novelraw Chapter 236 : Trial Tower
Chapter 236 : Trial Tower
Chapter 236: Trial Tower
Gu Fan calmly watched the two leave, without the slightest hint of worry.
Nan Xuanrou glanced at Gu Fan, guilt flickering in her eyes.
"This matter was due to my lack of consideration. I didn't expect it to cause you trouble."
Upon hearing this, Gu Fan turned his head to glance at this Senior Sister, hesitating slightly.
Was this her way of apologizing or expressing remorse?
Just like Xia Yanhuan had said, she had a tsundere nature. Clearly feeling guilty, yet the words that came out were so stiff—anyone unaware might think Gu Fan was the one being unreasonable.
Gu Fan shook his head with a smile and said,
"What I said was the truth. Since I defeated Xia Qianliu, naturally he wouldn’t be content remaining in a low position. Moreover, if I’m not mistaken, entering the top ten probably comes with quite a few benefits, doesn’t it? Otherwise, why would there be a ranking for the True Disciples?"
Nan Xuanrou nodded as she led him further toward the area where the information was being updated.
The procedure was simple: hand over the identity token, and the sect would replace it with a new one.
Gu Fan looked at the golden token in his hand. It didn’t seem as visually pleasing as the white jade one he had before, but it was, after all, a symbol of status.
With the formalities completed, Gu Fan was now officially a True Disciple.
Only then did Nan Xuanrou continue her earlier explanation:
"The number on your token is your current rank."
Gu Fan took a glance—thirty-seventh!
That meant, by the time he joined the True Disciples, the sect had a total of thirty-six disciples with battle strength at or above the Solar Radiance Realm!
This power gap utterly crushed the sect forces on the Destiny Continent!
Even the strongest Honorary Disciple of the Brahma God Sect, Holy Son Ying Langtian, was at most at the Solar Radiance Realm, wasn’t he?
"You guessed right. The ranking of the True Disciples is indeed linked to some benefits."
Gu Fan nodded, indicating that he was listening.
Being stared at by him made Nan Xuanrou blush a little. She turned her head before continuing:
"Immortal Ai Sect has a Trial Tower, nine floors in total. Except for the top three floors, the lower six are open to disciples."
"The bottom three floors are open to all sect disciples, while the middle three are exclusive to True Disciples."
"Among the fourth, fifth, and sixth floors, the most effective is the sixth floor, and only those in the top ten among the True Disciples can enter! Of course, this doesn’t include Senior Brother and me."
"This Trial Tower has miraculous effects on cultivation for us cultivators—it is the dream training place for countless disciples of our sect!"
Upon hearing this, Gu Fan's thoughts immediately stirred. He was already close to the peak of the Late Stage Divine Moon Realm and would soon reach the summit.
His next goal would be to break through the Divine Moon Realm and attain the Solar Radiance Realm.
That step would surely not be easy—otherwise, so many disciples wouldn’t be stuck there.
If this Trial Tower truly had such miraculous effects, then he absolutely had to experience it!
It might even help him accelerate his advancement.
Thinking of this, Gu Fan asked,
"Then, Senior Sister, would it be convenient to tell me exactly what benefits the Trial Tower offers?"
Nan Xuanrou looked toward a towering white giant tower within the sect grounds and replied,
"The Trial Tower has many benefits, but to summarize, there are three: tempering combat ability, accelerating cultivation speed, and solidifying the strength of one’s Mysterious Power."
After speaking, she paused and then reminded him,
"Don’t underestimate these three seemingly simple points. Only after genuinely improving each one will you be able to feel the difference."
"Combat ability needs no explanation, and neither does cultivation speed. As for the last one—Mysterious Power strength—is something many of us cultivators often overlook."
"Sometimes, when cultivators of the same realm and cultivation level compete, one side frequently loses to the other. The reason lies in the insufficient strength of their Mysterious Power—when the same battle technique is used, the power output differs, and so does the lethality!"
Gu Fan nodded; he understood this very well.
Take the Domain Suppression of Myriad Phenomena, for example—this ultimate combat technique not only had a body-refining effect but also served to temper the strength of spiritual power.
He had indeed experienced the advantage brought by stronger spiritual power during combat.
One could only say that in true life-and-death battles, every bit of accumulation mattered. Sometimes, it became the last straw that broke the opponent’s back!
"Then, what Senior Sister means is, the top ten ranked disciples can enter the sixth floor to cultivate. What about someone like me ranked after thirtieth?"
"Top ten can enter the sixth floor, top twenty can enter the fifth floor, and the rest are all on the fourth floor."
Gu Fan grinned. Wherever there were people, there were classes. Cultivators were no different.
"The path of cultivation is about contending—with the heavens, with the earth, and with others. Only by fighting for more opportunities and resources can one rise above the rest!"
Gu Fan smiled and said,
"Still, I quite like the way Immortal Ai Sect does things—simple and straightforward. The capable rise, the mediocre fall."
Saying so, he cupped his hands in salute to Nan Xuanrou and said,
"Thank you for helping me get familiar with Changxing Peak today, Senior Sister."
Nan Xuanrou tidied a stray strand of hair by her ear and looked into the distance as she said,
"It was Senior Sister Xia who asked me to help. No need to thank me."
Gu Fan paused and probed gently,
"There’s still one thing. Does Senior Sister now believe that I’m not the one who killed your younger brother?"
Nan Xuanrou’s hand stilled briefly, then she shook her head and said,
"I know you didn’t kill him. My younger brother had mastered a secret technique. If he were killed, he would definitely have left a hidden mark where your Divine Soul couldn’t easily detect it. You don’t have it in your Divine Soul."
Gu Fan let out a breath of relief. It was enough that she believed he wasn’t the killer—at least there wouldn’t be blades drawn between them in the future.
"That’s good. I’m relieved that Senior Sister Nan is so rational."
"As for what happened during our previous battle when I…"
Nan Xuanrou immediately blushed and snapped in a loud, cold voice:
"Shut up! Don’t you dare… dare speak nonsense, it’s disrupting my Dao Heart!"
Then Gu Fan saw Nan Xuanrou suddenly behave as if some switch had been triggered. Her emotions grew agitated, her expression tense, both hands tangled together, and she kept muttering to herself.
"Deceitful words… disturbing my Dao Heart… all complete nonsense… yes, yes, all nonsense!"
Muttering as such, she finally stomped her foot in shame and fury and shot up into the sky.
She left behind just one sentence, saying she urgently needed to return to cultivate, and then departed.
The whole sequence left Gu Fan in a cold sweat. Had he triggered some special mechanism?
Unable to figure it out, Gu Fan no longer dwelled on it and returned alone to his Cave Residence, ready to pack up and move with Ruo Xi to the True Disciples' area.
"Just a few days after entering Immortal Ai Sect, and I’ve already moved twice..."
In the days that followed, Gu Fan began to stabilize his realm while continually replenishing his cultivation between the two worlds.
Soon, he smoothly reached the peak of the Late Stage Divine Moon Realm.
All that remained was one more step—to reach the Solar Radiance Realm.
With his realm stabilized, Gu Fan stood and headed toward the area where Inner Sect Disciples resided.
In front of a Cave Residence, he politely knocked on the door.
"Junior Brother Mao Chang, I, Gu, have something to consult with you. Would it be convenient?"