The Cultivation Opportunity of the Three Step Tower

Pearl Institute, top floor of the library.

Dean Xiao stood before the window with his hands behind his back, taking in the full view of Green Campus. His slightly stooped figure carried a trace of loneliness and worry.

"Your Contract Beast should be a young dragon, shouldn't it?"

Dean Xiao suddenly spoke.

A flicker of surprise passed through Li Xingze's eyes. He had thought no one had noticed, yet Dean Xiao had still seen through it.

But it did not matter. He had never intended to hide the Abyssal Dragon anyway.

"That's right," Li Xingze said with a nod.

After receiving Li Xingze's confirmation, Dean Xiao slowly turned around and fixed his gaze on him.

"This young dragon possesses an extremely high Bloodline, perhaps even close to that of a True Dragon. How did an Intermediate-Level Mage like you obtain it?"

In that brief instant, Dean Xiao had only been able to sense that the dragon's Bloodline was exceptionally high; he could not determine whether it was truly a True Dragon.

Unless Li Xingze summoned it again, but Dean Xiao was clearly not that sort of person.

"An Old Taoist gave it to me," Li Xingze said.

He had used the same excuse a hundred times. Even if that Old Taoist had never existed, he might as well have become real by now.

"An Old Taoist?"

Dean Xiao did not immediately doubt him. There truly were many reclusive experts in the country, such as the Old Taoist of Mount Hua.

"Never mind. Everyone has their secrets, so I will not pry any further."

"Let's discuss the resources you won in the Beast Arena Competition instead. The combined resources from the entire academy are no small amount, but since some were donated by students who have already graduated, I can only give you the academy's portion."

Li Xingze nodded and got straight to the point. "Compared to those resources, I would rather have one opportunity to cultivate in the Three Step Tower."

"The Three Step Tower?"

Dean Xiao paused in surprise, then revealed an expression of "just as I expected."

How could someone who had raised a Summoned Beast to the level of a mid-tier General-Level creature at nineteen possibly lack resources?

"So you participated in the Beast Arena Competition solely for the Three Step Tower?" Dean Xiao asked.

"That's right." Li Xingze nodded.

The Three Step Tower was one of the country's few sacred cultivation grounds, capable of allowing him to reach the Advanced Level more quickly. That was also an important reason why he had enrolled at Pearl Institute.

Ancient Capital Academy had the Wild Goose Pagoda, and Imperial Capital Academy likely had some kind of cultivation treasure ground as well, but neither could compare to the Three Step Tower.

"By the rules, only students from Main Campus may enter the Three Step Tower. Green Campus students are not qualified to cultivate there."

Dean Xiao deliberately drew out his words, as though teasing Li Xingze.

Li Xingze quietly watched Dean Xiao perform. He did not believe Dean Xiao would refuse to help him with this.

"However, your performance this time was indeed quite good, so I'll reluctantly help you apply for an opportunity to cultivate in the Three Step Tower."

Li Xingze rolled his eyes. Dean Xiao really was full of theatrics.

"As for Summoning Element resources, Beast General Spirit Blood is highly useful for servant-level Summoned Beasts. But your Summoned Beast has already reached the General-Level, so it naturally has no use for it."

Dean Xiao sat down in his chair and continued looking at Li Xingze as he spoke.

Li Xingze's Summoned Beast had already reached the mid-tier General-Level, and its Bloodline was exceptionally high. It had no need at all for trash like Beast General Spirit Blood, much less his Contract Beast.

"I only want to cultivate in the Three Step Tower. Those resources hold no appeal for me. Dean Xiao can arrange them however he likes," Li Xingze suddenly said.

"You don't want any magic equipment either?"

Even Dean Xiao was taken aback. This was the first time he had encountered a student who actively refused resources.

"If Dean Xiao is willing to convert them into cash, I wouldn't refuse."

These low-grade magic tools were simply too useless to Li Xingze.

