Stepping into the Ascending Heaven Tower, Ascending Twenty-Four Floors!

"You certainly have courage," Lu Changsheng said noncommittally. He had not actually stepped in to save anyone just because the bandits were threatening them. There was no need. He merely wanted to find someone to ask. "Who can tell me, what is Ascending Heaven?" Lu Changsheng asked once more. "Whatever Senior wishes to ask, I know it all!" Eldest Miss Zhou gritted her teeth and spoke again. "Senior has already ascended heaven, why tease us?" the second chief said, steeling himself. "Tease?" Lu Changsheng shook his head. "You've cultivated for so long, yet never cultivated a brain. You can't even compare to a delicate woman." Lu Changsheng did not feel like wasting any more words. Since the woman knew what he wanted to ask, Lu Changsheng naturally had no reason to keep a fool like the second chief around. With that, Lu Changsheng casually flicked a finger. *Whoosh.* A ray of white light arrived in the blink of an eye. The second chief let out a furious roar and instantly brought his saber up before him. *Puff!* Yet it was utterly useless. The wisp of white light pierced through the precious saber in an instant, the blade snapping with a sharp crack. The white light plunged straight into the second chief's body. The second chief shuddered violently. His gaze glazed over, and with a thud, he collapsed to the ground, lifeless. Dead. The dignified second chief of the Black Mountain Bandits had been killed with a mere flick of Lu Changsheng's finger. The sight stunned everyone present. At this moment, no one doubted that the man before them was an expert of the Ascending Heaven Realm. Only an Ascending Heaven expert could wield such terrifying might. "Spare our lives, Senior!" Seeing their second chief slain, the bandit horde dared not seek revenge, nor did they even dare run. Instead, they dropped to their knees, begging for Lu Changsheng's mercy. This showed just how massive the deterrent power of an Ascending Heaven expert was to ordinary people. "Scram." Lu Changsheng couldn't be bothered with these bandits. The bandits scattered and fled in a panic, vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye. Only then did Eldest Miss Zhou finally let out a sigh of relief. She bowed respectfully and said, "Thank you, Senior." "Do not be in such a hurry to thank me." "Tell me: what is Ascending Heaven?" "If your answer fails to satisfy me, you should know the consequences." Lu Changsheng spoke very calmly, yet Eldest Miss Zhou felt a chill run through her heart. Offending those bandits might still leave a chance of survival. Offending an Ascending Heaven expert, however, carried far graver consequences. Therefore, Eldest Miss Zhou dared not conceal anything, explaining in detail, word by word: "Senior, many people actually know about Ascending Heaven." "In the Central Region, there is a temple known as the Ascending Heaven Temple." "Within the temple stands a pagoda called the Ascending Heaven Tower." "The pagoda has thirty-six floors in total." "It is said that only those in the world with great perseverance, great wisdom, and greater divine abilities may enter the Ascending Heaven Tower to begin ascending heaven." "With each floor ascended, one receives a blessing from the heavens. If someone can ascend thirty-six floors, it is said they will receive a gift from the heavens, perhaps even becoming the master of the world to rule over all creation!" "However, ever since the Ascending Heaven Tower appeared, no one has ever managed to ascend all thirty-six floors." Eldest Miss Zhou gave an exhaustive account, explaining Ascending Heaven from beginning to end. "The Ascending Heaven Tower?" "Ascending thirty-six floors lets one become the master of the world and rule over creation?" Lu Changsheng's heart stirred. The moment he learned of the Ascending Heaven Tower, a piece of information mysteriously surfaced in his mind out of nowhere. *Ascending thirty-six floors allows one to perceive the exact locations of all Earth Saints in this world.