The next morning.
Chen Qingyu rode an auspicious cloud, soaring straight up toward the Floating Heavenly Palace.
After four days of arduous practice, all three supreme martial techniques had finally reached lesser mastery in the real world and become thoroughly consolidated.
Lesser mastery of supreme martial techniques was already comparable to greater mastery of the martial techniques accompanying profound arts and secret manuals.
Thoughts churned in his mind, and his gaze flickered slightly.
I've also completely mastered the mysteries of starlight magnetism that Chen Qinggu taught me.
At the same cultivation level, I could now take on two of my former self.
In just a few days, his strength had at least doubled.
Such a terrifying rate of improvement had certainly exceeded everyone's expectations.
But it still wasn't enough.
With his current strength, he still had no confidence whatsoever in clearing the eighth floor of the [War God Tower].
He urgently needed a more powerful means.
Let's see whether today's check-in reward can satisfy me.
With that thought, he immediately increased his flight speed slightly.
A short while later:
Chen Qingyu passed through nine layers of golden astral winds and guided his auspicious cloud down onto the Floating Heavenly Palace.
System!
He called silently in his mind:
I want to check in!
Ding!
A crisp, pleasant notification instantly rang out in Chen Qingyu's mind:
Host's tenth check-in at the [Floating Heavenly Palace]! The [Floating Heavenly Palace] prize pool has been exhausted. This check-in will enhance a reward you previously obtained. Drawing... draw complete! Congratulations, host! Your control, comprehension, and application of the [Summoning Wind and Rain] divine ability have been greatly enhanced!
As the notification faded:
An immense, mighty force surged down from the unseen. Chen Qingyu shuddered, and a flood of information and memories instantly appeared in his mind.
All this information and these memories concerned the [Summoning Wind and Rain] divine ability.
In that instant, it was as though he had practiced and used [Summoning Wind and Rain] in battle tens of millions of times. From having only an initial grasp of the divine ability, he became seasoned and discerning, wielding it with effortless ease.
A short while later:
Chen Qingyu came back to his senses and drew a deep breath.
As expected, even the rewards after the prize pool is exhausted haven't disappointed me.
If I use [Summoning Wind and Rain] now, its power will be at least three times greater.
The only pity is that [Summoning Wind and Rain] isn't a purely offensive divine ability.
In truth, the divine ability he most wanted to enhance was [Flying Sand and Moving Stones].
Time to go. I'll come back tomorrow.
With a sweep of his sleeve, he rode his auspicious cloud away from the Floating Heavenly Palace, preparing to return home.
During his flight:
He silently recalled the new information and memories he had acquired, and a wealth of understanding immediately welled up within him.
The check-in reward had effectively enhanced [Summoning Wind and Rain] in every respect.
First came wind control:
He could now precisely control every inch of airflow within a ten-li radius, possessing methods for creating air prisons, air walls, air explosions, and more.
Beyond that, he could ride the wind, manipulate air currents to accelerate his flight, whip up hurricanes to create natural disasters, and even turn the wind into his eyes and ears, allowing him to perceive the space within a ten-li radius.
Next came summoning rain:
After [Summoning Wind and Rain] was enhanced, he could create and control not only rain, but also fog, hail, blizzards, and other extreme weather.
Combined with wind control, this ability practically made him a walking natural disaster in human form.
Wait...
He suddenly realized something and stopped abruptly in midair.
If I combine this power with an enormous killing radius of ten li...
He pondered hard for a moment. Suddenly, inspiration flashed through his mind, his eyes lit up, and he burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! I understand! I understand!"
"I finally understand how Zhou Chenlong managed to clear that absurd eighth floor!"
He had been on the wrong path from the very beginning.
As the floors of the [War God Tower] increased, the number of opponents grew, and the difficulty soared ever more terrifyingly.
Once their numbers exceeded a certain point, a quantitative change was enough to bring about a qualitative one!
Under the combined assault of two thousand top-tier martial artists, his original approach of protecting himself first and then eliminating his enemies little by little simply wouldn't work.
Among those two thousand top-tier martial artists, there were certain to be many powerful enemies who could counter his flight methods or even attack him from a distance.
If he challenged the eighth floor using the method that had cleared the seventh, he was bound to fail.
Zhou Chenlong also forged a supreme foundation, so the art he cultivates must be the Zhou Clan of Chenyang's clan-guarding art, the "True Art of Ten Thousand Suns Illuminating the World Together"!
This art stands at the very pinnacle of controlling the blazing flames of the sun. It has a method for transforming into a blazing sun and attacking an immense area!
Only by dealing with two thousand martial artists at once is there any real hope of clearing the eighth floor!
Chen Qingyu's heart surged, and his thoughts churned.
He finally understood the secret behind Zhou Chenlong's success in clearing the eighth floor.
With Zhou Chenlong's supreme foundation, it was entirely feasible for him to transform into a blazing sun and attack over two thousand martial artists at once.
Under those circumstances:
The first few breaths were the most dangerous. He would have to face a terrifying combined assault. Enduring it head-on was impossible; he had to find a way to evade it.
But once he survived that initial period...
Then, beneath the omnipresent sunlight and blazing flames covering an immense area, every martial artist's True Qi would unravel and their condition would deteriorate. They might even catch fire, becoming moving heat sources and torches that, in turn, harmed everyone else.
It was a snowballing process. The longer it went on, the easier it became, and the faster the enemies collapsed!
Of course...
Though this secret sounded simple, putting it into practice was extraordinarily difficult.
First, one had to evade the combined assault of two thousand martial artists.
Second, one needed a terrifying attack with immense range and devastating killing power.
Finally, one needed incomparably vast reserves of True Qi to sustain this unending assault.
As it happened, after the substantial enhancement of [Summoning Wind and Rain], Chen Qingyu already met all three conditions.
"Hahaha!"
He threw his head back and laughed, then impatiently urged his auspicious cloud onward, rushing home as quickly as possible.
After returning home, he greeted his father, Chen Zhengxing, then hurried into the Supreme Void Dao Realm.
Merely knowing the secret wasn't enough!
He had to practice coordinating his various divine abilities and circulating his True Qi in the [Martial Practice Hall] until he was thoroughly proficient. Only once he was completely confident would he challenge the eighth floor of the [War God Tower].
This kid...?
Chen Zhengxing watched his retreating figure, somewhat baffled.
What is he up to?
He didn't give it much thought and, just as he had in previous days, went alone to the quiet chamber to cultivate in seclusion.
Not until that evening:
After emerging from seclusion, Chen Zhengxing questioned the servants and learned that Chen Qingyu hadn't appeared all day.
This...
Worry rose within him.
What on earth is this kid doing? He's not even eating?
He entered the study and looked at Chen Qingyu, who appeared to be asleep, his consciousness inside the Supreme Void Dao Realm. He frowned, but ultimately didn't wake him. Instead, he quietly sat down nearby to wait.
He waited until deep into the night.
Inside the Supreme Void Dao Realm.
"Whew!"
Chen Qingyu walked out of the [Martial Practice Hall]. Though his expression held a trace of fatigue, his eyes brimmed with joy.
He had spent a full eighty double-hours inside the [Martial Practice Hall].
It worked! My idea is entirely feasible!
An auspicious cloud rose beneath his feet, and he swiftly took flight, heading toward the [War God Tower].
At this very moment...
Chen Qingyu was completely confident that he could pass the eighth-floor trial of the [War God Tower].
Before the sun rose, Zhou Chenlong, the strongest under heaven, would be dragged down from his pedestal by him!