Chapter 209: Chapter 208: Celestial Soul Tower

’Eighty-first place? That’s a little low...’

Yi Tianyun was naturally not satisfied. He had thought he would be ranked higher, but he ended up on the lower end of the list. Though he didn’t really care about his rank—he never planned on becoming a disciple here anyway—getting only eighty-first place despite his speed was indeed a bit low.

"Boss, you still think that’s low?" Yang Yu gave a smile more pained than a grimace and nearly dropped to his knees. "I’ve been grinding away here for ages, and I’m only eighty-third. You think eighty-first is low? You’ve already surpassed a ton of people, you know? At least you’re not dead last."

Yi Tianyun understood the ranking rules. If placement was based solely on the speed of clearing the Maze Array, it would have been unfair for him to take first place. The ranking required a comprehensive assessment of one’s abilities. To be ranked eighty-first based on array-breaking speed alone wasn’t a testament to his current strength, but rather to his immense potential. That was the reason for his placement.

"I was just making an observation," Yi Tianyun said with a calm smile. "No one else dares to come near me, and I’m guessing that has something to do with Feng Yulong. Yet you approached me. What’s your goal?"

He glanced at the rankings on the stone stele. Feng Yulong was ranked thirtieth, and Yang Xixue was twenty-second. ’Their ranks are quite high,’ he noted. ’Yang Xixue rejected Feng Yulong, and it looks like she has the strength to back it up. To be ranked twenty-second among so many geniuses is an astonishing feat.’

"No goal, really. I just saw you make a big splash and wanted to get to know you..." He rubbed his palms together with a sheepish grin, looking for all the world like his motives were pure.

"If you’re not going to tell me, I won’t force you. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be on my way. You can hang around here by yourself." Ignoring him, Yi Tianyun turned and started to walk away.

"Wait! Fine, I’ll talk, okay?" Yang Yu was truly intimidated by Yi Tianyun; the guy was completely unflappable.

"Oh? Let’s hear it," Yi Tianyun said with a faint smile.

"The truth is, I have a grudge against Feng Yulong, but I can’t beat him. Seeing you thrash him so thoroughly really hit the spot for me!" Yang Yu said with a sly grin. "Let’s be friends! I know everything that goes on in the Celestial Pattern Pavilion, and even the entire Celestial Extreme Mansion. If there’s anything you don’t understand, just ask me!"

"So it seems you’re quite the expert at gathering information?" Yi Tianyun’s interest was piqued.

"Naturally. There isn’t a single person in the entire Celestial Extreme Mansion I don’t know about. I’m even up to date on matters outside. The Yang Family’s business is gathering intelligence. Whatever you want to know, I can find out for you," Yang Yu said with a confident smile. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"Then what’s your relationship with Yang Xixue?" Yi Tianyun inquired.

"She’s my older sister..." Yang Yu chuckled. "That Feng Yulong is completely unworthy of becoming my brother-in-law. Besides, the Feng Family has been getting more and more arrogant lately, and the relationship between our families is deteriorating. You beating him up was the best thing that could’ve happened. But you need to be careful. The Feng Family definitely won’t let you off the hook, and neither will the other people here in the Celestial Pattern Pavilion."

"I can’t help you much in a fight... but I’ll give you all the information I can. Escape routes, who holds a grudge against you, who’s coming to deal with you—I’ll tell you everything in advance!"

He was offering to be the perfect informant, but to Yi Tianyun, it was all rather meaningless.

’In the face of absolute power, all schemes and plots are trash.’

"That confident?" Yang Yu was taken aback. That was a seriously bold statement.

"I get by," Yi Tianyun said with a faint smile. "By the way, where can I find the most talented geniuses around here?"

"That would be... the Celestial Soul Tower. You’ll find talented geniuses there... Wait, are you planning to challenge them to a duel?" Yang Yu asked, shocked.

"No, I’m just going to have a look around," Yi Tianyun said with a smile. "I’m heading to the Celestial Soul Tower now. Are you coming or not?"

"I’m in, of course I’m in!" Yang Yu could already smell trouble brewing.

What he didn’t know was that Yi Tianyun was going there to scout for talent—to see if there were any geniuses worth poaching.

With that, the two of them headed deeper into the Celestial Pattern Pavilion. They soon arrived before the Celestial Soul Tower. As a place of high standing, the Celestial Pattern Pavilion naturally possessed considerable resources.

The Celestial Soul Tower was one such resource. The tower had five floors in total. The higher one climbed, the greater the Spiritual Power required. Correspondingly, the training effects grew stronger, not only tempering one’s Spiritual Power but also boosting one’s cultivation level! It was a place for twofold improvement.

However, access was time-limited. The amount of time granted depended on one’s ranking.

Since Yi Tianyun was a newcomer, he was granted a few extra days. It wasn’t much—only an additional five. Combined with the time allotted for his rank, he had a total of ten days, which wasn’t a lot.

"So this is the Celestial Soul Tower. It’s quite impressive."

Yi Tianyun looked up at the towering Divine Tower. It was constructed from a special material called Profound Celestial, which locked all the Spiritual Power within its airtight structure. Aside from the great gate before them, there were no other exits.

The moment he stepped inside, he felt a heavy pressure bearing down on him from above. He hadn’t even started climbing the stairs, yet he could feel the weight pressing down on him, seemingly passing right through the thick Profound Iron of the structure.

"This pressure is quite something. It’s an excellent training ground for those with lower cultivation," Yi Tianyun nodded. ’The foundation of the Celestial Extreme Mansion is impressive indeed. Even in decline, it’s still far from weak.’

A good training ground allowed one to achieve twice the results with half the effort. It was an invaluable tool for the less talented to catch up to their more gifted peers.

"Of course. For us, the Celestial Soul Tower is the best training ground there is. The only problem is the strict time limit. If you don’t have any allotted days, you can’t get in..." Yang Yu said with a sigh. "I used up all my time long ago, or I’d go in and train with you."

Upon entering, they saw an old man sitting off to the side.

Yang Yu walked over with a friendly smile. "Steward Huang, we’re here to train."

Yi Tianyun didn’t even need to say a word before Yang Yu went to greet the man. Yi Tianyun then took out his Identity Token and handed it over, as it was required to access the upper floors for training.

The old man, who had been sitting leisurely to the side, took the Identity Token. He gave Yi Tianyun a passing glance and smiled. "So you’re the newcomer who’s been causing such a stir lately. Setting a new record right after you arrived... Your talent is not bad at all. Very interesting. Which floor do you wish to train on?"

"The fifth floor," Yi Tianyun said without a second thought, choosing the highest level.

Choosing a lower floor wouldn’t grant any discount; the same number of days would be deducted regardless. With his current strength, staying on the fifth floor would be no problem at all.