Chapter 362: Tower 23
Chapter 362: A Few Things About Entering the Tower
"Uncle Master, Junior Brother Li has already made it to the sixth level, so he doesn't need to participate in the preliminary selection anymore."
Before Li Yuan could answer, Chu Tianzhu coughed and spoke. He looked at Li Yuan and forced a smile:
"Junior Brother Li, I have an unwelcome request..."
"I am just taking a walk, please don't embarrass me, Senior Brother Chu."
Before he could finish, Li Yuan had already refused. All Chu Tianzhu wanted was to participate in the primary election, but this was not something he could decide.
On the other side, Yan Chunyang was under strict guard. It would be okay to give him some preferential treatment, but letting him go to participate in the election would be a sign of disrespecting the imperial court.
"Chu is abrupt."
Glancing at the calm and composed Zhongli Luan, Chu Tianzhu regretted for the umpteenth time why he had ever thought of coming to Hengshan City with him.
"The imperial court keeps hundreds of golden-eyed red-feathered eagles in captivity. Although the Divine Capital is far away, it will take at least a month to get there. The preliminary election will take more than a year. What are you afraid of?"
Zhongli Luan glanced at him:
"Wait for the imperial court to come, and we'll have a say."
This bearded guy is not reckless.
Li Yuan's heart moved slightly. He decided to wait for the imperial court to send someone to deal with Yan Chunyang. He had just heard about this from Taoist Master Long, but Zhongli Luan seemed to have guessed it a long time ago.
"What's a mere primary election?"
Facing the scolding, Chu Tianzhu lowered his head in embarrassment, but he still couldn't help laughing when he heard the occasional screams coming from the rain.
Seeing this, Zhongli Luan didn't say anything, but shook his head in his heart.
The talented disciples who come from big sects all have their own problems. Some are overambitious but lack the skills. Some are arrogant. Some are rebellious and conceited. Chu Tianzhu is one of the other types.
He was born into a very good family, has great talents, and has had a very smooth life, so he cannot withstand setbacks.
This is a bad habit that has developed over decades of smooth sailing and it cannot be changed overnight.
'In comparison, Li Yuan is much calmer.'
Zhongli Luan glanced at Li Yuan, who was gazing at the Dragon and Tiger Pagoda from afar. In the rain, he was wearing a Taoist robe and a bamboo hat, and he already had a bit of the demeanor of a Taoist master.
Li Yuan continued walking. The rain was getting heavier, but it did not affect the primary election outside the Dragon and Tiger Tower at all. He could hear bursts of exclamations from a long distance away.
"Senior Brother Pei has made it to the sixth floor!"
With a cry of surprise, Li Yuan glanced to the side and could see the commotion of the crowd even through the rain.
The Dragon and Tiger Tower is the place for preliminary selection. If you can break into the third floor, you can pass the preliminary selection and participate in the martial arts performances one year later. This is naturally not difficult for Pei Jiu, Yan Qingyuan and Chu Tianzhu.
What they want is to take the opportunity to become famous and thereby gain the attention of the top leaders of their respective sects. Besides fame, they also want profit.
"Pei Jiu's talent is no less than that of Senior Brother Long, but unfortunately he is a little too young and has no hope of competing for the championship in the martial arts performance."
On the mountain road, Li Yuan stopped and watched.
At this time, there were at least a thousand people under the Dragon and Tiger Pagoda. There were disciples from the Changhong Sword Sect, Samadhi Cave, Yiqi Villa and other Taoist sects. There were even more from the Taoist and prefectural-level sects.
He glanced around and saw Yang Yu in the crowd.
"Eighth Senior Brother is also going to challenge the tower?"
Li Yuan's heart moved and he moved closer.
……
"Pei Jiu of Changhong Sword Sect, reach the sixth floor!"
"Yu Yuan from Yiqi Villa and Master Yu Shu from Huanglong Villa climbed to the fifth floor..."
"Longhu Temple, Wang Xuanying, failed to climb the tower, stopped at the second floor!"
