The 12th floor was still vibrating from the aftershocks of the Titan General's collapse when Austin stepped toward the translocation light. His very presence was now a hazard to the Tower's structural integrity. With his breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment realm, his liquid Qi had crystallized into a boundless, solid sea of jade essence, and his attributes had doubled, pushing him into a realm of physical power that shouldn't exist for a Level 100 being.
As the light faded, Austin found himself standing on a narrow bridge of white marble that spanned an infinite, swirling abyss of chaotic lightning. This was the 13th Floor: The Bridge of Divine Trials. Unlike the previous floors, there was no army of beasts here. There was only a single figure standing at the center of the bridge, blocking the path.
The guardian was a Heavenly Arbiter (Level 450 - MYTHICAL). It was a winged entity made of pure, solidified light, wielding a spear that hummed with the Law of Punishment.
[Tower Notification: Floor 13 — The Bridge of Divine Trials]
[Objective: Defeat the Heavenly Arbiter]
[Special Condition: The Arbiter is immune to all Physical and Elemental damage below the God-Tier.]
This was the "Wall" of the Academy. Most geniuses from the Great Families stayed stuck on this floor for decades, forced to slowly cultivate their Laws until they could bypass the Arbiter's immunity. To them, it was a test of patience. To Austin, it was a test of his new authority.
"Halt, Mortal," the Arbiter spoke, its voice sounding like a thousand bells ringing at once. "You possess a foul, chaotic aura. By the Law of this Floor, you are forbidden from passing. Your existence is an error in the records."
The Arbiter leveled its spear, and a wall of Divine Fire erupted, sealing the bridge. This fire was "True Damage"—it ignored armor and vitality, burning the soul directly.
Austin didn't stop. He walked straight toward the wall of soul-burning flames. His violet eyes scanned the structure of the fire, the runes of the Law of Punishment glowing in his vision like exposed wires.
"Error?" Austin whispered, a cold smirk playing on his lips. "The only error here is you thinking you can judge me. [Primordial Archive: Law Breaker]."
Austin reached out a hand and literally grabbed the air in front of him. In his sight, the "Code" of the Arbiter's Divine Fire appeared as a series of flickering gold threads. With a casual flick of his wrist, Austin "rewrote" the property of the fire.
In an instant, the searing, soul-burning flames turned into harmless, drifting cherry blossom petals.
The Arbiter froze, its wings fluttering in confusion. "The Law... was altered? Impossible! Only a Sage can rewrite a Floor Law!"
"I am the Law," Austin replied.
He didn't give the entity time to process the shock. He appeared in front of the Arbiter, his hand closing around the neck of the being made of light. The Arbiter's immunity—its greatest defense—was visible to Austin as a shimmering golden veil. He reached into the "Code" of that veil and simply selected [Delete].
The golden light shattered like glass. The Arbiter's body, now stripped of its mythical protection, became nothing more than a Level 450 sack of experience.
Austin tightened his grip. The strength of his Foundation Establishment Dantian flared, and he crushed the Arbiter's throat. A surge of pure, holy energy exploded outward, but instead of harming him, the Primordial Origin Root within Austin's chest acted like a vacuum, drinking every drop of the Arbiter's essence.
[Target Slain: Heavenly Arbiter (Lvl 450 - MYTHICAL)]
[Experience Calculation... Level 100 vs Level 450...]
[LEVEL UP! Current Level: 112]
As the Arbiter dissipated into dust, the bridge began to glow. Austin wasn't just clearing floors anymore; he was dominating them. The Tower's Authority, which had been at 2%, suddenly ticked up.
[Tower Authority Increased: 5%]
[You have gained the ability to "Fast-Forward" floors 14-20.]
Austin looked at the notification. "Fast-forward? No. I need the kills. Every floor is a harvest."
He ignored the shortcut and leaped into the portal for the 14th floor. He could feel the eyes of the entire Academy on him now. The leaderboard in the Arrival Plaza must be flashing like a dying star. He didn't care. His goal was Level 150—the next Milestone, and the next Primordial Skill.
By the time he reached the end of the 14th floor, he had slaughtered an entire hive of Void-Stinger Wasps, his Level climbing to 118. He was moving so fast that the Tower's internal clock was struggling to keep up.
Back in the Arrival Plaza, the crowd had grown to include tens of thousands of students. Even the professors—men who were Golden Immortals—were standing in stunned silence.
Xylona Draconis, the Dragon Princess, finally found her voice. "He's not just climbing... he's tearing the Tower apart. He's rewriting the Laws as he goes."
She looked at her own hands, then back at the leaderboard where Austin's name was now a permanent, violet sun. For the first time in her life, she felt a strange, fluttering sensation in her heart. It wasn't just fear. It was the realization that she was witnessing the birth of a God.
[STATUS PANEL]
NAME: Austin Zenith
LEVEL: 118 (22.30% XP)
CULTIVATION: Foundation Establishment (Stage 2)
CLASS: Primordial Chaos Overlord (Rank: PRIMORDIAL)
[VITAL STATISTICS]
HP: 18,500,000 / 18,500,000
PRIMORDIAL ESSENCE: 1,200,000 / 1,200,000
[ATTRIBUTES]
STRENGTH: 31,800
AGILITY: 28,500
INTELLIGENCE: 27,100
VITALITY: 30,200
[POWERS]
MARTIAL SOUL: Tenebris (Evolution Progress: 18%)
SKILL (LVL 100): Primordial Archive: Law Breaker (Active Authority)
SKILL (LVL 50): Chaos Domain: Absolute Zero
[TOWER PROGRESS]
CURRENT FLOOR: 15
TOWER AUTHORITY: 5% (Unlock: Partial Reality Manipulation within the Tower)