Chapter 473 - 308: Perish Here
"Y-You... you... it... it was... you! The eighth floor... that was you?!"
The expression on Lorne Meck’s face was indescribably complex.
It was a mixture of extreme shock, disbelief, and the absurd realization that ’the monster was right here beside me.’
Following Lorne Meck’s outburst, a chain reaction of shocked cries erupted across the plaza:
"Li Wen?! That Human from Blue Star?!"
"How is that possible? Isn’t his bone age only forty years?!"
"A ninth-grade bloodline... the eighth floor... Am I seeing things?"
"Oh my god! It really is him!"
"The eighth floor at a bone age of forty... This... this completely shatters our understanding of the universe!"
You couldn’t blame them for overreacting. The combination of a forty-year bone age and the eighth floor of the Heaven-Reaching Tower was enough to shatter their perception of reality.
A genius of this caliber was a rarity even across the entire Molo Intermediate Empire, the kind that might only appear once in several ages.
In his own Alka High Empire, he would be considered an absolute rarity, the kind of talent top powers would fight to recruit!
Yet now, such a talent had appeared right before their eyes in this humble Elite Training Base No. 7.
How could this not leave them shaken to their very souls?
Cries of shock, voices of doubt, and waves of discussion swept over the entire plaza like a tsunami, lasting for several full minutes.
All eyes were fixed on the unnervingly calm, black-haired young man, as everyone tried to spot even a hint of the ’monster’ within him.
The uproar finally died down when Instructor Blood Blade let out a cold bark, infused with Star Lord Level might:
"Silence! The Heaven-Reaching Tower trial is over. Everyone, assemble!"
His voice was as cold and hard as the clang of metal on metal, but if one listened closely, they could detect a tiny, almost imperceptible waver.
It was the most direct form of acknowledgment for the extraordinary individual standing before him.
After Li Wen and the second group of testers returned to the ranks, Instructor Blood Blade’s cold gaze swept over the entire assembly, lingering for a moment on Li Wen in particular, before he announced in a loud voice:
"Li Wen!"
"Here," Li Wen replied calmly.
"Heaven-Reaching Tower result: Early stages of the eighth floor!"
Although they had already expected it, when Instructor Blood Blade personally confirmed it, his Star Lord Level voice carrying clearly to every corner of the plaza, the crowd couldn’t help but let out a collective, suppressed gasp.
"Comprehensive score..." Instructor Blood Blade’s voice paused for a moment, carrying an unprecedented solemnity. "Special Grade!"
When the two words "Special Grade" were announced, they failed to elicit any surprise from the crowd. In fact, they felt that for a genius who had reached the eighth floor, a mere "Special Grade" was a bit... low.
This performance had completely shattered the existing limits of the scoring system.
Li Wen’s expression remained calm. He merely gave a slight nod.
Blood Blade gave him a deep look, his gaze filled with a complex mix of emotions: there was astonishment, but even more so, the fervent heat of discovering a peerless, uncut gem.
He continued his announcement:
"According to the rules of the Source Net Elite Training Base, participants with exceptionally outstanding performance in the Heaven-Reaching Tower may be granted an exception for early access to the ’Time Tower,’ along with prioritized resource allocation."
"Therefore, Trainee Li Wen, your basic resource quota for the first month is doubled!"
This reward was expected, but the main event was next.
"At the same time, you are hereby granted early access to the ’Time Tower’ to cultivate... for a duration of five days!"
UPROAR—!
"Five days!"
"My god! Did I hear that right? Five days?!"
"The first-place winner only gets one day! And he gets five?!"
The crowd erupted once again, and their gazes toward Li Wen were filled with an envy that was beyond words.