Another day slipped by inside the ever-shifting depths of the Tower of Transcendance, and Ray pressed forward without pause. The momentum he had gained after securing the Water Essence in the twelfth trial carried him straight through the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth trials. His pace was relentless, almost mechanical, as if his body had already memorized the rhythm of slaughter and advancement. The system announcements kept chiming in his ears. [13th Trial Rewards: +70,000 Gold +10 Free Stat Points +1 Epiphany Card] [You have Leveled Up] x3 [14th Trial Rewards: +75,000 Gold +10 Free Stat Points +1 Path Finder Card] [You have Leveled Up] x4 [15th Trial Rewards: +80,000 Gold +10 Free Stat Points +1 Random System Function Card] [You have Leveled Up] x3 Once he finished collecting the rewards, Ray turned toward the shimmering distortion that marked the entrance to the sixteenth trial. A fresh set of notifications echoed in his vision as the trial prepared to shift

The Sword Demon descended upon Ray with terrifying speed, appearing in front of him in a flash before unleashing a storm of slashes. His katana cut through the air again and again, each swing carrying enough force to punch through stone as if it were wet clay. Waves of destructive energy burst outward with every strike, ripping apart the ground behind Ray and showering the arena with debris. Blood sprayed through the air, painting the cracked stone beneath them in violent streaks. The Sword Demon carved into Ray without restraint, his katana striking with the ferocity of a man possessed. Every motion was filled with pure fury. He hacked and slashed like a maddened butcher, carving into Ray as if trying to chop down an ancient tree that refused to fall. No matter how deep the wounds grew, no matter how much blood poured from Ray’s body, his expression remained exactly the same. He showed no fear, no panic, not even irritation. It was as though his mind had detached from the pain and t

During the trials, Ray had pushed his body through conditions no ordinary human could endure. He had survived hundreds of violent explosions that battered him from every direction, absorbed unstable waves of raw energy powerful enough to rupture him from the inside, and spent eleven long days submerged in lava infused with concentrated fire essence. Any one of these conditions should have killed a normal person, but his unique constitution and rare talents allowed his body to grow stronger by adapting to every extreme situation he faced. Even Ray did not fully grasp the limits of what his body had become capable of. When the Sword Demon began attacking him earlier, Ray had intentionally deactivated every effect of the four elemental essences circulating within him. His durability and endurance plummeted as a result, making him far more vulnerable to the Demon’s strikes. Every attack cut deeper, dealt more damage, and produced the appearance that Ray was being overwhelmed. He even pre

Several kinds of energy coursed through Ray’s body, intertwining and feeding into one another in complex patterns. Ki and mana flowed through his veins like twin currents, and the four elemental essences he possessed moved alongside them. Fire Essence, Wood Essence, Water Essence, and Earth Essence strengthened him in distinct and overwhelming ways. Fire Essence increased his destructive power, granted him complete immunity to flames, sharpened his resistance to physical attacks, and improved his healing speed. His body hummed with heat and vigor whenever this essence stirred. Wood Essence pushed his recovery abilities to an astonishing level. No matter how deep or catastrophic a wound might be, his body regenerated with abnormal speed. His fatigue recovery soared and his natural health regeneration became several times greater than that of any ordinary being. Earth Essence fortified him like a living mountain. His strength skyrocketed, his endurance and durability multiplied, and h

Ray had always believed that the answers he sought would reveal themselves once his strength reached a level that left no room for doubt. For now, he pushed those questions aside. The first tower realm awaited him, and he needed to be prepared before setting foot inside Zuan. He opened his status screen again and focused on his physical attributes. “Balancing the stats comes first,” he murmured. His attributes shifted as he allocated his points. Physical Attributes: Strength: 220 Agility: 235 Vitality: 296 Stamina: 235 Perception: 162 Stat Points: 5 A small nod followed. “This should work for now.” Only then did his gaze drop to the swords he had used in the previous battle. Their condition made his expression tighten. Cracks ran along the blades, and their spiritual durability had already deteriorated. One more technique and they might crumble completely. “These swords served me well, but they are useless in this state.” He let out a short breath as he ran his thumb along