Tower Defense: Public Enemy

Chapter 507 Trial Tower

"Let me tell you, our temple's red-armored spellbreaker is here too. Her name is Lucifer. Although she's the weakest spellbreaker, her talent is far beyond that of ordinary players. She was once an Angel King and betrayed the Temple of Light. Haha, she'll definitely become the senior disciple of the outer sect..."

Mo Lang paced back and forth in front of Lei Chi, looking quite smug. He continued, "You probably don't know that there are senior brothers or sisters in the outer sect. Only those whose strength is recognized can become senior brothers or sisters. Once you become a senior brother or sister, you can open the Trial Tower and farm the Fortune Chest."

Upon hearing this, Lei Chi's mind stirred, and he controlled his Azure Flame avatar to ask, "It's true that even the eldest disciple of the outer sect can open the Trial Tower?"

"You don't know?" Mo Lang became even more smug, saying, "That's normal. What do you, a blacksmith who only knows how to forge swords, know? Let me tell you, participating in the Trial Tower trial isn't about whether you can forge iron, it's about combat strength. I'm just waiting for Lucifer to become the senior sister and open the Trial Tower so I can participate in the trial. Whether I can advance to an inner disciple depends on this Trial Tower..."

"Is that so?"

Lei Chi became interested, put away the Meteor Sword, and strode away from the weapon-refining pavilion.

A moment later, Lei Chi discovered the Trial Tower, a towering structure with thirty-three floors. Upon arriving at its entrance, Lei Chi encountered an invisible wall with golden characters that stated that the Trial Tower required the "Senior Brother" to activate it.

In addition, the trials in the tower are like passing through levels one by one. Each time you pass a level, you can get a certain number of lucky treasure chests.

The Angel King Asmi, standing before the entrance to the Trial Tower, shook his head upon seeing Lei Chi and Mo Lang, saying, "This Trial Tower isn't open yet; none of us can get in!"

Mo Lang said, "Hehe, Lucifer has already passed the sect trial. With her strength, she should soon become the outer sect's senior sister, and then she can open this trial tower!"

"Lucifer?" Asmi laughed. "That traitor? What makes her worthy of being the senior sister? Impossible..."

"Why can't I be the senior sister?"

A voice came from afar. Qinghuo's avatar looked in the direction of the voice and saw three figures approaching together. The one at the front wore red armor, had a pair of black wings on her back, and wore a real mask similar to Mo Lang's. She was clearly the Spellbreaker Lucifer, a fallen angel king.

Behind her were two other people. One of them had five pairs of black wings on her back. She was a ten-winged fallen angel and the squad leader of the fallen angel hunter squad, Yodara. The other was a six-winged fallen angel named Didis.

The three of them were the second batch of inheritors to pass the assessment. All the other inheritors of the same period failed the assessment and were not qualified to enter the outer disciple activity area.

Lucifer's gaze swept over Asmi, then lingered briefly on the avatar of the Azure Flame, and he said, "I have already asked the guardian in the square. He said that to become the senior disciple of the outer sect, one must have a level two certificate or two level one certificates. I am confident that I can pass the level one test of the Cosmic Sword God and the Turtle Flow Immortal in the near future, and then I will come to open this Trial Tower."

This fallen angel queen adopted a haughty demeanor, exuding an air of superiority. She glanced at Asmi and said, "You are the current angel queen? You do have a bit of my former glory, but alas... you are ultimately just a weapon of the Holy God of Light!"

Asmi raised an eyebrow and asked, "What do you mean?"

"What do I mean? Poor little angel, don't you know? The Holy God of Light created us only to better steal the power of the system. In their eyes, you and I are just tools that can be discarded at any time."

"Hmph, don't talk nonsense!"

"Nonsense? You ignorant, poor little angel, you'll understand someday. I hope you're alive by then."

Lucifer shifted his gaze from Asmi to Lei Chi, saying, "Cheater, you're still alive? Did Asmi invite you to join the Temple of Light? Did she promise that as long as you join the Temple of Light, the Holy God of Light will baptize you and transform you into a high-ranking angel?"

The Azure Flame Avatar frowned but remained silent.

Lucifer added, "I don't care whether you want to join the Temple of Light or not. I'm just reminding you that once you become an angel, you become a tool of the Holy God of Light, and it will be difficult to turn things around. So, you'd better think carefully."

The avatar of Azure Flame cupped his hands in thanks and said, "Thank you for the reminder."

Lucifer waved his hand, then suddenly asked, "Can you tell me how you cheated?"

"Cheating?"

Mo Lang scratched his head. "Did he cheat?"

"You don't know?"