* This message appeared abruptly and silently in Lu Changsheng's consciousness. However, Lu Changsheng understood right away. This was information revealed by the Dao Transformation Battlefield. One had to learn about the Ascending Heaven Tower to trigger this knowledge. So ruling over creation meant being able to perceive the exact locations of every Earth Saint in this realm. To an ordinary Earth Saint, this was essentially useless. After all, they might not be able to defeat other Earth Saints and would only expose themselves to danger. For ambitious and powerful Earth Saints, however, this would bring unimaginable advantages. If one wanted to become a Master of a Thousand Daos without relying on pure luck, going to the Ascending Heaven Tower was the only way. So long as someone ascended thirty-six floors, they could completely sweep through all the Earth Saints in this world. When that time came, let alone a Master of a Thousand Daos, even a Master of Ten Thousand Daos would not be impossible. Moreover, Lu Changsheng recalled that each opening of the Dao Transformation Battlefield was essentially an opportunity. Yet he had never heard of anyone becoming a Master of Ten Thousand Daos. Presumably, not a single one among the countless Earth Saints had ever climbed all thirty-six floors of the Ascending Heaven Tower. Otherwise, a Master of Ten Thousand Daos would have certainly emerged. "I wonder if I can reach the thirty-sixth floor?" Lu Changsheng grew curious, eager to try. "Where is the Ascending Heaven Temple in the Central Region?" Lu Changsheng asked. "The Central Region is very far away, but the Ascending Heaven Temple is renowned there. Once you arrive in the Central Region, you should be able to ask around and find it." "My Zhou family possesses a complete map leading to the Central Region, which might be of some help to Senior." "However, I would have to trouble Senior to make a trip to the Zhou family residence..." Eldest Miss Zhou said cautiously. In truth, she had her own calculations. Traveling alongside this mysterious and powerful senior would be equivalent to having him escort the Zhou family caravan, ensuring their safe arrival. Lu Changsheng naturally saw through her little scheme at a glance. Unperturbed, he said indifferently, "No matter. Where is the Zhou family? Just point the way!" With a wave of his hand, Eldest Miss Zhou was enveloped by an invisible force and hoisted straight into the sky. "Ah..." "Miss..." "Let's hurry along; Miss must have been taken back to the family estate..." Seeing this, the Zhou family caravan naturally understood Lu Changsheng's intention. He was clearly taking her ahead to the Zhou residence. As for leisurely escorting their caravan, that was out of the question. In just a short moment, Lu Changsheng brought Eldest Miss Zhou to Lan City. Her face was pale. The experience of flying just now had been terrifying; even now, her racing heart refused to calm. "Alright. Bring the map," Lu Changsheng said coolly. "Please wait a moment, Senior." Though Eldest Miss Zhou's mind churned with apprehension and disbelief, she still complied with his demand. Soon, she brought out a map and presented it with both hands. Lu Changsheng swept his eyes over it and saw that it was indeed a map to the Central Region. At his speed, assuming no delays along the way, reaching the Central Region would take several days. Though it meant losing a few days, if he truly could ascend all thirty-six floors, sharpening the axe would not delay the cutting of firewood. When the time came, losing these few days would mean nothing at all. "Not bad." Lu Changsheng took a deep look at Eldest Miss Zhou. "If I am not mistaken, you suffer from a hidden ailment and likely have only a few years left to live, do you not?" His words struck Eldest Miss Zhou like a thunderbolt. Her face turned pale in an instant, and her voice trembled as she replied, "Senior has sharp eyes. I indeed suffer from a terminal illness and my days are numbered..." The Zhou family was relatively well-off. They had surely tried every conceivable method, yet none could cure her condition. It truly was an incurable affliction. Even practicing martial arts would not cure it unless she reached the so-called Ascending Heaven Realm. Lu Changsheng, however, was different. He had a shortcut. Though he was not a physician and could not cure diseases, he was the Flesh Progenitor—he could create blood scions. And becoming a blood scion could cure any illness. "Our meeting is a matter of fate," Lu Changsheng said. "In view of your deference toward me, I shall grant you a piece of fortune." "I bestow upon you a drop of ancestral blood. You will transform into a blood scion, immune to all diseases from this day forth." "As for how far you can go along the Flesh Martial Dao, that will depend on your own fortune and destiny..." With that, Lu Changsheng flicked a finger. *Whoosh.