That unusual gaze caught Chu Feng's attention. He followed the cold stare and spotted Jie Heng — the Jie Clan member he had stepped on earlier — glaring at him viciously from a distance.
Beside Jie Heng, dozens of Jie Clan members had gathered, and Chu Feng felt the pressure of their presence. These Jie Clan members were strong, especially the youth called Jie Bufan, who was already a seventh-level Yuan Martial realm expert.
Fortunately, Jie Chuan had remained at Jie Heng's side. Noticing Jie Heng's hostile expression, he tugged on the latter and shot him a stern look. Under Jie Chuan's threatening gaze, Jie Heng said nothing more and averted his eyes.
This scene put Chu Feng at ease. It seemed Jie Chuan had kept his word — at least they hadn't told the rest of their clan about Chu Feng stomping on Jie Heng. Given the arrogance of the Jie Clan, they would have come looking for trouble long ago if they had known.
Beyond the Jie Clan, dozens more had gathered on the other side — the prodigies of the Spirit Alliance. The two groups faced each other with unmistakable opposition, making it clear that sparks would inevitably fly inside the Asura Ghost Tower.
Apart from the Spirit Alliance and the Jie Clan, there were also several dozen independents like Chu Feng. In other words, while many had come to participate in the white-robed examination, fewer than three hundred had dared to challenge the Asura Ghost Tower.
"Look — it's the elders of the Spirit Alliance!"
Suddenly, someone cried out. From one side of the plaza, a large group appeared, every one of them a Spirit Alliance expert, each draped in the gray Spirit Alliance robe. Surrounded by these experts were three white-haired elders.
These elders did not wear the Spirit Alliance robes that signified rank. Instead, they wore simple cloth garments. Though their hair and beards were white, their complexions were ruddy. One could sense the vast depth of their auras, yet their true strength was impossible to gauge — these were genuine martial cultivators, likely all at the peak of the Xuan Martial realm.
"That... aren't those the Jie Clan? They came too?"
Just then, from the other side of the plaza, another large group appeared, all dressed in black. Countless experts again, led by three elders whose cultivation was equally unfathomable. Their eyes, however, carried an extraordinary arrogance. These were the Jie Clan members.
"The Jie Clan has shown up too? The Spirit Alliance actually allowed the Jie Clan to set foot in their territory?"
"You wouldn't understand. Today is a special occasion — the Jie Clan's outstanding juniors are all here. To make sure their young ones don't get bullied, their elders naturally had to come along."
"Besides, the Spirit Alliance and the Jie Clan have long since ceased hostilities. They're allied factions now, so of course the Jie Clan can come here."
Chu Feng caught fragments of the whispered discussions around him and gained a clearer picture of the relationship between the Jie Clan and the Spirit Alliance. Though their enmity was common knowledge, at least on the surface, the two remained allies.
Perhaps the relationship between the two powers was not as antagonistic as people imagined. Or perhaps they truly were like fire and water. As for the truth, only their higher-ups would know, and Chu Feng couldn't be bothered to dwell on it.
After both groups appeared, neither entered the plaza. Instead, they walked into a palace across from the Asura Ghost Tower, where they could observe everything happening at the tower — presumably a resting area.
Meanwhile, the Spirit Alliance's experts began explaining the rules and precautions for entering the Asura Ghost Tower. The gist was that if one could not withstand the spiritual pressure within, they should leave as soon as possible and not push themselves, or they would lose their lives.
In addition, each person was given a protective talisman. If one could no longer endure and could not escape the Asura Ghost Tower on their own, they were to crush the talisman, and the Spirit Alliance would send someone up for a rescue. Of course, anyone who crushed the talisman would be deemed to have failed the examination, losing even the right to purchase a Spirit Alliance white robe.
By the time the rules were explained, the last glow of twilight had vanished. Sky and earth alike had been swallowed by night. Under the darkness, the Asura Ghost Tower looked even more eerie — for it was not pitch black. From within the dark tower, a faint crimson glow emanated outward, as though it had been forged from blood itself — strange and beautiful at once.
*Rumble, rumble, rumble....* Shrouded in the night, the great gate of the Asura Ghost Tower — like the maw of a demon — finally creaked open. But what appeared before the crowd was not the interior structure of the tower. Instead, it was a blood-red barrier entrance — the true gateway to the Asura Ghost Tower.
"Charge~~~~"
*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..* Someone shouted, and right after, the prodigies of both the Spirit Alliance and the Jie Clan charged forward simultaneously. Their speed was remarkable, displaying formidable cultivation.
Among them, the Spirit Alliance's top genius Gu Bo and the Jie Clan's representative prodigy Jie Bufan — both seventh-level Yuan Martial realm experts — plunged into the Asura Ghost Tower in the blink of an eye, demonstrating extraordinary prowess from the very start.
Only after these two groups had rushed in did the rest of the crowd dare approach the tower. Chu Feng was in no hurry either. He held the three spirit fruit seeds in his hand and followed the crowd into the Spirit Alliance Ghost Tower.
Stepping through the blood-red barrier entrance, Chu Feng was first engulfed in darkness. The moment light reappeared before his eyes, a tremendous pressure surged in from every direction.
Spiritual pressure — it was eroding Chu Feng's body. But when he extended his Mental Power outward, it effectively countered the onslaught. Moreover, Chu Feng could clearly sense that under the influence of the spiritual pressure, the spirit fruit seeds in his hand had begun to change.
"Ahhhhh~~~~"
But before Chu Feng could examine how the seeds had transformed, screams erupted around him. Some could not withstand the crushing spiritual pressure — blood streamed from their seven orifices, their faces twisted in agony as they writhed on the ground.
One such person suddenly reached forward with his hand. His protective talisman had fallen a short distance away, but in his current state, he clearly lacked the strength to retrieve it.
At that moment, a flood of people was pouring into the tower. Yet most onlookers watched the scene with cold indifference. Some didn't even spare the sufferer a glance, instead sitting cross-legged on the ground, using the spiritual pressure to nourish the spirit fruit seeds in their own hands.
"How heartless," Chu Feng muttered, shaking his head. He walked over to the man, picked up the talisman that belonged to him — but did not return it. Instead, he hoisted the man onto his back.
This bewildered many, including the man himself, who let out muffled grunts of protest, seemingly upset that Chu Feng wasn't simply crushing his talisman to save his life.
But when Chu Feng carried him back to the barrier entrance and stuffed the talisman into his Universe Bag, the man finally understood. Chu Feng wasn't just saving him — he was helping him.
Truly helping him. Not by crushing the protective talisman, because doing so would cause him to fail the examination. Chu Feng wanted him to escape danger *and* pass the trial.
Chu Feng pushed the man out through the entrance. In that moment, he could see the gratitude shining in the man's eyes, and he could feel the astonished stares from those around him. After all, carrying another person on one's back while navigating the Asura Ghost Tower — a place saturated with spiritual pressure — was an incredibly taxing thing to do. Most people would never bother.
"Well now, aren't you just full of charity." Just then, a voice — sarcastic and vaguely familiar — suddenly rang out from behind Chu Feng.