065 : The Storm That Breaks the Tower.

For the first time in history, someone had broken through multiple floors in one go.

The Tower was furious.

The moment Lin Tian landed on the 10th Floor, the very air was different. It was heavier—charged with an energy that felt like the Tower itself was watching him.

Su Yun's voice was cautious. "I think… I think you just forced the Tower to change the rules."

Lin Tian smirked. "Then let's see what it does next."

A new notification appeared.

[Tenth Floor Trial: The Guardian's Wrath.]

A massive shadow loomed over Lin Tian.

A single guardian had appeared—but this one was different from any he had faced before.

It wasn't just a guardian.

It was a warden.

Something the Tower sent when it wanted to erase someone completely.

Lin Tian's golden eyes gleamed. "Finally, something interesting."

The Tower had sent its strongest enforcer.

And now—he was going to break that too.

The moment Lin Tian stepped onto the Tenth Floor, the world around him shifted.

The battlefield was unlike anything before—a massive arena of black stone, stretching endlessly beneath a storm-filled sky. The air was thick with killing intent, the entire floor radiating a presence unlike any of the others.

And then—it appeared.

A colossal figure, standing over ten meters tall, clad in armor that pulsed with golden runes. Its face was obscured by a helmet of jagged metal, and in its hands, it held a **massive executioner's blade—**a weapon designed for one purpose.

To eliminate those who defied the Tower.

The System's voice returned, but it was distorted, unstable.

[Final Trial: The Warden of Erasure.]

[Warning: This entity is beyond normal classification.]

[Defeat is absolute.]

Lin Tian smirked. "Absolute, huh?"

Su Yun's voice was tense. "Lin Tian, this thing isn't like the other guardians. It was never meant to be fought—it was meant to erase mistakes like you."

Lin Tian rolled his shoulders. "Then I guess I'll just have to erase it first."

The Warden moved.

And the battle began.

The Warden struck first.

A single swing of its blade—and the very air split apart. The shockwave ripped across the battlefield, tearing through the stone like paper.

Lin Tian vanished, dodging just in time.

But before he could counterattack, the Warden was already moving.

Faster than something its size should be.

A second strike descended from above, aimed directly at Lin Tian's head.

Lin Tian raised his hand, catching the blade with his bare palm.

The impact shattered the ground beneath him.

Su Yun gasped. "Lin Tian—!"

Lin Tian exhaled. "Not bad."

Then—he pushed back.

The force of his counterattack sent the Warden skidding backward, its massive feet carving trenches into the black stone.

For the first time, the Tower's enforcer had been stopped.

Lin Tian smirked. "My turn."

Lin Tian moved.

A blur of speed, closing the distance instantly. His fist collided with the Warden's chest, the force of the blow sending a shockwave through its armored body.

The impact should have destroyed it.

But the Warden didn't fall.

Instead—it absorbed the attack.

Lin Tian's eyes flickered. "Oh?"

The Warden raised its sword again, but this time, Lin Tian didn't dodge.

Instead—he activated the Heart of Devouring.

Black energy erupted from his body, tendrils of power coiling around the Warden's blade.

And then—he began to consume it.

The Tower shuddered.

The Warden froze.

The executioner's blade—**an indestructible weapon meant to erase anomalies—**began to crack.

Su Yun's voice was filled with shock. "Lin Tian… you're devouring the Tower's authority!"

Lin Tian smirked. "Told you, didn't I?"

The blade shattered.

And for the first time—the Warden hesitated.

Lin Tian didn't give it a chance to recover.

With the Warden's weapon gone, he moved in instantly. A brutal series of strikes, each one laced with the power of Devouring.

The Warden tried to counter, its fists swinging like collapsing mountains—but it was already too late.

Lin Tian tore through its defenses, stripping away its armor piece by piece.

And then—he reached its core.

A glowing sigil, pulsing with the energy of the Tower itself.

The Warden, for the first time, stepped back.

It understood.

It was about to lose.

Lin Tian smirked. "Game over."

He drove his fist forward, straight into the Warden's core—and devoured it whole.

