Chapter 175: Lightning‑Fast Tower Rush

Li Zhangsheng's figure flashed, and he leisurely stepped into the entrance of the Heaven‑piercing Tower's first level!

The moment he entered, the surrounding space suddenly shifted, revealing a vast, boundless wild desert!

Howling gale, sand and stones swirling, the air thick with murderous aura, and distant deafening beast roars, as if countless primeval giants lie in wait!!

Each level of the Heaven‑piercing Tower presents a different trial; passing it automatically teleports one to the next higher level!

The first‑level trial: slay the hundred‑headed savage Rift‑Earth Beasts!!

Anyone teleported in will automatically face the hundred‑headed savage Rift‑Earth Beasts.

These Rift‑Earth Beasts are massive, mountain‑like, with rough skin, thick flesh, boundless strength, and can spew black flame from their mouths!!

The power of the savage Rift‑Earth Beast each cultivator faces varies!!

They are generated according to each cultivator's own cultivation, matching the corresponding realm's combat power!!

For example, a Dao Jun realm cultivator faces a Dao Jun realm savage Rift‑Earth Beast!

In the Dao Huang realm, naturally the beast is of Dao Huang realm!!

Since Li Zhangsheng, after arriving at Yuan Zhi Sheng Tu, has only practiced techniques and secrets at the peak of the Dao Jun realm, the Heaven‑piercing Tower treats him as a peak‑level Dao Jun cultivator and spawns a hundred peak‑level Dao Jun savage Rift‑Earth Beasts for him!

Ordinary cultivators expend great effort just to handle a single Rift‑Earth Beast matching their own level!

To slay a hundred heads takes at least a day or two; a slight slip means being devoured!

At that moment, deep in the desert, the hundred beasts, sensing a living scent, roared in unison and charged toward Li Zhangsheng!

The ground quaked violently; where the beast tide passed, sand and stone splashed, the momentum terrifying!

Elsewhere, within the Floating Palace.

The three elders, Zhuge Xiao, Yun Huan, and Lu Chen, sat upon the Jade Throne, their lazy gazes fixed on the ten Dao Mirrors before them, each shimmering with flowing light!

On the mirror surfaces, the scenes of the Heaven‑piercing Tower's first through tenth levels were clearly displayed!

"The Heavenly Prodigies' qualifications this year are decent; the Qing Xuan Saint Son and the Descendant of the Nether Valley have already entered the first level, slaying Rift‑Earth Beasts, progressing well—much faster than last year."

Elder Yun Huan swept his gaze over the first‑level mirror and said lightly, having watched such scenes for millions of years, they are now commonplace.

Elder Lu Chen stroked his beard, smiling, "After all, they are the top heirs of the two great factions; if the first level takes half a day, they hardly deserve the title of Heavenly Prodigy."

"Just aiming for the sixth level, this speed… barely passes muster!"

The senior elder Zhuge Xiao remained calm, his eyes slowly scanning the mirrors of each level!

For him, a mid‑stage Dao Emperor realm powerhouse, these youngsters' trials are merely leisurely spectacles!

Yet while the three elders chatted idly, within the first‑level mirror, a figure in white suddenly moved!

Li Zhangsheng watched the charging beast tide with a calm, unruffled gaze, emitting no aura of strength, and simply raised his hand lightly and waved!

The next second, the hundred‑headed raging savage Rift‑Earth Beast froze in place, then its body disintegrated inch by inch, turning into drifting ash!

The hundred heads possessed not even a spark of resistance, and vanished completely into the world!

It lasted no more than three breaths!

First‑level trial cleared!

A flash of light beneath Li Zhangsheng's feet, and he was automatically teleported to the second level.

"Hmm?"

Inside the Floating Palace, Zhuge Xiao, who had been expressionless, slightly furrowed his brows, his gaze snapping to the first‑level mirror, a barely perceptible surprise flashing in his eyes!

"What just happened…?" Yun Huan sprang to his feet, his single eye wide, staring intently at the now‑empty first‑level space where Li Zhangsheng had been, his face full of astonishment, "That white‑clad wandering cultivator—how did the beast tide vanish instantly before his eyes? Did I hallucinate?"

Lu Chen also wore a stunned expression, hurriedly activating the Dao Mirror to rewind the recent footage!

When they saw Li Zhangsheng casually flick his hand and instantly slay the hundred beasts, the two elders were stunned; their previously composed faces vanished, replaced by disbelief!

