Chapter 04
A droplet of water splashed under Ji Wuye's feet, launching his toned body upwards with a powerful gust of wind that rustled his robes, propelling him to reach the height of the towering, ancient trees surrounding the serene creek.
In that breathless instant while floating weightlessly above, a massive fish longer than a warhorse and with dagger-like, razor-sharp teeth suddenly breached the deep emerald waters towards him in an explosive geyser of spray.
The fish's putrid, decaying breath assaulted his nostrils as its cavernous, toothed maw yawned menacingly before his widened eyes. However, Ji Wuye's brow merely furrowed as he remained outwardly calm and unflinching in the face of this abrupt, deadly attack.
As he hovered motionless in the air, the potent Qi surging through his meridians formed a furious, spiraling vortex, hungrily drawing the remaining spiritual energy from the depths of his lower dantian.
Tightening his grip on the worn leather wrappings of his sword's hilt, he concentrated all that turbulent energy into the razor-sharp edge of the gleaming blade with laser focus. Thick, undulating arcs of azure spirit energy violently flared from his aura, resonating with the churning vortex massing below his taut abdomen.
With controlled, measured breaths escaping his clenched jaw, he began subtly rotating his torso, carefully guiding the accelerating vortex to gain a diagonal, spiraling momentum synchronous with the motion.
Though his body hung unmoving in the air, an internal invisible spin was precisely set into furious motion. The swirling tide of energy spun faster and faster, building its crescendo with each tiny, deft rotation of his core.
When the pivotal moment was right, his blazing eyes glanced down at his descending body with perfect timing, watching as his legs were about to be engulfed by the enormous gaping maw of the ravenous beast.
????? Art First move - Soaring Cyclone Blade!
In that instant, the pent-up, condensed Qi vortex erupted outwards from the very center of his being, unleashing its fury through his blade in a single, spiraling shockwave of pure concussive force.
BOOM-!
A resounding thunderclap echoed across the misty creek as a transparent damage counter materialized:
[!] You have killed Level 5 - Reef Ranger!
Simultaneously, Ji Wuye's sword cleaved through the colossal fish's armored body in a blur, the beast's massive bulk dwarfing even the largest wolves as flesh, blood and organs were sent scattering in all directions like grotesque confetti.
Within the rent, mangled flesh of the eviscerated Reef Ranger monstrosity, Ji Wuye emerged in a half-kneeling stance, shoulders rising and falling with labored breaths as sweat beaded on his furrowed brow and narrowed eyes.
"To think a single maneuver would deplete me like this..." he murmured through gritted teeth, taking a deep, calming breath to regain his iron composure.
In his former days, he would never have possessed this level of sword technique or the extraordinary power to defeat a beast twice as formidable as his former capabilities could overcome.
Observing the gruesome aftermath of how his foe met its demise, a slight, grim smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. However, the hardened look in his eyes revealed he knew this was merely the opening skirmish and not the final victory.
Survival, not slaughter, was the ultimate objective of this dangerous reconnaissance mission, which meant...
SWOOSH-!
A sudden projectile whistled through the air as Ji Wuye maintained his half-kneeling defensive stance, rapidly circulating his Qi between his meridians and storing the potent energy in his Lower Dantian.
The arrow zipped unerringly towards his position, but he remained utterly unfazed and unmoving, already fixated with intense focus on its point of origin.
CLANK-!
Naturally, the primitive arrow was effortlessly deflected by the shimmering, condensed cocoon of Qi enveloping his entire body like an impenetrable second skin.
As long as he possessed his full reservoir of Qi and his unseen opponent did not possess overwhelming spiritual strength or cunning Qi-based martial attacks, he could repel any such primitive assault.
Such was the revered, near-mystical reason why consummate masters of the martial arts were elevated to heroic status across the lands of Jianghu.
...
As a scattered volley of arrows emerged next from the dense treeline to his left, where the attacker remained concealed amid the ancient forest's shadowy boughs, Ji Wuye's eyes narrowed as he detected over a dozen faint crimson lights flickering deep within the foliage, each reflecting his grim, somber expression back at him.
"Skeleton archers..." he mused darkly, their skeletal appearance and glowing crimson eye sockets matching his previous deadly encounter.
However, what truly unsettled him was the presence of well over ten such crimson lights arrayed throughout the primordial forest, hinting at the sizable force lying in ambush ahead.
WHOOSH-!
Once again, Ji Wuye effortlessly deflected another unerringly aimed arrow with a subtle flex of his fortified Qi aura, the projectile harmlessly glancing away.
However, this latest missile came whizzing in from the dense tree line at the far left edge of the primordial forest, its trajectory revealing the concealed position of yet another deadly group of skeletal archers lying in ambush amid the shadowy foliage.