The ten-winged fallen angel Yodara said, "He was caught cheating during the Gate Temple assessment and lost 100 points, but his total score is still 380! That examiner is so unprincipled, actually letting this cheater in!"

"380 points!"

Mo Lang was stunned!

Asmi couldn't help but look at the blue flame avatar.

The avatar of the Azure Flame said, "If you're not convinced, you can cheat!"

"Hmph!" Yodara said, "Cheating is cheating. Without real skill, you won't go far. Judging from your current situation, it's not easy for you to cheat here, is it?"

The Azure Flame incarnate smiled without saying a word.

In reality, Lei Chi knew that his own aptitude was far inferior to that of Asmi and others. Asmi passed the Gate Hall assessment in less than twelve days, while he himself had cultivated diligently for decades, and only after being fortunate enough to personally experience the Meteor Intent and obtain the [Free and Ultimate Intent Technique] manual. In truth, he knew that he had no chance of passing the Gate Hall trial based on his own abilities.

However, Lei Chi felt no shame about "cheating" because he had worked hard enough.

Lucifer spoke again: "Actually, it's quite a coincidence that we met in this Holy Temple and received the inheritance of that cowardly emperor. We could even call ourselves fellow disciples. Unfortunately, this fellowship is limited to within the Holy Temple. Once we leave the Holy Temple, I'm afraid we'll still have to fight among ourselves. I hope you two can understand the situation and not resist stubbornly. Surrendering might give you a chance to live. Especially you, Asmi, the elders hope that I can bring you back to the Fallen Temple alive."

"Surrender? Absolutely not!" Asmi scoffed and strode away.

Lucifer shook his head and said to Mo Lang, "Let's go to the training ground on the right side of the square; it's good for cultivation!"

"good!"

Mo Lang agreed, then quickly left, glancing at the Azure Flame avatar before spitting out a curse, "So he's a cheater!"

The Azure Flame Avatar remained unmoved, standing at the entrance of the Trial Tower as if rooted to the spot. After a moment, once everyone had left, he took out the Inheritance Token and pressed it against the air wall at the entrance of the Trial Tower.

Golden light immediately shone from the inheritance token, and then the air wall disappeared, and the Trial Tower, which had been sealed for countless years, was opened.

Lei Chi remained calm as he strode inside. After crossing the threshold of the first level of the Trial Tower, his vision suddenly changed. Looking around, he found himself in a desert with strong winds whipping up sand and gravel. The sand and gravel were extremely fine and billowed up like smoke and mist.

At this moment, a voice, whose gender and age were indiscernible, rang out from the sky: "Outer Gate Trial Tower, First Level: Yellow Sand Battlefield. Survive for one hour to clear the level and you will be allowed to enter the second level! The first trial is free. Subsequent trials will be repeated, each time deducting one point of Luck Points. After the first trial, your score will be calculated based on the number of Yellow Sand Warriors you kill, and you will be rated into four tiers: A, B, C, and D. Luck Treasure Chests will be awarded based on your score!"

"A battlefield in the yellow sands? This Trial Tower is truly a hidden world! Does this place even exist?"

Lei Chi controlled his Azure Flame avatar to continue observing the surroundings. He felt that the place was extremely realistic, as if the power of the system had been further blocked.

And quickly, human figures emerged from the sandstorm.

Those figures were tall and seemed to be wearing armor and holding weapons.

Lei Chi realized that those figures were probably the warriors of Huangsha.

Without giving Lei Chi more time to think, the battle broke out quickly.

The Azure Flame Avatar had no choice but to take out the newly forged Meteor Divine Sword and fight against the Yellow Sand Warriors.

Clang clang clang clang...

Amidst the swirling sandstorm, the clash of swords echoed continuously. Qinghuo transformed into a swordsman, employing the most direct techniques—slashing and thrusting—and slaying countless warriors of the yellow sand.

The slain Sand Warriors would immediately transform into a killing spree, and more Sand Warriors would appear. Some would crawl out of the sand, while others would condense directly in the wind. Their movements were surprisingly swift, like ghosts in the sandstorm, and the more they killed, the more there were.

The Azure Flame Avatar had almost exhausted its Thunder Qi and the pomegranate fruit it carried with it had also run out. Therefore, the Azure Flame Avatar was now unable to use Thunder Magic. The Azure Flame's power was limited here, and the Azure Flame Avatar was reluctant to use it. So, it could only fight with its sword.

Lei Chi's incomplete Meteor Intent could be unleashed through the Azure Flame Avatar, but this intent was harmful to both the user and others, and each use was like overdrawing one's life force, making it unsuitable for continuous combat. Therefore, Lei Chi did not use it.

Fortunately, although the Sand Warriors in this desert battlefield are endless, their attack power is not high. Even if they hit the Azure Flame Avatar squarely, they cannot cause any damage to it.