"Huailong Palace Yan Qingyuan has reached the third floor and passed the preliminary selection!"
……
In the rain, people shouted loudly from time to time. Even through the heavy rain, the sound could be heard widely and everyone under the Dragon and Tiger Tower could hear it clearly.
"Heroes from all over the world gather here."
Outside the crowd, Gong Yangyu was holding an oil-paper umbrella, watching from afar, sighing from time to time:
"The martial arts performance of all sects is indeed a grand event in the martial arts world. In the past, where could we see so many talented disciples?"
Those whose names were called out under the Dragon and Tiger Pagoda were all elite disciples from various sects and geniuses who were famous for a while. But in fact, those who could watch here were also not ordinary people.
Most ordinary warriors cannot enter the Dragon and Tiger Temple. Being able to participate in the preliminary selection is already a great choice.
"Yes."
Feng Zhong was already standing by, and he couldn't help but sigh when he heard this:
"I heard that there are at least 600 sects in Hengshan City now, that is, the various martial arts performances. At other times, even Emperor Qian would not be able to gather so many sects."
There are five Daos and nineteen states in Dayun, five Dao sects, nineteen state sects, and more than a hundred prefecture-level sects. There are also sects such as the Fire Dragon Temple and the Iron Sword Sect that are not inferior to the prefecture sects, and the number is several times the above number.
There are even more sects and forces that are not up to par.
Many sects only have one or two qualified to participate in the preliminary selection, but when added together, there are hundreds or even thousands.
"Wanli is out!"
It’s not that Gong Yangyu is sharp-eyed, but even here, Ba Wanli stands out from the crowd.
His clothes were torn at the moment, and he couldn't control his bone-shrinking skill after using all his strength. His height of nearly ten feet attracted the attention of everyone present.
“Is there a roll call?”
"Maybe not……"
"Eighth Senior Brother couldn't even get past one level?!"
Behind Gong Yangyu, all the disciples of the Divine Weapon Valley exclaimed in horror. Most of them had no idea what the Dragon and Tiger Tower was, and did not quite understand what the sixth, fifth, and third floors were.
But they were well aware of Ba Wanli's power.
Seeing that he had failed at this moment, he was naturally shocked.
"You've grown so big in vain, but you can't even get through the first floor?"
"All show and no substance, huh? The Divine Weapon Valley seems to be a prefecture sect under the jurisdiction of Huizhou? Oh, I have some impression that this is a sect for ironwork."
"No wonder... No, the name Shenbing Valley sounds familiar."
Ba Wanli wiped the rain off his face, his head buzzing. He had thought that the tower would be difficult to climb, but he had never expected it to be so difficult.
Fortunately, he was someone who could afford to lose, and although the discussions around him were unpleasant, there was really nothing to say.
But soon, the onlookers' attention was no longer on him, as another group of people failed in the primary election, and another group entered the tower with solemn expressions.
"You lost too?"
Seeing Fang Baoluo who was a little dazed, Ba Wanli suddenly smiled and felt much more comforted.
"..."
Fang Baoluo didn't even want to look at him. He took a quick glance and saw that Yan Xiong was also eliminated, and he felt better.
Even the inner disciples of Longhu Temple couldn't beat him, so his defeat was nothing.
"This tower is really difficult to climb."
Ba Wanli sighed, followed Fang Baoluo's line of sight, and saw a familiar name on the huge stone tablet:
"Li Yuan, the inner disciple of Dragon and Tiger, has entered the sixth tower and has achieved success in refining his internal organs."
"Junior brother can actually reach the sixth level..."
Even though he had seen it many times, Ba Wanli was still somewhat shocked, while Fang Baoluo's sight fell on "Successful Refining of Organs", and his mind was a little buzzing for a moment.
After becoming the Young Valley Master, his martial arts improved rapidly, and with the addition of the Five-Colored Spiritual Sword, his martial arts had already surpassed eighty thousand miles, but he had not yet reached the level of Tongmai Great Mastery.
