43: Chapter 43 Rankings

Just as Lu Jinghan and his group were intently studying the Nine Heavens Tower, the rustling sound of footsteps drifted from the bamboo sea to the west.

Several figures passed through the Purple Bamboo Forest and appeared at the edge of the clearing.

The person leading them wore a dark gold robe, with a cold, stern expression and eyes as sharp as an eagle's.

He was followed by four or five young Cultivators, their robes embroidered with a uniform flame emblem, clearly from the same faction.

The dark-robed youth's gaze swept across the Nine Heavens Tower, his pupils slightly constricting.

Immediately after, he saw Lu Jinghan and his three companions standing by the stone tablet in front of the tower, and he raised an eyebrow.

"Someone arrived first."

His voice was low, yet his footsteps did not falter as he led his companions toward the Nine Heavens Tower.

Lu Jinghan looked up, his gaze meeting that of the dark-robed youth in mid-air.

Their gazes touched for only an instant before looking away, as if it were merely a casual glance.

But both were well aware that the other was sizing them up, probing, and evaluating.

The dark-robed youth stopped on the other side of the stone tablet, his gaze landing on the inscriptions, quickly scanning the few lines of small text.

A moment later, the corners of his mouth curled upward, and a flicker of determination flashed in his eyes.

"Nine Heavens Tower, interesting."

A youth in yellow clothes behind him leaned in and whispered, "Senior Brother Chu, the treasures in this tower..."

"Look at the inscription." The dark-robed youth interrupted him, raising a hand to point at the small lines of text at the bottom of the stone tablet.

"The first to fifth floors contain Profound Rank treasures. The sixth to eighth floors contain Earth Rank treasures. The ninth floor contains Heaven Rank treasures."

The yellow-clad youth gasped, his eyes instantly lighting up.

Heaven Rank treasures!

The others behind him also revealed excitement, their gazes turning toward the Nine Heavens Tower, filled with greed and longing.

The dark-robed youth did not look at the tablet again but turned around, his gaze falling on Lu Jinghan and his three companions.

"Are you all here to challenge the tower as well?"

He spoke in a flat voice, devoid of emotion.

Lu Jinghan nodded slightly, remaining silent.

The dark-robed youth scanned the four of them, pausing slightly when he saw Zhou Tianchen, and lingered for a moment on Qin Muchuan and Su Fuguang.

"Golden Core - Late Stage, Golden Core - Middle Stage." His gaze finally landed on Lu Jinghan, and he frowned slightly.

"Early Nascent Soul Stage?"

His tone held a hint of surprise and a touch of scrutiny.

In this Purple Bamboo Forest, which could not be entered by those above the Soul Transformation Stage, an Early Nascent Soul Stage cultivation base was indeed considered top-tier.

No wonder they were able to arrive at the Nine Heavens Tower a step ahead.

The dark-robed youth withdrew his gaze and said no more, turning to lead his group to the gate of the Nine Heavens Tower to begin inspecting it carefully.

Lu Jinghan observed them calmly.

He could roughly perceive the dark-robed youth's cultivation base—Early Nascent Soul Stage, equal to his own.

But the few behind him were at least Golden Core - Late Stage; in the outside world, they would all be considered outstanding figures among the younger generation.

And the flame emblem on their robes—Lu Jinghan recognized it—it was the symbol of the Nanli Dynasty.

"People from the Nanli Dynasty," Lu Jinghan pondered inwardly.

"And to be able to bring so many Golden Core - Late Stage followers, his status must be high; he should be a member of the imperial family."

In his past life, he had dealt with the Nanli Dynasty a few times and knew that this dynasty's foundation was no weaker than Zhouwu's.

However, he did not care. As long as they did not provoke him, he would not stir up trouble.

But if they did not know what was good for them—Lu Jinghan's gaze turned cold, his fingers gently stroking the hilt of his Jinghan Sword.

Just then, footsteps sounded again from the bamboo sea to the east.

This time, there were even more people.

Seven or eight figures filed out from the bamboo forest. The person leading them wore a cyan Daoist robe, held a horsetail whisk, and had a refined face and ethereal temperament, looking somewhat like a transcendent being.