"More than ten separate clusters of archers patiently concealed within the ancient forest's depths," Ji Wuye muttered grimly, his eyes narrowing as his keen senses evaluated the precarious tactical situation.
Logically, he could firmly stand his ground, continuously circulating and reinforcing his Qi to defend against the relentless volley of projectile assaults raining down from all sides.
Yet his razor-honed instincts urged him that passively weathering the storm was not the path to true victory here - he must seek a more decisive outcome.
A feral smirk crossed his chiseled features as he rapidly assessed the remaining time on the elemental clock ticking down overhead, before channeling a surge of potent Qi into the corded muscles of his legs once more.
Then, with an explosive burst of concussive force, he propelled himself forward in a furious burst of speed, charging in a low exhalation of displaced air directly towards the concealed archers positioned along the forest's right flank.
[!] You have killed Level 4 - Skeleton Archer!
[!] You have killed Level 4 - Skeleton Archer!
[!] You have killed Level 4 - Skeleton Archer!
[!] You have killed Level 4 - Skeleton Archer!
[!] You have killed Level 4 - Skeleton Archer!
A flurry of damage notifications filled the air as Ji Wuye's whirling sword blurred through the ambush line in a dizzying series of arcing strikes, each blow followed by a concussive shockwave that blasted the skeletal archers back in a spray of shattered bone fragments.
In the span of mere heartbeats, he had closed the distance and ruthlessly neutralized the entire clustered group before they could react.
..
Several breathless minutes later, Ji Wuye lay prone in the shallow, gently rippling waters by the base of the miniature fountain at the forest's edge, his heaving chest rising and falling rapidly as he greedily gulped down welcome mouthfuls of the crisp, clean air.
His unfocused gaze drifted up towards the brilliant azure sky peeking through the canopy far above as he fought to catch his ragged breath.
At that moment, he was utterly drained and spent. Every sinewy muscle in his battle-hardened body trembled uncontrollably with profound fatigue from the sustained exertion of redirecting his flow of Qi into those consecutive explosive bursts required to overwhelm the enemy forces.
"Pathetic...I truly need to strengthen this feeble physique," he chuckled wryly under his labored breathing, a forced smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. However, his expression grew taut once more as a final transparent screen materialized with a chiming flourish.
[>>[INFORMATION]<<]
Challenger Ji Wuye,
Congratulations on successfully clearing the first floor!
[!] All of the attackers have been eliminated, marking an extraordinary accomplishment!
[>>[REWARD]<<]
• You have received 1,000 TOG Coins
• You have gained two levels!
[!] You will be immediately transported back to the Challenger Private Lobby!
...
[!] You have 30 minutes remaining before being transported back to your world!
Before Ji Wuye could fully process this unexpected windfall, his corporeal form shimmered and dematerialized, only to rematerialize an instant later, surrounded by the soothing emerald glow of rejuvenating spiritual energy suffusing the empty cubic space of the challenger's private lobbying area.
[!] All temporary injuries had been healed!
Still stunned by the seemingly magnanimous reward he had received after such an intense trial, Ji Wuye muttered the words aloud to himself in an awed hush. "One thousand...coins?" His brow furrowed in thought.
In the previous time line, the greatest reward he had ever received upon clearing the first floor was a mere hundred or so coins. Now, that bounty had been increased tenfold - not to mention the additional unprecedented bonus of gaining two hard-earned levels as well.
If even the most mediocre of disciples from the Kunlun Sect could obtain such generous recompense for their efforts, the privileged genius cultivators must be receiving absolute fortunes, Ji Wuye pondered with an envious grimace.
Given their vastly superior ability and status, he doubted they would merely passively await attackers. They were undoubtedly the ones proactively scouring each floor for foes in order to aggressively eliminate them, gleaning tremendous rewards just as he had done on a lesser scale.
"No wonder they are able to level up so rapidly..." he mused, shaking his head ruefully before pushing those distracting thoughts aside.For now, his personal focus must remain centered on swiftly improving his own abilities, rather than dwelling on the unattainable skills of others.
With such a substantial outpouring of coveted TOG Coins now at his disposal, he could finally access another long-awaited feature of the mysterious Tower - the fabled Challenger's Shop.
[*] SHOP
[>] Skill [<]
[>] Items [<]
The shop interface was a highly anticipated and eagerly utilized feature for all returning challengers of the Tower of God. It served as one of the sole crucial resources for acquiring new skills and valuable items to enhance one's abilities and insights into new skills or new martial arts.
The shop offered was divided between two main sections: the skill section and the items section.
Without the slightest hesitation, Ji Wuye's eyes sparkled with renewed vigor as he knowingly selected and opened the 'skills' section tab.
