C53 The Challenge Began

Teddy glanced at the two classmates beside him, his cheeks burning with embarrassment. They patted their pockets, spread their hands wide, and shrugged in resignation—none of them had enough money.

"I've got about 3,000..." Teddy murmured, his voice barely audible. With so many peers watching, the embarrassment was one thing, but the real issue was the hit to his pride.

"You might not have the cash, but your family does. What if you end up winning?" someone chimed in.

A spark of realization lit up Teddy's eyes. Of course! He was ranked eighth in the Skysplit Tower, and he had a wealth of experience from his annual challenges at the year's end.

"Alright! Wait here; I'll be back with the money..." Without another word to his classmates, Teddy dashed off.

Zhang Xing couldn't help but snicker to himself.

Post-lunch, as Zhang Xing reached the restaurant entrance, an exhilarated Teddy came running up. "I got the money—100,000 gold coins!" He glanced around triumphantly, his pride swelling at the astonished looks from other students.

"Come on, Zhang Xing, let's head out now."

Zhang Xing nodded, and together with the crowd of students, they made their way toward Skysplit Tower.

Kai Erduo had shared that Skysplit Tower was a relic President Jager had salvaged from an ancient site. The tower's 108 floors were meant to mirror the world's magical hierarchy. Sadly, the tower was a damaged replica of an organ of honour, its glory significantly diminished.

After decades of painstaking repairs by Your Honor, the tower regained some functionality, but it had been downgraded to an imperial weapon's status. Moreover, the original 108 floors had dwindled to 63, aligning now with the Devil Emperor level. Still, it was more than sufficient for the students' use.

The area around Skysplit Tower was swarming with people. Challengers were a constant sight, but today's noon crowd was exceptionally large.

Zhang Xing and Teddy, along with their group, approached the tower, handed over their student IDs, and had five points deducted. A supervising instructor gave Zhang Xing a quick rundown of the important details, and then the two entered the tower together.

The Skysplit Tower appeared to be a mere dozen meters tall from the outside, with four entrances facing north, south, east, and west, allowing four individuals to enter simultaneously.

Inside, they were invisible to one another.

Moreover, it wasn't their physical bodies that entered, but rather their mental energy that was released to engage in combat within.

As Zhang Xing stepped inside, it felt as though his real body had come with him, solid and substantial, unlike the ephemeral form he had anticipated.

He found himself in a convincingly real primeval forest, right at its edge.

Before he had the chance to survey his surroundings, two primary Demonic Wolves appeared—one in front and one behind—lunging at him.

With a casual flick of his wrist, Zhang Xing launched two magic arrows that struck the Demonic Wolves, which instantly disintegrated into sparkling elemental particles that vanished into thin air.

Just like that, the first level was effortlessly conquered.

The scenery before him shifted, and upon reaching the second level, he breezed past four Demonic Wolves with ease.

By the time Zhang Xing surged up to the ninth level, he was faced with a total of 432 Demonic Wolves encircling him.

Yet Zhang Xing remained composed. In truth, by the time he had ascended to the fifth level, he had already formulated a strategy for combat.

Despite their numbers and their ability to spit primary magic wind blades, the Demonic Wolves did not attack all at once.

They employed tactics much like real Demonic Wolves, with the first wave charging and biting, and a second wave ready to fill any gaps.

It was only when the assault reached a certain intensity that he began his magical counterattack.