Cultivating Disciples to Breakthrough

Making it through the challenge on the first floor of the ancient tower with relative ease without losing a single person in the process, the confidence of the group soared as they soon enough challenged the second floor of the ancient tower. Having also been convinced that the ancient tower was indeed one that hadn’t been targeted by those stronger figures within the ancient city center because of how they found a lot of treasures after clearing the first floor. Confidence that soon enough ended up with a quarter of them getting wiped out on the second floor of the ancient tower. Making everyone realize just how deadly this ancient tower was.

But... the rewards they found upon clearing the second floor made them unable to simply turn around, as amongst the different cultivation resources, they found an ancient scripture depicting the Dao of Space. Allowing all of them to significantly improve their comprehension of the Dao of Space with three of them even feeling like they were close to breaking through to the Void Monarch Realm.

Faced with these kinds of rewards that had now proven to be useful for reaching the Void Monarch Realm, the group wouldn’t have stopped even if more than half of them ended up being wiped out... And in the end, as they continued moving from the second to the third then fourth before coming to a stop on the fifth floor of the ancient tower, more than half of the group had been wiped out with only seventeen out of the originally forty or so people being left. Surprisingly, amongst the remaining cultivators, the four who had turned into the leaders of the group had managed to stay alive. Not just that, but all four were also infinitely close to reaching the Void Monarch Realm.

”We should stop now, I fear if we continue, we might all get wiped out on the next floor...” And having already obtained enough resources and insight into the Dao of Space to breakthrough to the Void Monarch Realm, one of the four decided to step forward and voice out his thoughts on stopping their ascent while everyone still left alive had managed to gain significantly more than they had paid to enter the ancient city center in the first place.

”I agree, I think everyone should have obtained enough insight and resources to attempt a breakthrough to the Void Monarch Realm.”

”Indeed, I believe we should all retreat for now and try to breakthrough to the Void Monarch Realm. Maybe after our breakthrough, we can return and try to go further when that time comes.”

”Hahaha, I like the sound of that! Who knows, we might even get lucky enough to snatch up an opportunity to reach the Void Integration Realm down the line!”

In response, the people around all nodded their heads in approval to this suggestion. Even suggesting working together after everyone had broken through to the Void Monarch Realm. The trust that had been built during the exploration of the ancient tower had made everyone closer and trusting with one another, as the treasures had been divided equally amongst everyone and the four who had at first been pushed into the leading position had taken on the role in the truest sense. Earning the trust of everyone. Not to mention, everyone understood that they would be able to go further working together even when they broke through to the Void Monarch Realm, they believed only by working together again did they stand a chance at potentially obtaining something capable of helping them reach the Void Integration Realm.

This kind of teamwork was by far going to be the largest of its kind within the ancient city center, as most of those at the Void Monarch Realm and above were either moving on their own or in small groups that consisted of three or four individuals. Never to the point where a group grew to seventeen.

Still, before this kind of thing could turn into reality, everyone still had to successfully break through to the Void Monarch Realm and to do that, they first had to leave the ancient city center, something that would be simple enough given how countless people came and left all the time faced with the deadly threats within the ancient city center.

The one problem that plagued everyone present was the simple fact that them breaking through to the Void Monarch Realm couldn’t be hidden and when they returned to enter the ancient city center, the city lord would undoubtedly be paying attention to them, there might even be a few Void Integration Realm cultivators secretly following behind them at that point in time.

Still, it wasn’t an option to not break through to the Void Monarch Realm, so the group decided to deal with the situation together when the time came.

In any case, seventeen Void Monarch Realm cultivators were more than strong enough to pose some threat even to someone at the Void Integration Realm if they hadn’t fully merged with the surrounding space. So, they weren’t especially fearful.

”Huh? This isn’t the part of the city I remember...” But as the group of seventeen stepped out of the ancient tower pumped up and ready to make their dash towards the Void Monarch Realm, the one walking at the front of the group as they descended down the floating platform and left the ancient tower, let out a somewhat confused mutter that caused the chatting group behind him to freeze for a second before they followed his gaze outside the ancient tower.

”This... The city is different?”

”Did we perhaps end up in another part of the city after leaving the ancient tower!?”

”Is this a special mechanism of those towering ancient structures? Leaving throws you somewhere else within the ancient city center!?”

And only a second later, the group began panicking. Realizing that they had indeed ended up in a different part of the ancient city center. The panic itself not coming from the danger that might be lurking within a new part of the ancient city center, but instead the fact that they now had no way out of the ancient city center, as the original path they had used was in a completely different part of the ancient city center.

A part of the city that they soon enough came to realize they couldn’t return to, as even returning to the ancient tower behind them and trying to use the floating platform against and again didn’t work. Even descending on foot didn’t work.

Even though they could still use the opportunity to break through to the Void Monarch Realm, they didn’t dare to do so. Understanding from a previous example that had been set by a fellow cultivator below the Void Monarch Realm that had obtained an opportunity to break through, that doing so would attract the golems guarding the ancient city center.

With that in mind, someone had also attempted to break through inside one of the ancient structures, but that had proven to be an even worse choice, as the ancient formations keeping those ancient structures had activated and directly reduced the other party to dust on the spot.

After this, those who obtained the opportunity could only leave the ancient city center and breakthrough outside before returning afterwards. Paying the greedy city lord the expensive entry fee for a second time.

Because of this, after everyone took a few minutes to complain about the tragic situation, they had all found themselves in, they split up and began exploring the new part of the ancient city center they had found themselves in. Knowing that it shouldn’t be that large of an area and the only real danger they expected to run into was those golems patrolling the ancient city center.

In the end, as the group gathered again, they concluded that this was indeed another part of the ancient city center and one far smaller than that of the one they had explored before.

However, as luck would have it, during their exploration of this small new part of the ancient city center, one of them found a passage connected to the city outside. Not much different from the one they had used to enter the ancient city center in the past after paying the city lord. Only a bit smaller and more stable compared to that passage. Forcing two of them, who weren’t humans or from a similar sized race to squeeze themselves down as best as possible to avoid causing any damage to the passage.

Although the passage itself had clearly been concealed on the other side by someone, the group wasn’t too worried about the other party coming to look for trouble with them, as it was clear that they should already be busy within one of the ancient structures.

Instead, the group took this as a precious opportunity to enter the ancient city center for free after they broke through to the Void Monarch Realm in the future and would resume their exploration of the ancient tower, they had already reached the fifth floor of.

As for being discovered by others in the process along with the passage itself? They didn’t care about it, as they would have already entered the ancient city center for free at that point in time.