422: Chapter 80 Sitting at the Bottom of a Well Watching the Sky_1 422: Chapter 80 Sitting at the Bottom of a Well Watching the Sky_1 At first glance, the small building looked like a vertical well.
But instead of delving downwards, this “well” extended upwards.
The building had only two floors, but it was not short; both floors were evenly divided and appeared slim and tall.
The top and the bottom of the building were of the sa size.
The material of the small building was so unknown type of wood, which actually seed unsuitable for construction.
The wood itself was not smooth but rather full of knots, like burls on a tree.
These blemishes dangled from the building’s walls in spots, terribly unsightly.
Constructing the building from such material must have required a great deal of effort in the beginning.
This small building had no windows around it, or rather, the only window was at the top because it had no roof.
If one were to sit right in the middle of the building’s base and look up, they could see the sky in a single glance.
The concept of “two floors” wasn’t only due to a wooden eave circling the building at the relevant height outside; inside too, two distinct floors were practically separated.
The only thing was, there was a round hole in the middle of the second floor’s flooring, big enough for two people to embrace—since there were no stairs on the second floor, this was the passageway to ascend.
Overall, the roof of the building, the passage in the middle of the second floor, and the base of the building were three completely parallel circles.
Only the circle on the roof and the base of the building were exactly the sa size, while the circle in the middle of the second floor was much smaller.
It was shaped like an hourglass.
The small building surprisingly had four doors, facing the four cardinal directions.
The doors were also inward-curving arches, perfectly fitting the “well wall.”
Only the door to the north was unlocked, while the other three were wrapped with black chains, as if imprisoning sothing within.
Only the door to the north had a vertical signboard which bore the na of the small building, also indicating the north door as the main entrance.
The signboard read—Auxiliary.
mbers of the Tian family were well aware that Auxiliary Tower was an absolutely vital location, where only family mbers of a certain status were allowed to approach.
This Auxiliary Tower was Tian Anping’s residence.
Tian Anping was born relatively late.
He was a whole seventeen years younger than his own brother, the current Prefectural Governor of Sunshine County, Tian Antai.
Tian Antai, who for many years commanded respect in the military, would bow and scrape in front of Tian Anping.
Despite Tian Antai being appointed to one of the nine troops, the Autumn Kill Army, and having reached the esteed position of a Prefectural Commander, just waiting for Yang Region to be fully incorporated so he could beco a full-fledged Prefectural Governor, a true high-ranking official.
At this mont, Tian Anping was alone inside Auxiliary Tower.
He sat cross-legged on the ground, bare-chested and barefoot, wearing only long pants, looking up at the sky.
He was always looking up at the sky.
The sky held all the complexities of the world.
Clouds scudded and stars shifted, but he gazed only at this patch of the sky through the window above.
He referred to it as “sitting in the well, looking at the sky.”
His upper body was quite strong; his muscles were not excessive but well-defined.
Most striking was his body covered with scars from whipping, densely packed bruises, as if he had just been subjected to so punishnt.
But his expression showed no pain.
“Interesting,” he muttered again.
He remained motionless, his head tilted back, his eyes fixed on the sky.
It was as if he had countless questions, and the sky held all the answers.
…
Another vigorous battle concluded, and Jiang Wang exited the Taixu Illusion Realm.
He found that to challenge the honor of a Taixu Six Harmonies Cultivator again, the difficulty had decreased from before.
Although he had indeed not ceased his cultivation and was making daily progress, it was not to such an extent that he would beco this much stronger in just a few short days.
It was because the opponents were indeed not as strong as before.
He had been challenged up to the fourth rank of the Ascending Dragon Realm, and the opponents he t were still not as formidable as the young man in the magnificent robe he faced when he earned the honor of a Taixu Six Harmonies Cultivator.
If he were to do it all over again, he wasn’t confident about defeating that person again.
Of course, that didn’t an he would lose his confidence.
After all, he had won that ti, so there was no reason he couldn’t win again.
However, objectively analyzing their combat strength, he was indeed utterly defeated in terms of Dao Technique.
Whether it was the power of the Dao Techniques he mastered or his control over them, both were far inferior.