"The internal organs have been successfully refined..."
Before Ba Wanli could react, Fang Baoluo had already pulled him out of the way. They were dazed for a while when another group of people came out of the tower.
"Yue Chongtian has made it to the first level."
Ba Wanli heard the voice of the name being called. He couldn't even get into the first layer, couldn't get on the stone tablet, and couldn't be called. "The dragon-shaped root bone is indeed extraordinary."
The two did not linger. With Li Yuan's outstanding performance as an example, Yue Chongtian's entry into the first floor did not cause them any concern.
"Eighth Senior Brother, Senior Brother Fang."
Outside the crowd, Li Yuan had just chatted with Gong Yangyu and Feng Zhong for a few words when he saw Ba Wanli and the other man who looked rather embarrassed, and bowed to them.
“This tower is too difficult to climb!”
Seeing Li Yuan, Ba Wanli first complained, and then exclaimed: "Now I know how incredible it is that you can kill to the sixth level..."
Fang Baoluo nodded, still feeling a little frightened.
Before today, they had no idea how hard it was to climb to the sixth floor of an eighteen-story tower.
"Climbing the Dragon and Tiger Tower does involve some luck."
Li Yuan had anticipated the defeat of the two. They had just broken through the Tongmai level, and the one they faced when they entered the tower was someone who had achieved the Great Perfection of Tongmai, so the difficulty was naturally much greater.
However, he estimated that at least Ba Wanli had the ability to break into the first level, and his tremendous strength was not given in vain.
"What luck?"
Ba Wanli shook his head repeatedly: "I used all my strength to block one move, and the second move knocked me out of the tower..."
"Ok?"
Li Yuan's heart moved, and his expression was a little strange:
"Who was the tower keeper you met?"
"He's a big monk, his name is 'Yin Fa', his punches are harder to handle than a heavy hammer, two of his punches can kill me."
Printing method...
Li Yuan's mouth twitched: "Brother Yinfa, you are ranked second among Master's disciples."
"what?"
Ba Wanli was startled and scratched his head: "No wonder he is so powerful, he turned out to be a disciple of Zen Master Fu Long, so my defeat is not unfair!"
The randomness of tower defense.
Li Yuan shook his head in his heart. The Dragon-Tiger Tower has the greatest randomness only when entering the tower. After that, the strength and weakness are still very clear. Ba Wanli is considered to be very unlucky.
His talent in seal magic is not as good as Dou Yue's, but it is not much different. He has practiced martial arts for a longer time and has a more solid foundation.
"Where's Senior Brother Fang?"
Fang Baoluo did not hide it: "His surname is Chu, his name is Xuankong, and his martial arts skills are extremely high. I dodged hastily and could only withstand three of his attacks with difficulty. I missed the fourth one."
Well, two unlucky guys.
Li Yuan was suddenly at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
"Chu Xuankong, formerly the deputy head of Longyin Hall, a quasi-grandmaster who has achieved great success in blood exchange."
"..."
Fang Baoluo was also speechless. He was almost autistic because of the blow.
“Is this tower so difficult to climb?”
Feng Zhong was a little shocked. He thought that Ba Wanli and his two men were defeated after a fierce battle, but he didn't expect that they were knocked out of the tower in just three or two moves.
"It's also bad luck for the two brothers."
Li Yuan was not trying to comfort himself. With the martial arts of Ba Wanli and Fang Baoluo, if they could break through a few more times and randomly encounter a slightly weaker enemy, such as Yue Chongtian, they would have a chance to advance to another level.
"Well, let's try again!"
After listening to Li Yuan's explanation of the rules of climbing the tower, Fang Baoluo felt much better. He pulled Ba Wanli and went to climb the tower again.
They didn't want to pass the primary election, but since they came here, if they can't even leave their names on the tombstone, wouldn't it be a waste of time?
"I didn't want to bring them here originally, for fear that they would be stimulated."
