Rise from a Poor Family: My Martial Arts Counterattack

Chapter 509 News about the Tower of Babel
on the square.

Jiang Yaoyan's gaze also fell on the young man in black. He hadn't expected that someone could complete the refining process in just ten breaths compared to him.

However, Jiang Yaoyan's gaze only lingered on the other person for a moment before he looked away.

The first round of the alchemy competition was nothing special, and he didn't go all out.

After Jiang Yaoyan and the young man in black finished refining the pills, the next alchemist to finish would not appear for another hundred breaths.

After that one, every few breaths, an alchemist would complete the process.

In the square, the furnace lids opened one after another, accompanied by the sounds of explosions...

The entire square suddenly became lively.

On the stands, Li Qin listened to the exclamations of her clansmen around her, and her beautiful eyes also became tense.

Not long ago, two of the four alchemists invited by the Li family had their furnaces explode, leaving only Xiao Yan and the other one.

However, more than fifty alchemists in the entire square have already completed their alchemy. At this rate, the top one hundred will be decided in about fifteen minutes.

Yin Yue sensed Li Qin's tension beside her. Looking at Lin Chen, who was still pretending to refine pills, she was speechless. Lin Chen was trying to hide his true abilities, but he didn't know that his act of hiding his true abilities had made Li Qin's heart constantly in suspense.

Lin Chen's concealment of his talents was built upon the suffering endured by the Li family.

……

"almost!"

Sensing with his divine sense that the number of alchemists who had completed the alchemy process had reached sixty, Lin Chen did not delay any longer. The innate fire at the bottom of the furnace flickered slightly, and the pills in the furnace condensed into their final form at a rapid speed.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths...

Fifteen breaths later, the elixir condensed and took shape, and the alchemy furnace was opened.

In the stands.

Li Qin's eyes were fixed on Lin Chen. When she saw Lin Chen open the alchemy furnace, her tense body finally relaxed.

The other members of the Li family, though not as exaggerated as Li Qin, kept glancing back and forth between Lin Chen and the other alchemist the Li family had invited. When they saw the alchemy furnace in front of Lin Chen being opened, these members of the Li family were all stunned.

"Xiao Yan succeeded in refining it?"

"Quick, quick, let's see where Xiao Yan is ranked!"

The Li family members quickly scanned the square, but in just a short while, several more alchemists successfully refined their pills.

"I don't know what rank Xiao Yan will be, but he'll definitely be within the top 100. If 100 contestants finish, a bell will ring."

A middle-aged man from the Li family was very excited. He had watched several alchemy competitions. The Thousand Machines Sect had powerful experts watching with their divine senses. As long as a hundred people were selected, a bell would ring to announce that the top 100 had been determined.

When Xiao Yan finished, the bell did not ring, which meant that Xiao Yan must be among the top 100.

Just as the middle-aged man finished speaking, a bell suddenly rang throughout the entire Heavenly Palace Pavilion. The contestants in the square who had not yet completed their alchemy all had extremely complicated expressions upon hearing the bell.

There was resentment, and also a bitter smile...

The contestants who were unwilling to give up were those who were just a little short of completing the pill refining process, and those who caused their furnaces to explode due to their excessive pursuit of speed.

The contestant with a wry smile had never thought he could make it into the top 100, but he didn't expect the gap between him and the top 100 contestants to be so big.

……

……

Thousand Machine City.

"Young Master, Jiang Yaoyan has won first place."

Dongfang Canglang had just come out of his indoor cultivation room, his palms covered in green liquid. The woman guarding the courtyard immediately stepped forward and informed him of the news.

"It's only the first round. If Jiang Yaoyan doesn't get first place, he won't be qualified to follow me."

Dongfang Canglang's expression remained unchanged, and he asked, "Are there any other special individuals at this alchemy competition?"

“There was a young man in black, whose origins were unknown, who was only a few breaths later than Jiang Yaoyan.”

"Who else could it be but a disciple of the Thousand Machines Sect? That old fellow Xuanjing isn't so easy to talk to. He may seem to have been coerced into agreeing by me, but he has his own agenda."

