Beneath the Heavenly Origin Tower.
Shen Muxue looked stunned.
After the Crown Prince, she felt the same kind of overwhelming pressure from the Sixth Prince as well.
That proved Yang Xiu also had stunning martial talent.
If the Crown Prince weren't here, she might have seriously considered following the Sixth Prince.
But since the Crown Prince was here, no one else mattered.
No matter how impressive Yang Xiu was, he was like a firefly before the moon when compared to the Crown Prince.
Shen Muxue trusted the intuition her Sacred Spirit Dao Body gave her.
"The Sixth Prince is going to challenge the Heavenly Origin Tower?"
"He's just one year old! Has the world gone mad?"
"He even invited the Crown Prince. Is this world crazy, or am I?"
The surrounding crowd broke into a loud uproar. Everyone was shocked by Yang Xiu's words.
"You go ahead, Sixth Brother. I'm still waiting for someone," Yang Cheng said with a smile.
"Is Crown Prince Brother too scared to go in?" Yang Xiu asked.
"Maybe," Yang Cheng said, unbothered.
That response didn't anger Yang Xiu—instead, it left him a bit frustrated.
Still, he quickly regained composure.
'Once I finish the tower trial, it'll be a blow to him anyway. No need to get mad over something like this.'
Yang Xiu acted decisively. He calmed down and started walking toward the tower.
When he actually stepped into the Heavenly Origin Tower, the crowd stirred again.
And that was just the beginning.
Moments later, the first floor of the tower lit up.
Then the second, third, fourth…
"Am I dreaming?"
"Most people's martial talent only starts to awaken between the ages of three and twelve."
"But the Sixth Prince is only one and a half, and he's already made it to the fourth floor? That talent is insane."
"There were rumors he grasped Sword Intent at one year old. Maybe it's true?"
The students at the Meng Division were completely shaken.
But Yang Xiu didn't stop.
Fifth floor!
Sixth floor!
Finally, just like in Yang Cheng's memory from his past life, Yang Xiu reached the seventh floor and stopped there.
The entire Meng Division erupted in shock.
To reach the seventh floor of the Heavenly Origin Tower at one and a half years old—what kind of monstrous genius was that?
Even Shen Muxue couldn't stay calm.
When she was that age, she was still drinking milk.
And yet the Sixth Prince had already reached the seventh floor.
When Yang Xiu stepped out of the tower, many students looked at him with heated eyes.
The Sixth Prince might even be more outstanding than the Third Prince.
Many were already tempted to follow him.
"Crown Prince Brother, has the person you were waiting for arrived?" Yang Xiu asked with a teasing tone.
He thought Yang Cheng was just making excuses, too afraid to step into the tower and embarrass himself.
But Yang Cheng replied, "She's here."
Yang Xiu blinked in surprise.
Then a palace maid hurried over to Yang Cheng and bowed. "Your Highness, this servant just finished closed-door training. I've kept you waiting. Please forgive me."
Yang Cheng smiled. "I knew you were in cultivation, so I didn't want to disturb you. I asked you to come to the Great Zhou Dao Academy today so you could challenge the Heavenly Origin Tower. It'll help your martial path."
The Heavenly Origin Tower could stimulate one's potential.
The greater the talent, the more benefits it would bring.
With how gifted Lin Shu was, it'd be a waste if she didn't try.
"Yes, Your Highness," Lin Shu said without hesitation, then headed straight for the tower.
If the Crown Prince asked for her life, she'd give it. Challenging a tower? That was nothing.
"He's sending a palace maid to challenge the Heavenly Origin Tower?"
The Meng Division students felt like their worldview was being shattered.
"Is the Crown Prince mocking us?" Xie Wanyin said coldly.
Her words drew even more discontent.
Yang Cheng ignored them and focused on the tower.
Soon, a glow lit up from within the tower.
The murmurs quieted a bit.
Then the second floor lit up… and the third… almost no pause between them.
That meant Lin Shu had practically walked through the second floor without stopping.
The crowd got even quieter.
Then came the fourth floor, the fifth… and the sixth!
In the end, this palace maid, barely five years old, reached the sixth floor of the Heavenly Origin Tower.
Xie Wanyin's face turned red, burning with shame.