The moment the Warden fell, the world around Lin Tian began to distort.

The sky cracked. The System glitched.

[ERROR.]

[Warden Erased.]

[UNAUTHORIZED ACTION.]

Su Yun's voice whispered. "Lin Tian… you just killed something that wasn't supposed to die."

Lin Tian exhaled, rolling his shoulders. "Good."

A new notification appeared.

[Tenth Floor Cleared.]

[WARNING: Tower Stability in Danger.]

[Proceed with caution.]

Lin Tian's smirk widened.

"The Tower's afraid of me now."

He looked toward the next gate.

And without hesitation—he stepped forward.

Because this wasn't just about climbing anymore.

This was about taking control.

The moment Lin Tian stepped through the gate to the 11th Floor, he felt it.

A shift.

The Tower was no longer simply testing him. It was reacting.

The space around him twisted, flickering between solid reality and fractured illusions. The air hummed with instability, the very laws of this place struggling to hold themselves together.

And then—the System spoke.

But this time, its voice wasn't normal.

It was distorted. Corrupted.

[WARNING.]

[TOWER STABILITY AT CRITICAL LEVELS.]

[LIN TIAN: UNAUTHORIZED ENTITY.]

[INTERVENTION REQUIRED.]

Lin Tian smirked. "They're finally taking me seriously."

Su Yun's voice was tense. "Lin Tian, be careful. I don't think this floor is going to be like the others."

Lin Tian exhaled. "I'm counting on it."

And then—the world changed.

The 11th Floor wasn't like anything before.

It was empty.

No trials. No monsters. No structures.

Just a vast, endless void.

Lin Tian narrowed his eyes. "What is this?"

Then—he heard it.

A voice.

Deep. Ancient.

But it wasn't the System. It wasn't the Tower.

It was something else.

"You should not be here."

Lin Tian turned, his golden eyes locking onto the source of the voice.

And what he saw made even him pause.

A figure stood in the distance, watching him.

It was himself.

Not a shadow, not a clone.

But a perfect copy—down to the last detail.

And then—it smiled.

"Shall we begin?"

The copy moved first.

A single step—and the entire void trembled.

Lin Tian barely had time to react before his own fist was flying toward him.

He dodged, twisting midair—but his copy was already there.

A second attack came. Then a third.

Fast. Precise. Flawless.

Lin Tian countered, his palm clashing against his double's. The impact sent shockwaves through the void, tearing apart the space around them.

Su Yun's voice was urgent. "Lin Tian—this isn't normal! This isn't just another trial!"

Lin Tian gritted his teeth. "I know."

Because for the first time—he was fighting an enemy that knew everything about him.

Every move. Every instinct. Every strategy.

And for the first time in centuries—Lin Tian was on equal ground.

The fight raged on.

Every attack Lin Tian threw—his copy countered.

Every strategy he attempted—his copy predicted.

It wasn't just a battle.

It was a test of his very existence.

Lin Tian smirked, blood trickling from his lip. "So that's how it is, huh?"

His copy tilted its head.

"You were never meant to win."

Lin Tian chuckled. "Neither were you."

And then—he changed everything.

With a single breath—he activated the Heart of Devouring.

His copy's golden eyes widened.

And Lin Tian attacked.

The void collapsed as Lin Tian's strike connected.

But this time, it wasn't just force.

It was Devouring.

His copy tried to counter—but its attack dissolved midair. The very concept of its power was being erased.

Lin Tian's golden eyes burned. "You might know everything about me…"

His fist crashed into his copy's chest.

"But I'm still the original."

The copy's body fractured, shattering into golden dust.

And then—the void stabilized.

The battle was over.

The System struggled to respond.

[ERROR.]

[UNAUTHORIZED ACTION.]

[TOWER STABILITY… FAILING.]

Lin Tian exhaled, rolling his shoulders. "Next?"

And in the distance—the next gate appeared.

Su Yun's voice was breathless. "You just beat yourself. That's… insane."

Lin Tian smirked. "I'm just getting started."

He stepped forward.

Because now—even the Tower itself couldn't stop him.

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