How many floors can a newbie reach in the tower challenge?

No wonder these three ranking lists are called the prison ranking list.

He even heard Fang Qing say that this entire world is known as the Prison Realm.

Fang Qing added,

"The reason those Kings established Families and left behind Bloodlines is actually because they are waiting."

"They place their hopes on their descendants, praying that a peerless Prodigy who surpasses them will be born among their offspring to successfully reach the top of the three divine towers."

"When that time comes, the teleportation gate to leave this realm will open, and these ancestors can also benefit and escape this cage together."

While speaking, Fang Qing had already led Ye Qing and the other two through the crowded throng to the front of the three divine towers.

Standing closer, one could feel the majestic pressure washing over them even more strongly.

"Senior, please look."

Fang Qing pointed to each of the three giant towers.

"These three divine towers test different aspects."

"The one on the left is the 'Flesh Combat Power Tower,' which tests a Cultivator's Physical Body and close-combat prowess; the one in the middle is the 'Mana Combat Power Tower,' which tests the abundance of spiritual energy and the power of Spells and Divine Abilities; and the one on the right is the 'comprehensive combat power tower,' which tests a Cultivator's overall abilities, including Heart-Nature, Comprehension Ability, combat intelligence, and so on."

At this point, a deep sense of powerlessness appeared on her face.

"To leave this place, one must reach the top of all three towers!"

"The difficulty... is simply too great! Over countless millennia, how many brilliant talents have spent their entire lives, even repeatedly severing their own cultivation to start anew, yet still failed to see the hope of reaching the top of even one tower, let alone all three."

Ye Qing's gaze calmly swept over the three divine towers one by one.

His expression was thoughtful.

The moment he stepped into this area, the resonance in his heart regarding Liu Ruyan became incredibly clear, its source pointing directly inside these three divine towers!

Liu Ruyan was indeed here.

However, Ye Qing's Divine Sense had already scanned the three prison ranking lists from top to bottom and did not find Liu Ruyan's name.

Is it because she hasn't reached the hundredth layer yet, so she hasn't made the list?

Or did she encounter some other mishap?

Ye Qing's brow furrowed slightly.

In any case, to find the answer and uncover the truth, the only way was to personally enter the divine towers.

Since that was the case... Ye Qing's gaze slowly moved between the three towering giants, a sharp light flashing in his eyes.

Physical Body, Mana, or comprehensive combat power... Perhaps he could choose one tower and give it a try!

Ye Qing's gaze finally settled on the giant tower on the left, which was bronze in color and exuded a primitive, heavy aura.

The Flesh Combat Power Tower.

Since his Prison Suppressing Immortal Body was forged, aside from showing its initial brilliance at the start, its limits had never truly been tested.

It was the perfect opportunity to see just how powerful this supreme Physique was.

At the same time, he noticed that on the prison ranking list corresponding to the flesh pagoda, the name at the very top shone with brilliant gold, and the layer number marked behind it was—two hundred layers!

Reaching the top!

"King Shi..." Ye Qing softly uttered the name, a flash of Battle Intent in his eyes.

He wondered how many layers he could reach.

Having made his decision, Ye Qing no longer hesitated and strode directly toward the gate of the Flesh Combat Power Tower.

Lin Xueer and Su Chan naturally followed close behind, and Fang Qing also hurried to keep up.

Ye Qing's sudden movement immediately caused a small commotion in the plaza.

"Hmm? Look, who are those people? They look very unfamiliar!"

"Looking at their aura, they don't seem to be from our Prison Realm... Could they be newcomers from the outside?"

"Newcomers? That's rare! It's been hundreds of years since a newcomer arrived in this hellhole, right? How did they get in?"

"Who cares how they got in? This newcomer is entering the tower as soon as he arrives; he's got quite some guts! Eh? The one he chose is... the flesh pagoda?!"

When they saw Ye Qing finally stop before the gates of the Flesh Combat Power Tower, the originally curious chatter instantly turned into a clamor of shock and mockery.

"Am I seeing this right? He actually chose the flesh pagoda?!"

"Is he crazy? We Cultivators Cultivate the law and refine Qi. Who would bother specifically tempering their Physical Body for no reason? Isn't that the path of Yao Beasts?"

"Exactly! The test of the flesh pagoda is the most direct. The pressure increases exponentially with each layer; it's purely about enduring with one's body! Without a specialized Body Refining Cultivation Technique, going in is just seeking death!"

"Looking at his build, he doesn't look like a Body Cultivator at all, and his revealed cultivation seems to be only the Fourth Layer of Golden Core? Tsk tsk, this newcomer must be a greenhorn who thinks entering the tower is child's play."

For a moment, countless gazes in the plaza converged on Ye Qing, most of them carrying the intent of watching a spectacle.

