Naturally, Wei Yi remained unaware of the commotion unfolding outside.
He had no idea that his astonishing speed in ascending the Soulbeast Tower had already stirred up a storm of disbelief.
The reason for his initial slow pace was simple—he was unfamiliar with the tower's inner workings.
After all, this was his first time stepping into the Soulbeast Tower. Coupled with the discovery that slaying beast souls could grant experience points, he had taken his time to acclimate, proceeding with caution through the early levels. His progress, therefore, was understandably measured at first.
But once he gained a firm grasp of the tower's mechanics, he unleashed his full strength—and his ascent grew rapidly more relentless.
With the Deathsong Thirteen Strikes at level 13 and the formidable Hero Sword in hand, his killing power became utterly fearsome. Those low-tier beasts stood no chance, falling in single strokes before they could so much as approach him. Moreover, his movement technique—Blackwater Phantom Step—had already reached its peak level, granting him blinding speed.
In such a state, Wei Yi moved through the tower like a dragon in the sea—unhindered and unstoppable.
One ferocious beast after another fell beneath his blade.
The tower's levels climbed higher and higher.
The deeper he ventured, the stronger the beasts became, and their numbers grew with each floor.
Yet Wei Yi's momentum did not falter. In fact, it seemed to grow even swifter with each passing level.
The first ten floors were filled with tier-one beasts.
Floors eleven to twenty housed standard tier-two beasts.
And from twenty-one to thirty, he faced elite tier-two monsters.
It was this latter range where most outer sect disciples met their limit. Few ever managed to reach, let alone clear, the thirtieth floor.
From that perspective, Han Wenshu, as one of the rare few who had broken through the thirtieth floor, did indeed possess some claim to pride.
Unfortunately for him—
He had chosen the wrong opponent to challenge.
To Wei Yi, there was little distinction between the twentieth and thirtieth floor.
While Han Wenshu was still locked in combat on the twentieth floor, Wei Yi had already ascended to the thirtieth.
Indeed—
Not only had Wei Yi overtaken him, he had left him ten whole floors behind.
At that moment, the uproar outside reached its climax.
While the crowd had seen many brave attempts at the tower before, never had they witnessed such an astonishing pace—let alone from a newly inducted disciple.
To be fair, Han Wenshu's performance was not poor.
It's just that—compared to Wei Yi, he was reduced to a mere backdrop.
Ding—Player Wei Yi has slain a Tier-Two beast soul. Cultivation level unchanged; EXP not granted. Deathsong Thirteen Strikes: +240 EXP.
The higher he climbed, the stronger the beasts became—and the greater the rewards for each kill.
As the final beast on the thirtieth floor fell beneath Wei Yi's blade, the world shifted once again, and he stepped into the thirty-first level of the tower.
Here, the beasts were all tier-three.
Tier-three—equivalent to Martial Grandmasters.
And there were ten of them.
In essence, Wei Yi now faced the equivalent of ten Martial Grandmasters attacking in unison.
Even the weakest among them, in such numbers, would be a formidable threat.
As the ten monsters roared and charged, Wei Yi was forced to draw upon the full extent of his strength. Though he refrained from using his Crimson Crystal True Flame, he did unleash the full force of his silver-grade bloodline power.
Swish—swish—swish—swish!
Blinding arcs of sword-light exploded forth.
In an instant, the entire hall was consumed by dazzling radiance, as if bathed in daylight.
It was the final three forms of the Deathsong Thirteen Strikes—broad, sweeping attacks designed for annihilation. Backed by his Zixia True Qi, their destructive power was breathtaking.
The foremost beasts were shredded to pieces before they could even blink.
...
Time slipped by.
Wei Yi pressed onward, cutting down beasts and harvesting experience.
Meanwhile, Han Wenshu too was fighting tooth and nail to ascend.
After about two incense sticks' worth of time, fatigue began to gnaw at him.
He had been attacking with full force, and his true qi reserves were almost depleted. Though he had reached the peak of the second-tier Martial Grandmaster realm and stood on the brink of a breakthrough, the strain was mounting—and he was nearing his limit.
Yet when his gaze fell upon the plaque in the great hall, he couldn't help but smile with pride.
Thirty-third Floor.
It was the best result he had ever achieved.
Previously, his highest had been the thirty-first floor. But this time, spurred on by the duel with Wei Yi, he had pushed himself to the edge—and was finally rewarded.
"The thirty-third floor. Among all the outer sect disciples, this is undoubtedly a commendable result."
"I'd wager no more than five people in the entire current generation can reach this level."
"If word of this spreads, my reputation will soar. As for that so-called prodigy who dared challenge me..."
"Heh. He'll soon fade into obscurity, a mere footnote in my tale."
At this thought, Han Wenshu burst into hearty laughter.
A triumphant arc curled across his lips.
He harbored a deep dislike for Wei Yi.
Not only because Wei Yi was younger and more handsome, but because he had skyrocketed to fame shortly after joining the sect—far eclipsing Han's own accomplishments at the same stage. The jealousy gnawed at him.
But now, he believed it was all coming to an end.
After this contest, Wei Yi's fleeting fame would serve only to highlight Han's own brilliance—nothing more than a stepping stone for his rise.
"Don't blame me. Blame your own poor luck."
"Heh, of all the people to challenge, you had to pick me? Foolish. You're not even close to my level."
With a scornful snort and a flash of disdain in his eyes, Han Wenshu was enveloped by a ripple of spatial force.
Moments later, he was teleported out of the tower and deposited just beyond its entrance.
He was momentarily stunned by the sheer number of disciples gathered outside.
Could it be… all these people had come to witness his glorious record?
Though reaching the thirty-third floor was indeed impressive, surely it didn't warrant this kind of spectacle… or had he underestimated his own greatness?
Countless thoughts surged through Han's mind.
Whatever the reason, it was clearly a fortuitous turn of events.
Excitement flooded him.
A broad smile blossomed across his face as he approached the crowd, assuming what he believed was his most charming and humble expression.
"Fellow disciples," he said warmly, "thank you all for waiting. I, Han, am deeply moved by your support. Were it not for your encouragement, I might not have endured to reach the thirty-thir—"
"Enough with the nonsense. Move it, you're in the way!"
Before he could finish, a gruff voice from the crowd cut him off.
"Yeah, step aside!"
"Don't block the view."
"Get out of the way—we're waiting for Senior Brother Wei!"
"We want to see Wei Shixiong!"
Voices rose in chorus.
Han Wenshu stood frozen in place.
Stunned. Dumbfounded.
His elation plummeted like a stone from a cliff, replaced by crushing disbelief.
It was as if he had just taken the steepest fall from the highest peak.