A ripple of spatial qi brushed the sky; Jiang Yan and Zhongli stepped forward, one after the other, and melted into the Demon-Sealing Tower.
Ningguang and the others stood frozen for a long moment, gazing at the ancient forbidden structure that belonged to Shushan; then, one by one, they dispersed.
Curiosity about the Tower's interior nagged at them, but none had the ability to explore it now. Training came first. With Jiang Yan gone, instruction would pause — their cultivation pace would inevitably slow.
"Ganyu—"
Shinobu sighed and took Ganyu's hand. "Let's go back. The Sect Master has entered; we should return to our cultivation."
Ganyu did not answer at once. She looked at Shinobu, at the Tower, at the place where Jiang Yan and Zhongli had vanished, and then asked softly, "How long has it been since the Sect Master entered?"
Shinobu faltered. Outside, a day had passed; within the Tower, a year might have elapsed. Ten minutes of outside time could be many days inside. "Four or five days?" she guessed, uncertain.
Ganyu's expression folded inward. "I once read a scripture: one day in the Immortal Realm equals a year among mortals. If the Sect Master…" Her voice trailed.
Shinobu's brows tightened, then she took Ganyu's arm. "Come. We must use this time to train. Breakthrough to Divine Transformation before he returns — the Nine-Nether Expedition will demand it."
Ganyu nodded and followed her away. The Demon-Sealing Tower stood alone in the clearing, sealed and silent. There was no need to garrison it; without the Sect Master's rites, no ordinary person could enter. That was an extra layer of protection for Shushan's disciples.
Inside the Tower, the time felt different. Though only minutes had slipped in the outside world, both Jiang Yan and Zhongli had already spent several days within. Time, even for cultivators, was a strange and potent force.
Contrary to the legend of a fetid, monster-crowded ruin, the Tower's interior was solemn and austere. The first floor stretched into a boundless plain—yet not with ordinary earth or grass: the ground was paved with unknown stone that even Zhongli's full force could not scratch. Jiang Yan regarded it calmly; the Tower's craftsmanship was not something mortal hands could mar.
"Strange," Zhongli murmured. He frowned at the empty space. "There's abundant demonic qi, yet not a single beast in sight."
Jiang Yan smiled. "You misunderstand the Tower's scale. Do you know how large it is?"
Zhongli shook his head.
"One middle-thousand world's worth. If you prefer cosmic imagery, imagine the size of the Quantum Sea you once perceived—only that is just the first floor. By the ninth layer, the Tower rivalries a Great Thousand world. The Tower is, quite literally, one floor one world."
Zhongli's eyes widened. "So that's why. No beasts here because the first floor has already been cleansed?"
"Precisely." Jiang Yan's tone grew instructional. "Most first-floor demons have been refined into raw spiritual qi. The Tower consumes cultivators' and monsters' lifespans in its own rules. Thus, what remains on floor one are low-order demons—refined-essence level scum. Good for trainees to practice, but little else."
Zhongli nodded slowly, comprehension dawning. "To make progress we must ascend, then. The higher the floor, the more valuable the yield."
"Indeed." Jiang Yan continued. "From the third floor upward you encounter large-tier demons—those at Refined-Essence → Divine Transformation thresholds. The third to sixth floors harbor Divine-Transformation class demons; by the sixth floor you begin facing late-stage and peak Divine-Transformation fiends. There is even a record of a Demon-Sovereign at the topmost layers."
He tapped the paving with two fingers. "The Tower's inhabitants—especially the stronger ones—often possess lineage, techniques, and materials unknown to Shushan. Some are demonic cultivators, wicked practitioners, or spirit-work artisans. Treasure and peril go hand in hand above the third floor."
Zhongli's expression tightened. "So true danger—and opportunity—begins at the fourth floor."
"Exactly." Jiang Yan inclined his head. "If you advance, do so carefully. If you are pinched and cannot return to Shushan, lure enemies away into territories of rival demons. Most demons prefer richer sources of life; lead them to those, not to yourself. And remember: what is an asset to us is a resource to the Tower—monsters can be refined into spiritual qi to power the runs."
Zhongli absorbed the words, solemn. "Understood. I'll report to Elder Alice and the Merit Hall so they can organize disciplined forays and supply rotations. Floor one can be used for basic drills, but it will need fresh Refined-Essence prey to remain useful."
"Good." Jiang Yan smiled faintly. "For your cultivation, you'll need to reach at least the fourth floor. From there, progress depends on you. But the upper floors are not my endgame—so we'll split paths soon."
They pressed on together, step by step.
Time inside the Tower was strange and swift. Over the following month their gains were modest; much of it was spent finding vertical passages that connected floors. They encountered a number of low-grade beasts—Refined-Essence imps and hunting packs—and Zhongli dispatched them without fuss, leaving their remains to dissipate into the Tower's current.
After nearly two months of internal time, they finally found the teleportation node leading to the fourth floor. Standing before it, Zhongli felt for the first time the subtle, simmering sense of mortal danger—different from the easy threats of earlier floors.
He drew breath. The skirmishes up to now had been only warm-ups. From the moment they stepped into the portal, refined-essence opponents would give way to Divine-Transformation predators. From this point onward, Zhongli's true trials would begin: the grind, the clashes, the risk-heavy opportunities that could push him to the brink—and over it.
Jiang Yan studied Zhongli's face and detected unhidden warlust. It brought a small, satisfied curl to his lips.
"You've longed for this." Jiang Yan said quietly. "After all the bustle, it's finally time."
Zhongli nodded firmly. "Naturally."
"Confidence is good," Jiang Yan warned, "but be mindful. You'll remain in the fourth floor for a while—hone your technique, gather resources, then push to the fifth. Whether to step onto the sixth is your choice."
Jiang Yan's voice took on a stricter edge. "Do not forget: the internal time limit. When your three-year term inside runs out, you must exit immediately."
Zhongli's reply was grave. "I'm confident I can reach Divine-Transformation peak within three years."
"Then go," Jiang Yan said with a thin smile. "Make those years count."
They stepped through together. In the blink of later observers' eyes, Jiang Yan vanished first; by the time Zhongli realized, the master had already gone. Zhongli bowed reflexively in the direction Jiang Yan had left.
"May the Sect Master succeed."
He turned and strode toward the corridor that spiraled deeper.
His immediate goal was straightforward and audacious: within three months, to hunt down one hundred early-stage Divine-Transformation beasts and twenty mid-stage Divine-Transformation predators.
It was an aggressive target. It would test not only his courage and swordcraft, but his planning, restraint, and capacity to adapt to the Tower's one-floor-one-world law—where every ascent brought both higher reward and grimmer peril.
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