Huang Yi’s plan was to try his luck at the Tower of Pantheons while also grinding some levels; right now, he had just learned two powerful skills, and his inventory was loaded with equipment that he hadn’t yet met the requirements to wear. Additionally, when he reached level 20, he would be eligible for another evolution... Everything he needed to do required leveling up!
Along the way, Huang Yi asked several players for directions and finally arrived at the Teleport Plaza of Thornbush City.
The Teleport Plaza in Thornbush City was as big as a soccer field, filled with countless players teleporting in from other places and teleporting out to different destinations. However, most people were planning to go to the Tower of Pantheons, and the plaza was abuzz with conversations about it.
"I hope I get lucky today. If I can snag some Blue Gear, I’ll treat you to a drink at the Moonlight Tavern!"
"Then I probably won’t get to drink! The drop rate is too low, I’ve been fighting for over a week, and haven’t got a single piece of Blue Gear."
"You’re level 30 now; why are you still trying the 15th level? How could the drop rate be high?"
"Can’t help it, any higher and I can’t beat it."
...
Listening to the conversations of the crowd around him, Huang Yi gained a deeper understanding of the Tower of Pantheons; it seemed that its difficulty was so high that most people could only manage levels that were more than ten levels below their own. Huang Yi was currently level 19, so according to this standard, he could probably only handle the 5th stage.
As Huang Yi stepped onto the Teleportation Circle, the system immediately issued a prompt: there were more than fifty cities that could be reached from Thornbush City, but the only city Huang Yi could teleport to was Hedun City, as that was where his mother had given birth to him, and he had activated that city’s teleportation circle.
Besides that, Huang Yi could only teleport to the Tower of Pantheons.
[System Prompt]: Please select the stage of Tower of Pantheons you wish to teleport to.
Huang Yi chose the 6th Stage!
[System Prompt]: Please select the room size for the 6th Stage of the Tower of Pantheons.
Huang Yi chose single occupancy.
The next moment, his consciousness flickered, and after a change of scenery, he was transported to another place.
This place looked like a sky garden, with Huang Yi now standing on a railing at the edge of the area; beyond the railing was an endless sea of clouds, its height unknown. Inside the garden, countless gardeners were busily watering and fertilizing the plants, creating a scene of bustling activity.
"Who’s there! How dare you intrude into the Pantheon Garden!" A gardener noticed Huang Yi’s arrival and immediately hollered, hoisting his hoe and charging forward, while the other gardeners also noticed the uninvited guest and, with tools in hand, rushed toward Huang Yi, intent on giving him a fight.
These gardeners were undoubtedly humanoid monsters in the secret realm, with levels ranging from 6 to 16. Huang Yi stepped forward, swung his fists, and sent the lead gardener flying, knocking down a swath of enemies.
The attack allowed Huang Yi to feel a golden glow enveloping his body, and he sensed a surge in strength. It seemed that this was the gathered Rage Value he had accumulated; if not used immediately, it could increase his attack speed and attack power!
Huang Yi quickly plunged into the group of gardeners, raining down punches like a storm, voraciously drawing in Rage Value. The golden aura around him brightened with each hit until he was shining like gold, having accumulated Rage Value to its peak.
"Judgment!" Then, Huang Yi activated his level 15 Class Skill, and the golden radiance transformed into a strange power that surged into his body. He spread his arms wide, the fierce spikes of his Gauntlets aimed outward as his body spun rapidly, the gardeners surrounding him were cut by the spiked Gauntlets, suffering massive damage.
After five seconds, the gardeners all lay defeated, converted into Experience Points for Huang Yi.
The monsters here were about twice as strong as those of the same level outside, but the Experience Points and drop rate were also twice as much. Now at level 19, defeating monsters more than ten levels below him would typically yield little Experience and drop rate, but in this place, he still managed to gain some Experience and even looted some coins.
"These Gauntlets still aren’t doing the trick, huh!" Huang Yi frowned at his Gauntlets and sighed. The advantage of this type of weapon was its Agility; fitting snugly over the fists, it could be used as an extension of the body. However, its downside was quite evident—the Attack Range was very small. With Huang Yi’s "Judgment" skill, the area affected by the spinning Gauntlets was just a small range around him. If he had been using a sword or a club, the Whirlwind Slash’s radius would have been much larger, significantly improving his efficiency in killing monsters.
However, once he reached level 20, Huang Yi would be able to wield the Wolf Fang Club dropped by the Guard Captain of Wind Forest Stronghold, a level 20 Blue Gear weapon! At present, only the more advanced players possessed Blue Weapons, and equipping it would elevate Huang Yi’s power by several notches. His Experience Points were now at level 19, 90%, and he would level up soon.
Without delay, Huang Yi continued to charge deeper into the garden, the gardeners on his path proving no obstacle and quickly turning into his Experience Points.
There were a total of five Leader-level Bosses in the garden, none of which were very high level or particularly strong. To others, these Bosses might have posed a severe threat, but to Huang Yi, who was a holder of the strongest Rare Class and Rare Race, they were somewhat underwhelming. Apart from the fifth Boss, Huang Yi didn’t have much trouble and cleared them in about half an hour.
At the end of the garden was a staircase leading to the next level, and Huang Yi walked straight up to the 7th Stage of the Tower of Pantheons!
The 7th Stage was just like the 6th Stage, another similar garden, with each pool, each gardener in the same position, only the gardeners’ levels had increased by one, ranging from 7 to 17. However, their power had increased significantly, and Huang Yi found them somewhat more challenging to conquer.
He fought his way to the fifth Boss, and finally, Huang Yi had to stop; the last Leader was too formidable, and he didn’t have the strength to defeat it.
But by then, his Experience Points had reached 19, 99%—almost at the point of leveling up!
He picked a small group of monsters to grind for levels, gaining that last 1% of Experience Points, and suddenly a warm current coursed through his body, pushing him up to level 20!
[System Prompt]: Congratulations on reaching level 20! As a Rare Species Beast King, you are now eligible for an evolution. This evolution allows you to become one of the hundred Common Races of The Second World. The evolution requires a Crystal from the corresponding race to absorb the Essence of Life and understand the unique strengths and Talents of that race.