In this Prison Realm, to increase their combat power, almost all Cultivators choose to specialize in Spells and Divine Abilities or study comprehensive combat techniques.

Pure Body Cultivators were few and far between.

Because this path was not only painful in the early stages but also consumed a massive amount of resources, and the achievements might not even be high.

It was only popular in ancient times; now, it has long been the era of Spell Cultivators!

Consequently, the flesh pagoda had always been the most deserted of the three divine towers.

As a result, a newcomer from the outside choosing the toughest nut to crack for his first attempt was, in everyone's eyes, a classic example of not knowing the height of the heavens and the depth of the earth.

"Hey, let's start a pool! Let's bet on how many layers this kid can reach!" a busybody shouted loudly.

"I bet twenty layers is his limit! The first ten layers of the flesh pagoda are for newcomers to warm up, and the pressure only starts to surge from the eleventh layer. For someone at the Fourth Layer of Golden Core, reaching twenty layers would mean his body is quite solid!"

"Twenty layers? You're overestimating him! I think he'll be pinned down as soon as he enters. Ten layers! Ten at most!"

"You can't say that; what if he really has some skill? I'll guess thirty layers, that should be the limit."

The crowd buzzed with discussion and bets, but not a single person favored Ye Qing.

Just then, a burly middle-aged man with a heavy aura pushed through the crowd and walked up to Fang Qing, a hint of surprise on his face.

"Sister Fang Qing? It really is you! I thought I was seeing things. These people are..."

"Brother Wang." Seeing the newcomer, Fang Qing quickly bowed and then introduced, "This is Senior Ye, and these two are his Disciples. We just arrived here."

The man called Brother Wang was named Wang Cheng, a Cultivator at the Golden Core Fifth Layer and one of Fang Qing's few acquaintances.

Wang Cheng's gaze landed on Ye Qing, who was about to step into the tower gate, his brow furrowed:

"Senior Ye? Sister Fang Qing, are you sure you're not mistaken? I see this Fellow Daoist's cultivation seems to be only at the Fourth Layer of Golden Core... Is he the newcomer you brought?"

His tone carried unconcealed doubt:

"We welcome newcomers, but to recklessly enter the flesh pagoda as soon as you arrive—isn't that a bit too flippant? The pressure there is no joke. If the Physical Body isn't strong enough, one could be heavily injured at best, or have their Foundation damaged at worst!"

Hearing this, a mysterious smile appeared on Fang Qing's face.

Others didn't know, but she had personally witnessed Ye Qing kill over a dozen Golden Core experts like Zhao Kuo in a single strike.

That Senior's strength definitely couldn't be measured by his superficial cultivation!

"Don't worry, Brother Wang. Senior knows what he's doing," Fang Qing said with a certain tone.

Although she also found Ye Qing's choice of the flesh pagoda somewhat surprising, out of trust in Ye Qing's strength, she still held great confidence.

In her view, with Senior Ye's unfathomable strength, reaching around fifty layers shouldn't be a problem!

Seeing Fang Qing so confident, Wang Cheng couldn't help but be even more curious. He turned to look at Lin Xueer and Su Chan. These two young girls had an otherworldly temperament, like Fairies, making his eyes light up.

"Young ladies, is that man your Revered Master?" Wang Cheng asked with a smile. "How many layers do you think your Revered Master can reach in this tower attempt?"

Lin Xueer and Su Chan glanced at each other, both seeing the amusement in each other's eyes.

How strong was their Revered Master?

They knew better than anyone.

Forget this flesh pagoda; even if it were a celestial palace or a divine temple, they believed their Revered Master could punch a hole right through it.

However, their Revered Master had always been low-key. As Disciples, it was better for them to be a bit modest.

Lin Xueer pondered for a moment and said seriously, "We can't really guess, but... passing a hundred layers and getting on the prison ranking list should be no problem."

As soon as these words were spoken, the smile on Wang Cheng's face froze.

Even Fang Qing was slightly taken aback, then shook her head with a bitter smile.

A hundred layers?

Leaving a name on the list?

This... this was a bit too ambitious!

Wang Cheng was stunned for a long while before letting out a laugh, though the laughter sounded forced and dismissive.

He patted Fang Qing's shoulder and said earnestly, "Sister Fang Qing, these newcomers you've brought are truly... confident."

He shook his head inwardly.

Back when he first arrived here, he also considered himself a Prodigy, thinking he could soar to the heavens and become famous in the Prison Realm.

In the end, during his first tower attempt, he didn't even reach sixty layers before being blasted out, looking quite pathetic.

Reality would teach all newcomers a lesson!

Forget a hundred layers; if this kid could pass fifty layers today, he, Wang Cheng, would write his name backward!

He no longer bothered to advise further, simply crossing his arms and adopting a posture of waiting for a good show, expecting Ye Qing and his Disciples to be slapped hard by reality.

