Chapter 281: Seeking Opportunity in the 9-Story Pagoda

Chapter 281: Chapter 281: Seeking Opportunity in the 9-Story Pagoda

Moon Cang Mountain was a peak within the Secret Realm that was hardly worth mentioning.

However, it was a mountain of stone, with steep, jagged cliffs and grotesque rock formations. Only a few pine trees grew from the crevices between the odd rocks. The entire mountain had very little turf; the most abundant green was the moss on the stones.

Moon Cang Mountain seemed to be shrouded in a profound and mysterious power. They wanted to fly directly to the summit, but upon entering the mountain’s range, their bodies felt as if they were sinking into sludge mid-air.

With no other choice, they could only land and ascend the mountain on foot.

But even so, after entering the mountain, they all felt as if a mountain was pressing down on their shoulders, making every step a struggle.

Moreover, the higher one’s Cultivation, the heavier their steps became.

"Brother Chu." Not long after entering the mountain, Chu Fan heard someone call out to him from nearby.

He turned his head and saw Yao Zhi and his group of seven.

"Ah, Brother Yao. What a coincidence!" Chu Fan replied with a smile.

Yao Zhi and his group quickened their pace to catch up. They first bowed to Long Yinwen, then Yao Zhi said to Chu Fan, "The Secret Realm is so vast. I can’t believe we’ve met again after half a month. The Nine-Layered Tower should be at the summit, right?"

"That’s right, that’s the Nine-Layered Tower. Have you come across any opportunities in the past half a month?"

"We have!"

"Oh?"

"It wasn’t exactly an opportunity, more of a discovery. The seven of us spent a great deal of effort killing a pack of beasts. We were tired, so we sat down to rest for a bit. Who would have thought that after an hour, all those beasts would come back to life? We killed them all over again, waited for another hour, and they revived once more."

"Oh? They can actually resurrect?" Chu Fan was also quite surprised.

He reached out and stroked the White Fox’s head.

The White Fox let out a soft whimper and said, "This is a restriction of the Secret Realm. This realm was originally created for disciples to train. The beasts will resurrect one hour after they die, but they can only do so ten times. This is also why the realm only opens once every thirty-six years."

Hearing the White Fox’s explanation, Chu Fan suddenly felt a sense of enlightenment.

’Whoever created this Secret Realm must have been an incredible being,’ he thought.

This reinforced his initial idea. If he could figure out the principles behind these Secret Realms, he might truly be able to uncover the secrets of this world.

"Did you notice your Cultivation improving as well?" Chu Fan asked.

"Brother Chu, how did you know?" Yao Zhi asked in surprise.

"Heh, just kill as many beasts as you can. Since they resurrect, there’s no guilt, and it’s impossible to accumulate any Karmic Obstacles. This is definitely the fastest way to raise your Cultivation," Chu Fan said with a smile.

Then he added in a low voice, "It’s best not to tell anyone else about this discovery."

"Understood, understood," Yao Zhi said conspiratorially.

By the time they reached the summit, every one of them was drenched in sweat, Chu Fan included.

Arriving before the Nine-Layered Tower, they saw a group of people walking out. The joy on some of their faces was plain to see, while others looked somewhat dejected.

However, when they saw Long Yinwen, they all hurried to bow.

"What’s wrong? Did you not obtain the Cultivation Technique or Martial Technique you were hoping for?" Long Yinwen asked the dejected ones.

"Reporting to Your Highness, though it wasn’t quite what we wanted, it’s still pretty good."

"The Nine-Layered Tower isn’t the only opportunity in the Secret Realm. If you’re not satisfied here, you can go look elsewhere," Long Yinwen said, consoling them.

After comforting them, he was the first to enter the tower.

Chu Fan and the others followed close behind.

"Wow, this tower doesn’t look that big from the outside. I didn’t expect it to be a whole other world in here."

It was more than just another world; this world was massive.

From the outside, the diameter of the Nine-Layered Tower’s lowest floor was only about fifty or sixty feet, but upon entering, they discovered the first floor’s diameter was at least a thousand feet. Bookshelves lined the circular walls, holding at least tens of millions of volumes.

