The Cultivation Towers

Emerging from the exit portal was like waking from a strange, intense dream. They stepped out into a quiet, circular chamber at the base of the Academy's central spire, the same place they had entered what felt like a lifetime ago. The air was fresh and still, a stark contrast to the psychic pressure of the labyrinth. An impassive Academy official stood waiting, a runic timer floating beside him.

As Amrit and Zian appeared, holding the Glimmer-Stone, the timer stopped. The official's eyes widened slightly as he noted the time.

"Students Amrit and Zian," he announced, his voice betraying a hint of surprise. "Completion time: one hour and forty-seven minutes. A new record for the Whispering Labyrinth trial. By a margin of over two hours."

He made a notation on a data slate. "Your scores for this stage will be calculated and posted. Congratulations on passing the second trial."

Zian let out a whoop of pure, unadulterated joy. "A new record! By two hours! Amrit, we didn't just pass, we annihilated it!" His scholarly composure was gone, replaced by the giddy excitement of a student who had just achieved the impossible.

Amrit simply gave a calm nod. He had expected nothing less.

As they exited the spire back into the Central Trial Plaza, the sun was still high in the sky. The plaza was nearly empty. Most of the other students were still trapped within the labyrinth, wrestling with their inner demons and the maze's devious puzzles. A few early departees—those who had given up or been spiritually wounded—were being tended to by healers in a corner, their faces pale and defeated.

The great obsidian monolith was still dark and dead, a permanent monument to Amrit's first trial. But the runic screen had been replaced. The new one was currently blank, awaiting the results.

"A record," Zian said again, still shaking his head in disbelief. "The Merit Point reward for this will be enormous. And the prestige… Amrit, you are no longer an enigma. You are a legend."

"Fame is a distraction," Amrit said, his gaze drifting towards a cluster of tall, elegant pagodas visible beyond the plaza. "The reward is what matters. It will allow us to access the true resources of this Academy."

Zian followed his gaze. "The Cultivation Towers," he breathed, his excitement immediately shifting to a new target. "Yes. With the points we'll get, we can afford to cultivate in the mid-tier towers for weeks!"

This was the true prize for any ambitious student. The Cultivation Towers were the heart of the Academy's power, the single greatest resource it offered. They were nine towers in total, arranged in a circular pattern. They were not just buildings; they were massive, vertically-aligned Prana-gathering formations, each one tapping directly into the spiritual veins beneath the city at different depths.

Rohan had explained the basics, but Zian, with his access to deeper knowledge, elaborated.

"The nine towers are divided into three tiers," he explained as they walked towards them. "The outer ring consists of six 'Mortal Tempering Towers.' They offer a cultivation environment from five to twenty times more potent than normal. They are what most Outer Court disciples can afford. They are constantly full."

He pointed to a pair of slightly taller towers, closer to the center. They were made of a finer, jade-like stone. "The middle ring has two 'Spirit Forging Towers.' Their amplification is between thirty and fifty times. Access is restricted to the top-ranking Outer Court disciples and most of the Inner Court. The cost in Merit Points is staggering."

Finally, he gestured to the single, magnificent tower at the very center of the formation, a pagoda that seemed to be carved from a single piece of flawless white crystal that glowed with its own gentle light. "And that… that is the 'Divine Ascension Tower.' Its amplification factor is said to be over one hundred. It taps into the very core of the spiritual nexus. Only the top ten students in the entire Academy, the Core Disciples, are granted access. It is the ultimate prize."

As they drew closer, they could feel the immense, concentrated energy radiating from the towers. The air around them was sweet and thick with Prana. Cultivators were entering and exiting the various Mortal Tempering Towers, their faces showing either the exhaustion of a depleted Merit Point balance or the exhilaration of a successful cultivation session.

A massive status board stood before the entrance to the tower complex, displaying the availability and cost of the various cultivation chambers within each tower.

Mortal Tempering Tower 1 (5x Amplification) - 5 MP/hour - 98% Occupancy

Mortal Tempering Tower 4 (15x Amplification) - 20 MP/hour - Full

Spirit Forging Tower 1 (30x Amplification) - 100 MP/hour - Restricted Access

"Once our points from the trial are credited, we should book a room in Tower 3 immediately," Zian planned aloud. "A ten-times amplification is a huge advantage."

Amrit listened, but his gaze was fixed on the single, glowing Divine Ascension Tower. His goal was not a 10x or 20x amplification. He needed the best, and he needed it now. His cultivation had stalled since his breakthrough, and while his control was perfect, he could feel the vast, untapped potential of his Divine Ocean waiting to be filled. The immense, pure energy of the central spiritual nexus was exactly what he needed.

"The Divine Ascension Tower," Amrit said, his voice quiet but firm. "That is where I need to go."

Zian choked. "Amrit, that's impossible! Access is restricted to Core Disciples! We are new students! Our tokens won't even be accepted by the gate formation!"

"Restrictions are for those who follow the rules," Amrit replied cryptically.

