Ten Thousand Martial Daos Erupt! Slaying the Giant Spirit with the Phenomenal Image of Heaven and Earth!

Nine hundred martial daos shattered simultaneously. Such Dao-shattering might was truly earthshaking. Lu Changsheng felt a violent jolt wrack his Dao body. Even the ten thousand martial daos within him felt as though they were on the verge of being torn to shreds. Yet he ultimately endured. After all, he was a Master of Ten Thousand Daos! How terrifying was the power unleashed by ten thousand martial daos? Even with Feng Jiudao shattering nine hundred martial daos, it was not enough to overcome Lu Changsheng's Heavenly Saint Dao body. What was more, Lu Changsheng still held cards in reserve. His Flesh Martial Dao stood ready at any moment to blanket his Dao body. If his Dao body ever showed signs of faltering, his flesh would immediately envelop it to unleash the Phenomenal Image of Heaven and Earth. Events proved that a Master of Ten Thousand Daos had virtually no shortcomings; it was absolute, comprehensive might. Whether in offense or defense, he was incomparably formidable. The explosions settled. Feng Jiudao's form was riddled with countless wounds. He had, after all, shattered every single one of his nine hundred martial daos. Under normal circumstances, this was a suicide gambit intended for mutual destruction. Now, though Lu Changsheng appeared to have sustained a severe impact, he remained alive. The outcome was clear, the victor decided. *Bang!* The next instant, Feng Jiudao's body detonated, instantly reduced to fine dust. The path leading to the seventh floor appeared. At the same time, three treasures materialized. Lu Changsheng could tell at a glance that all three offered tremendous benefits to a physical body at the Earth Saint level. Yet there was still no Concentric Fruit. According to Mo Kong, the Concentric Fruit was a prize awarded only for clearing the seventh floor. Which meant he was only one floor away. "Let's go!" Stowing away the three treasures, Lu Changsheng walked straight toward the seventh floor. The very moment Lu Changsheng set foot onto the seventh floor... *Boom!* Outside the Tower of Heaven, countless people erupted into an uproar. The seventh floor of the Tower of Heaven had lit up! This meant someone had conquered the sixth floor! It was a monumental event. No one knew how many tens of thousands of years had passed since the Martial Ancestor placed the Tower of Heaven outside Gufu Sacred Ground. Yet how many had ever managed to step into the seventh floor? "Incredible, truly incredible! Someone actually cleared the sixth floor?" "After fifty thousand years, someone has finally passed the sixth floor again..." "Just who is this? Out of all the Heavenly Saints in the entire Immortal Martial World capable of clearing the sixth floor, I cannot think of a single one!" "Most likely a true disciple from one of the three top sacred grounds." "Still, if someone could truly pass the sixth floor, they would have done so long ago. Rapidly advancing one's strength at the Heavenly Saint stage is exceedingly difficult. It's not as if just anyone can cultivate martial daos to perfection..." Many Heavenly Saints speculated amongst themselves about who could possibly have conquered the sixth floor. The Tower of Heaven was demarcated into three-floor tiers. From the first to the third floor, although the tower spirits grew stronger, the increase was relatively modest. Once reaching the fourth floor, however, the tower spirit's strength underwent a qualitative transformation. Through the fourth, fifth, and sixth floors, the spirits' combat strength grew progressively fiercer. Even if they theoretically belonged to the same tier, clearing even the fourth floor was arduous, let alone the sixth. Those Heavenly Saints who had once reached the fifth floor knew this best of all. They had directly faced the fifth floor's tower spirit. That "Dao-shattering power" was simply horrifying. There was utterly no way to defend against it. And the sixth floor was bound to be even more terrifying. How could anyone possibly clear it? Yet the truth was right before their eyes. Someone truly had conquered the sixth floor. The sixth floor, unconquered for over fifty thousand years. And what about the seventh floor? "Could they... conquer the seventh floor as well?" Hearing that, the crowd fell silent. Before, they would have dismissed the notion as impossible. But now? Attentive onlookers had also noticed another detail. The time taken from entering the sixth floor to reaching the seventh had been remarkably brief. To clear the sixth floor in so short an interval could mean only one thing. The Heavenly Saint challenging the tower likely had not even exerted their full