* A drop of crimson blood instantly sank into Eldest Miss Zhou's forehead between her brows. Immediately, Eldest Miss Zhou felt excruciating agony tear through her body from the inside out. Overwhelmed in an instant, she collapsed to the ground, writhing and convulsing in sheer torment. "Miss..." The servants immediately panicked. "Just let her rest well..." With those words, Lu Changsheng turned into a streak of light and vanished without a trace. He had given what he intended to give. It was merely a drop of ancestral blood. It could forge a blood scion. As for what heights Miss Zhou might reach in the future, Lu Changsheng did not care. It was merely a casual act on his part. Yet what was a casual gesture to Lu Changsheng brought world-shaking change to Eldest Miss Zhou. The agonizing pain lasted several hours until she could endure it no longer and passed out. When she awoke, it was already the next day. "Miss, you're finally awake! How do you feel?" Seeing Miss Zhou awaken, her personal maid's face lit up with pleasant surprise. Miss Zhou was the sole pillar supporting the Zhou family. If anything were to happen to her, the entire family would fall apart. "Did I... faint?" Miss Zhou seemed to recall what happened. She remembered that the mysterious senior had given her a drop of blood. The blood sank into her body, followed by unbearable agony tearing through her entire being. After that, she remembered nothing. "Miss, you slept for an entire day and night. The physicians couldn't diagnose anything wrong and only advised that you rest." Thinking of something, Miss Zhou immediately asked, "Where is that senior?" "The senior? You mean the strange man who caused Miss to faint? After giving Miss a drop of blood, he left and vanished..." Miss Zhou felt a sense of loss. Yet it was only natural. How could an ascended figure linger in a place like this? Still, recalling that he had bestowed a drop of blood upon her, she realized she still did not understand its effects. She focused her attention on inspecting her body. *Huh?* *My hidden ailment... is cured?* *It's truly cured... and my body feels wonderful! I'm completely rejuvenated, brimming with vigor!* *Wait, there's also a method in my mind—a cultivation method for the Flesh Martial Dao. Did that senior leave it behind?* Miss Zhou was ecstatic. Her incurable illness had been cured just like that. All from a single drop of that senior's blood. Furthermore, from the Flesh Martial Dao cultivation method in her memory, Miss Zhou learned that she had now become a blood scion. That senior was the Flesh Progenitor! A single drop of ancestral blood could allow her to leap across countless levels. Perhaps she was now second only to Ascending Heaven! Even the Black Mountain Bandits' second chief was far inferior to her now. Moreover, the Flesh Martial Dao could be cultivated further. Once she achieved success in it, advancing to the Ascending Heaven Realm would be effortless. "Thank you, Senior... No, thank you, Progenitor!" Miss Zhou's heart burned with fervor and boundless gratitude toward Lu Changsheng. This drop of ancestral blood had not only cured her terminal illness, but also set her onto the path of cultivation. Originally, she had feared that the other two bandit chiefs of the Black Mountain Bandits would bring trouble to the Zhou family. After all, their second chief had died. Now, however, she possessed ancestral blood. Coupled with her ability to cultivate the Flesh Martial Dao, so what if those two bandit chiefs came? She could wipe out the Black Mountain Bandits in a single sweep! And all of this was a blessing bestowed by that senior! "Thank you, Senior..." Miss Zhou respectfully kowtowed in the direction Lu Changsheng had departed. This was the greatest stroke of fortune in her life! She had to seize it firmly! To Lu Changsheng, giving Miss Zhou a drop of blood had merely been a passing whim. To him, it was not worth mentioning. Whether creating a blood scion would cause ripples in this world was of no concern to him. It had simply been done on impulse. Traveling at his fastest speed, he finally reached the Central Region. After asking