Just then, a commotion near the entrance to the Spirit Forging Towers caught their attention. Prince Valerius and his Imperial Clique had emerged from the labyrinth. Their completion time was just under four hours—an incredible feat that would have been a new record, had Amrit and Zian not shattered it.

Valerius looked tired but triumphant. He had clearly overcome the labyrinth's challenges with his immense power. His gaze swept the area and immediately found Amrit and Zian, standing there, looking perfectly fine. His eyes narrowed when he saw their relaxed state. He knew, instantly, that they had finished long before him. His record-breaking run had been rendered meaningless before it was even official.

The cold, competitive fire in his eyes burned brighter. He gave Amrit a look that was a clear promise of future conflict before striding towards the towers, his faction in tow. He was likely heading to a high-tier chamber to recover and cultivate, using his vast starting wealth to secure the best resources.

The results of the second trial were posted on the main runic screen an hour later.

Trial Stage 2: The Whispering Labyrinth - Top 5

Amrit & Zian (Team) - Time: 1:47 - Score: 11.0 (Record Bonus Applied)Vikramaditya - Time: 2:51 - Score: 10.0Prince Valerius - Time: 3:58 - Score: 9.9Princess Fenghua - Time: 4:12 - Score: 9.5Kael Volkov - Time: 5:34 - Score: 8.8

Vikramaditya had emerged, his time also effortless and masterful, though he had clearly not rushed. The impossible score of 'eleven' was awarded again, the Elders using the "Record Bonus" as a justification. Amrit and Zian were each credited with a massive 15,000 Merit Points.

Amrit's total was now 26,000 points. He was, by a wide margin, the richest newcomer in the Academy.

Zian was ecstatic, but Amrit's focus was singular. He turned away from the cheering, gossiping crowds and walked with purpose towards the shimmering, restricted entrance of the Divine Ascension Tower.

"Amrit, what are you doing?" Zian called after him, his voice filled with alarm. "The guards will stop you! You'll be punished!"

Amrit did not reply. He walked up to the glowing gateway, a barrier of pure energy that would repel any unauthorized student. A stern-faced guard, a powerful Inner Court disciple, stepped forward to block his path.

"Halt," the guard commanded. "This tower is restricted to Core Disciples only. Your token does not grant you access."

Amrit stopped. He looked at the guard, then at the shimmering barrier. He had enough Merit Points to buy a small kingdom, but he lacked the status to open this door.

He reached into his robes and pulled out a small, intricately carved wooden object. It was the token his father had given him. The Royal Seal of Kshirapura.

He held it up, not with arrogance, but with a simple, stated authority.

"I am not here as a student," Amrit said, his voice calm but carrying an undeniable weight. "I am here as a direct envoy of a sovereign kingdom, on a matter of extreme importance regarding spiritual cultivation that requires access to the purest source of Prana. To deny me is to deny the official request of King Vikram of Kshirapura."

He was invoking a little-known, ancient charter of the Academy—that it would entertain official requests from its patron kingdoms, treating their envoys with the respect due to their station. He was changing the rules of the game, shifting his status from 'Outer Court Disciple' to 'Royal Envoy.'

The guard froze, his face a mask of confusion and shock. He had no authority to deny a royal envoy. He had never even encountered such a situation.

"I… I must consult an Elder," the guard stammered.

"By all means," Amrit said, waiting patiently.

The guard sent a frantic mental message. Moments later, the powerful, ancient aura of Elder Shanti descended upon the area. She appeared before them, not physically, but as a projected image of light.

She looked at Amrit, then at the Royal Seal in his hand. A flicker of deep, profound understanding—and perhaps, a hint of weary resignation—passed through her ancient eyes. She knew exactly what he was doing. He was using his kingdom's political clout to bypass the Academy's meritocratic rules. It was a loophole no student had ever thought, or dared, to use.

"The request of a Royal Envoy is… unorthodox, but valid under the Academy's founding charters," she conceded, her voice tight. "Access to the Divine Ascension Tower for a limited duration will be granted. However, the cost will not be in Merit Points."

Her gaze sharpened. "The cost will be a direct debit from your kingdom's annual tribute to the Academy. The rate is one hundred high-grade spirit stones per hour. Does the Kingdom of Kshirapura agree to these terms?"

She was calling his bluff. The price she named was astronomical, enough to bankrupt a minor kingdom in a single day.

Amrit didn't even blink. "Kshirapura agrees."

Elder Shanti's projection stared at him for a long moment. This boy was not just powerful; he was audacious on a scale she had never witnessed. He was leveraging the fate of his entire kingdom for a single session of cultivation.

With a final, sharp sigh, she waved her hand. The shimmering barrier before the Divine Ascension Tower dissolved.

"The chamber at the peak is yours. For one hour," she declared, before her image faded.

Amrit gave a nod of thanks to the stunned guard and stepped through the gateway, leaving a bewildered Zian and a gathering crowd of onlookers in his wake.

He had once again broken the rules. He had used status and politics to gain access to a resource meant to be earned by merit. But he knew that in the end, the only thing that mattered was the result. And he intended to make the results of his next hour of cultivation shake the very foundations of the Sky-Piercing Academy.