Inside the first floor of Nirvana Tower, there was an altar atop a platform. To reach the platform near the altar, there were stairs.
In the heart of the altar stood a statue, bathed in the soft glow of moonlight reflected from a large gem on the ceiling. The statue was of the noble Black Phoenix, a testament to eternal beauty and timeless elegance.
Crafted from the finest obsidian, the statue rose gracefully upon a pedestal of intricately carved marble, exuding an aura of regal majesty. Each feather was meticulously sculpted, capturing the essence of the phoenix's otherworldly allure. The feathers cascaded down its powerful wings, ruffling gently as if caught in a perpetual breeze, while its talons gripped the pedestal with quiet strength.
The phoenix's eyes, perhaps adorned with luminescent pearls, shimmered with ethereal light, reflecting the wisdom of ages past and the promise of rebirth yet to come. They invited viewers to ponder the mysteries of life and transformation.
Seeing the statue, Kaal felt his bloodline trembling, and his unique Azure Qi started to run wildly, beyond his control. He felt an overwhelming urge to kneel before the statue in respect. It took all his willpower to regain his senses. When he looked around, he noticed he was not the only one whose Qi had gone out of control—others were in the same predicament. Only four had regained their composure: himself, Samrat, Divya, and a youth with brown hair and a scar over his left eye.
"At least this generation has some decent talent," a voice echoed softly throughout the room. It carried a mysterious power that calmed everyone's rampaging Qi.
Soon, a figure of a small child appeared before the participants. It was the spirit of Nirvana Tower. All treasures above the elemental rank possess a consciousness of their own, capable of communicating with the heavens and absorbing spiritual Qi from their surroundings.
"We greet the Ancestor," all the participants who had regained their minds saluted the child respectfully. Nirvana Tower was a Heaven-rank treasure, and that meant its spirit was at the Sea Realm—a realm where, within the Kilvish Clan, only three individuals currently resided: the current Clan Leader Charles Kilvish, the previous Clan Leader, and the Grand Elder William.
"I'm not going to waste my time. All of you who fail to reach the altar within six hours are disqualified from the competition," the spirit declared before vanishing.
Kaal saw that to reach the altar, he had to climb 300 steps. Though it seemed simple, he knew that if the Ancestor had given a time limit, it wouldn't be so easy. Before he could begin, a youth rushed toward the stairs and started climbing.
"If I reach first, there will surely be a reward!" the youth shouted excitedly.
But the moment he took the first step, he felt suppression in his bloodline. His blood Qi halted, and he realized his Warrior Rank 2 strength was also being suppressed. Ignoring it, he took another step the pressure intensified. By the tenth step, he was moving like a snail.
Kaal and the others didn't move, silently observing the situation. As the youth continued to climb, they noticed that the steps exerted spiritual pressure based on one's bloodline and cultivation level. As expected, the pressure grew heavier with each step. When the youth reached the 21st step, he collapsed, coughing up blood.
Having understood the nature of the test, Kaal began to climb.
As he took the first step, he too felt the suppression of his bloodline. His Foundation Realm strength was also suppressed. Ignoring it, Kaal pressed on. Behind him, Samrat and Divya began their ascent. Lauren and the scar-faced youth followed.
"This altar was built by the greatest genius ever born in the Kilvish Clan—the Founder during the Void Era," the spirit explained, reappearing before them. "Legend says he obtained the bone marrow blood of a Black Phoenix from the forbidden zone of the Death Forest. After merging with this blood, he changed his bloodline and ascended from this Elysian Cultivation Planet to the Upper Realm. Every member of the Kilvish Clan possesses the Black Phoenix bloodline, but over generations, it has become diluted."
"The statue of the Black Phoenix applies bloodline suppression to the stairs. Those with a purer bloodline can ascend more easily. This entire test is to determine who has the purest bloodline," the spirit declared.
"In the clan's history, the highest anyone has reached is the 291st step. Even the previous generation's Clan Leader only made it to the 221st. Will this generation surpass them?" the spirit murmured.
After two hours, only ten people had reached the 100th step.
Samrat Kilvish, who had just taken his 97th step, felt as though he was being crushed beneath a mountain. The pressure had increased so much that his bones began to crack. His entire body was soaked in sweat, his vision blurred, and the circulation of his blood Qi was becoming more difficult by the second.
'I thought that with my Blue Talent, I'd become the next Clan Leader. Then Kaal appeared with the same talent. Still, I wasn't worried—I'm four years older than he. Everyone thinks I'm at the 1st Stage of the Foundation Realm, but in reality, I'm at the 5th Stage. That's my trump card against Kaal. I'm confident that no one in this competition is a match for me—not even him,' Samrat thought, gritting his teeth against the crushing pressure.
"But why… why are Kaal and that worm ahead of me?" he growled, staring up at Kaal and Divya, already at the 100th step.