Low-grade Demon Slayer Tools were far inferior to the Alchemical Weapon Jealousy. With the Wind Element and Instant Shift, he had no need for Demon-Equipped Boots to improve his speed for the time being.

In short, these low-grade magic tools were beneath Li Xingze's notice.

"Convert them into cash?" Dean Xiao's mouth twitched. This was the first time a student had come to him asking for a cash conversion.

Even if those magic tools were useless to you, you could sell them yourself afterward. Yet you came to the dean asking for cash? What a brat!

"Forget about converting them into cash. I'll combine the magic equipment and prize money, then give you two extra days in the Three Step Tower."

Naturally, Dean Xiao would not agree to convert them into cash, so this was the only arrangement he could make.

Li Xingze was extraordinarily talented and possessed a Contract Beast suspected to be a True Dragon. His future achievements would certainly not be low, making him worth helping appropriately.

"Deal." Li Xingze agreed immediately.

If money could be exchanged for cultivation time in the Three Step Tower, Li Xingze would have handed over all his funds without hesitation.

Money was merely an external possession. Only strength truly mattered.

Since Li Xingze did not want the magic equipment or prize money, those resources were distributed among the academy's new students instead.

News that Li Xingze had voluntarily given up the resources rapidly spread across the campus network. In just a few days, Li Xingze's reputation completely turned around, and some girls had even created a fan club for him.

"Who was pulling the strings behind this, Dean Xiao?" Li Xingze felt somewhat puzzled.

Although being admired by so many people felt pretty good, some of the crazed fans made Li Xingze scramble to avoid them.

Just then, a text message arrived on his phone. It was from Lingling.

Li Xingze glanced at it. The only reason Lingling would contact him proactively was that a commission had come in.

"A young married woman?"

After reading the message, Li Xingze immediately recalled that this seemed to involve a parasitic demon.

"This is the place."

Outside Room 102 on the eighteenth floor of Jin Yu Pavilion, Lingling said while holding her tablet.

"Lingling, step back. I'll break the door open," Li Xingze told her.

After a year of spending time together, Lingling and Li Xingze had developed quite a tacit understanding. She obediently retreated to the corridor on the other side.

Li Xingze stepped forward, gripped the doorknob, and unleashed a terrifying force of lightning. The lightning coursed wildly through the door via the handle.

Crackling currents rang out as the sturdy door was blasted open with a hole neither too large nor too small. With a gentle push, it swung open.

The sound of electricity piercing through the door alerted the Molting Banshee inside. As if sensing danger, she could only abandon the woman she was about to continue parasitizing and crawled toward the door with strange shrieks.

A monster covered in scales crawled out from the inner room. Lingling poked her little head out from behind Li Xingze and watched the demon curiously.

"So it's a parasitic-type demon."

"It looks like she's been parasitizing someone for quite a while. This is a bit troublesome."

Li Xingze frowned slightly. He could not be sure whether the person inside was still alive, so he did not attack immediately.

"Hisss—!!!"

The Molting Banshee let out a piercing shriek, her sharp claws scraping against the tiles with a grating sound.

The Molting Banshee cautiously crawled forward two steps. After seeming to realize that Li Xingze was not someone to be trifled with, she actually turned around and prepared to flee through the window.

"You think you can still escape right under my nose?"

As he spoke, the Golden Thunder in Li Xingze's hand raged wildly across the floor, gradually transforming into a Golden Serpent.

Lightning Seal - Wild Strike!

The Golden Serpent shot to the Molting Banshee's side in an instant and, with a sharp smack, sent her flying into the wall.

That single lash knocked countless pitch-black scales from the Molting Banshee. With those scales gone, Li Xingze could faintly see the woman's skin beneath.

He could not let this demon escape. Parasitic demons found it easiest to evolve—the stronger and more numerous the creatures they parasitized, the stronger they became!

If she got away, who knew how many people would suffer misfortune.

Mercy toward demons was cruelty toward humans.