Fang Qing was also feeling helpless. She felt that although Senior Ye was strong, his cultivation was still what it was, and he didn't look like someone who specialized in Body Refining.

The "one hundred layers" mentioned by Lin Xueer and Su Chan was probably just out of blind worship for their Revered Master and couldn't be taken seriously.

Fifty layers, or perhaps sixty, should be a more reasonable estimate.

In fact, if the Senior hadn't specifically Cultivated his Physical Body, the number might be even lower... Just as everyone was lost in their thoughts, Ye Qing had already stepped into the deep gate of the Flesh Combat Power Tower.

Buzz—!

As Ye Qing's figure disappeared, the bronze tower body vibrated slightly, and a ring of soft spiritual light suddenly lit up on the first layer of the tower!

"It's started!"

"Look, the first layer is lit!"

The eyes of everyone in the plaza were instantly drawn over.

Although the prison ranking list only recorded results above a hundred layers,

for a tower-climber, especially a newcomer reaching a new level in the tower for the first time, every time he arrived at a new layer, the corresponding layer of the tower would light up.

This was the basis on which everyone judged a newcomer's performance.

Buzz!

Almost the instant the first layer lit up, the light of the second layer followed!

Immediately after, the third, fourth, fifth... the spiritual light on the tower body seemed to have no pause at all, climbing upward at a dizzying speed!

In the blink of an eye, ten layers had passed!

"Whoa! He's got some skill! This speed is impressive!"

"It seems his Physical Body is quite well-tempered; the first ten layers are like child's play to him."

"Normal, normal. The real test starts now. His speed will definitely slow down next. Just watch, within three layers, he'll have to move step by step."

The crowd commented with great interest; they were all veterans with rich experience and knew the pressure inside the tower like the back of their hand.

However, what happened next caused everyone's discussion to come to an abrupt halt.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

Eleventh layer!

Fifteenth layer!

Twentieth layer!

The vibration of the tower body, far from weakening, became even more rapid!

The lighting up of the layers wasn't happening one by one anymore; it had merged into a single beam of light, surging upward with unstoppable force!

The speed didn't decrease in the slightest!

"Am... am I seeing things?"

"Twenty layers! Still surging! What... what kind of monster is this?"

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! The pressure in the flesh pagoda increases exponentially. Above twenty layers, every step is as heavy as a thousand pounds. How could anyone clear levels at this speed?!"

"Cheating! Did he use some method to cheat?! It can't be that the flesh pagoda is malfunctioning, right?!"

Everyone in the plaza was stunned.

One by one, they craned their necks, mouths agape, their expressions as if they had seen a ghost.

Was this even climbing a tower?

This was clearly taking a teleportation array for a sightseeing tour inside the tower!

"It's already twenty-five layers... Heavens..."

"Thirty layers! He has already broken the record for many people's first tower attempt here!"

"Forty layers! It's still rising! Oh my god!"

The crowd completely boiled over, with cries of surprise and gasps of cold air rising one after another, merging into a sea of clamor.

Everyone was dumbfounded.

How could this newcomer's attempt at the flesh pagoda feel even more relaxed and easy than them going home for a meal?

This completely overturned their understanding!

Wang Cheng, standing next to Fang Qing, was already wide-eyed and slack-jawed, the muscles on his face twitching uncontrollably.

He had just been mocking the man for being a greenhorn.

Yet in the blink of an eye, the man had already surged to the height he had once fought desperately to reach, and from the looks of it, this wasn't even a warm-up!

This slap to the face came too quickly!

In the moment of his mental daze,

Buzz—!

That unstoppable beam of light had easily broken through the fifty-layer mark!

Immediately after, it was sixty layers!

Fang Qing's beautiful eyes were also filled with shock and disbelief.

She had already tried her best to overestimate Ye Qing, but reality told her that her imagination was still far too meager!

Above sixty layers, the spiritual light of the flesh pagoda was still skyrocketing at a speed that took one's breath away!

At this moment, not a single one of the tens of thousands of Cultivators in the entire plaza spoke.

Everyone held their breath, staring intently at the giant tower being continuously lit up, their hearts twitching wildly with every pulse of that light.

They felt as if they were witnessing the birth of a miracle!

Seventy layers!

Eighty layers!

Ninety layers!

When that beam of light broke through the ninety-layer mark and approached the legendary one hundred layers, everyone's hearts leaped into their throats!

Is he going to make it?

Is a newcomer, on his first attempt at the flesh pagoda, going to charge straight past a hundred layers and leave his name on the list?!

This was a miracle that had never happened in the tens of thousands of years of the Prison Realm's history!

Finally!

Under the watchful eyes of the multitude, that beam of light did not stall for a moment and boldly broke through the final obstacle!

The hundredth layer!

Lit up!