novelTele Chapter 65: Conquering the Trial Tower
Chapter 65: Conquering the Trial Tower
The ninth floor of the Nine-Story Tower is the entrance to the Trial Tower.
Several trainees from the EU region had just emerged from the Trial Tower and were organizing their equipment at the entrance. They greeted Lin Yun warmly as he approached.
"Hey, Lin Yun, why are you here at noon? You can't enter the Trial Tower at noon," one of the blond students said.
The training camp has a rule that the Trial Tower is under maintenance from 12 PM to 1 PM and is not open to the public during this time. The doors to the trial rooms are locked during this period, and no one can enter.
Lin Yun smiled slightly: "I'm a newcomer."
"A newcomer?" The student paused for a moment, then slapped his forehead. "We almost forgot, Lin Yun only arrived last month! New students have the privilege of taking the Trial Tower level assessment during their first month, and can enter at any time without time restrictions."
"Hasn't he taken the Trial Tower level assessment yet? It's the last day!" another student exclaimed in surprise.
"There must be no assessment, otherwise the trainees wouldn't be able to enter the training room between 12 pm and 1 pm."
The trainees exchanged glances, their eyes simultaneously flashing with shock.
"My god, his Trial Tower level hasn't been assessed yet, which means his Trial Tower level is only 1! But even so, he's already ranked over 110th on the Black Dragon Ranking. What will he be after the assessment?"
"Quick, let's get to the Black Dragon rankings! They'll definitely refresh soon!"
"Quick, let's go! To the black dragon carving!"
The trainees chattered on and on, utterly astonished, and quickly descended the stairs, heading towards the black dragon sculpture at the main entrance of the training camp. It's important to understand that in this training camp, it's virtually impossible for a newcomer to break into the top 100 in their first month. Those who can create such a miracle possess astonishing achievements, and are destined to become top-tier figures on Earth.
Lin Yun ignored their reactions and turned to walk towards the trial room.
After scanning his student ID and confirming his identity, the trial room door unlocked automatically. Lin Yun gently pushed it open and went inside.
The training room wasn't large, only about twenty square meters. A comfortable sofa sat in the center of the room, with a dark blue helmet resting on the armrest. Lin Yun turned on the light, lay down on the sofa, and put the helmet on.
The moment the consciousness sensor was activated, his consciousness was pulled into a virtual space.
This was a vast space, surrounded by endless white. At the center of this space stood a colossal tower—the Trial Tower. Its entire body was jet black, soaring into the clouds, exuding an ancient and majestic aura.
On the left side of the Trial Tower, information about him appeared on a stone pillar.
Name: Lin Yun
Sex: Male
Identity: Official student of the Elite Training Camp
Trial Tower Level: 1.0
Lin Yun looked at the number and smiled slightly. Reminded by the virtual space, he quickly changed into his combat uniform, weapons, and shield, then stepped directly into the Trial Tower.
On the vast grassland, Lin Yun appeared out of thin air and felt the power of his body. He was a beginner warrior. All those who entered the Trial Tower were restricted to the beginner warrior level. If they wanted to advance to a higher level, they had to improve their strength and movement!
The sky was azure, and the boundless grassland undulated in the gentle breeze. The air was filled with the scent of fresh grass; if he hadn't known beforehand, he might have thought he was actually in a real grassland.
"Lin Yun." The electronic voice echoed across the vast grassland, "This is your first time taking the Trial Tower level assessment. You will now proceed to the first level, Stage A trial. Your objective is to kill 50 low-level beast general-level wild bulls within 30 minutes. Good luck!"
Before the words were even finished, fifty meters ahead, the air began to distort. One after another, rhinoceros-sized monstrous bulls appeared out of thin air, their bodies covered in brown fur, with massive, curved horns on their heads, and white steam billowing from their nostrils. Fifty monstrous bulls lined up and charged towards Lin Yun in unison, the earth trembling violently beneath their hooves.
Lin Yun gripped his battle sword tightly, and with a swift movement of his feet, his body shot into the herd of wild bulls like lightning.
The first level, stage A, is the easiest. With Lin Yun's current strength, movement, and swordsmanship, passing through this level is very easy.