strength. Or rather, their might far surpassed the sixth-floor tower spirit—it had likely been an overwhelming crush! Under such circumstances, who dared claim they couldn't conquer the seventh floor? The news even alerted Gufu Sacred Ground. Normally, the members of Gufu Sacred Ground paid little heed to the many Heavenly Saints attempting the Tower of Heaven. After all, the tower stood right next to their sacred ground. Over the endless years, how many peerless geniuses had appeared? Heavenly Saints who cleared the fourth or fifth floor emerged from time to time. Conquering the sixth floor, however, was an entirely different matter. Even every true disciple of Gufu Sacred Ground had to admit that not a single one among them could pass the sixth floor! In other words, not one true disciple in all of Gufu Sacred Ground measured up to the Heavenly Saint currently scaling the tower—at least in terms of raw combat strength. Consequently, numerous Heavenly Saints and even true disciples from Gufu Sacred Ground made their way out to the Tower of Heaven. Inside the Tower-Viewing Pavilion, Yuan Chen, Mo Kong, and Jialan Hua were trembling with excitement. Mo Kong and Jialan Hua in particular were shaking all over. They naturally understood the monumental significance of Lu Changsheng conquering the sixth floor. More importantly, they were now just a single step away from the Concentric Fruit. As long as Lu Changsheng could clear the seventh floor, he would obtain it. "I originally thought Junior Brother Lu was only making a passing attempt to familiarize himself with the Tower of Heaven. Even if he possessed the strength to conquer the sixth and seventh floors, I expected it would take a very long time." "Who would have imagined he could pass the sixth floor today, and even stand a chance at the seventh? Simply unbelievable!" "There is hope for the Concentric Fruit. Senior Brother Mo, if Junior Brother Lu truly clears the seventh floor and obtains it, you must express your deepest gratitude..." Jialan Hua was overwhelmed with emotion. After all, this concerned her more than anyone! Her longing for the Concentric Fruit to break her physical body through to the Earth Saint level was all so that she and Mo Kong could conceive an offspring of their bloodline. It had become an obsession spanning several thousand years. With that thousands-of-years-old desire now within grasp, how could she not be moved? As for Yuan Chen, he was rendered speechless. Lu Changsheng had delivered shock after shock. Yuan Chen had originally planned to attempt the fourth floor to see if he could break through. Yet seeing Lu Changsheng display such godlike prowess by already clearing the sixth floor, Yuan Chen found his own ambition completely drained. He had lost all interest in attempting the tower. Even if he cleared the fourth floor, what difference would it make? At best, it would yield a few more body-strengthening treasures. For a Heavenly Saint, such treasures were a mere drop in the ocean, incapable of producing any critical breakthrough. "To speak candidly, our senior brothers from Wanfa Sacred Ground who went to the Dao Transformation Battlefield made the greatest mistake by not fighting for Lu Changsheng with everything they had." "Who could have envisioned Fellow Daoist Lu would be this powerful?" "To clear the sixth floor... his strength is simply beyond comprehension. And with his physical body already at the Earth Saint level, he will likely become another Martial Dao Sovereign in ten thousand years..." Heavenly Saint Yuan Chen exhaled deeply, speaking with heartfelt emotion. Once Lu Changsheng's deeds came to light, it would bring both joy and sorrow among the three top sacred grounds. Joy naturally belonged to Jidao Sacred Ground. Sorrow inevitably belonged to the other two. They truly had reason to regret their past choices. Had they known Lu Changsheng would prove this formidable, they would have moved heaven and earth to recruit him. How could they have let Jidao Sacred Ground claim such a prize? Though the three top sacred grounds generally maintained amicable relations, subtle rivalries always ran beneath the surface. Within the sacred grounds, Heavenly Saints did not truly tip the scales. What truly determined a sacred ground's standing was its Martial Dao Sovereigns! The more Martial Dao Sovereigns a sacred ground had, the higher its status. As for the Martial Ancestors? That level was beyond the influence of the sacred grounds. The three Martial Ancestors did not vie with one another. It was said they frequently roamed the Boundary Sea, supporting each other without any thought of factional strife. It was the three sacred grounds that quietly competed for supremacy. In the past, Jidao