around briefly, he indeed found the Ascending Heaven Temple. In the Central Region, the Ascending Heaven Temple was renowned; it was difficult not to know about it. Lu Changsheng continued on and finally arrived before the Ascending Heaven Temple. "Is this the Ascending Heaven Temple?" Standing before the temple, Lu Changsheng looked up at a towering pagoda piercing into the clouds. Without a doubt, that had to be the Ascending Heaven Tower! Though renowned, the temple had few visitors and seemed rather quiet and deserted. Lu Changsheng walked straight toward the Ascending Heaven Tower. However, passing through an entrance gate, he was stopped. "If you are here to offer incense, please proceed to the outer hall," a Daoist priest said. "I am not here to offer incense. I am going there," Lu Changsheng replied, pointing at the Ascending Heaven Tower. "The Ascending Heaven Tower is not open to outsiders," the priest said, shaking his head. "Oh? Is it not open even to those ascending heaven?" Lu Changsheng's words sent a jolt through the Daoist priest. "Ascending heaven?" "Please wait a moment." The priest immediately went to report. Soon, a group of Daoist priests hurried over. "Is this the lay practitioner who wishes to ascend heaven?" "That is correct." "May we ask how to address you?" "Lu Changsheng." The priests exchanged murmurs and shook their heads, clearly having never heard the name Lu Changsheng before. "Fellow Daoist Lu, if you wish to ascend heaven, please prove yourself first. Otherwise, if everyone came seeking to ascend heaven, it would disrupt the order of the Ascending Heaven Temple." Lu Changsheng understood their point. "Prove myself?" Without wasting words, Lu Changsheng simply released his aura. *Boom!* A terrifying aura instantly engulfed the entire Ascending Heaven Temple. In that instant, every priest felt as though struck by a heavy blow. Suffocating pressure bore down upon them, filling their hearts with sheer dread. None of them had even reached the Ascending Heaven Realm; how could they possibly endure such a terrifying aura? "Is this enough?" "It is! Of course it is! Fellow Daoist, please!" The priests stepped aside at once. What a joke—with such an aura, he was a terrifying figure even among those in the Ascending Heaven Realm. How could they dare obstruct him? "Certainly, Fellow Daoist, please." And so, the crowd of priests watched as Lu Changsheng strode forward. "I wonder how many floors this Fellow Daoist Lu can reach?" "I'd guess seven or eight floors." "Seven or eight? I think he could reach at least the tenth floor or higher!" "The last powerhouse who came to ascend reached the twenty-first floor at most." "Lately, the number of people coming to the Ascending Heaven Tower has clearly increased. I fear turbulent times are upon the world once more." Many of the priests sighed with emotion. Though they never left the Ascending Heaven Temple and spent their whole lives there, they understood well: Whenever the number of challengers increased, it meant powerhouses were multiplying across the world. And when powerhouses multiplied, peace was never long to last. Perhaps chaos was about to erupt across the realm. Of course, that had little to do with the Ascending Heaven Temple. Turbulent or peaceful, the temple always endured. By now, Lu Changsheng stood before the Ascending Heaven Tower. He looked up at the structure. *Could this Ascending Heaven Tower be a spirit treasure?* Lu Changsheng pondered. Though it sounded bizarre, this was the Dao Transformation Battlefield. Lu Changsheng remained clear-headed. The Ascending Heaven Tower was miraculous, and its mechanisms indeed closely resembled a spirit treasure. Regardless of whether it was one or not, Lu Changsheng had to enter. *Swish.* At last, Lu Changsheng stepped into the Ascending Heaven Tower. *Hm?