Time passed quickly, and an hour went by in a flash. The Azure Flame Avatar was still fighting in the sandstorm, and just as it was about to kill a Yellow Sand Warrior with a single strike, suddenly the world turned upside down, and the sandstorm vanished instantly.

When Lei Chi looked around again, he was surprised to find himself in a grand hall.

"This is the first level of the Trial Tower? I passed the trial?"

Lei Chi understood immediately. Before he could carefully observe his surroundings, a light screen suddenly appeared in front of him, displaying text that read: "Challenge successful. 746 Yellow Sand Warriors defeated. Overall performance in the pacification trial is rated D+. Reward: Three Fortune Chests! Granted entry to the second level of the Trial Tower. Repeating the first level trial requires one Fortune Point..."

"His grades are only at the lowest..."

Lei Chi frowned as he finished reading the text on the screen.

The trial results were far from ideal, but this was already the limit for the Azure Flame Incarnation at present.

"Given the current state of the Azure Flame Avatar, it's probably not suitable to enter the second level. Even if it manages to pass the second level, its performance will definitely be unsatisfactory... Perhaps I should wait for Qiukas to send over the pomegranate fruit. Without replenishing its Thunder Qi, the Azure Flame Avatar is practically no different from a blank-slate warrior, only able to hack and slash with its sword..."

Lei Chi shook his head, rejecting the idea of ​​continuing to attempt the level or repeating the process.

At this moment, the three lucky treasure chests had descended in front of the Azure Flame Avatar. The Azure Flame Avatar opened them one by one, but the harvest was not great; it only yielded some materials.

A moment later, Qinghuo's avatar left the Trial Tower. After exploring all the buildings he hadn't yet visited, he returned to the blacksmith's shop.

A new blacksmithing task has appeared in the blacksmith shop, this time to forge ten rough prototypes of the Skybreaker Sword.

This was purely physical work for the Azure Flame Incarnation, and he quickly picked up the Star River Hundred-Refined Hammer and began forging.

When the stone slab passage could be reopened, Qinghuo's blacksmithing stopped, Leichi withdrew his consciousness, and entered the stone slab passage to begin a new ten-year seclusion.

During his ten years of seclusion, Lei Chi primarily practiced the [Return to Origin Qi Gong].

This technique is gradual and easy to cultivate, requiring relatively low talent and comprehension, but it is also difficult to master. This is because the technique is gradual and takes a lot of time to cultivate, making it impossible to achieve mastery overnight.

After ten years of arduous practice, Lei Chi has finally mastered the basics of the Guiyuan Qigong and truly understands the power of this technique.

Lei Chi knew before that practicing the [Return to Origin Qi Gong] would strengthen the body's foundation and enhance recovery ability, but after entering the basics of Qi Gong, he was shocked to find that the Lei Chi in his dantian had become two.

Two identical ones, meaning that not only are the various restorative abilities of the Thunder Pool much stronger than before, but its Thunder Qi reserves are also double what they used to be.

Lei Chi also realized that if the level of the [Return to Origin Qi Gong] were to improve again, the number of Lei Chi within his body would continue to increase. When he reached the Great Perfection, he estimated that he could open up a total of 32 Lei Chi, plus the one he already had, making a total of 33!

"This Guiyuan Qigong is truly a divine skill. When mastered, it can be said that one's foundation is enhanced by 32 times. The key is that it does not depend on aptitude, comprehension, or opportunity. As long as one practices diligently, one will definitely be able to master it..."

Lei Chi was overjoyed, and his enthusiasm for cultivating the [Return to Origin Qi Gong] greatly increased.

After refocusing his consciousness into Qinghuo's body and hammering away at the iron for another day, Lei Chi withdrew his thoughts, opened the stone disc passage, and secluded himself within it for another ten years.

During this retreat, Lei Chi continued to focus on practicing the [Return to Origin Qigong].

Despite ten years of arduous training, his Qigong level has not improved much. It's not that Lei Chi has become lax or his cultivation speed has slowed down, but rather that this cultivation method is meant to be gradual, and it cannot be rushed.

Lei Chi's understanding of the [Return to Origin Qi Gong] has also deepened. He calculated that if he were to go into seclusion for another twenty years, his [Return to Origin Qi Gong] should be able to advance further, and at that time he would be able to open up two more Lei Chi within his body.

However, to master this skill, it would probably take tens of thousands of years of arduous practice.

Lei Chi couldn't help but sigh, "Ten thousand years, with the help of the stone disc, is just a thousand days to me! Tsk tsk, I wonder what I would look like after really going through ten thousand years of arduous cultivation. I hope I wouldn't decay."

(End of this chapter)