The Nine-Layered Tower naturally had nine floors. According to what Long Jingyao had told them, with each ascending floor, the Cultivation Techniques and Martial Techniques were one grade higher than the floor below.

Each ascending floor also had one-third fewer books, and the topmost floor held only nine.

Back then, the Grand Ancestor Emperor of the Hua Xu Empire had obtained one of the Cultivation Techniques from the top floor, which later paved his path to uniting the Central Domain and establishing his dynasty.

Their group of twelve walked a full circle in front of the first-floor bookshelves, but the shelves showed no reaction.

Instead of feeling discouraged, they were actually quite happy.

After all, the Cultivation Techniques and Martial Techniques on the lowest floor were of the lowest grade.

The second floor was one-third smaller than the first, and the twelve of them still came up empty-handed.

On the third floor, the man named Mo Fan obtained a Saber Technique, a Celestial Grade Top Class one at that. Mo Fan was overjoyed.

On the Fourth Floor, Luo Qingling obtained a Sword Technique, also Celestial Grade Top Class, while Zhu Songyang received a Body Technique Martial Arts and a Cultivation Technique.

This Cultivation Technique was of the same school as the one he practiced, but it was far more profound.

On the fifth floor, everyone except for Chu Fan, Yan Ying, Ye Xiaohan, and Long Yinwen obtained either a Martial Technique or a higher-level Cultivation Technique from their own school of practice.

The woman named Luo Qingling even obtained another Sword Technique and a Body Technique.

So far, Luo Qingling had received the most books in the tower—four in total.

On the sixth floor, Chu Fan’s group of four still had nothing to show for their efforts. Yao Zhi, however, obtained a Sword. This Sword clearly surpassed the Celestial Grade Top Class of this world; it had to be Divine Grade.

Every one of them felt a mix of envy and jealousy at Yao Zhi’s find.

Obtaining a weapon in the Nine-Layered Tower was unheard of—the first time in ten thousand years!

On the seventh floor, only Long Yinwen obtained a Cultivation Technique. It was a more advanced, complete version of the technique he already practiced. If he cultivated it, his progress would surely be far greater than before. This Cultivation Technique was likely also Divine Grade.

As soon as they stepped onto the eighth floor, a book flew directly from a bookshelf toward Yan Ying.

Yan Ying caught the book and immediately jumped with excitement.

*Profound Yin Technique*.

Clutching the book in one hand and grabbing Chu Fan’s arm with the other, she exclaimed, "Chu Fan, I really got it! I’m saved! I don’t have to die!"

As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes and streamed down her face.

Death itself wasn’t terrifying. What was terrifying was knowing exactly when you would die, counting down the days of your life. The closer the deadline came, the greater the psychological pressure.

Although Yan Ying had always maintained an optimistic facade, no one but she could possibly know the pressure she was under.

Chu Fan, of course, was happy for her as well.

Immediately after, another book flew out and landed in Ye Xiaohan’s hands.

"*Beast Taming Secret*? What’s this?" Ye Xiaohan muttered in astonishment.

Any book obtained on the eighth floor was bound to be an extraordinary item. The Ye Family was a family of beast tamers to begin with; who knew they could rediscover their ancestral roots like this?

After the two books, the scene fell quiet once more.

Chu Fan couldn’t help but rub his nose. ’How awkward. By now, everyone has had their fateful encounter, but I’m the only one who’s gotten nothing.’

As for the ninth floor, Chu Fan no longer held out any hope.

"Since we’ve come this far, we should at least go up and take a look," Yan Ying said.

"Then let’s go take a look," Chu Fan said.

The ninth floor was a small space, only about twenty feet across. In the very center was a square table, on which lay nine books in total, arranged in rows and columns.

A halo of light enveloped the nine books, making it impossible to see the words on their covers.

The moment they all set foot on the ninth floor, three books on the table shot up, piercing through the halo of light as they spun into the air.

One landed in Yan Ying’s hands, and two landed in Chu Fan’s.

On the cover of the topmost book in Chu Fan’s hands were emblazoned three large words: *Sword of Time*...