* The moment he stepped inside, pitch darkness enveloped him, so dense he could not see his fingers before his face. To him, however, this was trivial. Seeing in the dark was child's play. "Floor one: Gravity." A voice echoed within the tower. "Gravity?" Lu Changsheng was mildly surprised. Immediately afterward, crushing pressure pressed in from every direction. The pressure was immense. To him, however, it amounted to nothing. Even without activating his Dao body, his Flesh Martial Dao physique alone was completely unaffected. "Floor one passed." A flight of stairs materialized in the first floor, and Lu Changsheng walked straight up. Lu Changsheng soon arrived at the second floor. Gravity again. Only it had intensified several times over. Then came the third, fourth, and fifth floors. The first five floors were all tests of gravity. By the fifth floor, the gravity had grown terrifying. An ordinary Ascending Heaven Realm cultivator would likely be bogged down in a mire of crushing weight on the fifth floor, struggling with even the simplest gesture. One careless slip could even see them squashed into a pile of minced flesh. Yet Lu Changsheng remained completely unscathed. Such gravity was beneath notice to him. Thus, at blazing speed, he cleared the first five floors of the Ascending Heaven Tower and arrived directly on the sixth floor. *Buzz.* The sixth floor did not seem to be gravity. Lu Changsheng only sensed a flash of light—unbelievably swift, so fast even he could not evade it—smashing into his body in an instant. *Is this... an attack?* *Such formidable piercing power. The light moves at absolute speed, impossible to dodge.* *The only option is to withstand it head-on.* *So, is this testing the physical defense of cultivators attempting to ascend heaven?* Lu Changsheng grew thoughtful. In fact, the moment he entered the Ascending Heaven Tower, he had noticed a peculiar detail. All the spirit treasures on him had gone dormant. In other words, spirit treasures could not be used at all. Everything depended entirely on oneself. First was gravity, and now direct attacks; it was essentially a comprehensive test of physical toughness. However, the attack on the sixth floor could not harm Lu Changsheng in the slightest. Then followed the seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth floors. On the twelfth floor, an overwhelming barrage of light attacks filled the entire space. The power had increased by far more than tenfold—easily dozens, if not a hundred times over. Yet Lu Changsheng's Flesh Martial Dao body rivaled an Earth Saint. How formidable was that? Furthermore, its regenerative power was astonishing. As long as his flesh was not completely obliterated in a single instant, he would rapidly recover. Relying solely on his physical body, Lu Changsheng had powered his way straight up to the twelfth floor. Now, he was about to proceed to the thirteenth floor. "The Ascending Heaven Tower has thirty-six floors in total, with twelve-floor demarcations." "Below the twelfth floor, though there are various trials and tests, the differences aren't drastic." "Once reaching the thirteenth floor, it should be an entirely different trial..." Up to this point, Lu Changsheng had felt virtually no pressure. And so, he stepped onto the thirteenth floor. Meanwhile, outside the tower, many priests from the Ascending Heaven Temple were watching the tower's progress. The speed of Lu Changsheng's ascent was nothing short of staggering. "Look! He's so fast!" "The fifth floor! He reached the fifth floor so quickly? Even the fifth floor couldn't stop him—he went straight to the sixth!" "The first five floors feature terrifying gravity. Those who cannot withstand it are crushed into mince. Many Ascending Heaven Realm cultivators are halted at the fifth floor, yet Fellow Daoist Lu advanced like split bamboo and easily reached the sixth floor!" "No, the sixth floor couldn't stop him either! It's too fast—he's already on the twelfth floor!" "Can the twelfth floor hold him?" "No, he's on the thirteenth..." The Daoist priests were left slack-jawed. Shock filled their hearts. Having lived in the temple all their lives, they were quite experienced. After all, many powerhouses had come to ascend the tower. Yet no matter how powerful or renowned those figures were, once inside the Ascending Heaven Tower, every step had to be taken with utmost care. A single misstep could mean death and the scattering of their Dao. Even Ascending Heaven experts could perish. Clearing a single floor often took several hours. Yet what about Lu Changsheng? In just an hour or two, he had charged straight to the thirteenth floor! Such speed was unheard of and thoroughly astonishing. However, this made them realize that Lu Changsheng was extraordinary. The Ascending Heaven Tower might witness something monumental today. The priests fixed their eyes intently on the tower. At that moment, on the thirteenth floor of the Ascending Heaven Tower, Lu Changsheng stood waiting. He looked at the illusory swordsman condensing before him. "Defeat me to pass the thirteenth floor." Lu Changsheng nodded. *Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!