Sacred Ground boasted the largest number of Martial Dao Sovereigns, standing undisputed as the foremost among the three! Yet with the emergence of the younger generation, Gufu Sacred Ground and Wanfa Sacred Ground seemed to be catching up. Jidao Sacred Ground, by contrast, had lacked any particularly standout true disciples. Many had thought Jidao Sacred Ground would fall behind in the current generation. Yet now, Lu Changsheng had burst onto the scene. At this moment, he clearly outshone every true disciple across all three sacred grounds. He was undeniably the premier true disciple of the three sacred grounds! As for whether he was the number-one Heavenly Saint in the Immortal Martial World, that was harder to say. After all, there were many reclusive Heavenly Saints who had not shown themselves for tens of thousands of years, and no one knew if they had perished or not. Such figures possessed earthshaking might; none could measure how terrifying they truly were. Yet openly, the power Lu Changsheng had demonstrated made him without question the foremost Heavenly Saint! "Enough, let us see whether Junior Brother Lu can conquer the seventh floor." "This seventh floor is no simple matter; it is entirely distinct from the preceding six." "I have never seen the seventh floor's tower spirit, nor have I even heard descriptions of it." "Let us see just what kind of existence guards the seventh floor." Mo Kong, Yuan Chen, and Jialan Hua fixed their gazes intently upon the seventh floor. Thanks to Lu Changsheng, they were granted the privilege of witnessing the seventh floor's tower spirit with their own eyes from the Tower-Viewing Pavilion. *Whoosh.* Lu Changsheng's figure blurred. He had already stepped into the seventh floor. *Buzz.* Within the seventh floor, a brilliant burst of golden radiance coalesced into form. It was a divine warrior clad in golden armor. Three heads and six arms. His entire body radiated a violent, raging power entirely distinct from that of human martial practitioners. "Life... This is a genuine living being, not a tower spirit!" Lu Changsheng sensed carefully. The moment he discerned the truth, his expression shifted slightly. Though the tower spirits of the first six floors possessed intellect—even high intellect—they were not truly living beings. They were constructs of the tower, their bodies illusory. Yet facing this seventh-floor guardian, Lu Changsheng saw almost at once that he was a living, breathing entity—a genuine creature of flesh and soul! Whether an entity was truly alive was not difficult to tell. The thick aura of life emanating from this three-headed, six-armed, golden-armored warrior could not be concealed by any means. "Who are you?" Lu Changsheng asked. "I am the seventh floor's tower spirit, of the Boundary Sea's Giant Spirit race, Tian Wuchi!" The golden-armored warrior's voice was deep and resonant, echoing throughout the entire seventh floor. "A lifeform from the Boundary Sea?" "Even the name is so peculiar... It truly is a Boundary Sea lifeform..." Lu Changsheng's heart jolted. A Boundary Sea lifeform! Back in the Library of Jidao Sacred Ground, he had occasionally browsed through ancient records left behind by Martial Dao Sovereigns. Many of them mentioned the Boundary Sea. The Boundary Sea, true to its name, was an ocean of worlds. Within the Boundary Sea lay countless worlds. The Immortal Martial World was merely one among them. Throughout the Boundary Sea, worlds were as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. The secret world Lu Changsheng had visited before was also a world within the Boundary Sea. However, entering the Boundary Sea generally required reaching the level of a Martial Dao Sovereign or higher. Heavenly Saints were not even qualified to enter. Stepping into the Boundary Sea meant almost certain death for a Heavenly Saint. This Tian Wuchi of the Giant Spirit race before him was actually a creature from the Boundary Sea. Most likely, the Martial Ancestor of Gufu Sacred Ground had conquered some world or captured members of the Giant Spirit race from across the worlds, trapping Tian Wuchi within the Tower of Heaven to serve as the seventh floor's tower spirit. Tian Wuchi's eyes flushed crimson. How many years had he waited? His chance had finally arrived! "Human martial artist, your Martial Ancestor once granted me an opportunity." "If I defeat you, I regain my freedom." "Yet I will not kill you; the Tower of Heaven will intervene at the critical moment." "Thus, I became a tool for your human Martial Ancestor to test his practitioners. I was once consumed by fury, even wishing to end my own life. But I know my home world was destroyed by the Martial Ancestor. I must have my vengeance—I must