The Author's Draft-Chapter 58: Secret Of The Tower I
Starting from the first floor again wasn’t really bothersome for Long Chen.
If anything, it was useful.
The trials were easy at this level—far below what he’d already experienced in the back mountains of the Dugu Clan. But they gave him time to familiarize himself with the combat experience Azazel had passed to him. Techniques, footwork patterns, battle instincts that came from centuries of warfare.
The format was still the same as the Dugu Clan Tower.
Floors one through ten, he’d encountered demon beasts of increased strength and numbers.
Floor eleven onward, humanoid opponents with actual martial techniques and combat intelligence.
The first floor guardian had been a warm-up, the second floor brought two beasts attacking in coordination. The third floor was more aggressive, testing his reaction speed.
Long Chen cleared each floor methodically, taking his time to observe patterns and test different techniques.
By the fourth floor, he was facing a pack of five demon beasts simultaneously. They attacked from multiple angles, trying to overwhelm him with numbers and speed.
Long Chen drew Demon Dweller and moved.
His blade flashed through the air, each strike precise and economical. They lunged, snapped, tried to flank him—but his footwork kept him one step ahead. Phantom Step carried him through gaps in their formation, and when he struck, the wolves dissolved into golden light.
[Floor 4 Complete.]
[Time: 2 minutes 13 seconds.]
[Advancing to Floor 5...]
Long Chen sheathed his sword and waited for the next trial to materialize.
That’s when Azazel spoke up.
*Alright, I’ve seen enough. I can confirm my suspicions now.*
"About what?" Long Chen asked.
*About what this Tower actually is.* Azazel’s tone was thoughtful, almost fascinated. *You see there are two types of inheritances in the cultivation world—man-made and natural.*
Long Chen listened as the fifth floor began to form around him.
*Man-made inheritances are exactly what they sound like. A powerful cultivator creates a trial ground, fills it with tests and treasures, and leaves it behind for future generations. They’re structured, predictable, and designed with specific goals in mind. The trials are usually puppets, formations, or illusions—constructs created through spiritual energy.*
The light on the platform condensed, taking shape.
*Natural inheritances are different. They form spontaneously in places where spiritual energy accumulates to extreme levels—usually where something powerful died or where natural treasures condensed over millennia. These inheritances test compatibility with natural laws. The guardians aren’t constructed—they’re real. Living creatures or spiritual manifestations. The trials adapt based on the challenger’s nature.*
Seven massive forms materialized on the platform—demon bears, three meters tall, covered in dark fur with red patterns glowing across its body. Its eyes opened, burning with crimson light.
Real eyes, not puppet constructs.
The bear’s chest rose and fell with breath. Muscles tensed as they all locked onto Long Chen.
*This Tower,* Azazel continued as the bear stepped off the platform, *feels like both.*
Long Chen drew Demon Dweller again, watching the bears circle him slowly.
"What do you mean, both?"
*The structure is man-made. This tower, its floors, the advancement system, the reward mechanism, no natural inheritance appears like this, all of that was designed and built by someone with incredible power and skill. But the guardians...*
The demon bears roared and charged.
Long Chen sidestepped one, letting its massive paw swipe through empty air. He countered with a slash across its flank Demon Dweller’s cursed edge bit deep, drawing blood.
Real blood.
The bear howled in pain and spun, faster than something that size should move. Its claws came down toward Long Chen’s head.
He rolled backward, came up in a crouch, and thrust upward—
His blade pierced the bear’s throat, spiritual energy erupting from the wound as the technique discharged, and the bear collapsed.
But it didn’t dissolve into golden light immediately.
It stayed solid for several seconds, bleeding out, before finally fading.
*See?* Azazel said. *That wasn’t a puppet. That wasn’t a construct made of spiritual energy. That was a real demon beast—flesh and blood, with a genuine cultivation base. Only natural inheritances can produce real living guardians like that.*
Long Chen wiped his blade clean after dealing with the rest of the bears. "So the Tower is both man-made structure and natural inheritance?"