"One move… just one move, and he cut down a hundred Rift‑Earth Beasts? How is that possible!" Lu Chen's voice trembled as he looked at Zhuge Xiao, "Brother, what on earth is this white‑clad cultivator? His combat power is terrifying!"

Zhuge Xiao's expression tightened, and in a deep voice he said, "His depth is unfathomable; quickly, look at the second level!"

As soon as the words fell, everyone's gaze instantly shifted to the second‑level mirror of the Heaven‑piercing Tower.

The second‑level world is an endless sea of thunder!

Purple divine thunder rolled, booming, each bolt containing the power to annihilate all things!

This trial tests resistance to the thunder tribulation and comprehension of the Dao of Thunder; a slight slip and one is split and extinguished by lightning.

Even an early‑stage Dao Huang realm cultivator must fully mobilize cultivation here, raise a shield, and struggle, daring not to slack even a bit!

But Li Zhangsheng, after stepping into the thunder sea, had no defensive measures!

The terrifying purple divine thunders fell upon him as gently as spring rain on the earth, causing no damage, not even stirring his robe a hair.

He didn't even deliberately seek the Dao of Thunder; a mere thought let him fully grasp the true principle within the thunder sea, passing the trial perfectly!

From entering the second level to clearing and teleporting took only five breaths!

"Sss!!!"

The three elders simultaneously inhaled a cold gasp, pupils contracting, their faces written with shock!

"Is this… still a trial?"

"He didn't even act; the thunder tribulation couldn't harm him at all, and the Dao insight formed in a single thought!" Yun Huan trembled slightly; after millions of years of life, he had never seen such an absurd trial method!

Lu Chen clenched both hands, his eyes filled with horror: "Too fast—both levels together, not even ten breaths!"

"With such talent and strength, not even the younger generation—let alone some Dao Emperor realm masters—could achieve this!"

Zhuge Xiao could no longer stay calm; he sprang up, staring hard at the Dao Mirror, his tone heavy: "This person is no ordinary talent; continue watching which level he can reach!"

Immediately, Li Zhangsheng's terrifying trial path completely shocked the three Canglan Sacred Land elders' spirits!

The third level is a mind‑state trial, with proliferating illusion realms that stir a cultivator's deepest obsessions, fears, and regrets!

Countless Heavenly Prodigies have here broken their spears and sunk into the sand, trapped in illusions they cannot escape, ultimately erased by the tower's power!

Li Zhangsheng entered the illusion, his heart unperturbed, his Dao heart as steady as an ancient rock!

All worldly illusions before him were like fleeting bubbles!

He merely gave a single glance, and all the illusion collapsed instantly; he cleared the level in two breaths and teleported to the fourth layer.

The fourth layer is a Great Dao rune‑splicing trial, requiring tens of thousands of obscure ancient Dao patterns to be perfectly spliced according to the Great Dao's law, and to comprehend their true meaning; an ordinary prodigy needs several days, and even the top genius needs one or two days.

Li Zhangsheng only gave it a glance, and a complete Dao pattern diagram automatically surfaced in his mind!

In the time it took to raise his hand, tens of thousands of patterns were spliced instantly; he cleared it in three breaths and teleported to the fifth layer.

The fifth layer: slay the early‑stage Nether Blood Wolf of the Thousand‑Head Dao Emperor Realm!

The sixth layer: resist the onslaught of spatial turbulence!

The seventh layer: comprehend the Great Dao of life and death!

The eighth layer: battle the Tower Spirit Guardian of the mid‑stage Dao Emperor Realm!

The ninth layer: endure the crushing force of the Great Dao!!

Each layer's trial is truly defying Heaven, a heavenly chasm that countless cultivators spend a lifetime unable to surpass.

Those top geniuses become immobilized on the seventh layer, teetering on the brink of ruin.

Yet these trials that others deem a nine‑in‑one‑life chance are, before Li Zhangsheng, nothing more than child's play!

When slaying a giant beast, he snaps his fingers casually, and the beast turns into a blood‑mist!

When resisting the assault, his mortal body is unrivaled, and no myriad laws can touch him.

Upon contemplating the Great Dao, a single thought lets him see through it, and in a second he comprehends the true principle.

When battling the Tower Spirit, a single glance of his imposing aura makes the Tower Spirit kneel and submit at once!

……

Above the Dao Mirror, Li Zhangsheng's figure moves as if teleporting, darting through the layers of the Ascending Tower at lightning speed, while the mirror's light flashes continuously!

The tower's layer numbers flash wildly, leaving the three elders no time to react…