Dongfang Canglang snorted coldly. The young woman was half-squatting down, using her red lips to clean the green liquid off Dongfang Canglang's hands. Upon hearing this, she paused, and her teeth accidentally bumped against Dongfang Canglang's fingers.

"This maid deserves to die!"

The woman quickly lowered her head. Dongfang Canglang patted the woman's head, his eyes filled with coldness: "Because Xuanjing knows that this was my idea, not my father's idea."

The woman's eyes held a look of understanding mixed with confusion. She only knew that the young master's status was extremely noble, even surpassing that of the crown prince. Did the Thousand Machines Sect dare to offend their young master? Weren't they afraid of being purged in the future?

……

……

The Li family was also filled with joy at this moment.

Lin Chen's entry into the top 100 means that the Li family has already fulfilled the requirements that the Thousand Machines Sect placed on various families, and their existing businesses will not be affected.

As for going any further, none of the Li family members, including the elders, dared to even think about it. In previous years, they could still dream of making it into the top ten, but this year it's too difficult.

"Master Xiao, this is a gift of thanks that the elder asked me to deliver."

In the guest courtyard, Li Qin placed the storage box on the table. The elders were very satisfied with Xiao Yan's entry into the top 100. Originally, according to the agreement, the family did not need to give any more thanks, but in order to win over Xiao Yan, the elders still prepared a generous gift.

Lin Chen took the storage box, focused his divine sense into it, and smiled when he saw what was inside.

The Li family was very practical; they didn't give any fancy gifts, but directly gave us Flame Tickets—ten Flame Tickets worth 10,000 Flame Coins each.

100,000 Flame Coins!

In addition, there are a lot of medicinal materials for three-star pills, which is definitely a big investment!
"Please thank the noble elders for me."

Lin Chen put the storage box away and looked at Li Qin: "I will go all out in the upcoming competition."

"Master Xiao, the elders said that you don't need to feel pressured in the next round of the competition. Just play normally."

Upon hearing Lin Chen's words, Li Qin quickly offered an explanation, almost stating outright that the family elders did not believe Lin Chen could make it into the top ten.

After the top 100 contestants were announced, the clan immediately inquired about their backgrounds. Surprisingly, more than half of them were four-star alchemists registered with the Alchemy Guild. Regarding Xiao Yan's alchemy skills, the Fourth Elder gave his assessment: not quite four-star, but at the peak of three-star.

As for this year's alchemy competition, the Fourth Elder's assessment was: without a top-tier four-star alchemy expert, one cannot make it into the top ten.

Don't underestimate the difference of just one star. Even for alchemists with decent talent, it can take several years or even ten years to catch up. If someone has less talent, they might never catch up in their entire life.

The reason the elders gave Xiao Yan a gift beyond what was agreed upon was not only to try to win him over, but also because the alchemy competition had changed and it was too difficult to compete for the top ten, so this was a form of compensation for Xiao Yan.

Sensing the casualness in Li Qin's words, Lin Chen touched his nose. It seemed that the Li family had never expected him to make it into the top ten.

……

After Li Qin left, Lin Chen was about to go to the alchemy building again, but he stopped at the door as the martial arts seal on his body vibrated once more.

Someone has started attempting to break into the Tower of Babel again!

Lin Chen and Yin Yue exchanged a glance, and after returning to the house, they simultaneously took out their martial arts seals.

Wudao Mountain, Tongtian Square!

Just like last time, Lin Chen was dressed in a black robe and cloak, while Yin Yue made no attempt to conceal herself. Having learned from their previous experience, the martial artists who entered this time all looked at the circular altar in front of them, where a young man stood solemnly.

Lu Zejia, a martial artist at the second level of the Innate Realm, is the information Lin Chen obtained about the man through the Martial Dao Seal.

"Lu Zejia won first place in Martial Arts Mountain five years ago. Now, five years later, has he reached the peak of the second level of the Innate Realm?"

"If one isn't at the peak of the second realm, they wouldn't bother attempting the Tower of Babel, since they'd face other challengers before even starting." "What if Lü Zejia does the opposite?"

