Outside the Desolate Heaven Tower.
No one knew what was happening inside the Desolate Heaven Tower.
Even Sect Master Yuan Wentian, who possessed a small degree of authority over the Desolate Heaven Tower, had no idea what exactly was happening within.
They could only gauge Jiang Hao's progress in challenging the Desolate Heaven Tower by the lights shining from within it.
Zhao Heita, in particular, was extremely nervous.
This was the only Inner Gate Recommendation Slot he had left.
If Jiang Hao failed to clear the Ninth Floor of the Desolate Heaven Tower, Zhao Heita's branch would likely lose all hope of returning to the Huangtian Sect.
Zhao Heita had practically wagered everything on Jiang Hao.
Time passed little by little.
"Buzz."
The Second Floor of the Desolate Heaven Tower lit up.
Zhao Heita's eyes brightened.
"He cleared the first floor!"
Zhao Heita relaxed slightly.
It seemed the beginning had gone fairly smoothly.
However, those Huangtian Sect Outer Gate disciples vaguely sensed that something was different.
"It's only natural that Jiang Hao cleared the first floor of the Desolate Heaven Tower. If he didn't even have that much strength, what would he be doing challenging it?"
"Still, wasn't Jiang Hao a little too fast in clearing the first floor?"
"Fast? Let's keep watching. It's only the first floor."
The first floor of the Desolate Heaven Tower could not prove anything.
Then came the second floor, the third floor.
"Buzz."
Finally, the fourth floor lit up as well.
This immediately caused an uproar among the crowd.
"He reached the fourth floor?"
"Actually, Jiang Hao's speed isn't particularly fast—it's steady and unremarkable. But it's too stable. Look at the first three floors. Didn't he spend almost the same amount of time on each?"
"They were indeed about the same. That means Jiang Hao possesses absolutely overwhelming strength and can clear each floor steadily, which is why the time he spends on every floor is similar."
"Wasn't Senior Brother Mo Xuan the last one to reach the fourth floor of the Desolate Heaven Tower?"
"That's right, it was Senior Brother Mo Xuan. But Senior Brother Mo Xuan challenged the Desolate Heaven Tower with Transforming Force cultivation and still stopped at the fourth floor."
"Even though Senior Brother Mo Xuan stopped at the fourth floor, he is now the Huangtian Sect's foremost True Disciple and has a great chance of Entering Dao!"
At the mention of Mo Xuan, many Huangtian Sect disciples revealed looks of reverence and envy.
Yet after Mo Xuan, Jiang Hao had also reached the fourth floor of the Desolate Heaven Tower.
However, Jiang Hao and Mo Xuan were ultimately different.
Mo Xuan had challenged the Desolate Heaven Tower with Transforming Force cultivation after becoming a Huangtian Sect Inner Disciple.
This was also one of the "benefits" of being an Inner Disciple.
Even if Mo Xuan failed the Desolate Heaven Tower challenge, he would still remain a Huangtian Sect Inner Disciple.
But if Jiang Hao failed to clear the Ninth Floor of the Desolate Heaven Tower, he would not be able to stay in the Huangtian Sect and would not even qualify for the Outer Gate.
Everyone's eyes fell upon the fourth floor of the Desolate Heaven Tower.
Once Jiang Hao cleared it, he would surpass Mo Xuan and go farther than him!
But could he clear the fourth floor of the Desolate Heaven Tower?
Time continued to pass.
"Whoosh."
Without any surprise, the fifth floor of the Desolate Heaven Tower lit up.
At once, an uproar erupted outside the Desolate Heaven Tower.
"It lit up! The fifth floor lit up! That means Jiang Hao has cleared the fourth floor of the Desolate Heaven Tower!"
"This is... unbelievable! Jiang Hao actually surpassed Senior Brother Mo Xuan?"
"Throughout the history of our Huangtian Sect, anyone who challenged the Desolate Heaven Tower and performed well, so long as they did not fall midway, ultimately achieved great things. More than thirty percent entered Dao!"
"Entering Dao..."
Many Outer Gate disciples sighed with emotion.
Whether Outer Gate, Inner Gate, or even True Disciples, it was all the same.
Their goal was to Enter Dao.
Challenging the Desolate Heaven Tower represented potential to some extent.
In particular, more than thirty percent of martial artists who cleared the first three floors of the Desolate Heaven Tower ultimately managed to Enter Dao.
That was an incredibly terrifying proportion.
Some Inner Disciples, however, began to feel doubtful.
Could challenging the Desolate Heaven Tower at Ming Jin cultivation be somewhat easier?
After all, they had all challenged the Desolate Heaven Tower themselves.
Challenging the Desolate Heaven Tower with Transforming Force cultivation was simply too difficult.
Among the Inner Gate, Mo Xuan was the most recent person to have cleared the first three floors of the Desolate Heaven Tower.
Yet these Inner Disciples soon stopped doubting.
The sixth floor, seventh floor, eighth floor, ninth floor!
Jiang Hao's performance was exceptionally stable.
He took nearly the same amount of time to clear every floor.
Then, in this orderly manner, he made his way all the way to the Ninth Floor.
As they watched the Ninth Floor of the Desolate Heaven Tower light up—
Everyone fell silent.
Doubt?
Lower difficulty?
Before the Ninth Floor of the Desolate Heaven Tower, such notions were utterly powerless.
And Jiang Hao's arrival at the Ninth Floor of the Desolate Heaven Tower even alarmed many elders who had been cultivating in seclusion.
