057 : The Awakening of the Tower’s Will.
The moment Lin Tian stepped onto the Fourth Floor, the world around him shifted once more. Unlike the glowing crystal forest of the Third Floor, this place was an endless ocean of floating islands, suspended in the sky. The ground beneath him was a massive stone platform, surrounded by deep, swirling clouds.
Then—the System spoke.
[System Error Detected.]
[Recalculating Status…]
[Status Updated.]
Lin Tian narrowed his eyes as his Status Window reopened, this time without the strange errors that had plagued it before. He exhaled slowly.
"Let's see what's changed."
With a thought, he activated the Status Window.
[STATUS WINDOW OPEN]
—
[Name: Lin Tian]
[Level: 1] (New Start – Tower Restrictions Applied)
[Rank: Unclassified] (Cannot be categorized)
[HP: 100/100] (Regenerates infinitely, but can still die if completely depleted.)
[Energy: Unknown] (Unique to Host, defies Tower's normal rules.)
[Strength: A+] (Previously SSS+ – Restricted by the Tower.)
[Agility: A+] (Previously SSS+ – Restricted by the Tower.)
[Endurance: A+] (Previously SSS+ – Restricted by the Tower.)
[Intelligence: S] (Still at peak performance.)
[Luck: E-] (Some things never change.)
[Unique Abilities:]
Devourer's Domain (Consumes external energy to increase power.)
Roulette of Fate (Spin for random rewards upon clearing a floor.)
??? (Locked) (Unknown – Unlocked at Floor 10.)
—
Lin Tian stared at the new status, processing the changes.
His past strength had been sealed. His near-invulnerability had been reduced to a normal HP bar. The Tower had reset him, ensuring that he didn't simply brute-force his way to the top.
"So they really want to make this interesting, huh?"
But there was one thing the Tower couldn't touch—his mind. His experience, his skills, his instincts—those were still his. And that meant even if he had been "reset," he was still far above anyone else climbing this Tower.
Su Yun's voice chimed in. "Well… at least you're not completely broken anymore?"
Lin Tian smirked. "Depends on your definition of broken."
The System gave its usual announcement.
[Fourth Floor Trial: The Leap of Faith.]
[Cross the Sky Islands to reach the exit.]
Lin Tian scanned the landscape. Floating stone platforms stretched into the distance, each one varying in size and shape. Some looked stable, others seemed to be crumbling. There were no bridges, no obvious way across.
Just an endless void below.
Su Yun hummed. "So… do you jump? Or do you fall to your death?"
Lin Tian chuckled. "Looks like I'll find out."
Without hesitation, he stepped toward the edge of the platform.
Then—he jumped.
The wind rushed past him, and for a moment, he plummeted straight down. But just before he hit the next island—a force caught him.
It wasn't solid ground.
It was an invisible energy field.
The moment he landed, glowing symbols appeared beneath his feet, rippling outward like water. A hidden path.
Lin Tian smirked. "Clever."
Now, he just had to reach the other side.
After an hour of navigating the floating islands, dodging unstable platforms, and even fighting off a few winged beasts, Lin Tian reached the end of the trial.
And once again—the System rewarded him.
[Trial Complete. You may now proceed.]
[Spin the Roulette of Fate for your reward.]
The massive roulette wheel materialized again, glowing faintly.
Lin Tian exhaled. "Alright. Let's see if my luck is still cursed."
He spun the wheel.
The symbols blurred together, flashing rapidly.
[Divine Artifact]
[Mysterious Egg]
[Completely Useless Stick]
[Cursed Ring]
[???] (Unknown – Special Prize?)
The wheel slowed.
Click.
Click.
Click.
[Congratulations! You have received… A Mysterious Egg.]
Lin Tian blinked as a small, glowing egg appeared in his hands. It pulsed with a faint warmth, like something was alive inside.
Su Yun gasped. "Ooooh! A pet?!"
Lin Tian raised an eyebrow. "Or a bomb. Knowing my luck, it could be anything."
A new notification appeared.
[Mysterious Egg: Will hatch at Floor 10.]
Lin Tian smirked. "Guess I'll find out soon."
He stored the egg away and stepped toward the next gate.
The light engulfed him once more.
The climb continued.
The transition from the Fourth Floor to the Fifth was instant, but this time, Lin Tian felt it. A strange pressure, a weight that settled over his skin like an invisible force. The air was thicker, heavier, alive. It was as if the Tower itself had shifted—as if something deeper was awakening.
He took a slow step forward. The Fifth Floor was vast, stretching endlessly in all directions, but there were no structures, no landmarks. Just a field of white sand beneath a sky that pulsed with shifting colors. The horizon warped and twisted, making it impossible to tell where the floor truly ended.
Then, the System spoke.
[Fifth Floor Trial: The Gaze of the Tower.]
[Survive under the Tower's judgment.]
Lin Tian narrowed his eyes. "The Tower's judgment?"
Su Yun's voice was unusually quiet. "Lin Tian… this floor feels different. It's like…"
She hesitated.
Lin Tian's golden eyes flickered. "Like what?"
"Like the Tower is watching you."
Before Lin Tian could respond, the world shifted.
And suddenly—he was not alone.
A shadow materialized before him, rising from the sand like liquid darkness. It took shape—his own shape. Another copy of himself, but this one was different from the first trial on the First Floor.
This wasn't his past self.
This wasn't the cultivator, the warrior, the conqueror he had once been.
No—this was his current self.
Lin Tian as he was now.
Same height, same face, same golden eyes—but there was something off about it. The expression was cold, emotionless. A reflection of his present state, stripped of any pretense.
Then, the shadow spoke.
"You do not belong here."
Lin Tian smirked. "That's what people always say before I prove them wrong."
The shadow tilted its head. "This is not your world, and yet you walk through it as if it is yours to control. Why?"
Lin Tian exhaled slowly. "Because I have something to take back."
The shadow remained still. Then, after a long pause, it lunged.
The battle began.
---