survive!" "This is entirely unfair! But at least the Martial Ancestor left me a sliver of hope for life..." Tian Wuchi's aura grew increasingly immense, eventually reaching its absolute pinnacle. To Lu Changsheng, the Tower of Heaven was merely a trial, devoid of mortal peril. To Tian Wuchi, however, it was a fight to the death. This was his sole hope of surviving! "Giant Spirit Transformation!" With a thunderous roar from Tian Wuchi, his form swelled at frightening speed. In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a colossal divine being a hundred thousand zhang tall. Towering within the expanse of the seventh floor, his entire form radiated terrifying power! This was pure physical might! It was the innate gift of the Giant Spirit race, granted to them from birth. Their physical bodies were incomparably formidable. Lu Changsheng suddenly understood why the Martial Ancestor had captured a Giant Spirit to serve as the seventh floor's tower spirit. Was not the physical body the chasm that Heavenly Saint practitioners were compelled to cross? Only by surmounting the barrier of the flesh could a Heavenly Saint achieve the Unified True Self and become a Martial Dao Sovereign! Tian Wuchi's "Giant Spirit Transformation" was the full release of his physical talent and might. Even standing far away before the clash had truly begun, Lu Changsheng could already sense Tian Wuchi's dreadfulness. He knew that relying solely on his Heavenly Saint Dao body, even backed by ten thousand martial daos, would not suffice to defeat Tian Wuchi once the battle began. Therefore, Lu Changsheng hesitated no longer. In this instant, he went all out! *Buzz.* Lu Changsheng's flesh rapidly blanketed his Heavenly Saint Dao body. "Phenomenal Image of Heaven and Earth!" With a sharp shout, Lu Changsheng's Dao body merged seamlessly with his flesh, giving rise to a miraculous transformation. His Heavenly Saint Dao body began to expand rapidly, shattering the barrier of ten thousand zhang and surging straight to a hundred thousand zhang! A colossal frame of a hundred thousand zhang loomed in the void, standing in direct opposition to Tian Wuchi. "What is that?" Inside the Tower-Viewing Pavilion, Yuan Chen and the others stared agape. They saw Tian Wuchi's immense form—three heads and six arms, resembling an ancient fiendgod. They could not sense his aura, for they were only in the pavilion watching projections, not inside the tower itself. Yet simply looking at Tian Wuchi's scale told them how horrific he must be. "A Boundary Sea lifeform, the Giant Spirit race?" "To think the seventh floor's spirit is actually a creature from the Boundary Sea! Legend has it that the Martial Ancestors roam the Boundary Sea, conquering world after world and seizing resource after resource to fuel the prosperity of our Immortal Martial World." "This Giant Spirit was likely captured from one of those conquered worlds. 'Giant Spirit'—it relies entirely on physical might, distinctly different from our martial arts, yet complementary in nature. No wonder the Martial Ancestor brought him here." "Our Immortal Martial World does not possess only Martial Ancestors, but Mahayana masters as well. In the vast Boundary Sea, our world is quite formidable, fortified by those roaming experts who constantly replenish our foundations to create the grandeur we enjoy today!" "Wait—Fellow Daoist Lu's Dao body just expanded tenfold, a hundredfold? That is..." This was Yuan Chen's first time witnessing Lu Changsheng's Phenomenal Image of Heaven and Earth, and the shock left him dazed. Before this, Lu Changsheng's Dao body had appeared far weaker than Tian Wuchi's physical form. They had assumed Lu Changsheng had reached his limit and would fail at the seventh floor after clearing the sixth. That would hardly have been a disgrace; none of them would have felt disappointment. Everyone knew the seventh floor represented a qualitative leap from the sixth, far more than just another step up. Failing was the normal outcome; passing would be the anomaly. Yet seeing Lu Changsheng manifest the Phenomenal Image of Heaven and Earth with an aura no weaker than that of the Giant Spirit, hope rekindled in Yuan Chen and Mo Kong. Perhaps Lu Changsheng truly could defeat Tian Wuchi and conquer the seventh floor! Seeing Lu Changsheng's Phenomenal Image of Heaven and Earth cause his aura to soar until it matched his own, Tian Wuchi grew even more solemn. For Lu Changsheng, failure held no real consequence. For Tian Wuchi, failure meant death. He had to wager everything on this strike. "Giant Spirit Force!" "Sky Cleaving!" Tian Wuchi gripped a massive greataxe in his hands and brought it sweeping down toward Lu Changsheng. The strike seemed simple, yet it felt