Similarly, the old man also gazed at the tower with a slack jaw.
“Did that young man reach the fourth floor in three minutes?? Did he reach that place unimpeded??”
He felt bad since a mindless young man had achieved the same feat as her precious granddaughter in such a short time. But he didn’t get to go over that thought for too long when the fifth section of the tower suddenly began to flash.
“He—he cleared the fourth level already!” The girl almost stared her eyes out at the unbelievable sight. “How did he do something so fast while I couldn’t?? There’s no way he can just waltz all the way through the fourth floor like it was nothing!”
Just in front of the tower entrance, Gu Beichen was also trying his best to let reality sink in. His “best score” had been to reach the third level so far. He knew he could get to the next level if he was really desperate about it. And yet… The “weak shopkeeper” had surpassed him by a large margin! The others waiting began discussing loudly once again. It was very rare to see any challenger go this far because reaching the fifth level required for a warrior to be at the upper eighth rank or higher. An alternative would be for someone slightly below that requirement to enter with a high-rank pet. Though this was not an ideal way of taking the challenge because using a pet stronger than oneself might bring about undesired consequences. “When was the last time you saw the fifth floor activate?” an observer asked his partner. “Several days ago? I wonder which rich kid of a big clan is in there. Or maybe it’s just a bored old geezer.”
“I’d say the former. I don’t think old men can get much by coming here.” “Well, you’re right. They say that the challenge in the higher floors changes depending on your strength and experience. Heck, even Venerable the Blade can’t get to the ninth floor. The enemies prepared for him must be crazily strong.”
Most people didn’t know who was inside the tower because they hadn’t been paying attention to every challenger. But those who did know Su Ping had been duly shocked. Knowing Su Ping’s age, they believed that Su Ping would easily enter the top 3 of the Pioneer Ranking list. And they weren’t even taking his scary speed into account.
The young girl felt her cheeks burn in embarrassment when someone she deemed “clueless” had actually performed better than her.
Her grandfather knew her character all too well so he quickly tried to comfort her, but stopped short when he noticed people exclaiming in awe once again.
“The—the sixth level! He reached the sixth level!”
“But how come?? Is he a ninth-rank warrior? Is that even possible when he’s so young?”
The girl felt as if she had been doused with something cold from head to toe. Moments before, she was still ambitious and eager to work harder. But that mindset had turned into pure hopelessness by then.
The gap was too wide. There was no way she could reach that level any time soon. Not to mention that her rival looked just as young as herself…
Even Tang Ruyan-the well-known genius who had received all the funneled resources of her big clan-was unable to reach the sixth level at the age of 20!
“This is not real, this is not real…” Gu Beichen muttered to himself. “It’s my fu*king dream to reach that level, yet Mister Su did it almost instantly. No, something must be wrong. Maybe this dragon tower is fake. Maybe…”
The crowd was talking louder and louder, until they began cheering at the top of their lungs; more people learned that a young man had somehow dashed through the fifth floor without stopping. The ruckus escalated to an impossible degree, enough to alarm several mighty warriors who were present to keep order.
Venerable the Blade opened his eyes and glanced down at the glowing tower.
“Another young genius… But it’s not so commendable since many young members of famous clans have already succeeded. Heh, I remember the time when a man was able to reach the seventh floor.”
He closed his eyes again as he decided not to think about the matter too much. Being a titled warrior, he had seen his fair share of brilliant members of the young generation. Talent wasn’t enough to reach the legendary rank.
Still, he did wish to find out which clan had discovered another gifted child.
Inside the tower, Su Ping gazed at the entrance to the next level and decided to summon Little Skeleton.
According to his previous experiences, the enemies at the seventh level and beyond would be highly relevant to his own astral power level, which was… actually a good thing, because this sometimes presented him with enemies weaker than before.
This was all because he was still a fifth-rank battle pet warrior as far as his astral power level was concerned. At such a level, the tower would send eighth-rank opponents at him, at best.
“*sigh* Here goes nothing. The faster I finish this thing, the earlier I can go home.” With the help of his pets, the fight on the seventh floor was concluded fairly quickly. Clearing the seventh floor that fast was like dropping a bomb among the crowd still waiting outside. All those who didn’t care who was the current challenger a second before began asking for answers.
It wasn’t a big deal if an old veteran was doing this. But it was a completely different matter if the challenger had room for more growth.
As for those who saw Su Ping enter the tower earlier… they had been speechless for quite some time.
The yelling down below once again pulled Venerable the Blade out of his tranquil state, as he looked toward the glowing tower, a bit surprised this time.
That was too fast even by his standards.
Similarly, several titled warriors waiting in the sky joined in, giving the tower several curious looks.
The eighth section lit up under their careful watch.
Venerable the Blade could no longer sit tight; whoever was in the tower had reached his record.
By then, the age of the challenger no longer mattered. Either old or young, the challenger had to possess a terrifying competence, enough to surpass the attacks of something several ranks stronger.
With a serious look, Venerable the Blade left his usual spot and slowly descended, while intently staring at the eighth section of the tower.
At the same time, several figures showed up behind him; they looked equally shocked by what was happening right then.
Not all of them had reached the eighth floor during their challenges. They had realized that the challenger might be stronger than them, or at least had the potential of reaching that level in the future.
“Who’s this? Some old hermit who wants to play a game under our noses?”.
“Nah. I know every geezer who lives in this subcontinent. If any of them showed up, I’d know.”
“I’ll just ask around later. Somebody must have seen who went in there.”
On the ground, people were too amazed to speak at this point, because the champion of the Pioneer’s Ranking list had only reached the sixth rank as far as they remembered. Never in their lives did they expect someone to beat not one but two levels beyond that.
Still, it was not the end of the wonder yet. The tip of the tower began to shine like a beacon.