He didn't unleash the full power of the Ninefold Thunder Blade; he simply swung his blade. Each strike landed precisely on the bull's neck, killing it instantly and decisively. The fifty bulls before him were like lambs to the slaughter; not one could withstand a second blow.
In less than three minutes, the last bull crashed to the ground and vanished into specks of light.
「第一层A阶段通过，用时2分58秒。试炼塔等级提升至1.3。下面进行B阶段考核，请在30分钟内击杀100头初级兽将级莽牛。」
Another fifty wild bulls appeared out of thin air, along with the corpses that hadn't disappeared before? No, the previous corpses had already vanished. A new hundred wild bulls surged in from all directions, their density greater than before, and their attack angles more treacherous.
Lin Yun remained calm. His figure weaved through the herd of wild bulls, his blade flashing, each strike claiming the life of a bull. In less than six minutes, all one hundred wild bulls were dead.
「第一层B阶段通过，用时5分47秒。试炼塔等级提升至1.6。下面进行C阶段考核，请在30分钟内击杀200头初级兽将级莽牛，其中包含10头中等兽将级莽牛。」
This time, the difficulty was significantly increased. Two hundred wild bulls surged in like a tide, among which ten were exceptionally large, with bone armor covering their backs, and their aura was much stronger than that of ordinary wild bulls—they were mid-level beast generals.
Lin Yun's expression remained calm. He moved with lightning speed, his body plunging into the herd of wild bulls. While mid-level beast generals were significantly stronger than low-level ones, they were still no match for him. He specifically targeted the mid-level beast generals, killing them one by one with swift and clean strokes.
Twelve minutes later, the last medium-sized beast collapsed to the ground.
"First floor, stage C, cleared in 12 minutes and 23 seconds. Trial Tower level upgraded to 2.0."
At the main entrance of the training camp, in front of the black dragon sculpture.
Dozens of students and more than ten War God instructors were guarding this spot, their eyes glued to the Black Dragon Ranking. They had learned that the new recruits from last month hadn't even taken a single Trial Tower assessment, and realized there might be big news, so they were watching the rankings update.
"Look! It's refreshed!" A student pointed at the stone tablet, his voice trembling.
On the stone tablet, Lin Yun's name jumped from 115th to 109th.
"He made it through Stage A! Ranked 109th!"
"It's still rising! It's broken again! 102nd place!"
"Oh my god, we made it through Phase B! 102nd place! Just two spots away from the top 100!"
Everyone stared intently at the stone tablet, not daring to utter a sound.
A few minutes later, the stone tablet was refreshed again.
"NO.88 Lin Yun (540616)"
A gasp of surprise erupted in the square.
"88th! He's broken into the top 100!"
"A newcomer breaking into the top 100 in the first month is something that has only happened five times in the history of our training camp! Those five are all top-notch geniuses! The earliest one was twenty years ago. Of these five, four are already high-level war gods, and one has even broken through to become a war god, becoming an existence beyond war god!" A burly white Soviet Russian man with a large beard shouted excitedly.
"amazing!"
"This newcomer, named Lin Yun, must have excellent agility, speed, and swordsmanship."
"Quickly, go and inform the inspector! Tell him this news!"
Several trainees turned and ran, rushing deeper into the training camp.
Lin Yun, inside the Trial Tower, was unaware of the commotion outside. He had already entered the second level.
"Congratulations, Lin Yun, on advancing to the second level. You will now proceed to the second level, Phase A trial. The objective is to kill 50 low-level Beast General-level Ironclad Scorpions within 30 minutes. Good luck!"
The scene changed from grassland to desert. Yellow sand filled the sky, the sun blazed overhead, and the sand beneath one's feet was soft yet scorching hot. This environment greatly affected movement; it was difficult to generate momentum on the sand, significantly reducing both speed and agility.
Fifty armored scorpions emerged from the sand, each the size of a calf, covered in a hard, black carapace, with blade-like claws on their sides and a long tail trailing behind them, the stinger at the tip of the tail gleaming with a ghostly blue light in the sunlight.