*Exactly. Someone built this Tower—gave it structure, floors, rewards, advancement criteria. But they didn’t fill it with puppets or illusions. They somehow made the Tower capable of generating or summoning real demon beasts as guardians. That... should be impossible.*
[Floor 5 Complete.]
[Time: 1 minute 52 seconds.]
[Advancing to Floor 6...]
"Is that even possible? And besides there are some human constructs too on the upper floor" Long Chen asked.
*Apparently, yes. But it would require power beyond anything I’ve encountered. You’d need to manipulate natural laws themselves—bend reality to create a space where living creatures can be summoned, tested against challengers, then returned or dissolved afterward.* Azazel paused. *Whoever made these Towers wasn’t just powerful, they are not supposed to be in this world. As for the human constructs, I’ll understand better when I see them.*
Long Chen looked around the chamber as the sixth floor trial began forming. "You sound worried."
*I’m not worried, I’m cautious. There’s a difference.* Azazel’s voice grew more serious. *Natural inheritances don’t have structures like this. They don’t have sixteen floors or organized advancement systems. They’re chaotic, wild, dangerous. But this Tower has all the control of a man-made inheritance combined with the authentic challenge of a natural one. The level of power that can accomplish this should not exist in this world.*
"Why?"
*Creating something like this is not something any run of the mill cultivators can create, even if they are from higher worlds. That....*
Azazel trailed off as seven massive serpents materialized on the platform—each one, five meters long, scales gleaming with spiritual energy.
Long Chen readied his sword.
*That requires god-level knowledge,* Azazel finished quietly.
-----
Long Chen continued climbing.
Floor six: seven demon serpents. Cleared in three minutes.
The seventh floor had eight demon tiger with lightning affinity. Long Chen cleared it in four minutes with moderate difficulty, moving to floor eight, the difficulty spike noticeable.
Multiple demon beasts attacking in coordinated patterns. They had higher cultivation bases, better instincts. The Tower was pushing him now, testing whether he could maintain performance under sustained pressure.
By floor ten, Long Chen was facing a pack of nine demon wolves, each one at Foundation Establishment Stage 2, working together with pack tactics that would put trained cultivators to shame.
He cleared it, but it took eight minutes and left him breathing hard.
[Floor 10 Complete.]
[Advancing to Floor 11...]
The format changed.
The platform glowed, and instead of a demon beast, a humanoid figure materialized.
[Floor 11 Guardian: Sword Practitioner (Foundation Establishment Stage 4)]
*This is just an ordinary puppet, though it had been imbued with a little martial will just to make it fight better, and I thought I was going to be more surprised.* Azazel’s said, the disappointment evident in his tone.
The puppet moved.
Not with the predictable patterns of the early floors. This one fought like a real swordsman—feints, combinations, footwork that controlled space, techniques that flowed naturally from one to the next.
Long Chen engaged it seriously.
Their blades met in rapid exchanges, steel ringing against steel. The puppet’s technique was flawless, its timing perfect. Every opening Long Chen tried to exploit closed before he could capitalize.
It took him twelve minutes to find a weakness in the puppet’s defense and exploit it with a Void-Splitting Strike that pierced through its guard.
[Floor 11 Complete.]
[Time: 12 minutes 34 seconds.]
[Advancing to Floor 12...]
Long Chen caught his breath and kept going.
Floor twelve brought a spear-wielding puppet, and the thirteenth floor brought dual sword wielders. Each one stronger, and with better technique. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚
When Long Chen finally stepped onto the fourteenth floor platform—his previous maximum—he paused.
*This is where you stopped last time,* Azazel said.
"I know."
[Current time elapsed: 2 hours 47 minutes.]
Long Chen didn’t respond. He was focused on the platform as the fourteenth floor trial materialized.
Another humanoid guardian appeared.
This one was no different than the others and after a few back and forth, Long Chen defeated it.
[Floor 14 Complete.]
[Time: 17 minutes 8 seconds.]
[Advancing to Floor 15...]
