[Cultivation: Unity stage. Initiating Unity stage trial.]
As soon as Yun Jin stepped into the Trial Tower, a mechanical voice rang out.
[Please select the reward path for this trial.
Option 1: Increase spiritual power cultivation.
Option 2: Increase comprehension of Laws.
Option 3: Increase proficiency in cultivation techniques.]
Yun Jin was stunned.
Reward path?
So once the trial was cleared, rewards would be granted directly?
And these three—whether it was cultivation, law comprehension, or technique proficiency—each one was a heaven-defying benefit.
As expected of something produced by the system.
After some thought, Yun Jin selected option two: [Increase comprehension of Laws.]
Her cultivation was already at the peak of the Unity stage. Her soul realm had even been forcibly elevated once before. She could not afford to keep pushing like that.
Otherwise, something would truly go wrong.
Better to let her soul power settle naturally. If things went smoothly, in a few years her cultivation would rise to the Tribulation stage on its own. There was no need to risk anything now.
So, the first option of increasing spiritual power was of little use for her.
As for the third option, raising proficiency in techniques—it was helpful, but compared to that, comprehending Laws would provide a far greater leap in strength.
She'd already grasped the Primordial Flame.
Next, she planned to comprehend another elemental Primordial Force. Fire and water opposed each other, so she'd leave the Primordial Water for later.
Right now, she wanted to study either the Primordial Wood or the Primordial Metal. Wood granted powerful recovery, and Metal amplified attack strength.
Both were things she desperately needed right now.
Yet her grasp of these two Laws was shallow. And the Enlightenment River had not yet reached the time for her next entry. She had thought she would need a very long period of study before comprehending another Primordial Force.
But now…
If this Trial Tower was truly as powerful as promised—Then taking off on the spot was not impossible.
[Reward selected. Trial beginning.] The mechanical voice spoke again.
In the next instant—
A massive ancient rhinoceros appeared before her, radiating the peak strength of the Unity stage. Its horn was sharp and towering, its body built like a fortress. Such creatures had long gone extinct in the current age, yet the Trial Tower had perfectly recreated its form.
And ancient beasts of that era were undeniably stronger than those of today.
The very first trial was already this brutal. Not everyone could pass.
But to Yun Jin—
This was no problem.
She did not even bother invoking any Primordial Forces. She simply drew her sword, slashed once—
And the ancient rhinoceros crumbled into dust.
In the blink of an eye, she was on the second floor.
This time, two ancient saber-toothed tigers awaited her. They too were at the peak of the Unity stage, yet their aura was far more terrifying than the rhinoceros.
And now there were two of them.
Yun Jin narrowed her eyes.
For the current disciples of Wushuang Sect, passing this level would be almost impossible.
But that was fine.
Let them at least see how vast this world truly was.
This time, Yun Jin did not immediately destroy the beasts. She observed carefully, watching their hunting patterns, their explosive strikes, and the killing techniques in their instinctive movements.
Once she had grasped it all, she lifted her sword again.
With a sweep, the two saber-toothed tigers vanished.
For others, the challenge was steep.
For her, it was still child's play.
Outside the Trial Tower.
Several disciples had already been expelled and were now crowded around the Trial Monument, peering at the rankings.
"Ahhhh, I couldn't even clear the first level. My name isn't even written here. I feel miserable."
"Same. I've decided, my first goal is just to get my name carved onto the Trial Monument."
"The first level isn't easy. That ancient rhinoceros had immense strength. Its only weakness was speed. I had to rely on my agility to wear it down little by little. But when I reached the second level—two saber-toothed tigers! I got killed instantly and was thrown out!"
The moment he said this, the others looked at him with envy.
"Senior Brother, Senior Brother, since you cleared the first level, you must have gotten a reward, right? What did you receive?" someone asked eagerly.
The Trial Tower supposedly granted one of three types of rewards. Everyone was curious. Could things like cultivation, law comprehension, and technique mastery really be raised out of thin air?
The disciple puffed up proudly. "I'm only at early Foundation Establishment, so I chose the cultivation reward. And guess what—I directly gained one year's worth of power! The Sect Master said we each get three attempts per day. Do you know what that means? It means if I can clear the first level every time, I gain three years of cultivation per day!"
The more he spoke, the more excited he became, almost unable to sit still. He had only cleared the first level, yet his harvest was already this astonishing. What if he cleared the second? The third? It was unthinkable—simply unthinkable!
Granted, spiritual power was ultimately limited by soul realm. And the Trial Tower offered no boost to soul realm—that they would still have to cultivate on their own.
But to directly raise cultivation? That could save them years, even decades, of grueling meditation. And once their cultivation reached the limit their soul realm could bear, they could choose one of the other rewards instead.
Law comprehension. Technique proficiency.
Both were real, solid improvements to combat strength.
They had all joined Wushuang Sect prepared to endure hardship.
But this?
Who could have imagined life could be this good?
In that moment, watching the disciple who cleared the first stage, everyone felt their blood ignite. Even if the second stage was far away—The first stage might just be within reach.
"Come on, come on! I've got two more tries today. I'm going again."
"Me too!"
"No matter what, I've got to clear that first level!"
Someone glanced at Gao Jingxuan, who had been quietly listening the whole time, and called out, "Brother Gao, you haven't gone yet, right? Hurry, go give it a try. It's amazing inside."
Gao Jingxuan smiled faintly. "We each get three chances. I'm not in a rush. You all go first."
"Alright, we're going then!"
The companions who had traveled with Gao Jingxuan from the capital—now fellow disciples of Wushuang Sect—waved to him before charging toward the tower.
Others quickly followed.
Most of them had been neglected cultivators of the Imperial courts or wandering loose cultivators. Now that such an opportunity stood before them, of course they would fight for it with all they had.
As the crowd kept pouring back into the trials—
A flash of white light appeared.
Su Lingling stumbled out, looking dazed.
"Little Junior Sister, over here!" Gao Jingxuan hurried forward, gently taking her by the hand. He had been waiting outside specifically for her.
Su Lingling was still a child. The Trial Tower might frighten her. Their master had asked him to take special care of her, and he was fond of the adorable little girl anyway. So he was vigilant.
Technically, none of the disciples had yet sorted out their ranks and seniority.
But Su Lingling—without a doubt, she was the youngest Junior Sister.
She nodded, eyes still wide and blank.
Gao Jingxuan asked softly, worried, "I heard there's an ancient rhinoceros inside. Did it scare you?"
His voice faded—
Su Lingling just blinked at him in confusion.
Scared? Was it supposed to be scary?
===
In the previous chapter, I mentioned that the author used 道 (Dao), which in my understanding in some case, worked the same as "Law."
Now, in this chapter, the author literally wrote 法则 (fǎzé), which directly means "Law," not Dao as Law, but an actual, explicit Law. It seems the author may have just picked up on this concept and decided to start using it here.