Just as the crowd in the square was discussing this, a young man headed towards the round altar.

"Someone actually took the challenge!"

"There's something good to watch."

To those below the Innate Realm, martial artists are seen as aloof and cold, but that's because those below the Innate Realm are like ants among them, so they naturally don't show much emotion.

Once they are all at the Innate Realm, unless they are older, their conversations are similar to those of ordinary martial artists.

I'm also very interested in watching plays and reading gossip.

The young man stepped onto the circular platform, clasped his hands in greeting to Lü Zejia, and was about to introduce himself.

"Brother Lü, I am..."

Before he finished speaking——

Lu Zejia's figure suddenly approached like a ghost, his palm flashing with cold light, and a concentrated innate true energy as sharp as an ice cone burst forth, tearing through the void in an instant!

"laugh!"

The sound of the energy piercing the air was deafening. The man's pupils contracted sharply. Before his protective aura could rise, blood gushed from his chest. He flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily to the edge of the round altar. He struggled for a moment before losing consciousness.

The whole place was dead silent.

From the moment he made his move to the moment he finished, Lü Zejia didn't even glance at his opponent. He merely dusted off his sleeves indifferently, as if brushing off a speck of dust.

Below the circular altar, only a winding trail of blood and the gasps of the entire audience remained on the ground.

Those who dared to challenge him with confidence were definitely at the peak of the second level of the Innate Realm, but they couldn't even withstand a single move from Lu Zejia.

"Overestimating oneself, this shows a lack of understanding of the value of being the number one in Martial Arts Mountain. Their peak of the second level of the Innate Realm means they are invincible within that realm."

A young man chuckled dismissively. Upon hearing this, the Innate Realm Level 2 martial artists in the square who had not concealed their presence looked sullen. Since the one who had entered to challenge the tower this time was Lü Zejia, who was in the Innate Realm Level 2, any martial artist in the Innate Realm Level 2 who possessed a Martial Dao Seal could enter and watch.

Most of the martial artists who came in had never even made it into the top ten of Martial Arts Mountain, and many people at the scene recognized the identity of the person who had just spoken.

Liang Fei of the Great Luo Sect and Lü Zejia were in the same year at Martial Arts Mountain, but Liang Fei was always suppressed to second place because of Lü Zejia.

Seeing the tragic state of this individual, the other Innate Realm Second Stage martial artists who were originally eager to challenge him all gave up their ambitions. Even when the Tower of Babel reappeared, none of them were able to challenge Lü Zejia.

[Lu Zejia, the tower challenge begins]

A majestic voice rang out from the square, the tower gate opened, and Lü Zejia flashed into it.

As the gate slowly closed, the once quiet square was filled with murmurs again.

"Last time, Zuo Chuan made it to the sixth floor. I wonder how many floors Lu Zejia can reach."

"Zuo Chuan is at the third level of the Innate Realm, while Lu Zejia is only at the second level of the Innate Realm. His achievements should be below Zuo Chuan's."

Most martial artists believed that Lü Zejia would not have climbed more tower levels than Zuo Chuan. However, after half an hour, Lü Zejia still hadn't come out, which surprised many martial artists present.

"Perhaps it's because Lu Zejia was delayed while trying to conquer the tower inside, but that doesn't mean Lu Zejia conquered more tower levels than Zuo Chuan."

Some rational analysts believe that unless the Tower of Babel sets a time limit for each floor, time doesn't really matter. Those with strong abilities can clear the floors quickly, while those with slower abilities will spend more time on each floor.

"That makes sense; the time it takes to clear each level might vary."

……

Amidst the murmurs of the crowd, Lin Chen noticed those dressed in black robes like himself, but instead of joining the discussion, he quietly awaited the outcome.

Half an hour, an hour...

As Lu Zejia had been inside the tower for nearly two hours, a beam of light fell upon the circular altar, and everyone's eyes immediately fell on the figure that appeared after the beam of light disappeared.

At this moment, Lu Zejia looked much like Zuo Chuan did last time, both of them in a disheveled state.

But the next moment, a list was lowered down from the Tower of Babel.

