CHAPTER 716: CHAPTER 713: SOUL CONDENSING TOWER OPENS!

"Congratulations, Brother Chen, for securing the Unrivaled Immortal Shoes!"

As soon as the auction ended, Ningling’s Heavenly Pride Tower Manager Hong Tianfeng came to congratulate Li Chen.

"Brother Chen, you’ve bid on a total of six treasures, amounting to 6.5 million Spirit Stones. As a member of the Cloud Sea Sect, you get a 20% discount at our Heavenly Pride Tower, which would be 5.2 million Spirit Stones. I am personally very inclined to befriend you and will waive the 200,000 odd stones for you, so you’ll only need to pay 5 million Spirit Stones!"

After finishing, he looked at Li Chen with a grin.

Li Chen returned the smile and said, "I was in a hurry when I left, and did not bring Spirit Stones with me. I will need a week’s time. How about this, I shall write you an IOU. After a week passes, I will settle the payment. What do you think of this proposal, Manager Hong?"

Upon hearing Li Chen’s proposal, Hong Tianfeng’s face turned bitter.

million Spirit Stones was no small sum, and he, as a city manager, could not make such a decision on his own.

"Brother Chen, this seems a little bit out of the ordinary, doesn’t it?"

Li Chen smiled amiably and firmly placed the Cloud Sea Jade Token on the table.

"How about this, I will leave this core disciple’s Sect Token with you as collateral. This will give you something to report back to your superiors, how about that?"

A Sect Token, evidence of one’s identity in a sect, was no less important than a Lifebound Magical Treasure.

Especially so when it’s the token of a core disciple from a Heavenly Sect.

Seeing things escalating, Hong Tianfeng quickly wiped the sweat from his forehead and hastily said, "This won’t do, this won’t do. Brother Chen, please take your Sect Token back. Take the auctioned items with you, and there’s no rush for those 5 million Spirit Stones. I’ll find other Spirit Stones to cover it for the time being."

"But Brother Chen, you must replenish those 5 million Spirit Stones within seven days. This money is not my personal possession, and should any issue arise, I’m afraid my own fortune and life would be at stake!"

Jiang Tianxing chimed in, speaking indignantly, "Manager Hong, what do you mean by this? Are you suggesting that our Cloud Sea Sect would owe Heavenly Pride Tower those 5 million Spirit Stones?"

"How about this, if you don’t trust us, then I’ll stake the century-long reputation of the Jiang Family as a guarantee!"

Hong Tianfeng shook his head repeatedly, saying he did not mean it that way, it was just that those 5 million Spirit Stones were tied to his personal fortune and life, necessitating caution. He apologized for any offense in his words and asked for Li Chen’s understanding.

Li Chen magnanimously waved his hand, signaling his understanding.

He planned to leave after obtaining the treasures from the Soul Condensing Tower seven days later, washing his hands of the matter.

By that time, life and death would have nothing to do with him, Li Chen.

To play the wolf with empty hands was just as simple and brutal as that!

Once Jiang Tianxing confirmed Li Chen was a core disciple of the sect, he was overjoyed and pulled out all the stops to flatter him.

Including the East Spirit Pavilion, leaders of the Seven Major Sects from Ningling County, each offered up their most treasured possessions, hoping to connect with Li Chen, the Heaven’s Chosen Son, and forge a good relationship.

At first, Li Chen would symbolically resist.

But these people were too enthusiastic, and to refuse these gifts would be to disrespect them and look down upon their sects.

Having no choice, Li Chen accepted them all.

The daily stream of gift-givers reached from East Street to West Street, to the extent that Li Chen was "overwhelmed by annoyance."

During this "painful" process of accepting gifts, seven days passed in a blink of an eye.

On the third day of the third month, the Soul Condensing Tower officially opened!

On this day, countless talented youths and Heavenly Pride Girls flocked toward the city center.

Before the hour of Chen had arrived, the area around the Soul Condensing Tower was already surrounded by a sea of people. Elite figures and Heaven’s Chosen Sons and Holy Daughters were mostly gathered here. Among them, many Heavenly Prides had traveled thousands of miles from their respective sects to participate.