At this time, Gong Yangyu spoke. He had expected the two to lose.
"The two brothers just had bad luck. In addition, they have just entered Tongmai not long ago, so they are already at a disadvantage."
"Ah."
Gong Yangyu only sighed a little, but he did not have the intention to belittle his own disciples:
"At the alchemy meeting on June 6th, I won two bottles of Qi-boosting pills, which should be enough for them to complete the meridian-opening process. It's hard to say whether they will be selected in the preliminary round by then, but leaving a name on the stone tablet won't be a wasted trip."
"With the talents of the two brothers, one bottle of Qi-boosting pill is enough to open up the meridians."
Li Yuan was thinking in his heart, how can he let Ba Wanli and the other two people enter the third floor, but after thinking about it, he was afraid that it would be difficult to do.
This is not just a problem of elixirs, there is also a gap in the level of martial arts. The inner disciples of the Longhu Temple have at least half of the unique skills, but most of them can't even enter the preliminary selection.
Gong Yangyu nodded and asked, "I brought a lot of gold notes with me. I should be able to buy three or five bottles of elixir later. Do you need anything?"
"That's not necessary."
Li Yuan was stunned and quickly waved his hand to refuse.
He also knew about the Alchemy Conference of Longhu Temple. It was said that in these three alchemy conferences, Longhu Temple collected more than three million taels of gold and various rare treasures.
Alchemy is a huge profit for Longhu Temple.
Other sects and forces have no place to find the elixir, so they can just buy it. However, no disciple of the Dragon and Tiger Temple is willing to pay more than eight times the price to buy the elixir.
"Ok?"
Gong Yangyu frowned slightly.
"Don't misunderstand me. What I mean is, how about... turning it into gold or silver?"
Li Yuan just didn't want to be a scapegoat, and he would not refuse the support of Shenbing Valley.
If he refused, Tani would feel alienated.
"Alright."
Gong Yangyu then relaxed his brows.
In the past two years, Shenbing Valley has been in a very good situation. Not only has Dechang Prefecture stabilized, but there is also a sign of taking back Zhelong Prefecture. All of this is naturally closely related to Li Yuan.
This is not only support, but also gratitude.
Seeing this, Feng Zhongyi on the side also breathed a sigh of relief. He would feel uneasy if Li Yuan did not accept this benefit.
……
After a short walk, Li Yuan already had 50,000 taels of gold notes, 30,000 taels of silver notes, and 10 taels of red gold in his arms. The Lord of Gongyang Valley was as generous as ever.
"Counting the gold and silver that the sect rewarded me before, the materials for the promotion to the Military Commander Scroll are already enough!"
The Divine Weapon Valley, which is about to take control of the two prefectures, is wealthy and powerful, while the Dragon and Tiger Temple, which has been dominating the area for more than two thousand years, is more than just wealthy and powerful.
After he drew the sword for the old dragon's head, the sect's reward was extremely generous. He got a dragon-tiger pill and a top-grade divine armor. He also kept spiritual beasts in the Hundred Beasts Mountain.
In addition, there are many shops in Hengshan City and mineral veins in the mountains. Finally, there is gold and silver.
"Well, it should be about the same?"
After a brief consideration, Li Yuan decided not to break into the tower, so he went down the mountain with the gold and silver in his pocket. Since he knew that Taoist Master Long might be secretly watching,
Whenever he had to do anything secret, he had to go down the mountain and into the city.
During the past ten days, except for materials such as red gold and gold essence that were not available elsewhere, he instructed Liu Zheng to purchase and exchange them at the foot of the mountain.
……
It rained heavily and there were few pedestrians in Hengshan City.
Wearing a bamboo hat, Li Yuan went to several money houses and bill offices to exchange 50,000 taels of gold. He hired several carts to transport the gold back to the blacksmith shop. The small courtyard where he lived had now been connected to a large warehouse.
After closing the door, Li Yuan took out all the materials, counted them one by one, and pressed with his right hand:
"Promotion."
(End of this chapter)