Translator: AnubisTL
Arriving in front of the Trial Tower, Gu Feng was completely and utterly dumbfounded.
Unlike the Cultivation Tower, this place was bustling with people, the noise overwhelming. A rough estimate suggested there were tens of thousands of students gathered here.
"The Trial Tokens for today have all been distributed. Students who wish to enter the Trial Tower, please come a bit earlier tomorrow!"
Just as Gu Feng was pushing through the crowd, intending to purchase a Trial Token, an Elder guarding the Trial Tower announced loudly.
As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd erupted in groans. 'Waited for three days, and still couldn't get a single Trial Token,' 'It's too popular, the Trial Tower is a must-visit for new students, and this scene will likely continue for the next two to three months.'
"Damn, this place is so popular!"
Gu Feng cursed under his breath and turned to leave, only to spot a few familiar figures—A Fei, Sima Juncong, and several Spirit Nurturing Realm disciples from the Sunset Glow Sect.
"A Fei, come here!" Gu Feng, cloaked in a hood, shouted towards A Fei.
"Boss, why are you dressed like this?" A Fei struggled to squeeze through the crowd.
"Shh! Don't let anyone know I'm here!" Gu Feng made a silencing gesture towards A Fei, then pulled him to a secluded spot.
"Did you manage to buy any Trial Tokens?"
"No, many new students have been queuing overnight, we couldn't get any!" A Fei said with a bitter expression.
"If you couldn't get the Trial Tokens, why are you still hanging around here?" Gu Feng was somewhat frustrated. The Trial Tower was even more popular than he had imagined, making things difficult.
"Watching people break records!" A Fei said excitedly.
Gu Feng smirked: "Can you really see the records by staying here? Doesn't the Trial Tower update its rankings only every three days?"
To put it simply, the Trial Tower was like a game similar to 'Plants vs. Zombies,' where virtual opponents increased in difficulty and number as the game progressed.
Students entering had to clear one wave before the next wave of virtual opponents appeared. Completing nine waves counted as a pass, and only those who passed were eligible for the rankings, with shorter times being better.
For students of different realms, there were three levels of difficulty set accordingly. For example, for the first level of the Spirit Nurturing Realm, there were Normal, Hard, and Nightmare modes!
It was worth noting that if a student was at the first level of the Spirit Nurturing Realm, they could challenge the second level's difficulty, but not vice versa.
It was a very interesting game that also trained students' combat skills, and breaking records could earn rewards, which was why students flocked to it, making it extremely popular.
"Hehe, Boss, you don't understand. Students know their own clear times instantly and can immediately tell if they've broken a record. They don't need to wait three days!" A Fei chuckled.
Gu Feng understood. This world didn't have watches or other timing tools, but cultivators were naturally sensitive to time, with precision surpassing mechanical watches. There was almost no error; if they said three hundred breaths had passed, it would never be three hundred and one breaths. It was just that impressive.
"So, has anyone broken any records recently?" Gu Feng asked curiously.
"Not yet, but everyone believes it's only a matter of time. Elder Ye, who is in charge of the Trial Tower, said that within two months, all records for the first, second, and third levels of the Spirit Nurturing Realm will be broken!" A Fei said with great enthusiasm.
Shortly after the grand examination concluded, A Fei had already broken through to the Spirit Nurturing Realm. Gu Feng had assessed his combat prowess and concluded that, within the same realm, apart from himself who could definitely defeat A Fei, even the Five Heaven's Chosen and Monk Wu De might not be able to do so.
If anyone could break the record for the first level of the Spirit Nurturing Realm, it would undoubtedly be A Fei.
"Boss, are you here to break the record too?" A Fei asked excitedly, as if he had just thought of something.
"Yeah! Unfortunately, I can't get my hands on a Trial Token," Gu Feng said with a bitter expression. In truth, if he were willing to spend Spirit Stones, he could definitely buy one.
But doing so would expose him. If word got to Prefect Chu or Vice-Prefect Ouyang, he would likely be dragged out immediately.