The Cultivators behind him wore robes embroidered with different symbols, clearly not from the same faction.

There were pill-Cultivators from the Medicine King Valley, Sword Cultivators from the Piaomiao Sect, and some Loose Cultivators that Lu Jinghan did not recognize.

The youth in the cyan robe swept his gaze across the Nine Heavens Tower, then looked at the dark-robed youth and Lu Jinghan's group already standing before the tower, his brows knitting slightly.

"It seems we are not the first to arrive." His voice was gentle and carried a hint of a smile, yet it was impossible to discern his true emotions.

A Disciple from the Medicine King Valley behind him hurried forward, stopped before the stone tablet, and examined it carefully.

A moment later, he turned to the cyan-robed youth and said, "Senior Brother Feng, the treasures in this tower..."

"I see them." The cyan-robed youth interrupted him, his gaze falling on the small text on the stone tablet, a glimmer of brilliance flashing in his eyes.

This Nine Heavens Tower was practically a treasure vault.

The cyan-robed youth took a deep breath, suppressing the excitement in his heart, and turned to look at the crowd behind him.

"Everyone, the Nine Heavens Tower is right before us. Let us all challenge the tower together, and let each person rely on their own ability."

Everyone nodded and began to prepare.

Qin Muchuan leaned over to Lu Jinghan and whispered, "Senior Brother, now that these people have all arrived, should we go in first?"

Lu Jinghan shook his head. "No rush, let's observe a bit longer."

His gaze fell upon the Nine Heavens Tower, and he had a faint feeling in his heart—this tower was not that simple.

Sure enough, several more groups of people emerged from the bamboo forest and arrived before the Nine Heavens Tower.

There were descendants of the Xiao Family from the Central Plains, their robes embroidered with the character "Xiao," possessing an extraordinary bearing.

There were monks from the Western Regions' Buddhist sect, wearing grey monk robes, holding prayer beads, their expressions calm.

There were also Disciples from the Penglai Pavilion of the East Sea, wearing water-blue robes, with jade flutes hanging from their waists, their temperaments elegant and airy.

In total, there were actually thirty or forty people.

Among these people, the vast majority were Disciples from various top-tier factions; only a sparse few were Loose Cultivators, mingling in the crowd and appearing out of place.

Everyone was attracted by the Nine Heavens Tower, their gazes sweeping back and forth between the tower body and the stone tablet.

Heaven Rank treasures—these words were enough to make anyone's heart race.

But no one acted rashly. Everyone was watching, sizing things up, and testing the waters.

Until— "Huh!" An exclamation rang out from the crowd, breaking the silence.

"There is actually a record of those who climbed the tower here!"

Everyone's gaze turned simultaneously to the stone tablet. Or more accurately, to a light screen suspended above the stone tablet.

That light screen was originally transparent, blending into the surrounding spiritual mist, making it almost impossible to detect.

It was only just now, when someone released their Divine Sense to probe the stone tablet, that it was accidentally triggered.

The light screen lit up, and a pale golden radiance unfolded in the Void Realm, forming a massive ranking list.

On the list, lines of text were clearly visible.

Lin Hao, Nascent Soul Peak, Eighth Floor, time taken: seven days.

Ye Jue, Late-stage Nascent Soul, Eighth Floor, time taken: fifteen days.

Xiao Xuan, Late-stage Nascent Soul, Eighth Floor, time taken: twenty days.

Sect Master Yun Qingyao, Late-stage Nascent Soul, Eighth Floor, time taken: twenty-three days.

Sect Master Jian Wuji, Nascent Soul Mid Stage, Eighth Floor, time taken: thirty days.

... From top to bottom, nearly a hundred names were densely arranged on the light screen.

Behind every name, the cultivation base, the floor reached, and the time taken were marked.

And those few names at the very top were, without exception, Nascent Soul Peak, yet they had all stopped at the eighth floor.

Not a single person had reached the top. The ninth floor seemed to be an insurmountable chasm of this tower.

"Even those at Nascent Soul Peak could only reach the eighth floor?" Someone gasped, their voice filled with shock.

"This tower... is it that difficult?"