The next morning, Lan Yu came to Dean Xiao's office.
"Come in."
After he knocked and heard Dean Xiao's voice from inside, Lan Yu pushed open the door and entered.
When Dean Xiao saw that it was Lan Yu, a kindly smile immediately spread across his face.
"Not bad. Take a seat." Dean Xiao gestured for Lan Yu to sit down, his eyes full of approval.
Lan Yu didn't hesitate. He sat directly on the leather sofa beside him.
"Is there something you wanted to see me about?" Dean Xiao asked.
"Dean Xiao, I'd like to enter the Three-Step Tower to cultivate," Lan Yu said bluntly.
Hearing this, Dean Xiao looked a little surprised, then quickly understood. "It seems you're ready. I'll submit the application for you now. You should be able to enter the Three-Step Tower to cultivate this afternoon."
"Thank you, Dean." Lan Yu nodded.
Breaking through to the Advanced Level inside the Three-Step Tower would undoubtedly benefit him greatly.
Dean Xiao laughed heartily. "You earned this yourself, so there's no need to thank me. Besides, you've made such a great contribution by helping the Judgment Court root out the Black Vatican members hidden in Magic City. By rights, the school should reward you as well..."
"Coincidentally, I have a Concentration Bracelet here. You can have it."
As he spoke, Dean Xiao swept his hand, and a bracelet that looked no different from ordinary jade appeared on his desk.
Lan Yu immediately stood up, walked over to the desk, and picked up the bracelet.
It felt warm and smooth in his hand, and its fine craftsmanship made him want to roll it around in his palm.
"Having you look after that child, Yu Mian, puts Old Fu and me at ease," Dean Xiao added.
"Remember to go straight to the Pearl Mage Tower after you break through. I've already spoken to Guo Liyu, the Awakening Master there."
"So the dean had already figured it out," Lan Yu said.
That made sense. In front of a three-element Forbidden Curse expert, it was no surprise that his little bit of cultivation could be seen through.
Dean Xiao smiled and said, "I'll let you know once everything's arranged."
"Mm." Lan Yu nodded. "Dean, I'll be going, then."
The smile never left Dean Xiao's face. Even after Lan Yu had left, he still wore that same kindly expression.
"The younger generation is formidable..."
After leaving the dean's office, Lan Yu went to wait for Dean Xiao's good news.
After lunch, Lan Yu had planned to return to his apartment for a nap, but Dean Xiao's good news had already arrived.
The Three-Step Tower was located on Main Campus. It was one of the important resources the upperclassmen there constantly competed for, and one of the reasons Pearl Academy ranked as the nation's second-best institution.
The Three-Step Tower took the form of an equilateral triangular prism, and from the outside, it looked as if it were made of some kind of silver metal.
It stood in the middle of Main Campus, particularly eye-catching.
"Dean." The two men guarding the Three-Step Tower's entrance greeted Dean Xiao respectfully when they saw him.
"I've already had someone show you his authorization. You two can escort this student inside," Dean Xiao said.
One of the guards led Lan Yu into the Three-Step Tower, while the upperclassman also explained its general layout to him.
It wasn't until they reached the stairs that the upperclassman left.
Looking at the steps, Lan Yu went straight up.
He continued until he reached the equilateral triangular platform on the first floor, which was about the size of a basketball court. Aside from feeling his magic energy being consumed, he didn't feel much discomfort mentally.
The first-floor platform offered a cultivation speed twenty times faster than normal. Lan Yu promptly began meditating there, adjusting his state so he could charge for the second floor.
He had only one Nebula Magic Tool, which Ding Yumian had given him.
Apparently, it had been Dean Fu's twentieth-birthday gift to Ding Yumian.
When Ding Yumian learned that Lan Yu planned to use the Three-Step Tower to attempt a breakthrough to the Advanced Level, she gave him the Nebula Magic Tool.
The Nebula Magic Tool itself tripled his cultivation speed. Multiplied by the first floor's rate, that meant cultivation at sixty times the normal speed.
But Lan Yu wouldn't settle for the tiny first floor. He began charging toward the second.
The pressure while charging for the second floor was a little greater than on the first, but Lan Yu still made it up in one go.
Now, his Light Element nebula's cultivation speed had reached a hundred and twenty times the normal rate.
He took the Nine-Grade Purple Ganoderma out of his Summoning Element's storage space. Without the slightest hesitation, Lan Yu put it in his mouth, chewed it up, and swallowed it.
The next second, a peculiar energy began to flow from his abdomen through every part of his body.
Nourished by this energy, Lan Yu's cultivation aptitude improved beyond its original level, while his constitution was also slowly enhanced.
Lan Yu could feel fine cracks appearing in the barrier around his Light Element nebula.
The Nine-Grade Purple Ganoderma might not have been an immortal treasure, but it could strengthen one's foundation, nourish one's vitality, and increase one's power.
After cultivating on the second platform for two whole days, his Light Element barrier was covered in countless cracks, and he had completely refined the Nine-Grade Purple Ganoderma.
However, most of its medicinal power had been absorbed by his body.
"Good. Time to charge for the third floor!"
After adjusting his state, Lan Yu began charging for the third floor.
He would either break through to the Advanced Level or die trying!
His time in the Three-Step Tower was limited. He had already used up three days, leaving him four.
Four days would be more than enough for him to break through to the Advanced Level.
What's more, the cultivation speed on each level of the Three-Step Tower gradually diminished.
Although using the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum on the second floor could help him break through to the Advanced Level in the Light Element in one go, Lan Yu felt the gains would be too small.
With each step up, the pressure increased. It was especially intense mentally.
Gritting his teeth, he continued upward.
Fortunately, his spiritual strength was now at the Third Realm. Charging for the third floor of the Three-Step Tower was only a little difficult for him.
At last, he reached the third floor, looking somewhat disheveled. Still, he was in much better shape than Mo Fan, who had crawled up there looking like a half-dead old man.
Now, with cultivation speed multiplied by a full two hundred and forty times, it would be enough!
After adjusting his state, Lan Yu took out the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum.
First, he ate the flower's stamen, then ate the petals one by one.
Then he entered a meditative state and began breaking through the bottleneck to the Advanced Level.
Time passed slowly, and Lan Yu's body began to change.
A layer of golden radiance appeared over him. By now, he was lying spread-eagled on the third-floor platform, his limbs visibly twice as swollen as before. The crackling of his bones rang out again and again.
Crack—
A sound like shattering glass rang out. The golden radiance over Lan Yu grew more and more dazzling. Now he looked like a little man made of light.
Light Element Advanced Level—achieved!
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