Due to his unique constitution, the Trial Tower would recognize Gu Feng as a first-level Spirit Nurturing cultivator, which would be outright cheating. The Grand Harmony Academy would never allow such a thing.
"Hehe, Sima Juncong has a Trial Token. I'll go get him!" A Fei chuckled and once again squeezed into the crowd.
Not long after, he returned with Sima Juncong in tow.
"Boss Gu, are you here to break the record?" Sima Juncong asked with excitement.
"Yeah, I'm out of money and need to break a record!" Gu Feng admitted frankly.
At this, Sima Juncong's expression turned strange. With all the money you have, you're still crying poor? But that wasn't something he needed to worry about.
"Which realm's record are you aiming to break, Boss Gu?"
"Hehe, the first level of the Spirit Nurturing Realm!" Gu Feng grinned, revealing a row of gleaming white teeth.
Sima Juncong and A Fei exchanged a glance, both shuddering slightly. Gu Feng was going to break the record for the first level of the Spirit Nurturing Realm?
It was important to note that the rewards for each realm's challenges were the same: 10,000 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones for the normal level, 50,000 for the hard level, and 100,000 for the nightmare level.
With Gu Feng's strength, not only could he easily break the normal and hard level records, but he could also shatter the nightmare level record in one go.
"Boss Gu, you're not just here to break a record, are you? You're here to farm them, aren't you?" Sima Juncong's expression turned odd. He knew Gu Feng too well. For someone of his wealth, 100,000 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones were nothing.
The Trial Tower had an annoying rule: anyone who cleared a level would be given another chance to challenge it, either the same level or a different one.
If Gu Feng stayed in the nightmare level of the first Spirit Nurturing Realm, calculated the timing, and kept breaking the record, the Trial Tower would essentially become a cash machine. The consequences were unimaginable.
Although the Trial Tower's records had been pushed to a despairing height by students over the past decade, Sima Juncong believed that nothing could stop Gu Feng.
"What do you think?" Gu Feng's gleaming teeth, illuminated by the sunlight, gave off a sinister glow, causing both Sima Juncong and A Fei to shudder.
"Boss Gu is about to stir up some trouble, hahaha!" Sima Juncong laughed heartily before quickly squeezing back into the crowd. Not long after, he returned to Gu Feng's side, holding a Trial Token.
"Boss Gu, don't let us down. Go as big as you can. We want to shock the world!" Sima Juncong handed the Trial Token to Gu Feng, speaking with excitement.
Li Huixian and other disciples of the Sunset Glow Sect, who had heard the news, also looked excited.
"Keep this a secret. Don't let anyone know I entered the Trial Tower, especially the Elders of the Grand Harmony Academy!"
"Understood!"
Gu Feng, cloaked in a hood, separated from Sima Juncong and the others and squeezed into the crowd.
At that moment, a commotion broke out among the crowd.
"Bai You, the Heaven's Chosen of the first level of Nurtured Spirit from Sword Gate, has emerged!"
Gu Feng looked up and saw a cultivator carrying an ancient sword, dressed similarly to Sword Gate Wu Sheng, striding out of the Trial Tower with his head held high.
With an air of arrogance, he gently parted the crowd and approached Sword Gate Wu Sheng, speaking softly, "Senior Brother Wu Sheng, I failed. I was just three breaths short of breaking the nightmare record for the first level of Nurtured Spirit! Let me think it over, and I should be able to break the record tomorrow."
Though he spoke softly, his voice carried far, and every student within a hundred meters heard him clearly.
A wave of exclamations erupted from the crowd!
"Truly worthy of being the Heaven's Chosen second only to Wu Sheng in Sword Gate! To come so close to the record on just his second attempt in the Trial Tower!"
"People say this year's top scholar is a fraud, but no one dares to say this year's students are weak!"
"Hahaha, those frauds from the Sunset Glow Sect skewed our judgment. The quality of this year's students is undoubtedly the best in history."
"I heard Hua Wenyue and others are striving to break the records for the third level of Nurtured Spirit. They're also very close to the records!"
"Breaking records is just a matter of time. Perhaps the next ranking announcement will reveal new records!"