impossible to evade. Moreover, it carried a unique martial conception, as if this single axe strike could genuinely split heaven from earth. This was the bloodline secret technique of the Giant Spirit race, something only they could wield. It seemed engraved into their very bones. Once their Giant Spirit bloodline awakened, they could cultivate and unleash this Sky Cleaving secret art. Legend held that the Giant Spirit Primogenitor was a titan standing between heaven and earth who had cleaved open the sky and split the ground in their home world, filling it with life. Thus, the Giant Spirit race called themselves the Sky Cleaving Clan, and their Primogenitor was known as the Creation Ancestor. Every member carried this bloodline; the only question was whether it awakened. Only an awakened bloodline allowed for cultivation. Tian Wuchi had clearly awakened his bloodline, and to have cultivated it to this stage proved his exceptional talent. This strike concentrated all of Tian Wuchi's lifelong power, along with an unyielding conviction that he must triumph over all odds! Even from afar, Lu Changsheng felt as though his entire body were being slashed by a razor-sharp edge. Once the axe landed, its might was bound to shake the world. Even Lu Changsheng was unsure whether his Phenomenal Image of Heaven and Earth could withstand it. "Heaven!" "Overturning!" "Seal!" Lu Changsheng drew a deep breath. Daring not hold back in the slightest, he met it with full strength. With his current Dao body and the backing of ten thousand martial daos, he might find few rivals among the Heavenly Saints of the Immortal Martial World. Yet he was not facing a local Heavenly Saint, but a lifeform from the Boundary Sea—a powerhouse from another world entirely. Who knew what terrifying methods such an entity possessed? Thus, Lu Changsheng gave everything. A colossal palm that blotted out the sky rose directly to meet Tian Wuchi's axe. Lu Changsheng's palm strike felt like a galaxy overturned, inverting heaven and earth itself. This was the origin of "Heaven Overturning." Tian Wuchi's axe strike, meanwhile, seemed intent on cleaving open the cosmos. It was a strike that broke all methods with pure force. The two mighty forces collided head-on without any trickery or pretense. *Rumble!* The clash of power was monumental. Lu Changsheng's ten thousand martial daos continuously reinforced his Dao body, replenishing its power. Yet the destructive force of Tian Wuchi's axe still tore into Lu Changsheng's Dao body. Instantly, fissures fractured across Lu Changsheng's form, spreading like cracks on fragile porcelain. The martial daos within him shattered one after another. "My martial daos have been severed..." Lu Changsheng drew a sharp breath. It was not just one or two. It was several thousand! More than three thousand martial daos were cleaved apart by Tian Wuchi's single axe strike, bringing his Dao body to the brink of collapse. Yet Lu Changsheng ultimately held on. Even with three thousand martial daos severed, seven thousand remained. Those seven thousand martial daos poured an endless stream of power into his Dao body, rapidly mending the damage. Tian Wuchi, by contrast, took Lu Changsheng's palm strike squarely across his colossal frame. *Crack!* Collapse. Tian Wuchi's body began to disintegrate. How terrifying was the power of Lu Changsheng's ten thousand martial daos combined with his Dao body? It was a full-power strike! When such horrific force fell upon Tian Wuchi, even his adamantine Giant Spirit physique could not endure it, fracturing and collapsing beneath the blow. "I... have lost..." "Hahaha! The greatest genius of the Giant Spirit race, defeated by a human..." "Ancestor, Tian Wuchi gave his all. There is no hope left for our people..." Tian Wuchi's eyes burned red. A titan standing between heaven and earth actually shed tears! Tian Wuchi wept! His tears were not for his impending demise, but for the extinction of hope for the Giant Spirit race. Tian Wuchi had been their last hope. He was the most talented descendant of their lineage, carrying their strongest bloodline. Tragically, before he could become a Giant Spirit War God or reach the level of an ancestor, his people had faced disaster. The human Martial Ancestor shattered their world, slaughtering nearly their entire race. The few survivors had been seized for study. Even Tian Wuchi had been cast into the Tower of Heaven to serve as a tower spirit—nothing more than a sparring partner for human geniuses. Yet he had swallowed the humiliation and borne the crushing burden. He could not die. He was the sole hope of the Giant Spirit race. He had endured until today, waiting for this chance. As long as he defeated Lu Changsheng, he would gain his life. And as long as he lived, there was hope for his people. No matter how faint, hope remained. If he could cultivate into a War God or an ancestor, he could rebuild the Giant Spirit race and carry on their bloodline. Yet now, all hope was extinguished. He had failed. *Bang!