He guessed that by now, that young man in the magnificent robe must have climbed to an even higher ranking, which is why they had not crossed paths again.
And the opponents he was eting now were certainly very strong, but on paper, none surpassed the youth skilled in Water Taoism Technique.
The benefits enjoyed by the fourth and sixth ranks of the Ascending Dragon Realm in the Taixu Illusion Realm remained unchanged; it was probably only the top three or perhaps the first place that might offer new surprises.
Jiang Wang stayed at the inn for three days, as powerhouses from all over Qi Country flocked to Ji City.
Li Fengyao hardly ever left his place either, but the boy Xiao Tong often ca to visit, sharing bits of gossip to prepare Jiang Wang for the upcoming eting at the Seven-Star Tower.
The scale of this eting at the Seven-Star Tower, compared with the summit years of the past, was not exceedingly grand.
Although the so-called “Year of Brilliance” was widely talked about, it was an established fact that the Seven-Star Tower’s gains had gradually diminished.
Of course, “not grand” is only relative.
At least from Jiang Wang’s perspective, it was still quite terrifying.
You must understand, every ti the Seven-Star Tower opens, there are 108 spots available.
Excluding the Tian family’s fixed quota of twenty, there are eighty-eight slots up for grabs by masters from various regions.
The arriving individuals were all above the Ascending Dragon Realm, totaling nearly three hundred people.
And in the end, only eighty-eight would qualify to enter the Secret Realm of the Seven Star Tower.
That’s about one in three odds.
What does it an to gather nearly three hundred cultivators above the Ascending Dragon Realm in one place?
Rember that in a vassal small country like Yang Country, a single strong individual at the peak of the Ascending Dragon Realm could take on the role of a city’s leader.
And among those who eventually secured a spot in the Secret Realm of Seven-Star Tower, there were not a few like Li Fengyao who were strong cultivators of the Inner Mansion Realm.
The Inner Mansion Realm already designated a strong presence capable of overseeing a territory; even if only one mansion was opened, it would suffice to undertake the role of a city lord in a small independent country like Zhuang Country.
If it weren’t for a top-tier noble house like Da Ze’s Tian family, situated in their own stronghold with a sufficient number of terrifying powerhouses, it would be impossible to organize such a grand event.
An average force couldn’t even maintain basic order.
Conversely, hosting an event of this magnitude also showcases the strength of Da Ze’s Tian family.
Of course, if the Tian family were unable to shoulder a secret realm of the Seven-Star Tower’s level, plenty of powerful forces would be willing to take on the role.
Xiao Tong’s incessant chatter also helped Jiang Wang to build a sufficient ntal preparation.
In this eting at the Seven-Star Tower, the most noteworthy competitors, who were also the focus of various parties, were as follows:
The first was Lei Zhanqian, a prodigious mber of the Lei Family from Jiang Wuqi’s maternal family of the eleventh prince.
It was said that in the black market betting, he was far ahead with the highest odds of winning.
Most people recognized him as the one most likely to leave the Seven-Star Tower with the first place prize of Tian Gang.
The next was Fang Chong, a first-class deacon of the Business Alliance.
This long-standing Inner Mansion Realm cultivator possessed profound cultivation and extraordinary combat prowess, having gained great renown for the Business Alliance through campaigns in the north and south.
Then there was Li Fengyao.
Although she rarely showed her hand in public and had no outstanding achievents to display, the re na “Shin Li,” coupled with her Inner Mansion Realm cultivation, was enough for all parties to watch her closely and treat her with caution.
These three were the hottest candidates for the first place prize of Tian Gang.
As for Jiang Wang, who secured his spot through internal relations, his betting odds in the underground casinos…
his na was not on the list.
The odds set by the casinos were mostly based on recent performances in the scuffles for spots in the Secret Realm of the Seven Star Tower, and they also paid attention to the various disputes and fights in Ji City during this ti.
Since Jiang Wang was mingling with the Tian family’s quota, he wasn’t required to compete for a place.
Plus, he had stayed behind closed doors for the past several days, effectively making no sound or presence.
The battles he had in Linzi were also confined to a small range and had not spread out.
This feeling of being ignored…
Jiang Wang found it very satisfying.
User Comments
0 comments from readers