The armored scorpion is far more powerful than the wild bull. Its carapace is extremely strong, and it is difficult for ordinary swords to penetrate it; its claws are as sharp as knives, and can easily tear through steel; its stinger is a deadly weapon, containing a potent venom, and once stung, even a war god-level powerhouse will be affected.
Moreover, this was in a desert environment. The armored scorpion moved freely in the sand, while Lin Yun's movement was significantly restricted.
But this still couldn't stop Lin Yun's advance.
He adjusted his pace, lowering his center of gravity and making his steps lighter. The advantage of his perfect agility was fully displayed at this moment—he could maintain extremely fast movement speed on the soft sand without losing his balance.
The sword flashed, its blade gleaming. Though the armored scorpion's shell was hard, it was as fragile as paper under Lin Yun's blade. His swordsmanship had reached the half-step realm of mastery; each strike precisely landed on the gaps in the shell, killing instantly.
Fifty armored scorpions were dealt with in less than four minutes.
「第二层A阶段通过，用时3分42秒。试炼塔等级提升至2.3。下面进行B阶段考核，请在30分钟内击杀100头初级兽将级铁甲蝎。」
A hundred armored scorpions surged out of the sand, densely packed like a tide. Lin Yun took a deep breath, gripped his battle blade, and charged forward again.
This time, he used the third level of the Nine-Fold Thunder Blade technique. The triple force combined meant that each strike could shatter the armored scorpion's carapace. His figure weaved through the scorpion swarm, and wherever his blade flashed, the armored scorpions fell one after another.
Eleven minutes, Phase B passed.
「第二层B阶段通过，用时11分08秒。试炼塔等级提升至2.6。下面进行C阶段考核，请在30分钟内击杀200头初级兽将级铁甲蝎，其中包含10头中等兽将级铁甲蝎。」
Mid-level Ironclad Scorpions are larger, have thicker carapaces, and more potent venom in their stingers. They are also faster and more ferocious in their attacks.
Lin Yun held nothing back. He unleashed the power of the fourth level of the Ninefold Thunder Blade, combining the four forces to shatter the carapace of the mid-level beast general-level Ironclad Scorpion with a single strike.
Eighteen minutes, Phase C passed.
"Second stage C completed, time taken 18 minutes and 35 seconds. Trial Tower level upgraded to 3.0."
At this time, Lin Yun's ranking on the Black Dragon List had already reached 56th.
Lin Yun withdrew from the Trial Tower.
It wasn't because he couldn't beat it, but because he had already used up his privileges as a newcomer. He spent nearly an hour on the first and second levels, and didn't have much time left. Moreover, he had one hour of trial tower usage time that evening—the quota he had when he ranked 180th last month.
"It's a pity there's not enough time, but I still have an hour in the Trial Tower tonight, so I can have some fun then." Lin Yun took off his helmet and sat up from the sofa.
He walked out of the trial room and glanced at the time—1:23 PM.
As soon as he stepped out of the Nine-Story Building, he saw a group of students from China walking towards him. Shi Jiang walked at the front, his expression having changed from shock to admiration.
"Lin Yun, you..." Shi Jiang opened his mouth, seemingly unsure of what to say.
"What's wrong?" Lin Yun asked.
"You're asking me what's wrong?" Shi Jiang gave a wry smile. "Do you even know where you're ranked right now?"
"How much?" Lin Yun asked. He couldn't see any changes in his ranking within the Trial Tower.
"56!!" Shi Jiang shook his head. "You've only been in the training camp for a month, and you're already ranked 56th. Do you know how long it took me to get into the top 100? Eight months."
"That's because you're too incompetent, senior brother," Lin Yun said with a smile.
This time, Shi Jiang didn't refute, but just sighed, "Fine, you're impressive."
"By the way, although you made it into the top 100, I'm afraid Senior Sister He won't be able to practice swordsmanship with you next month." Shi Jiang suddenly remembered something and looked at Lin Yun with a mischievous expression.
"Huh? Why?"
"We just received news from the training camp that tomorrow, August 1st, all members of our training camp will be heading to the Australian continent for a life-or-death adventure." Shi Jiang's expression turned serious. "So, Senior Sister He won't have time to practice swordsmanship with you."
