PNB Chapter 433: First Floor of Ascension Tower—2
Chapter 433: First Floor of Ascension Tower—2
Leon didn’t even bother activating his mana body enhancement technique. His physical body—being the Divinordial race and having endured countless tribulations and hellish training—was vastly superior to others at the same cultivation rank.
My body alone is stronger than most people with full enhancement active.
He knew instinctively he didn’t need artificial enhancement for handling these particular foes.
Leon’s gaze sharpened with focused intent.
He unsheathed his sword in one smooth, practiced motion. The blade came free with a distinctive metallic sound, gleaming with a bright blue sheen—though it wasn’t the natural color of the metal itself but rather highly condensed ice elemental energy coating the entire length.
Then he slashed with lightning-fast speed.
Sky Breaker Draw — executed with Transcendent Rank mastery, combined seamlessly with condensed ice element.
SLASH!
An intense blue thread of concentrated ice energy unleashed from his blade, moving far faster than the eye could track.
The attack manifested as razor-thin lines that appeared simultaneously on the bodies of all ten goblins—specifically across their necks with surgical precision. They didn’t even have time to react defensively or attempt to dodge.
All this happened in mere milliseconds.
Thin blue lines appeared across each goblin’s throat, glowing faintly.
Then the icy energy didn’t stop there—it continued traveling through the air, passing through where the goblins stood, and finally collided violently with the reinforced edge of the arena itself.
BOOM! CRACK!
A massive explosion erupted where the attack hit the barrier, sending cracks spider-webbing across the protective formation before it absorbed and dispersed the excess energy.
Back at the goblins’ positions—
FREEZE!
The ten creatures’ necks didn’t simply get cut. Instead, the overwhelming ice energy spread rapidly from the wound points, completely freezing their entire bodies from the inside out within seconds.
Their expressions locked in shock and confusion, unable to comprehend what had just killed them.
SHATTER!
Then they all shattered simultaneously into countless fine ice pieces, like delicate ice sculptures broken by an invisible hammer.
The potency of Leon’s attack was on such a vastly higher level than these trial goblins’ bodies could possibly handle—even after death, the residual ice energy continued destroying them completely.
Watching this display from high above, the overseer felt a strong ripple pass through his purple eyes as a distinctly grim expression appeared on his face for the first time.
No. This can’t be...
Seeing how absurdly easily this human had passed the second layer—which was supposed to be a genuine challenge requiring tactical thinking—made him realize something deeply troubling.
When I took this assessment centuries ago, it wasn’t nearly this smooth. I struggled significantly on the second layer.
The realization hit him like cold water.
This human might actually pass the third layer. Or... may even have a slim possibility to contend with the fourth layer.
Velrith himself had only managed to pass the third layer successfully with a B-level assessment, which had been just good enough for him to be considered a respectable small genius within his prestigious clan.
And now this lower-world insect is performing better than I did?
Realizing that this human—who was now definitely his mortal enemy—possessed even greater natural potential than himself, combined with the fact that he could wield the ice element which was categorized as one of the genuinely uncommon elements...
He’s more special than I initially estimated.
In terms of pure elemental affinity rank, Velrith didn’t feel particularly concerned as of right now. But he knew clearly this wasn’t everything the human had shown so far—there were definitely more hidden cards.
He made a solemn promise to his heart in that moment: the instant this tower connected to the vast network and the protection period officially ended, he would personally come here and methodically destroy this human and his entire planet without mercy. And obtain every single secret he possessed.
The chance of this human actually becoming a genuine threat to me is close to zero despite his potential being somewhat greater than mine. There’s a vast generational difference in cultivation level and social status between us.
Velrith didn’t truly have to be so excessively cautious to begin with. However, extreme caution was precisely why he’d survived this long and achieved his current position of power and authority.
Better to eliminate potential threats before they can grow.
A similar system message appeared in front of Leon’s eyes after the ice pieces finished dissolving:
[Second Layer Cleared Successfully]
[Trial Completion Time: 1.2 seconds]
[Evaluation: In Progress]
[You may now choose to withdraw from the trial and claim your current rewards, or proceed to the Third Layer]
[Rest Period Granted: 10 minutes before automatic continuation]
Leon could choose to continue immediately right away.
However, he then glanced upward at the figure floating high in the air, watching his every move with those calculating purple eyes.
I don’t like this feeling. Being constantly watched by someone who is my mortal enemy—someone I will eventually kill—but who is currently far too strong for me to contend with directly.
He was thinking deeply if there was any possible way he could keep himself and his hidden trump cards away from this bastard’s prying eyes.
The thought of enclosing the entire arena with his Ice Domain ability entered his mind as a potential solution.
However, Leon immediately shook his head right afterward, dismissing the idea.
That wouldn’t be nearly enough. The distance between our power levels is too vast—it wouldn’t work at all against someone at his level.
The overseer gave him that completely unfathomable feeling, like trying to measure an ocean’s depth with a short stick.
As he was feeling genuinely helpless and thinking with regret that he should have saved some causality as emergency funds—there definitely would have been some useful privacy-related treasures available in the cosmic shop that could have helped him in his current scenario—
A sudden unexpected message floated into view directly in front of him, as if the tower itself was sensing his specific thoughts and responding to his will.
[Administrator Privilege Detected]
[Tower suggestion given detection Administrator will]
[Special Option Available: Private Trial Mode]
[Would you like to make your trial evaluation private?]
[Effect: All observers except designated Administrator of the specified Tower itself will be removed from observation Authority of the trial]
[This setting can be activated at any point during trials]
[Confirm?]