The Soul Condensing Tower is jointly owned by the Prefectural Governor Mansion, the Seven Major Sects, and the Four Great Cultivation Families.

On the day the tower opens, as per past conventions, all twelve houses will send someone in charge to oversee it to prevent any disturbances.

In addition to this, other less notable sects, aristocratic families, and relatively strong Loose Cultivators also come, drawn by the reputation, hoping to be struck by a pie from the sky and to pick up some fortuitous opportunity.

Li Chen glanced around and his expression grew somewhat solemn.

There were fifteen Golden Core Experts, among whom twelve were from sects and aristocratic families, with only three being Loose Cultivators.

The disparity in the proportion of experts is so wide, no wonder the noble family descendants look down on poor family cultivators.

Among these fifteen Golden Core Experts, Prefectural Governor Ning Que and the white-haired elder from the Jiang Family, with the highest cultivation, were both at the peak of the Golden Core Late Stage.

If one’s identity is revealed, the consequences would be unimaginable!

However, Li Chen wasn’t too worried about this. Over these seven days, aside from receiving gifts, he had been fussing over the Unrivaled Immortal Shoes.

Although there is only one shoe and its functionality is greatly compromised, it is still a top-grade spiritual artifact. Even if it can’t double the speed of his movement technique, it can still increase it by at least 50%.

His current movement speed can reach ten times the speed of sound. Among all the experts present, only Prefectural Governor Ning Que and Old Man Jiang could barely keep up with him.

With the speed enhancement from the Unrivaled Immortal Shoes, those two old men would only be left eating his dust.

As Li Chen pondered, a robust voice, like a Copper Bell, suddenly rang out.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today is the once every three years opening day of the Soul Condensing Tower. This tower, created 2,500 years ago by the Nascent Soul Great Cultivator Master Wuya of Ningling County, who specialized in tempering Divine Souls, is a Divine Artifact he left behind upon his transcendence."

"The tower has nine levels, each capable of condensing Divine Souls and forging the body. Moreover, there’s also a certain chance to obtain the inheritance of Master Wuya!"

Upon hearing Ning Que’s words, the crowd instantly boiled with excitement. In the eyes of every man and woman, a fervent glow shone.

For a large part of these people, the entire reason they traveled such long distances was to vie for Master Wuya’s inheritance. If one can obtain it, it’s a tremendous stroke of luck, potentially allowing them to ascend to heaven in a single step and become true Heaven’s Chosen Sons and Holy Daughters across the entire Cloud Sea Continent.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please quiet down. While the Soul Condensing Tower undoubtedly has many benefits for Divine Souls and bodies, there is one thing you must all keep in mind: opportunity and risk coexist, and naturally, the tower is no exception as it is filled with various dangers."

At this point, Ning Que paused briefly, pointing his hand at the towering Soul Condensing Tower.

"You all see, this tower is split into nine levels, each one offering increased opportunity as you ascend, but with it comes increasingly intense backlash. A single misstep could lead to possession by devils, reducing one to a cripple. In the worst-case scenario, one might die on the spot, their soul dispersing into nothingness. Hence, I urge you all to act according to your ability. Do not overestimate yourselves, remember, remember!"

Hearing Ning Que change his tone, many were as though doused with a bucket of cold water, and the frenzied atmosphere cooled down considerably.

However, for Heavenly Pride figures like Sun Tiantian and Jiang Tianxing, the zeal in their eyes only intensified.

Li Chen was also lost in thought, but he wasn’t pondering how to seize the Soul Condensing Divine Object at the top of the ninth layer.

Deep in his heart, he had long since decided that the object was as good as in his own pocket.

What he was considering more was how to take the treasure and then make his escape?

After all, Divine Artifacts have their own consciousness, and to take it, one must reveal their True Body to show sincerity.

By then, his identity would undoubtedly be exposed on the spot. A life-or-death struggle would be inevitable!