of another desert continent. But at that time, after their escape, she hadn't seen the furious and worried expression he wore when she fainted.
Now, however, it seemed that the tower had forced him into a true battle, sharpening his aura far beyond the norm, revealing a side of him she had never seen — his invincible side.
'Tian'er…' Rihai thought, looking at him with admiration yet also concern, wondering if her husband had been injured in such an intense fight that it left him in this state of mind.
Some disciples, upon seeing him emerge before the tower, sighed in disappointment.
"Seems like the third floor is even harder. Not even Senior Brother Long managed to pass."
"It's a pity, but Senior Brother Long still outshone everyone this time. Maybe he just didn't make it because time ran out."
"Indeed, Senior—" another disciple began to agree, but his voice caught as his eyes lifted to the scoreboard. "No! Wait! Something's wrong! Look at the board!"
His excited shout echoed through the crowd, drawing everyone's gaze to the panel.
And, as they looked closely, they noticed something different on the familiar line.
[{1st} Long Aotian — 3F — Achievement: 18 Points
Floors: 1F {Immortal}, 2F {Immortal}, 3F {Immortal}]
"Wow! He really did it! He wasn't expelled from the tower — he cleared it at the last minute!"
"Incredible! Senior Brother Long truly is powerful! If his cultivation weren't only at the Golden Core stage, I bet he could clear even more floors at Immortal difficulty!"
"Damn… Senior Brother Long really doesn't want to leave any face for us, his fellow disciples."
"Heeh… and what's worth more, our face or the rewards for clearing the Immortal challenge?"
"When you put it that way… yeah, our face seems pretty useless."
"I don't care about that. Get ready, the next tower opening is coming soon. I want to see for myself what's so terrifying about this Hundred Thousand Beasts Tower."
As they learned of his achievements, the crowd plunged into a heated discussion, filled with admiration and a renewed fighting spirit for the next tower opening.
After a disciple entered once, they had to wait a week before challenging the tower again, so those who had already tried would need to wait. But unlike this first occasion — where inner and core disciples had priority — from now on, it would be first come, first served.
Still, even after a week, most probably wouldn't attempt it again so soon and would prepare better beforehand, since it required contribution points to enter, and with no guarantee of success, it would just be a waste of resources.
Aotian slowly left the tower's gate, walking toward his wife, who was waiting by his side, watching him with concern.
Before he could completely leave, Elder Sun Ling, the one in charge of the tower, arrived, ready to lead another group of disciples inside.
She didn't say much, merely gave him a firm nod of acknowledgment.
Aotian clasped his fists respectfully in salute, then left the area.
Before he could even walk far, a pair of delicate hands was already exploring his body, searching for injuries.
"Tian'er, are you alright? Does anything hurt? Let's go see Elder Yang Shi, he's nearby." It was Rihai, concerned that her husband might have been injured in the tower's difficult challenge and was trying to appear strong, even though he hadn't shown any signs of injury.
But her hands quickly realized that he didn't seem to have any injuries.
Aotian smiled softly and gently stroked his worried wife's golden hair.
Kissing her forehead, he held her hand tenderly.
"I'm fine, Hai'er. I wasn't hurt in the challenge," he assured firmly, looking into her beautiful blue eyes without averting his gaze.
And it was true. At most, his clothes were a bit messy and slightly torn.
As the tower's levels increased, so did the strength and talent of the beasts that appeared, but nothing that posed a real problem for Aotian.
As for the guardian puppet, the situation was different.
The higher the allowed cultivation realm, the more power Aotian could channel through the puppet, and therefore, the battles became increasingly difficult — even though the requirement to pass remained the same: land just one hit on the enemy.
Putting the matter aside, he looked at his wife.
"Which difficulty did you try?" he asked, though he already knew the answer. After all, he was the one controlling the puppet, and he certainly hadn't gone easy on her.
Rihai also needed to grow, and he couldn't be lenient just because he loved her. In truth, it was because he loved her that he couldn't be.
"...I tried the immortal difficulty," she murmured after a brief silence, looking away awkwardly.
She feared he might be disappointed that she hadn't passed.
Aotian rolled his eyes at that.
["If you had passed, that would've been strange. Don't attempt the immortal difficulty again. It's probably something only I can overcome. Next time, focus on the extreme difficulty — that should be the limit for anyone, including you."]
He said seriously, transmitting the message directly into her mind.
There was no issue telling her about this, since Rihai knew his identity as the sect's young master — even if he was reluctant to acknowledge the title — but the other disciples didn't know, so they'd find it strange that he had such information.
Besides, he didn't want to discourage them.
Rihai looked at him doubtfully.
["The limit? Then why would difficulties above that exist?"]
She asked, confused, though she didn't mention the fact that he had passed the immortal difficulty. To her, it only reinforced a thought she already had.
'Immortal-level difficulty + Aotian passed = Aotian is a reincarnated Immortal.' The logic was simple in her mind.
Even though she believed Aotian was likely a reincarnated immortal slowly regaining his abilities, she tried not to worry.
He was still the same kind, lively, and passionate man as always, and she had already given him her heart. She would always trust and love him — and that was long before she owed him for helping restore her roots and confidence.
Aotian didn't know what she was thinking but replied:
["Well, the 'saint' and 'immortal' difficulties exist to show disciples who aren't yet at the peak that they can still grow stronger. They're excellent for sharpening one's character. The 'extreme' difficulty, however, is the true limit — except for me, of course."]
["So, from now on, whenever you enter the tower, go straight for the 'extreme' difficulty. If you win, claim the reward. After you've cleared as many floors as you can, return and challenge the 'saint' difficulty to refine yourself."]
He advised seriously.
Rihai listened carefully and nodded obediently.
He was about to continue speaking with her when several core disciples gathered around, congratulating him — among them was Lei Yun, who watched him with attention and curiosity.
Even as a former Mahayana cultivator, he couldn't see the bottom of this disciple known as the strongest in the sect, and he was intrigued by his power.
'Long Aotian… probably the most arrogant name I've ever heard. But it seems he truly lives up to it. What kind of strength does it take to pass the immortal difficulty? I'll have to see it with my own eyes in a week.'
Lei Yun analyzed everything mentally but didn't say much to Aotian beyond a brief greeting, since they weren't close.
No one asked how to pass through the tower or about the immortal difficulty. They were geniuses, each with their own pride and respect.
If they wanted to find out, they would do so on their own.
Thus, after exchanging a few words, everyone said their goodbyes and returned to their respective caves.
They had much to reflect upon — and much to improve this time.