"This year's freshmen are too strong; it's unimaginable!"
"..."
Gu Feng curled his lips and scanned the crowd. Dugu Ao and others were present, likely studying the Trial Tower, aiming to break records.
"Hmph, don't even think about the records for the first and second levels of Nurtured Spirit. They belong to me!"
If not for fear of exposing his true strength, Gu Feng was absolutely confident he could push the records for the first seven levels of Nurtured Spirit to an unbreakable level.
As he pondered, his gaze briefly met Hua Wenyue's from a distance. Her eyes were sharp, and Gu Feng quickly turned away to avoid her.
"Is it him?" Hua Wenyue's eyes flickered, but she didn't reveal Gu Feng's identity.
Since entering the Grand Harmony Academy, she had never given up investigating the identity of the mysterious cultivator from that night. After eliminating a batch of suspicious students, Gu Feng's suspicion had grown increasingly strong.
However, he had always kept a low profile, and she hadn't found anything unusual. She thought she could use this opportunity in the Trial Tower to gauge his true strength.
Taking advantage of the lack of attention, Gu Feng slipped into the Trial Tower!
The Trial Tower was an Earth-grade Artifact, lower in rank than the Cultivation Tower, but it also contained its own space.
"To enter the Trial Tower, please place your Trial Token in the slot!"
Following the prompt, Gu Feng placed his Trial Token into the slot.
The surroundings transformed dramatically, as if he were in a forest shrouded in mist. Pairs of glowing beast eyes pierced through the fog, and the sounds of roars and running footsteps echoed simultaneously.
The battle began!
Gu Feng punched and killed hundreds of Demon Beasts with incredible speed, yet he kept his strength at the level of someone who had just entered the third level of Nurtured Spirit.
The first level of Nurtured Spirit was a simple challenge for him, and he had no intention of wasting time on it. After all, breaking the record only rewarded ten thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, which Gu Feng didn't care about.
Soon, the prompt "Congratulations on passing!" rang in his ears.
"Seven hundred and sixty-two breaths!" Gu Feng accurately estimated his completion time.
The current record was eight hundred and eight breaths. Gu Feng believed his record would remain unbroken for at least a decade.
The reward would be recorded in his Trial Token and could be claimed after the ranking announcement in three days.
Gu Feng effortlessly passed the next challenge of Nurtured Spirit Level One.
Continuing his relentless advance, Gu Feng broke through all the stages of Nurtured Spirit Levels One and Two within just two hours, significantly improving all the records except for the Nightmare stage of Nurtured Spirit Level One.
"Please select a stage!" The familiar prompt sounded again.
Gu Feng smiled slightly, "Nurtured Spirit Level One Nightmare!"
This stage was specifically reserved by him for record-breaking, which is why he had only improved the record by one breath earlier.
Since the rewards for all levels were the same, Gu Feng wasn't foolish enough to waste time on the stages of Nurtured Spirit Level Two.
And so—
He began his merciless record-breaking spree.
"Haha, good control, improved by another breath!"
"At this rate, breaking records for three days won't be a problem!"
"..."
Outside the Trial Tower!
Ran Xin, a Heaven's Chosen from the Flower Sect at Nurtured Spirit Level Two, strode out of the Trial Tower and walked straight up to Hua Wenyue.
"Senior Sister Hua, I have not failed your expectations. I successfully passed the Nightmare stage of Nurtured Spirit Level Two and improved the previous record by two breaths!"
Wow—
The tens of thousands of students gathered outside the Trial Tower roared with excitement.
Finally, finally someone has broken a record!
Improving the Nightmare level of Nurtured Spirit Level Two by two breaths, is she a god? Such a significant improvement, isn't that a bit too exaggerated?
Women are not inferior to men; female cultivators from the Flower Sect can hold up half the sky!
"Was there any discrepancy in the timing?" Hearing this, Hua Wenyue showed a faint smile.
"Absolutely none!" Ran Xin said with a proud and confident expression.
"Excellent—"
The Flower Sect taking the lead was like unblocking the meridians of the five major sects!