[Lu Zejia: Conquering the Tenth Floor of the Tower]

[Zuo Chuan: Conquering the Sixth Floor of the Tower]

Lu Zejia's name was prominently displayed above Zuo Chuan's, a sight that caused the innate experts present to gasp in surprise.

Lu Zejia, who is at the second level of the Innate Realm, actually performed better than Zuo Chuan on the Tower of Babel.

"Brother Lü, please wait a moment!"

Just as Lü Zejia's figure appeared, a man in black robes suddenly spoke up: "Brother Lü, could you please tell me about the situation inside the Tower of Babel?"

Last time, Zuo Chuan disappeared immediately after conquering the tower, and the outside world knew nothing about what was going on inside. This time, Lu Zejia's performance was better than Zuo Chuan's, so he shouldn't be in such a bad mood that he left immediately.

Lu Zejia glanced at the crowd in the square, focusing on the black-robed martial artists like Lin Chen. In Lu Zejia's mind, only those who were also the number one in Martial Dao Mountain could catch his eye. Those who did not conceal their identities were merely those who had reached the second level of the Innate Realm.

"The first thirty floors of the Tower of Babel do not have very high requirements for the strength of the climbers. The Tower of Babel will adjust the difficulty of the first thirty floors according to the strength of the climbers. As for what happens after the thirtieth floor, I don't know."

Upon hearing Lü Zejia's explanation, many people had a look of realization on their faces; if that was the case, then it made sense.

Meanwhile, many of the men in black robes shifted slightly after hearing Lu Zejia's words, clearly showing that they were also tempted.

On average, there is one number one martial arts master in less than a year. Many of these masters are only at the second or third level of the Innate Realm. Because of Zuo Chuan's tower-climbing achievements, they dared not enter the Tower of Babel.

However, Lu Zejia's words have given them hope again.

Since strength isn't a factor in the first thirty floors of the Tower of Babel, they still have a chance to achieve good results.

Of course, this is all predicated on no one challenging them.

"Brother Lü, what are the rewards for making it onto the Heavenly Ranking?"

Someone asked the most pressing question: According to the royal announcement, the Heavenly Ranking only records the top 100 people, but only two people are on the list now. Anyone who is on the list is within the top 100.

"Have!"

Lu Zejia did not shy away from the issue, even though he knew that revealing it would lead to more people entering the Tower of Babel. He knew he couldn't hide it, and given his personality, he disdained to conceal it.

The Tower of Babel isn't a one-time challenge; as long as you feel you're strong enough, you can come back and continue to challenge it. This is all information he learned after entering the tower.

"As for what the reward will be, you will find out once you enter the tower. I can only say that the reward will be different for different people, but it will definitely be the most suitable for each of you."

After saying this, Lü Zejia clasped his hands in a fist salute, his figure disappeared from the circular altar, and he left Wudao Mountain directly.

……

After Lü Zejia left, the crowd gradually dispersed. After seeing Yin Yue's figure disappear in the square, Lin Chen also left Wudao Mountain.

The courtyard is inside.

Lin Chen and Yin Yue returned almost simultaneously. They exchanged a glance, and Yin Yue spoke first: "The Tower of Babel is very likely evolved from the Divine Seal. The rewards are not decided by the royal family, but are bestowed by the Divine Seal itself."

"Divine Seal?"

"Although the energy of the Royal Divine Seal is constantly dissipating, as long as it has not completely dissipated, it is the most magical and invincible existence in the entire Yan Dynasty. It is formed by the condensation of the entire Yan Dynasty's fortune."

Yin Yue said seriously, "Luck is an extremely mysterious thing. It brings good fortune and avoids misfortune, and it can even bestow opportunities according to the user's situation. You absolutely must enter this Tower of Babel. The higher your ranking, the greater the help it will be to your martial arts cultivation path."

"Ah."

Lin Chen nodded. He was currently at the third level of the Innate Realm, but with the strength of his soul, he was not without the power to fight even against those at the fourth level of the Innate Realm. He was not afraid of anyone challenging him while he was climbing the tower.

(End of this chapter)