At Jade Hollow Plains, the Conduit Tower hummed with activity as more challengers poured in and out of it.
Many gave up after clearing Floor 1, but there were also a few who'd either fail or die at both floors.
With Yu Qingyan's promotion about the effectiveness of the [Emergency Escape Talisman], those with enough spirit stones or who were just afraid to fail and die within the tower purchased one from Yu Qingyan's stocks.
She didn't have a lot of them since Lin Mo had put a restriction on products priced 10 high-grade spirit stones and above. The talisman was valuable, but given most sects would produce similar products for their outstanding disciples or descendants, she didn't ask for a lot of it when filling her Distributor Inventory the other day.
Less than an hour after her exit from the tower, the [Emergency Escape Talismans] were sold out and she began promoting the one they could buy through the Store Beacon and how they could convert their spirit stones to Dimension Essence to be used as currency for it.
At the moment, Yu Qingyan was standing among the Verdant Sky Pavilion disciples, or rather, her caravan's stall that she moved from the city to the vicinity of the Conduit Tower, enticing the challengers to buy her Divine Convenience Store wares before attempting it.
Beside her, Little Spring and the Faguang resident, Qianmeng, stood by her side, listening to her.
"That Shopkeeper. What is keeping him so busy? He has yet to reply to my message!" She growled, her voice carrying a hint of impatience.
The two girls beside her snickered softly as they knew why she's pissed. It's not entirely because of the Shopkeeper's lack of reply. Instead, it's because she found out that there's a 3-day cooldown before she can challenge the Tower again.
That information had been posted by Zhou Rui when he steeled himself to attempt the second floor.
With the number of challengers exiting the tower reaching the double digits, more information about it had been compared and compiled.
1. The challenge and rewards scaled differently for each challenger.
That's why Yan Wei, Zhou Rui and even Little Spring finished Floor 1 even though Yu Qingyan fought a strong creature with late Foundation Establishment Stage strength.
2. The three-day cooldown to challenge the tower when one chooses to end after completing a floor.
Because of that rule, Xue Biyu, Chu Yueying and other challengers who couldn't enter again had already left, bowing to return three days later and climbing higher. Chu Yueying, in particular, issued a challenge to Yu Qingyan. The stakes? The right to pursue Shopkeeper, which the Crimson Vale Elder independently decided. Even Yu Qingyan couldn't take her seriously, but the thought made her flustered.
3. The chest rewards. Everyone confirmed that it contained valuable items or manuals fit for the Challenger.
Although Yu Qingyan had yet to cultivate the technique scrolls she received from the green chests, they were all suitable for her cultivation. Just the [Verdant Whisper] alone could enhance most of her techniques.
"Senior Yu, maybe the Shopkeeper is swamped with his duty in the store. I heard Fanling City's practically bursting since the tower news spread. Everyone's probably clamoring for Viewing Jades and talismans." Qianmeng carefully answered after reeling in her giggles.
Little Spring gave her a thumbs up for that.
Yu Qingyan released a sigh as she relaxed her posture. What kind of example was she showing the younger generation?
"You're right. He must be busy. No. That store will never know peace during the day." She gently patted the young cultivator's head. "Alright. Qianmeng, if you're still determined to challenge the tower. Stick to the first floor and use your talismans wisely, especially the sticker seal. If you feel like you won't be able to take down the waves of foreign creatures or the Floor Guardian, focus on surviving for half an hour."
Qianmeng nodded, her hands trembling slightly but her eyes firm. "Yes, Senior Yu. I'll make Faguang proud."
Little Spring beamed, clutching her Green Chest rewards. A [Lesser Wood Orb] and a [Swift Step Manual]. "Elder Yu, Floor 1 wasn't too bad with the store item's help, but it's really not for someone careless."
Qianmeng nodded again, her determination doubling.
She waited for another ten minutes and five more challengers exiting the tower before approaching it.
After touching the door and acknowledging the invitation to challenge the tower, her figure disappeared and the panel updated.
[Active Challengers: 58]
[Highest Floor Cleared; 2]
Unlike the other challengers, Jiang Jianxin, the Cerulean Cloud Sword Sect
Sword Fairy took a different approach to her challenges.
The moment she saw that she could clear the floor by surviving for thirty minutes, she used that to hone her newly comprehended [Silent Moon Swordplay], treating it as a training ground rather than a trial ground.
On Floor 1, she allocated more than five minutes for each wave before moving on. And when she came face to face with the Floor Guardian, she took her time until the last ten seconds before clearing the challenge by killing the Tendril Warden.
On Floor 2, she adopted a similar strategy as she danced through the waves of Crystal Reavers and Enforcers.
The [Silent Moon Swordplay] added another edge to her sword techniques. With her Sword Will and [Flying Sword Technique] allowing her to control more than one sword, she carefully applied the new technique to her arsenal.
Each strike of her sword became a crescent arc of silver that cleaved through crystalline armor with surgical precision.
And with Jiang Jianxin's focus not on speed or conquest but on refinement, every clash with the tower's foreign creatures sharpened her blade, her Sword Will growing keener with each passing minute.
By the time the Crystal Flailmaster emerged as the Floor 2 Guardian, Jiang Jianxin had only ever used Energy Replenishing Candy to keep her spiritual energy at its peak state.
And when fighting the guardian, she precisely carved the body of the crystalline creature bit by bit until it became thinner and its core exposed.
She didn't rush to engage. For fifteen minutes, she evaded, parried, and chipped her opponent away, her swordplay a quiet symphony against the Flailmaster's thunderous roars.
Only in the final moments did she strike decisively. All six swords controlled by her Sword Will stabbed through the guardian's core, shattering it into multiple pieces, making her comprehension of the [Silent Moon Swordplay] progress to a higher percentage.
[Challenger: Jiang Jianxin – Peak Foundation Establishment Stage]
[Time Remaining: 0:08]
[Rewards: 2 Green Chests, Access to Floor 3, 700 Dimension Essence]
[Total Dimension Essence: 2710]
Jiang Jianxin sheathed her swords, her expression calm as the Green Chests materialized before her.
She opened them without haste, revealing a golden whetstone that could add sharpness to her blades and a few Dimension Essences on one chest. The other one yielded a single scroll of a defensive sword formation, which was something she had to comprehend before using.
She stored both in her pouch, her lips curving faintly.
When prompted to pick either to continue to the next floor or not, she hesitated. She believed the last hour had been fruitful and she needed to consolidate her gained insights. But the thought of the upcoming expedition tugged at her to try one more floor.
Since the Floor 2 Guardian radiated peak Foundation Establishment Stage strength, it would be safe to assume that the next one could be an early Core Formation. It would definitely be an extremely challenging foe for her. One that could push her to her limits.
Sword Fairy eyed her current Dimension Essences and the essential store product to evade danger.
After contemplating for a minute. Her fingertip touched the [Y] option, and she began climbing the steps.
Outside the tower, a commotion started as the first challenger of Floor 3 was recorded.