Xiao Tian took a simple bath, and after putting on his clothes, his body gradually faded away, finally reappearing on the main seat of a palace hall.
"Hall Master!!!"
The people in the hall saw Xiao Tian and immediately stood up, shouting in unison.
In the grand meeting hall exclusive to the Heaven Suppressing Hall, a solemn atmosphere filled the air. A massive long table made of rare darkwood stood at the center.
On Xiao Tian's left side, the main seats were occupied one after another by the highest-ranking members: Xiao Ding, Hai Bodong, Yun Yun, Ya Fei, Old Wen, Old Mo, Xiao Li, Qing Lin, and Medusa. On his right sat his father, Xiao Zhan, Miteer Tengshan, the three great elders of the Xiao Family, the three elders of the Mitel Family, along with several other influential elder-level figures.
Xiao Tian swept his gaze across everyone present before speaking in a calm yet authoritative voice:
"I have gathered all of you here today to discuss an important matter."
He paused for a moment, then continued:
"Once I successfully break through to the Dou Huang realm, the Heaven Suppressing Hall shall henceforth be renamed Pure Heaven Divine Palace.
Similarly, our Eternal Dream Realm will be changed to the Pure Heaven Divine Realm."
A brief wave of shock rippled through the hall. Many of the elders widened their eyes slightly, clearly surprised by the sudden declaration. However, the astonishment lasted only for a short moment.
"Understood, Hall Master!"
Everyone present quickly cupped their fists and responded in unison, their voices filled with respect and firm agreement. Although the new names carried far greater weight and ambition, no one raised any objections. After the initial surprise, they readily accepted Xiao Tian's decision.
Xiao Tian nodded with satisfaction. This name change had been suggested by Xun'er some time ago, and after careful consideration, he had finally decided to implement it.
After that, Xiao Tian laid out his idea for a new pagoda.
Hai Bodong said, "If we succeed in creating this pagoda tower, we can make our power even more formidable."
Everyone showed moved expressions; this item held immense benefits for cultivation.
"Hall Master, I suggest that this item be open only for use by the Inner Hall. That way, it will increase the Inner Hall's appeal," Xiao Ding said.
He understood the purpose of Xiao Tian's meeting was to arrange this Trial Tower. Otherwise, Xiao Tian wouldn't have convened the meeting and would have simply placed it directly.
"Seconded."
Everyone present agreed with Xiao Ding. Full public access would have too great an impact and could easily lead to instability.
During this meeting, everyone contributed their thoughts. The entire matter was settled, with all the rules perfected. The opportunity to challenge the Trial Tower would be earned using mission points. Mission points could be acquired by completing tasks for Heaven Suppressing Hall. For those not in the Inner Hall, significant contributions could also grant trial opportunities based on their merit.
Xiao Tian directly handed the specific plan over to Xiao Ding, Hai Bodong, and Yun Yun to refine.
After dismissing everyone, Xiao Tian came to the open space in front of the five peaks. He controlled the ground to form a plaza made of bluestone.
Xiao Tian activated his World Purifying Creation Divine Art, using the power of creation and the Nightmare Heavenly Fog to condense a tower. A palm-sized pagoda appeared in his hand, and he directly threw it onto the open ground. It gradually grew larger, transforming into a colossal nine-story tower over a hundred meters tall.
Trial Tower: Divided into nine floors, corresponding to the nine realms of cultivation. Successfully challenging a floor grants a certain amount of energy stones, which contain pure Heaven and Earth energy. Absorbing them can accelerate cultivation speed. The tower possessed a spirit of its own. Even though it was created by Xiao Tian, he could not fully control it, as it was born from his inner imagination. And he even doesn't know how it was work as he fist time useed power of creation to create something.
"Is this the Trial Tower? Can we go in and try it now?" Yun Yun looked at the magnificent giant tower in front of her, standing beside Xiao Tian and speaking softly.
"You can go in and try it. You can only get one reward per entry. If you come out at the Dou Practitioner level, then the energy stone you receive will be of Dou Practitioner strength, and so on. So, the higher you persevere, the better the energy stone you can obtain. Energy stones are also divided into high, medium, and low grades, so it's best to challenge your limits."
Xiao Tian gave them a final explanation of the relevant rules, and the others nodded silently.
Subsequently, unable to suppress their restless hearts, they walked toward the gate of the Trial Tower.
Xiao Tian also entered the Trial Tower. The Trial Tower automatically assigned him to the corresponding level based on his realm. Even if one's realm were hidden, it would be useless; it would still be identified. This Trial Tower possessed a slight degree of sentience.
As Xiao Tian stepped inside the tower, his vision instantly changed.
