Chapter 646 - 408: Tower Forest

Within the Changling Mountain Range.

Amidst the Endless Mountains, there stands a peak named Iron Peak Mountain.

On Iron Peak Mountain, there lies a Tower Forest.

It was already dusk, and in the dim twilight, a multitude of towers constructed of green bricks could be seen scattered amidst the late forest, covered in dead branches and fallen leaves, resembling peculiar miniature fortresses.

These green brick towers all shared the same design, approximately two meters tall and about as thick as one could embrace. The crevices between the bricks were covered in dried moss, speaking of the passage of time.

Duan Rong and his companions, upon entering the Changling Mountains, went to the Internal History Department to report.

The attendants of the Internal History Department, having inspected their sect cloud scrolls and advancement letters, led them directly into this Tower Forest, assigning each one a tower.

When they entered the towers, those attendants had already cautioned them.

Once one steps into the tower, unless summoned by the sound of the assembly drum or called upon by someone special, they must not exit; otherwise, they would face severe punishment.

"Not allowed to exit?"

Duan Rong, upon hearing this, hesitated slightly at the tower’s entrance. Being confined to such a cramped tower with no exit seemed akin to solitary confinement.

But as he looked back, the attendant had already walked away with the documentation.

Seeing that his nearby companions had already entered the towers, Duan Rong had no choice but to step inside as well.

It was already evening, and the tower’s interior was even darker than the late forest outside. After adjusting to the lighting inside, Duan Rong began to inspect the interior.

The space within the tower was just sufficient for standing upright, but turning required caution not to bump into the tower walls.

Suddenly, Duan Rong noticed the tower walls lined with various porcelain bottles.

His eyes lit up, and he took one bottle from the wall, opened the stopper, and sniffed it at his nose.

"Pills!"

Duan Rong poured one out, carefully examined it, and found the pill’s quality to be quite good.

Looking at the circles of porcelain bottles filling the interior wall, his heart leapt.

"Could it be?"

"This Tower Forest must be a place for ascetic training!"

Not allowed to exit without being summoned, yet inside the tower, there was an ample and high-quality supply of pills.

"It seems that this Tower Forest is not for solitary confinement, but rather for closed-door training," Duan Rong thought, his eyes flickering.

"Being an inner sect disciple is indeed different."

The quality of these pills, filling the tower, was indeed extravagant.

Upon arriving at the Internal History Department, they were separated, and upon entering the Tower Forest, Duan Rong had caught sight of Xiao Yu and Ximen Kankan from afar.

At this moment, Duan Rong wanted to go chat with them, but the attendant had already warned that once inside the tower, one could not leave freely, or face severe punishment.

Though Duan Rong wasn’t sure what the severe punishment entailed, he didn’t want to test his luck.

For someone like Ximen Kankan, this place probably resembled purgatory.

But for genuine ascetics, this Tower Forest was the ideal cultivation environment.

Since he couldn’t freely leave the tower, Duan Rong decided to make the best of the situation and sat down cross-legged inside.

In the space within the tower, sitting cross-legged was relatively spacious, but lying down to sleep was impossible, making Duan Rong chuckle wryly; it truly forced one to engage in ascetic practice!

The designer of the Tower Forest had put quite some thought into it.

Just then, Duan Rong heard distant and nearby howls from outside. His eyes flickered, estimating someone defied the warning and left the tower.

Though Duan Rong was curious to see the situation outside, he restrained himself.

Using divine sense to scan was not much of a problem in the Mortal World, but within the sect, it was best to be cautious. Especially since as soon as he entered the Tower Forest, he sensed three or four powerful divine senses crossing nearby.

This was one reason he obediently stayed inside without stepping out casually. Clearly, there were multiple experts stationed near the Tower Forest, and he dare not presume he could leave unnoticed. Those howling outside were likely those who fancied their lightweight skills.

While this ascetic environment suited Duan Rong’s temperament, unfortunately, these pills were designed for the True Qi Realm and were of no use to him. After all, he had long been at the stage of True Qi Realm Great Perfection.

Duan Rong sat cross-legged, hands quickly forming seals, his mind sinking into the rhythm of breathing, skillfully hitting the pivot point of the inhale and exhale. His vision swayed, and the next instant he entered the Sea of Consciousness.

Upon entering the Sea of Consciousness, Duan Rong looked up at the sky above to see the seated shadow.

The shadow was in communion with his mind, revealing that the Original Blood Light of the Filthy Blood Divine Skill in its abdomen was mostly refined, with only a few faint threads of bloodline still struggling and swimming within, but lifeless.

Duan Rong estimated that in just half a month, the Original Blood Light of the Filthy Blood Divine Skill would be completely refined, eliminating the hidden threat.

Even now, Duan Rong believed those faint strands of blood light in the shadow, even if someone within the sect had the means to detect them, it would be difficult to conclude they originated from the Filthy Blood Divine Skill’s Original Blood Light.

Having pondered briefly, Duan Rong withdrew from the Sea of Consciousness.