She had just looked down on Lin Shu for being a mere maid.
And yet this maid had reached the sixth floor—same as her.
Yang Xiu clenched his fists tightly, his eyes filled with both darkness and jealousy.
Where had the Crown Prince found such a talented palace maid?
Why didn't he have this kind of luck?
"Crown Prince Brother, are you just going to let a palace maid challenge the Heavenly Origin Tower while you stand here and watch?" Yang Xiu gritted his teeth.
"I believe in the Crown Prince," Shen Muxue suddenly said.
Yang Xiu's expression darkened.
Yang Cheng looked at Shen Muxue with some surprise, but she said no more.
"How ridiculous," Xie Wanyin mocked. "Shen Muxue, you claim you'd only follow someone based on their own ability, but now you're clearly flattering the Crown Prince. Aren't you just coveting his status?"
Shen Muxue remained calm. "You don't understand. When I say I believe in the Crown Prince, it's not because of his identity. It's because I truly believe he'll shock the world."
"You think I'd believe that?"
Xie Wanyin sneered.
Having a single freak like the Third Prince was rare enough. She refused to believe the Crown Prince could be one too.
Shen Muxue didn't respond again.
Neither did Yang Cheng look at Xie Wanyin.
"Crown Prince Brother, this noble lady Shen seems to worship you. Surely you won't disappoint her…" Yang Xiu tried to goad him.
Before he could finish, Yang Cheng was already walking toward the Heavenly Origin Tower.
Yang Xiu felt like someone had choked him mid-sentence. The rest of his words stuck in his throat.
'I want to see how far you can actually go,' he muttered to himself, glaring at the tower.
Not far off, Shen Muxue frowned slightly, growing repulsed by Yang Xiu.
He was clearly just a small child, but there was nothing innocent or kind in his eyes.
It felt like there was an adult living inside his baby body.
Her Sacred Spirit Dao Body gave her a natural aversion to people like that.
And she wasn't wrong.
At one year old, Yang Xiu's soul maturity already rivaled that of a four-year-old child.
Now, another half a year had passed.
To enhance Yang Xiu, Lin Xinglan had constantly fed him memory fragments from fallen powerhouses.
These fragments boosted his intelligence—but also warped his temperament.
Saying Yang Xiu's soul was fully grown would be too much, but he was certainly already close to a teenager's mental level.
It was completely different from Yang Cheng.
Yang Cheng's soul was truly an ancient monster.
But it was still his own. It hadn't been tampered with by outside forces.
He didn't suffer the same kind of loss of control over his soul like Yang Xiu.
But Shen Muxue didn't have time to think about that now.
Because the Heavenly Origin Tower kept lighting up.
Inside the tower.
The moment Yang Cheng stepped in, he felt a heavy pressure pressing from the heavens and earth.
It felt like countless ancient star wills were watching him.
But he didn't stop walking.
The pressure on the first floor felt like nothing more than a breeze to him.
Then the second floor, third, fourth, fifth… even the sixth—he didn't pause once.
Outside the tower, the students of the Meng Division were stunned.
Yang Cheng was moving much faster than Yang Xiu had.
Lin Shu's eyes were full of admiration. 'As expected of His Highness…'
"This… this can't be…"
Yang Xiu bit down hard, nearly grinding his teeth.
He had endured brutal training from Lin Xinglan day and night just to achieve his current level.
Why did Yang Cheng deserve this?
Then, the seventh floor lit up.
Yang Xiu staggered back a few steps, feeling like his soul had taken a hit.
At this point, Yang Cheng had already caught up to him.
But what scared him most was the fear that Yang Cheng wouldn't stop there.
And it seemed fate wasn't going to show Yang Xiu any mercy.
Before hundreds of stunned onlookers, the eighth floor of the Heavenly Origin Tower lit up.
Boom!
The entire place erupted.
The eighth floor had lit up—Yang Cheng had surpassed Shen Muxue and now stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Third Prince and Liu Qingtian.
What made it worse was that both the Third Prince and Liu Qingtian were already over ten years old.
But Yang Cheng?
He was only one and a half.
What kind of terrifying prodigy was this? How could anyone else compete?
Yet just when everyone thought he would stop… Yang Cheng didn't come out.