Terrifying gazes seemed to pierce through the void and descend upon the Desolate Heaven Tower.
Some of those gazes even contained traces of Dao Charm.
Dao Charm!
That was the mark of Entering Dao!
On the Ninth Floor of the Desolate Heaven Tower, Jiang Hao had already alarmed experts who had Entered Dao!
Yet inside the Desolate Heaven Tower, Jiang Hao knew nothing of the outside world.
He had arrived on the Ninth Floor of the Desolate Heaven Tower.
But he was not particularly excited.
Because he had already obtained eight drops of Blood of Origin.
Yet there had still been no substantial change within his body.
The Tower Spirit watched Jiang Hao.
Its emotions were somewhat complicated.
Though the Tower Spirit was an artifact spirit, it could actually be considered a spirit-type lifeform.
It had emotions as well.
The Tower Spirit was greatly shocked that Jiang Hao had climbed step by step to the Ninth Floor of the Desolate Heaven Tower.
But at the same time, Jiang Hao had consumed eight drops of Blood of Origin and still failed to awaken his Bloodline.
That was simply... too poor.
Perhaps Jiang Hao did not possess a powerful Bloodline at all.
The Blood of Origin had been wasted for nothing.
"What is the ninth floor's trial?"
Jiang Hao was rather impatient.
As long as he cleared the ninth floor, he could become a Huangtian Sect Inner Disciple.
"The ninth floor's trial... is yourself."
"Myself?"
Jiang Hao froze slightly.
What did that mean?
The Tower Spirit did not explain. It simply waved its hand.
The next moment, a figure condensed before the Tower Spirit.
The figure was somewhat illusory and clearly unreal.
Yet its appearance and the aura radiating from it were exactly the same as Jiang Hao's.
It seemed to be a replica of Jiang Hao.
"The Desolate Heaven Tower has temporarily condensed this phantom body based on your circumstances. It possesses the same power as you and the same realm in fist techniques."
"You must defeat the phantom body to clear the Ninth Floor of the Desolate Heaven Tower."
Jiang Hao looked at the "phantom body" before him and found it rather wondrous.
It was as though he were looking into a mirror.
"Whoosh."
Jiang Hao made his move.
He struck first, unleashing the Fierce Tiger Fist.
Moreover, he used Seven Forces Unification, going all out without holding back in the slightest.
Yet the phantom body opposite him did the same, also unleashing Seven Forces Unification.
Even the Tiger Demon Form Jiang Hao had comprehended was exactly identical.
"Boom!"
Jiang Hao and the phantom body collided head-on with a vicious blow.
Jiang Hao's entire body shuddered.
The opponent's strength was not the slightest bit weaker than his.
Even its combat techniques were identical.
"It really is completely identical!"
Jiang Hao was both shocked and furious.
The Desolate Heaven Tower could replicate him perfectly.
What a terrifying method was that?
"Again."
Jiang Hao continued charging at the phantom body.
In an instant, the two had exchanged dozens of blows.
Yet neither could gain the upper hand.
However, the more the Tower Spirit watched, the more alarmed it became.
"Jiang Hao's combat power actually exceeds an astonishing 1,700? This is absurd. A Ming Jin Martial Artist who has not even reached the peak of Ming Jin has combat power exceeding 1,700..."
"On the previous eight floors, Jiang Hao never displayed his full strength. If not for the phantom body's special nature, it probably would not have been able to force out all of Jiang Hao's power."
"Moreover, Jiang Hao has already achieved Seven Forces Unification. He has cultivated at least seven top-tier Ming Jin Techniques and purified seventy percent of his Blood Qi..."
The Tower Spirit had to admit that Jiang Hao was the strongest Ming Jin Martial Artist it had ever seen.
It was truly outrageous.
Even with all its knowledge and experience, it had never imagined that a Ming Jin Martial Artist could become this powerful.
Unless they had awakened their Bloodline.
Relying on Bloodline Power, they could unleash astonishing strength through an explosive Bloodline eruption.
The key was that Jiang Hao had not awakened his Bloodline.
However, the phantom body on the Ninth Floor of the Desolate Heaven Tower was extremely troublesome.
It often tested one's wisdom.
Jiang Hao battled the phantom body for the time it took to drink a cup of tea. He exhausted every method, yet still could do nothing to it.
If this continued, Jiang Hao would likely be unable to clear the Ninth Floor of the Desolate Heaven Tower.
"The phantom body is exactly the same as me, practically my replica. But can it really replicate every one of my abilities?"
"Comprehension—this is something you cannot replicate!"
Jiang Hao thought of a solution.
He recalled the opponent he had encountered on the sixth floor of the Desolate Heaven Tower.
The opponent was named Shadow.
His Movement Technique was elusive, appearing and vanishing like a ghost.
Jiang Hao had never practiced a Movement Technique.
But that did not mean he could not learn one.
Now, Jiang Hao relied on his terrifying Comprehension to temporarily study Shadow's Movement Technique.
Jiang Hao did not even need to master it deeply.
Getting started would be enough.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
Only a dozen or so seconds passed.
In a flash of inspiration, Jiang Hao sprang forward.
"Whoosh."
Jiang Hao actually brushed past the phantom's side, causing its full-force strike to miss.
With just that tiny difference, Jiang Hao reached the phantom's back and threw a punch infused with Seven Forces Unification.
"Bang."
The phantom was instantly blasted apart.
Jiang Hao had won!
"What? You learned Shadow's Movement Technique from the sixth level?"
The Tower Spirit's eyes widened, as though it could hardly believe it.
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