Chapter 230: Return

Chapter 230: Return"Could it be... a contracted beast? Or perhaps something more?"

Apollo, standing nearby, folded his arms and smirked. He had been travelling with Pussy King long enough to know that the annoying cat was anything but ordinary. The thought of what kind of result the Sky Pillar might show intrigued him deeply.

Pussy King sauntered forward, tail swishing lazily as if it were above the petty concerns of mortals. It reached the Sky Pillar and sat down in front of it, licking a paw, not caring for others.

The trialists watched, half-expecting the test result to be ordinary.

The moment Pussy King extended a single paw and placed it delicately on the Sky Pillar, an aura erupted.

First.

Second.

Third.

Instantly, a third glow appeared. It was so fast that it shocked everyone, as it was better than James. But it didn’t stop there.

Fourth.

Fifth.

The lights continued to ignite in rapid succession, each more brilliant than the last. By now, the murmurs had turned into outright exclamations.

"This isn’t normal."

"What is this fucking cat?!"

Sixth Light.

The silvery radiance grew more intense, an almost sacred energy radiating from the Sky Pillar.

Seventh.

The arena fell into complete silence. Trialists stared, their disbelief turning to awe. Even the top-ranked geniuses among them couldn’t help themselves.

Eight.

A wave of power rippled across the arena, its intensity so overwhelming that it forced some of the weaker trialists to step back.

"It’s equal to James now!"

"No—this... This cat might surpass him!"

The Sky Pillar trembled under the strain, bursting with a brighter glow. The crowd erupted into chaos.

Ninth light.

"Did that cat just surpass everyone?!"

"Fuck everyone losing to the fucking cat. Ten thousand geniuses lost to a cat; how can this happen?"

"This is insane—"

The voice broke into a frustrated yell. "How can this even be true?!"

But the Sky Pillar didn’t stop because of the trialist’s shock. The tenth light began to flicker into existence; the silvery aura shifted into something otherworldly, pulsating with ancient energy that seemed to transcend the very layers of the tower.

Yet as it went on, the group of trialists’ minds collapsed as they glowed with the tenth light, which intensified until it reached the eleventh light.

Eleventh light.

The cold mechanical voice echoed once more: "Eleventh Floor."

The silence that followed was deafening. Trialists exchanged wide-eyed glances, their faces a mixture of awe and disbelief as they seemed to be brutally destroyed by a cat.

Pussy King flicked its tail nonchalantly, its expression cool and indifferent. It strode back toward Apollo, who struggled to suppress his amusement.

"Well," Apollo remarked, his voice steady despite the chaos around him, "it looks like you’ve officially ruined a lot of egos today."

The cat paused, tilting its head slightly to glance at him with what could only be described as smug satisfaction. Its eyes seemed to say, ’Who needs their approval when you’re already a legend?’

Apollo chuckled softly, watching the destruction. Pussy King nodded as it after shocking and shattering countless pride calmly sat down. In fact, he was more confused about why Apollo’s talent only showed eight lights; he believed it should be more.

And more he thought was wrong; he felt like some force was interfering, and he immediately knew that he didn’t think much about it; there was a higher force acting on it.

But the shock was overwhelming for everyone; even the leaders and domain lord in the sky were horrified as they understood how amazing the result was.

Expect the mysterious thirteenth floor, eleven, and twelve floors combined wouldn’t have more than two hundred people, and it’s still the accumulation of billions of years of Sky Tower. Yet such talent appeared here, and it was a cat.

They cannot calm down, as they know it is beyond their ability, and someone from the higher floor will definitely come for the cat.

The last few remaining also completed the test, but nobody reached the Pussy King level. However there was still a surprise as another person appeared who reached the eighth floor, and surprisingly, it was the guy Shadow Lord from the Necros continent who had beef with Apollo.

He was proud and looked back at Apollo, as according to him, Apollo also reached the same level.