Lin Yun was stunned for a moment, then suddenly slapped his forehead: "Australia! I completely forgot about it. If I had known we were going to Australia tomorrow, why would I have risked my life to conquer the Trial Tower?"
His pursuit of rankings is solely for the sake of dragon blood. But if he can find the spirits of plants on the Australian continent, dragon blood becomes insignificant.
"Why are you so angry?" Shi Jiang saw that Lin Yun was a little annoyed and quickly explained, "Senior Sister said that she will practice swordsmanship with you again the month after next."
"Okay," Lin Yun replied casually, but in his heart he was thinking: I might not be in the training camp next month.
Although he knew that there was little point in trying to conquer the Trial Tower, Lin Yun still decided to see where his limits were.
At 8 PM, Lin Yun arrived at the Nine-Story Tower Trial Room again. There was another student using it ahead of him, and he waited at the door for a few minutes. When that person came out and saw that it was Lin Yun, he was stunned for a moment.
"You...you still want to try?" The student's voice trembled slightly.
"Okay." Lin Yun nodded and went inside.
Donning the helmet, my consciousness re-entered the Trial Tower.
"Lin Yun, you have one hour of free time. Would you like to continue the challenge?"
"continue."
"The third trial is about to begin. We are now proceeding to the third level, Phase A trial. The objective is to kill 100 low-level Beast General-level Golden Vultures within 30 minutes. Good luck!"
The scene shifted from a desert to a mountaintop. A howling wind howled, clouds swirled, and a bottomless abyss lay below. A flock of enormous golden vultures circled overhead.
The golden vulture is a ferocious flying monster. Its wingspan exceeds five meters, its body is covered in golden feathers, its beak is like a hook, and its claws are like steel knives. Flying monsters are far more powerful than land animals; their speed and agility far surpass those of the bull and the armored scorpion.
A hundred golden vultures swooped down from the sky like a golden cloud. They were incredibly fast, and the gusts of wind they created with their flapping wings made it almost impossible for anyone to stand.
Lin Yun gripped his battle sword tightly, his gaze calm.
He didn't wait for the golden vulture to swoop down; instead, he pushed off with his feet, soared into the air, and took the initiative to meet it.
The sword flashed, its light as fast as lightning. Although Jin Wujiu was agile, he couldn't withstand a single strike from Lin Yun's blade. His swordsmanship was too fast; Jin Wujiu had no time to dodge.
In twelve minutes, all one hundred golden vultures were killed.
"Third floor, stage A, cleared in 12 minutes and 17 seconds. Trial Tower level increased to 3.3."
At this point, his ranking on the Black Dragon List had broken into the top fifty, reaching 37th.
"The next stage of the assessment will begin. Please kill 190 low-level Beast General Golden Vultures and 10 medium-level Beast General Golden Vultures within 30 minutes."
This level is much more difficult. The mid-level Golden Vultures are larger, faster, and more ferocious. They no longer swoop down blindly, but attack in groups of three to five, attacking simultaneously from different angles with perfect coordination.
Lin Yun's expression turned serious. He no longer held back, unleashing the full power of the fourth level of the Nine-Fold Thunder Blade, each strike carrying a dazzling blue light.
His figure weaved through the flock of golden vultures, golden feathers fluttering down wherever his blade flashed. Though the mid-level beast general-level golden vultures were troublesome, they couldn't withstand more than three strikes from him.
Twenty-one minutes, Phase B passed.
「第三层B阶段通过，用时21分45秒。试炼塔等级提升至3.6。下面进行C阶段考核，请在30分钟内击杀150头初级兽将级金兀鹫和50头中级兽将级金兀鹫。」
Phase C is more than twice as difficult as Phase B. Fifty mid-level Beast General-level Golden Vultures, along with one hundred and fifty low-level Beast General-level beasts, launch simultaneous attacks from all directions. Their attack rhythm is extremely fast, leaving almost no time to breathe.
Lin Yun took a deep breath, and the power within his body began to surge.
He no longer holds back.
The swordsmanship, at the half-step artistic level, was fully unleashed at this moment.
