Gravity Training Tower

The second session of the morning had not yet ended.

The students of Ordinary Class 9.

Stared in shock as Ye Xiao stopped attending class and simply left.

Before leaving.

Ye Xiao had spoken a few words to Fatty Wang.

His voice wasn't loud, but many people heard it.

"Fatty Wang, I'm heading to the Gravity Training Tower. Wait for me at noon so we can eat together."

It seemed like a simple sentence.

But in reality.

The sight of Ye Xiao speaking privately with Fatty Wang.

Was witnessed by the other students.

Originally, because Fatty Wang was close to Ye Xiao.

They had ostracized Fatty Wang at the same time they ostracized Ye Xiao.

However, Ye Xiao's brief display of power during the first combat class had revealed his edge.

It effectively intimidated the students.

At the same time, he used his actions to tell the others.

That he and Fatty Wang were on good terms.

They shouldn't think that just because he had left.

These people could bully Fatty Wang.

Sure enough.

After Ye Xiao left.

The group of students quickly crowded around Fatty Wang.

They asked questions one after another, all talking at once.

"Fatty Wang, are you very close with Ye Xiao?"

"Were you classmates before?"

"Why is Ye Xiao's profession so poor and his realm so low, yet his actual combat power is so high?"

"Was he a good fighter in the past?"

"..."

Suddenly, Fatty Wang became the most popular person in the class.

Many students surrounded him, asking all sorts of questions.

There was a sense of fawning and flattery in their tone.

Fatty Wang couldn't stop grinning.

In truth, how could he have known Ye Xiao?

They had only met for the first time yesterday.

It was just that he hadn't treated Ye Xiao the way the others had.

And precisely because of that.

Fatty Wang had gained the steadfast friendship of Ye Xiao.

Many years later.

When Fatty Wang looked back on the past.

He would still sigh at the fact that on the day he first met Ye Xiao.

He had made the most correct choice of his life.

Jiang City Martial Arts University.

Gravity Training Tower.

It stood in the north district of the academy, cast entirely from an unknown black alloy, totaling nine stories.

Hence, it was also known as the "Nine-Story Black Tower".

The surface had no decorations, save for white numbers engraved at the entrance of each level.

1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 80, 100, Limit.

These numbers are not meaningless.

They represent different multiples of gravity.

The tower is octagonal, narrowing as it rises, resembling a black sword plunged into the ground.

The top of the tower is perpetually shrouded in mist, a special meteorological phenomenon formed by the gravity field distorting the air.

On sunny days, sunlight hitting the tower reflects a dark, metallic luster.

On cloudy days, the entire tower looks like a black nail driven between heaven and earth.

The most impressive feature is the "scars" on the surface of the tower.

These are the marks left over the years by the fist force and residual spell energy of powerhouses training within.

There are deep fist imprints, charred lightning patterns, sword gashes, and claw marks.

No one repairs these marks, for they are the medals of this tower.

At the base of the tower is a massive archway, three zhang high and two zhang wide, with a line of text carved into the lintel:

"Beneath gravity, all beings are equal."

For mages, gravity is a burden.

Because here, spiritual power circulation slows down, and casting spells requires more mental energy.

But in disguise, it also pushes mental energy to its limits.

It is an excellent training environment.

For a Martialist, gravity is the best whetstone.

Every punch thrown must contend with additional gravity; every breath taken consumes more oxygen; every drop of blood must withstand greater pressure.

Throwing a punch in such an environment is equivalent to throwing ten outside.

Furthermore, gravity stimulates the body to instinctively self-strengthen—increasing bone density, thickening muscle fibers, and accelerating the flow of qi and blood.

When Ye Xiao arrived before the entrance of the Gravity Training Tower.

Many students were also queuing there.

However, these were all third and fourth-year students.

They possessed specialized Gravity Training Cards.

The arrival of a stranger like Ye Xiao.

Also drew the attention of these people.

"A new face?"

"Looks like a freshman?"

"Unstable aura, weak strength, low cultivation realm... how has the quality of freshmen at our school dropped to this level?"

"Back in my day, I was countless times stronger than him when I enrolled."

"I heard there is a specially admitted student among this year's freshmen?"

"What special admission, just someone with connections."

"Could this guy be the legendary connection hire?"

"..."

Just then.

A "thump, thump, thump" knocking sound came from the entrance of the Gravity Training Tower.

A hoarse voice drifted from the front.

"Hey! Student in the back, are you going in to train or not?"

"If you aren't going in, clear the spot and let the students behind you enter!"

The speaker was an old man wearing dusty work clothes, holding a cane, leaning against the pillar beside the tower gate.

His face was deeply wrinkled, his eyes squinted into slits, looking like the most ordinary gatekeeper in the academy.

"Old Man Black! We're going in right now."

The students who had just been gossiping about Ye Xiao seemed quite afraid of this old man in charge of the Gravity Training Tower.

They hurriedly and nimbly took out their Gravity Training Cards.

Insert card, enter tower, all in one smooth motion.

Soon.

Ye Xiao reached the front of the line before the old man.

"Student, new face, is this your first time?"

A hoarse voice came from before him.

Ye Xiao nodded. "Mm."

The old man looked him up and down, his gaze lingering for a moment on the washed-out T-shirt.

"Which class are you in?"

"Freshman, General Class 9."

The old man let out an "oh" and asked again:

"What is your profession?"

"Martialist."

Upon hearing Ye Xiao's profession, the students queuing behind him all grew excited.

"Is he really that guy with the connections?"

"The only E-grade talent trash among this year's freshmen!"

"What is he doing here?"

"Hey! Connection-boy, this place is for juniors only. You're a freshman, so get out of here and stop causing trouble!"

"..."

The old man's squinting eyes opened a slit. He looked at him for two seconds, then smiled.

"A Martialist... that's a rare profession."

"However, if you want to enter the Gravity Training Tower, you must have a Gravity Training Card. Do you have one?"

Ye Xiao took out the card his homeroom teacher had lent him and handed it over.

The old man glanced at it.

"Oh, it's Xiao Zhou's teacher card."

"It seems he thinks quite highly of you."

"Fine, you may enter."

As he spoke, the old man inserted the card into a dedicated slot.

He said, "Just remember to take this card back when you come out."

Clearly, this measure was to prevent people from slacking off and wasting time inside the Gravity Training Tower.

Ye Xiao was just about to enter the Gravity Training Tower when the old man suddenly thought of something.

"Right, one piece of advice."

"Do not go to the 5th floor or above in the gravity zone."

Ye Xiao asked curiously, "Why?"

The old man chuckled. "Because people have died there."