"Not necessarily."
An experienced senior disciple offered his analysis, "The Demon Suppression Tower might be dangerous, but it’s not impossible to catch your breath. After killing a Beast Soul, Senior Brother Ji probably isn’t rushing to the next layer. He’s likely using the brief lull to take some Elixir Pills and recover."
After all, the Gatekeeper of the thirty-eighth layer is bound to be a terrifying existence. He has to be in peak condition to face it!
Sure enough.
Just as the crowd was deep in discussion.
BUZZ!
The rune representing the thirty-eighth layer suddenly lit up!
"He’s in! He’s entered the thirty-eighth layer!"
The crowd instantly erupted! Everyone’s heart was in their throat.
This layer was Ji Lingfeng’s goal this time!
If he could pass it, he would be only one layer away from earning the right to challenge the Ninth True Inheritor!
Time ticked by, second by second.
This wait felt exceptionally long.
A full hour passed.
Just when everyone thought Ji Lingfeng was about to fail and be teleported out.
BOOM!
The body of the tower trembled slightly.
The rune for the thirty-eighth layer went out!
Immediately after, a flash of light appeared at the tower’s gate, and a somewhat disheveled figure staggered out.
It was Ji Lingfeng!
His clothes were torn, and his body was covered in several claw marks deep enough to reveal bone. His aura had weakened considerably; he had clearly just survived an incredibly brutal battle.
But his handsome face was beaming with unconcealable joy and pride!
He had succeeded!
He had successfully passed the thirty-eighth layer!
"Congratulations, Senior Brother Ji!"
"Senior Brother Ji is mighty! You’re just one step away from becoming a True Inheritor!"
Many disciples from Heaven-Slaying Peak immediately swarmed around him, their endless words of flattery and adulation filling the air.
Ji Lingfeng basked in the crowd’s cheers. He took out a Healing Elixir from his robes and swallowed it, then turned to look up at the higher levels of the Demon Suppression Tower, his eyes filled with ambition.
"Tch. What’s he so smug about?"
In the crowd, some disciples from other peaks who couldn’t stand the spectacle muttered sourly:
"He’s only in second place, that’s all."
"Don’t forget, the person at the top of the True Inheritor Candidate rankings passed the thirty-ninth layer a long time ago!"
Hearing this, the expressions of several people nearby shifted slightly.
Jiang Che’s ears twitched, and he looked at Song Yuan with curiosity.
Song Yuan lowered his voice and explained:
"They’re talking about Senior Sister Fu Yue from Shadow Killing Peak."
"Not only is she currently number one among the True Inheritor Candidates, but three months ago, she successfully passed the thirty-ninth layer and earned the right to challenge for a True Inheritance!"
At this, Song Yuan sighed, his tone laced with a mix of pity and fear:
"Unfortunately... challenging for a True Inheritance is just too difficult."
"Senior Sister Fu Yue was incredibly ambitious back then and directly challenged the Ninth True Inheritor, Cao Ge."
"And the result... she failed!"
"Not only did she lose, but Senior Brother Cao Ge was ruthless. She was severely injured and is still in seclusion on Shadow Killing Peak, healing. It’s said her very cultivation foundation was almost shattered."
"Of course, Cao Ge didn’t get off easy either. I heard he was injured as well."
Hearing this, a chill went through Jiang Che’s heart.
’Even a Half-Step True Mastery Realm cultivator who reached the thirty-ninth layer almost had their foundation shattered. It seems the battle for a True Inheritance is as brutal as they say! My current strength is nowhere near enough!’
As Ji Lingfeng departed, surrounded by the crowd, the spectacle came to an end.
The crowd gradually dispersed.
"Let’s go, Junior Brother."
Song Yuan patted Jiang Che’s shoulder. "It was good to see, but don’t get ahead of yourself. You haven’t been in the sect for long, so your current achievements are already extraordinary. As long as you build your foundation steadily, you might just be able to catch up to them one day!"
"Yes, thank you for bringing me here to see all this, Senior Brother."
Jiang Che nodded, taking one last deep look at the towering black tower.
Then he turned and left Demon Suppression Peak with Song Yuan.
...
Perhaps spurred on by Ji Lingfeng’s tower challenge, Demon Suppression Peak became exceptionally lively over the next few days.
Several of the top prodigies at the head of the True Inheritor Candidate rankings began to secretly compete with one another.
「The next morning.」
Song Yuan knocked on Jiang Che’s courtyard gate again, a wide grin on his face that showed he was looking forward to some drama:
"Let’s go, let’s go, Junior Brother! There’s another good show to watch today!"
"Who is it this time?" Jiang Che asked with resignation, forced to pause his Cultivation and follow his senior brother.
"Xing Lie! From Coiling Dragon Peak! The powerhouse ranked third on the True Inheritor Candidate list!"
By the time the two arrived at the Demon Suppression Tower’s plaza, it was once again a sea of people.
Standing before the tower was a burly man built like an iron pagoda.
He was bare-chested, his bronze skin glowing with a metallic sheen, and he radiated a suffocating, oppressive aura.
Jiang Che’s gaze sharpened.
’Another one at the Thirteenth Layer Peak of the True Master Realm! Another expert at the Half-Step True Mastery Level!’
Xing Lie’s style of challenging the tower was completely different from Ji Lingfeng’s.
If Ji Lingfeng was a sword of unparalleled sharpness, then Xing Lie was an unbreakable hammer!
No flashy moves, just plowing straight through everything!
Ultimately.
After an earth-shattering series of rumbles, the runic light for the thirty-eighth layer went out.
Xing Lie strode out. Though he was injured, his wild aura hadn’t diminished in the slightest.
"He’s tied for second place!"
"Our Coiling Dragon Peak has a powerhouse who’s passed the thirty-eighth layer too!"
The disciples from Coiling Dragon Peak cheered and celebrated in the crowd.
However, this was only the beginning.
「The third day.」
"Look! It’s Senior Brother Chu Yun!"
"A senior brother from our Spirit Void Peak is here too!"
This time, Jiang Che didn’t need Song Yuan to drag him along; he had already arrived at the plaza early on his own.
This was because the person challenging the tower today was the leading figure among Spirit Void Peak’s True Inheritor Candidates, ranked fourth overall—
Chu Yun!
A young man with a scholarly and elegant face, dressed in a light cyan Daoist Robe and holding a folding fan, slowly walked over.