* With a sweep of his blade, the swordsman unleashed a vast wave of sword qi that surged toward Lu Changsheng. The sky-covering sword qi left no room for evasion. Along with it came a terrifying sword intent. Lu Changsheng, however, had never intended to dodge. "Earth Saint Dao body!" Immediately, Lu Changsheng manifested his Earth Saint Dao body inside the tower for the first time. His Dao body loomed across the thirteenth floor. Though the barrage of sword qi bombarded it relentlessly, it could not leave even a scratch. "Weak. Too weak." Lu Changsheng shook his head. Not wishing to waste any more time, he thrust a palm forward. *Boom!* The entire thirteenth floor trembled. When Lu Changsheng pulled back his palm, the illusory swordsman had already dissolved and dispersed. Then, Lu Changsheng walked straight up to the fourteenth floor. Fourteenth floor, fifteenth, sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth... Floor after floor, Lu Changsheng ascended. It was just like before the twelfth floor. Not a single floor could halt his advance. Against any opponent, Lu Changsheng merely struck out a palm with his Earth Saint Dao body and walked on to the next level. Such was his Earth Saint Dao body. With thirty-five martial daos reinforcing it, its strength had reached an utterly horrifying level. "If the trials in the Ascending Heaven Tower are only at this level, then it's far too simple." Lu Changsheng shook his head. Sweeping all before him like split bamboo, he had already reached the twenty-fourth floor. He knew that the twenty-fifth floor would likely bring another qualitative shift. Up to now, the first twenty-four floors had posed no real challenge to him. His Earth Saint Dao body alone was enough to handle every test. Meanwhile, outside, the Daoist priests stood with mouths agape, unable to utter a single word. They had grown numb. Some even wondered if they were hallucinating. They had assumed that after reaching the thirteenth floor, Lu Changsheng would encounter difficulty. Even if he wasn't completely bogged down, he would have to tread carefully on every floor, causing his speed to plummet. Yet they were wrong—dead wrong. After reaching the thirteenth floor, Lu Changsheng had actually accelerated. It was as though he stayed on each floor for no longer than the time it took an incense stick to burn. It was absurdly fast, truly unbelievable. Never had they seen an ascender whose climb grew faster and faster. Normally, the higher one went, the slower the progress. Who could be like Lu Changsheng, moving ever faster? Could there truly be no resistance beyond the thirteenth floor? Otherwise, how could he be climbing so rapidly? "This Lu Changsheng is truly extraordinary. Could he actually ascend all thirty-six floors?" "Thirty-six floors... That belongs to legend! Who could possibly ascend thirty-six floors?" "Judging by his current pace, he truly has hope of reaching the thirty-sixth floor." "No. Beyond the twenty-fourth floor, it's impossible for him to climb so fast. Before floor twenty-four, others have managed the ascent before. But past the twenty-fourth floor, every single level is exceedingly difficult." "Could the reason he accelerated be that he concealed his strength earlier? Or perhaps he was only using a fraction of his might before, and unleashed his full power past the twelfth floor?" "That's possible..." For a time, the priests wore varying expressions, trading speculation. Yet none of them wanted to look away from this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. After all, someone might actually be charging for the thirty-sixth floor! This was a rare chance, sought but rarely found. *Whoosh.* Lu Changsheng arrived on the twenty-fifth floor in an instant. *Hm?* *Is this... martial daos?* *All kinds of embryonic martial daos...* *What is the trial on the twenty-fifth floor testing?* *Could it require me to comprehend different martial daos, testing comprehension?* Lu Changsheng was somewhat surprised. The twenty-fifth floor seemed completely different from those before it. This floor was very likely testing comprehension!