"Respected trial participant, welcome to the fifth floor of the Trial Tower."
A mechanical voice, indistinguishable as male or female, spoke.
The Trial Tower's Dou Zhi Li and Dou Practitioner levels were on the first floor, Dou Master on the second, and so on, with the ninth floor being for Dou Sheng.
The scene before Xiao Tian's eyes changed, and he stood in a seemingly barren space, with no sign of life around him.
"Trial participant, are you ready?" the mechanical voice sounded again.
"I am ready," Xiao Tian responded firmly.
As Xiao Tian's words fell, three black whirlpools appeared opposite him, labeled 'High', 'Medium', and 'Low'.
"Please select the difficulty you wish to challenge. You only have one chance to challenge. The trial environment inside is completely random; you will be randomly assigned to battlefields with different attributes. Low difficulty means fighting opponents one star lower in cultivation than yourself. Medium difficulty means fighting opponents of the same cultivation. High difficulty means fighting opponents two stars higher than yourself, up to the peak of the same realm."
Xiao Tian pondered for a moment, then directly stepped into the entrance for the high-difficulty trial.
As soon as he entered, the scene before Xiao Tian's eyes changed again, and he arrived in a world filled with magma, standing on a giant arena in the middle of the magma.
"Roar!"
A huge roar echoed from the magma below. A pair of giant hands stretched out from the magma, grabbing the edge of the arena. With a powerful leap, a monster composed of flowing magma and stones came into view. The monster's realm was at the peak of Nine-Star Dou Wang.
A ray of light fell upon Xiao Tian, and he felt that his Raging Thunder God had been sealed. That meant he had to rely purely on personal strength and could not use secret techniques that boosted his realm.
"Come on, let me see what strength you possess."
Xiao Tian's expression grew much more solemn. A golden-red long sword appeared in his hand, and he charged toward the beast.
"Roar!"
The stone monster seemed enraged by Xiao Tian's words. It pounded its chest, roared several times, and swung its magma-laden fist toward Xiao Tian.
Boom!
Xiao Tian's long sword and its fist collided. Both the man and the beast retreated three steps.
"Something's wrong. There's a trick."
Xiao Tian sensed an anomaly in the clash. The stone monster roared again and once more swung its massive fist, carrying a powerful gust of wind and scorching heat, toward Xiao Tian.
Xiao Tian activated Void Piercer Art. His figure flashed, and he appeared behind it, dodging the punch. Circulating his Dou Qi, the long sword in his hand unleashed a Dou Qi blade, slashing toward its back. The stone monster curled up slightly, and the magma on its body flowed to its back, defending against the attack.
Bang!
Xiao Tian's Dou Qi slash struck its back, splashing a great deal of magma, which was melted and devoured, causing no significant damage. Taking advantage of the gap, the beast swung a backhand slap at Xiao Tian. Xiao Tian used his long sword to protect himself, but his body was still pushed back by the immense force of the attack.
Xiao Tian leaped up again and engaged the stone monster in battle once more. The man and the beast exchanged more than a dozen blows in an instant. When they finally separated again, Xiao Tian's robes were considerably scorched, while the magma on the stone monster's body had dimmed significantly, and its body bore many slash marks.
The stone monster roared a few times, and several magma pillars surged from the magma beneath the arena. It absorbed them into its body, instantly returning to its state from before the fight.
"It seems I underestimated you. I didn't expect you to have an advantage here. You are much stronger than an ordinary peak Dou Wang."
Xiao Tian stabilized his figure, his long sword behind him, looking at the beast with a solemn expression.
Xiao Tian took a deep breath. The long sword in his hand continuously emitted a four-colored light. With a swing, a huge crescent moon shot out from the blade.
"Moon Slash!"
The stone monster was not to be outdone. Its fists, carrying scorching magma, hammered toward Xiao Tian's crescent slash.
With a deafening boom, the two attacks collided. A powerful shockwave swept across the entire arena. Xiao Tian was pushed back several meters by the energy impact, and the stone monster suffered the same.
Gritting his teeth, Xiao Tian forcibly stabilized his body in midair. His long sword was covered in four-colored lightning energy, and a pattern resembling a magic array appeared in the sky. The long sword flew toward the sky.
Xiao Tian roared, his hair flying, his eyes sharp as he looked at the stone monster and shouted.
"Judgment of Heavenly Punishment!"
A giant long sword gradually emerged from the array pattern. The surrounding space seemed to subtly distort under this power. The stone monster felt the terrifying strength of this attack and also sensed that it was locked on, unable to evade. It crossed its hands in front of its body, opened its mouth wide, and the magma from its entire body continuously surged into its mouth, forming a massive magma energy ball.
"Fall!"