But such taunt didn’t affect him as much as for him, as they weren’t at the same level at all. After this, the test finally ended, and all ten thousand trialists finally joined the Sky Tower, the supreme transcendent force in the universe and countless dimensions.

Out of tens of thousands, most trialists only managed to join below the third floor. A total of 1,100 reached the fourth floor, around 400 made it to the fifth floor, and approximately 60 advanced to the sixth floor. Only nine participants managed to reach the seventh floor, and finally, just three made it to the eighth floor.

Then there was the shocking exception—Pussy King—who astonishingly reached the eleventh floor.

With that, the selection of the Sky Tower on Rion officially came to an end.

And the domain lord voice rang in everyone’s mind: "You all have two days to do what you want to or meet with your family or loved ones. After that, everyone will teleport back to here and then be sent outside to different parts of the universe, where new challenges await all of you."

The announcement left the trialists in deep contemplation. For many, it marked the beginning of their ascent. For others, it was a reminder of how far they still had to go.

They were all immediately teleported outside the Sky Tower of their respective continents. Then, like a chameleon blending into its surroundings, the sky-piercing tower vanished right before their eyes, leaving everyone stunned and filled with wonder.

Even though they were within the Sky Tower for four months, the number of people outside didn’t decrease much; still, millions of people were gathered there like some festival.

For a moment, the world was still. Then a collective gasp arose from the millions gathered outside, watching the Sky Tower disappear before their eyes. It left behind nothing but an open sky.

As it disappeared, the crowd that was still gathered there quickly tried to find their respective clan members or geniuses.

The vast crowd erupted into a frenzy. Families, clans, and sects scrambled to locate their respective geniuses among the returning trialists. Shouts echoed through the air.

"Where is my son? Did he come out?"

"Where is the prodigy of my azure sect?"

"Where is the prince? He will definitely return triumph."

Apollo stood apart from the chaos, observing the scene with a mix of curiosity and detachment. Beside him, Pussy King yawned, as if utterly unimpressed by the commotion.

Some hugged their comrades with tears of joy, grateful to still have each other. Others stood silently, mourning the absence of those who didn’t make it back.

Master Aaron, Mrs Alyona, and Idris were also standing beside them, looking at all this and sighing, although many survived even though they lost, still most died doing tasks, and many lost their lives in the last battle.

Some moments later, they reunited with their kingdom’s people and the few surviving members of the Rrioweth Kingdom. Though they had lost the battle, these individuals managed to preserve their lives. While the number was small, about eleven or twelve had survived.

As the group from Rrioweth gathered, there was a mix of emotions. Apollo remained at a distance, taking it all in. He had long grown accustomed to the harsh realities of such trials. The weak perished, the strong endured, and the world moved forward, indifferent to the losses.

Apollo glanced at the horizon, his mind already calculating the next steps. The journey was far from over.

The respective geniuses from various forces quickly reunited with their clans and factions. Representatives from powerful forces, upon learning the general situation, wasted no time in extending olive branches to the standout geniuses from weaker or smaller factions, hoping to recruit them into their ranks.

Apollo and his group received the most invitations, as they were the most audacious and eye-catching among all the geniuses, with both Pussy King and Apollo in the same team.

"Young Master Apollo," an elegant woman clad in shimmering robes approached with a deep bow, the insignia of the Starfire Pavilion gleaming on her chest. "Our Pavilion Master would be honoured to extend you an invitation. Name your price—wealth, resources, techniques—we will provide anything you desire!"

Before Apollo could respond, another voice interjected.

"Nonsense! The Golden Dragon Sect has no equal. Young Master Apollo, join us, and you’ll have access to our legendary Dragon Ascension Technique. It is the path to unparalleled power!"

Even smaller factions and rogue cultivator alliances clamoured for attention.

Meanwhile, invitations directed toward Pussy King were no less extravagant, as nobody would now be an idiot to think that a cat is something ordinary, though the cat seemed utterly unimpressed.