[*] SKILLS
TOG COINS: 1.000
Fireball (F) - 100 coins
Haste (F) - 100 coins
Beginner's Luck (F) - 100 coins
Fortify (F) - 100 coins
Wind Brush (F) - 100 coins
Quick Adaptation (F) - 100 coins
Shield (F) - 100 coins
Lighting Bolt (F) - 100 coins
A vast array of skills from the basic foundational rank up to the rarest tiers were available for purchase through the exchange of the TOG Coins.
Skills were categorized by escalating power from the introductory F-rank up through the higher echelons, or so Ji Wuye understood.
Acquiring an A-rank or higher skill while still below the Tower's 30th level was generally considered an inadvisable allocation of one's limited resources in the past.
The precious TOG Coins could only be obtained through the grueling trials of clearing each floor, forcing even the most gifted challengers to carefully prioritize their expenditures between investing in new skills or procuring valuable items.
It was a permanent, one-time opportunity with each floor's rewards.
Moreover, as the ambitious climbed higher into the Tower's increasingly perilous realms, those reckless few who unwisely tried to hoard a substantial reserve of coins in hopes of directly purchasing a coveted high-rank skill early on were deemed utter fools.
The cold truth was that the survival rate on each progressively more demanding floor grew increasingly uncertain at best. In the end, those impulsive spendthrifts who squandered the invaluable currency as well as those ill-prepared misers who perished with empty coffers alike were ultimately regarded as having made the graver mistake.
Even acquisition of a vaunted A-rank skill was no panacea that could guarantee one's assured invincibility.
As Ji Wuye calmly surveyed the modest list of foundational F-rank skills available for purchase, each priced reasonably at a standard 100 coins apiece, he nodded in grim acceptance.
Such humble offerings were to be expected just starting out, as he knew the scale and potency of skills - as well as their commensurate costs - would invariably increase exponentially with each higher floor cleared.
"I was truly little more than a pauper in those days!" he exclaimed with a rueful chuckle, shaking his head as he eyed the tantalizing four-digit sum of his current TOG Coin balance.
With the handsome number of coins he had just earned, he could have purchased every single one of the basic skills listed all at once if he wished, a thought which prompted a hearty peal of laughter to escape his lips.
However, the consummately self-disciplined warrior knew far better than to succumb to such wasteful impulsiveness borne of giddy overconfidence.
"First, there is one particular skill that is severely underestimated by nearly everyone," he murmured, as he leaned forward and deftly tapped the requisite selection.
[!] You have purchased skill Quick Adaptation(F)!
[>>[QUICK ADAPTATION (F) ]<<]
Type: Passive skill
You can copy and analyze all the attack patterns of your opponent!
"Nice!" Ji Wuye exclaimed with evident satisfaction, finally acquiring the long-coveted technique.
After studying the skill's entry panel for a few moments, he briefly glanced over the remaining basic offerings in the shop interface before shifting his attention to the adjacent item section.
However, upon glimpsing the exorbitant prices listed, he promptly shook his head and closed the interface.
"Far too expensive at this stage, and none of the items I truly desire are even available yet,"
"Shall we return now?" he murmured aloud.
[!] With 25 minutes remaining, are you certain you wish to return to your world at this moment?
"Yes," Ji Wuye replied with a curt nod.
...
In the endless span of a single breath, the shimmering emerald chamber around him dissolved away, only for his senses to suddenly be overwhelmed by the cool, crisp night air and the chirping orchestra of nocturnal insects heralding the world's reawakening from its daily slumber.
He had rematerialized back in the sparse outer disciple's courtyard of the Kunlun Sect, the towering peak's pinnacle still swathed in darkness high overhead.
As Ji Wuye slowly cast his gaze about the silent training grounds, he observed that not a single one of the other participating Outer Disciples had as yet returned from the Tower.
"The others have not emerged...which can only mean some must have inevitably perished already," he mumbled to himself, stifling a body-wracking yawn with the back of his hand.
Despite the supernatural restoration of his physical condition courtesy of the Tower's ability, the visceral memories and residual fatigue from his intense battles still weighed heavily upon his mind.
In the end, having already reaped such plentiful rewards for an early start, Ji Wuye decided there was little point in pushing his luck tonight.
...
A/N
Chinese Term of Adressing:
* Men commonly call their male comrades / close friends their "Brothers".
* Big Brother, used to politely address men around the same age or older than the speaker (but not old enough to be considered an "Uncle")
* Big Sister, used to politely address women around the same age or older than the speaker (but not old enough to be considered an "Aunt").
* Senior, a term of address for members of an elder generation.
* Junior, a term of address for members of a younger generation.
* Elder, appended to a person's surname to show respect.
* Little, appended to a person's given name to show familiarity & affection.
* Er, a diminutive suffix sometimes appended to the given names of children or close friends. Considered cute/endearing.