Records were frequently broken in the stages of Nurtured Spirit Levels One and Two.
"The Military Academy has broken the Flower Sect's previous record in the Nightmare stage of Nurtured Spirit Level Two!"
"Hahaha, awesome!"
"Oh no, the record for the Nightmare stage of Nurtured Spirit Level One has been broken by the Blazing Light Sect!"
"It didn't last long before the Tyrant Body Sect took it back!"
"Crazy, crazy, records breaking records!"
"The Flower Sect has taken back the record for the Nightmare stage of Nurtured Spirit Level Two!"
"The Tyrant Body Sect didn't celebrate for long before their record in the Nightmare stage of Nurtured Spirit Level One was broken again by the Sword Gate!"
"The five major sects are breaking each other's records, it's so thrilling to watch!"
"What a pity, if only the Trial Tower leaderboard updated in real time, the entire Grand Harmony Academy would explode!"
"Who still talks about the top scholar, who still mentions the Sunset Glow Sect, they are just a bunch of clowns!"
"..."
As per tradition, after the climax of the five major sects, it was time to insult the Sunset Glow Sect.
If it were any other day, A Fei and the others would have retorted no matter what.
But today, it wasn't necessary!
Because they believed that Gu Feng had already broken the records long before them.
The five major sects were just faking their climax, so they would quietly wait for the moment of truth, doing nothing!
The students were in a frenzy, and Elder Ye, in charge of the Trial Tower, was also flushed with excitement.
"You maintain order here, I will report to the Prefect!" He instructed a few elders beside him, then rushed into the sky, quickly arriving at the Prefect Manor.
"Prefect, great news! The freshmen have broken the records of the Trial Tower's Nurtured Spirit Levels One and Two!"
"Not just once, but many times. The Heaven's Chosen from the five major sects are taking turns, competing fiercely. So far, they have broken the records seven or eight times!!"
Elder Ye spoke with great enthusiasm.
"Excellent!" Prefect Chu was also visibly excited. "The records for the first and second levels of the Trial Tower's Nurtured Spirit haven't changed in about two years, right?"
"Indeed, to be precise, it's been two years, three months, and twenty-six days!"
"Wonderful! This batch of students is of exceptional quality. With proper nurturing, they will undoubtedly become the pride of the Great Chu Dynasty!" Prefect Chu waved his fists a couple of times, venting his exhilaration.
"Prefect, last time, to reward the top five hundred scholars, you withdrew 100 million Mid-Grade Spirit Stones from our Trial Tower. Now, perhaps it's time to..." Elder Ye tentatively inquired.
"Hahaha, of course! Last time, we sold a few Natural Treasures, and the treasury still has a surplus of over 100 million Mid-Grade Spirit Stones. Take them all! We can't let the students find out that our Grand Harmony Academy is out of Spirit Stones when they come to claim their rewards!" In his high spirits, Prefect Chu was uncharacteristically generous.
"Thank you, Prefect!"
After Elder Ye left, Prefect Chu paced back and forth in his room, his excitement lingering for a long time.
"Prefect, you've given all the remaining Spirit Stones in the treasury to Elder Ye. What if there's an emergency? How will we handle it?" Ouyang Qi asked with a smile.
"Once we deal with the big trouble that is Gu Feng, there won't be any emergencies in the Grand Harmony Academy!"
"The Prefect is right. As long as Gu Feng doesn't stir up trouble, the academy's daily expenses aren't too high. By the end of the month, some funds will flow back in, and we'll be back on track!" Another vice-prefect, stroking his beard, chimed in.
"Sigh—the top academy of the Great Chu Dynasty almost had its funding chain broken because of one Gu Feng. We were forced to sell a few Natural Treasures to avoid being laughed at by the outside world. It's truly absurd!" Prefect Chu said with a bitter smile.
The Grand Harmony Academy has everything except Spirit Stones.
The thought of losing 700 million Mid-Grade Spirit Stones because of Gu Feng made his heart ache.
Fortunately, it's all in the past now!
An infinitely bright future lies ahead!
(End of the Chapter)
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