* No matter how unwilling Tian Wuchi was, his body could no longer endure. It burst apart in an instant. Tian Wuchi was dead, obliterated by Lu Changsheng's palm strike. Yet Lu Changsheng's expression remained heavy. Tian Wuchi's death struck him with profound weight. The desolate grief and unyielding despair emanating from Tian Wuchi gave Lu Changsheng a glimpse into the brutal cruelty of the Boundary Sea. The Giant Spirit race had met with annihilation—what about humanity? Could the Immortal Martial World one day follow in their footsteps? Of course, pondering such things was premature for Lu Changsheng; it was perhaps borrowing trouble unnecessarily. There were Martial Dao Sovereigns, Mahayana masters, and Martial Ancestors above him. It was hardly his place to worry. Yet it served as a stark reminder: peace existed only within the Immortal Martial World. And that peace existed solely because of the protection of Martial Ancestors, Mahayana masters, and Martial Dao Sovereigns. Once one stepped beyond the Immortal Martial World into the Boundary Sea, there was no peace to be found. Across the Boundary Sea, countless worlds struggled for supremacy—a realm of unrelenting ruthlessness. What befell the Giant Spirit race was neither the first such tragedy nor the last. *Buzz.* With Tian Wuchi's demise, the rewards for the seventh floor materialized. Lu Changsheng swept his gaze across them and immediately spotted a fruit. The Concentric Fruit! The fruit bore a striking resemblance to a heart, exuding an exotic fragrance. Although the Concentric Fruit only affected physical bodies below the Earth Saint level and might not seem extraordinarily precious, it was exceedingly rare. After all, it was a breakthrough spiritual fruit capable of shattering cultivation bottlenecks directly, allowing a cultivator's physical body to step straight into the Earth Saint realm. This breakthrough effect was what made it so prized. In this world, any treasure that enabled a breakthrough was priceless. Its placement among the rewards of the seventh floor spoke volumes of its value. Though it held no use for Lu Changsheng, it was a promise made to Mo Kong and Jialan Hua. Lu Changsheng stowed the Concentric Fruit away, fulfilling Mo Kong's request. Aside from the fruit, two other treasures remained. "This is... the Giant Spirit Ring?" "Wearing the Giant Spirit Ring imperceptibly strengthens the physical body, gradually shifting it toward that of a Giant Spirit. It does not transform the wearer into a Giant Spirit, but rather grants the potential for a body as terrifying as theirs." "Yet the Giant Spirit Ring only offers the potential to develop such a body. Moreover, this was the sacred relic of the Giant Spirit race, worn solely by the Giant Spirit King in ancient times. There was only one in their entire race." "The other treasure is the Immortal Blood. Legend claims it is the sole drop of blood left behind after the Giant Spirit Ancestor cleaved open the heavens. Upon cleaving the sky, his body dispersed and merged completely with heaven and earth, leaving only this single drop of Immortal Blood." "This drop of Immortal Blood can heal any physical injury and replenish physical energy. It is even rumored to contain the ultimate secret of the Giant Spirit Ancestor's physical body, though across countless years, no one among the Giant Spirit race ever unlocked it." "Even the Martial Ancestors studied it for years without discerning its secrets. Consequently, the Martial Ancestor placed it on the seventh floor alongside the Giant Spirit Ring as a reward for any Heavenly Saint who cleared the trial." "And now, both supreme sacred relics of the Giant Spirit race belong to me!" Lu Changsheng reached out, taking the Giant Spirit Ring into his grasp and slipping it directly onto his wrist. Instantly, a cool, refreshing sensation surged into his body. As for the Immortal Blood, with a mere thought from Lu Changsheng, a surge of its power swept through his flesh. His body, which had bordered on collapse after clashing head-on with Tian Wuchi, was instantly restored to pristine condition by the energy of the Immortal Blood. It truly was a supreme treasure of physical cultivation. "The rewards for the seventh floor are already this bountiful. What about the eighth?" Anticipation swelled within Lu Changsheng's heart. Without hesitation, he strode directly onto the staircase leading to the eighth floor of the Tower of Heaven.