Within a ten-zhang radius around him, it seemed as if a layer of lightning enveloped him, with flashing blades and faint rumbling thunder; each swing of his blade carried the force of a thunderbolt. The feathers of the golden vultures turned to ash in the lightning, their mournful cries echoing across the mountain peak.
This is the result of his understanding of the lightning law in the Panlong world. Although he has not yet truly comprehended the realm of lightning, he has already touched the edge.
His movement technique reached a new level at this moment. Not perfect, but half-step into the realm of intent—his body and will were almost completely unified, and every movement was as smooth as flowing water, without the slightest pause or hesitation.
During the battle, his Nine-Fold Thunder Blade broke through once again.
The fifth level.
Five forces combined, 4.2 times the power.
This was the result of his arduous training over half a month in a regular gravity chamber, which finally erupted fully in the life-or-death battle. The combined power of the five forces made each of his strikes like a thunderbolt, and even a mid-level beast general-level golden vulture couldn't withstand a single strike from him.
24 minutes, Phase C passed.
"Third floor, stage C, cleared in 24 minutes and 03 seconds. Trial Tower level increased to 4.0."
Trial Tower Level 4.0, Fist Power Level 4.2 (Nine-fold Thunder Blade Fifth Level), Combat Power Amplitude 16.8.
Black Dragon Ranking: 8th.
The entire training camp has exploded.
8th place! Everyone who achieved this ranking was a veteran student with at least four years of experience. In other words, Lin Yun's progress in one month was equivalent to the efforts of other students over four years.
This is no longer genius, but freak.
Haven't you seen Chu Qiang, a genius who entered the league around the same time as Lin Yun, who is now only hovering around 120th place?
In front of the black dragon carving, hundreds of students and teachers gathered around the stone tablet, looking at the glaring name—NO.8 Lin Yun (540616).
"Eighth place... He's a newcomer, and he's made it to eighth place..." a veteran student murmured, his voice filled with disbelief.
"What's his Trial Tower level? Has anyone seen it?"
"At least 4.0! Otherwise, it's impossible to reach eighth place!"
"My God, he's only fifteen years old..."
Standing at the very front of the crowd, Shi Jiang looked up at the name on the stone tablet, his mouth agape. He knew Lin Yun was strong, but he hadn't expected him to be this strong.
Eighth place.
There were only seven people ahead of him in the entire training camp. And all seven of them were veteran trainees who had been in the camp for at least four years.
"This junior brother..." Shi Jiang shook his head and said with a wry smile, "He's really a monster."
Among the crowd, a woman in a white training uniform stood quietly, looking up at the name on the stone tablet, a hint of admiration flashing in her eyes.
He Lingruo.
"Eighth place..." she said softly, "Interesting."
When Lin Yun came out of the Trial Tower, it was already past nine o'clock at night.
His body was exhausted, but his spirit was exceptionally high. The Trial Tower's assessment had given him a clearer understanding of his own strength—a half-step into the realm of swordsmanship, perfect-level movement techniques, the fifth level of the Nine-Fold Thunder Blade, and a combat power amplification of 16.8.
This level of skill is already top-tier within the entire training camp.
But he knew this was not his limit. He hadn't used his mental power yet, he hadn't used his soul attack yet, and his understanding of the laws in the Panlong World was still deepening.
He still has a long way to go.
As he walked out of the Nine-Story Building, he saw Shi Jiang.
Shi Jiang leaned against a stone pillar at the entrance of the Nine-Story Tower, arms crossed, his face bearing a complex expression—admiration, shock, and a hint of helplessness.
"Eighth place," Shi Jiang said. "Do you know what that means?"
Lin Yun shook his head.
"That means your talent is among the strongest in the history of the training camp," Shi Jiang said earnestly. "Those people are now top experts on Earth. You will be one too."
Lin Yun was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "That's a matter for later. We're heading to Australia tomorrow, so let's focus on surviving first."
Shi Jiang paused for a moment, then laughed: "You're right. Let's survive first."
The two walked side by side under the moonlight, heading towards Jiangnan Pavilion.
Tomorrow, a new journey will begin.