Tower of Heaven

Atlas knew it was impossible for him to keep still after hearing the good news, so the moment the communication was cut off, he closed his eyes and returned to cultivation.

He couldn’t think about it now. If he did, he would be unable to focus.

No, even as he tried to sink back into a meditative state, he found it impossible to return to how he was.

The positive news was more overwhelming than he expected.

’Scarlet Fox looked at me like I was insane.’

She said that it was impossible, and it wasn’t as if she thought so for no reason. A mortal had never used such methods to enter the Immortal Realm. No, more than that, a mortal had never entered a floor or zone higher than they were meant to access.

The upper floors were supposed to be completely banned for lower floor existences. Even those born in the Immortal World would be subject to the same restrictions once they became Ascenders.

’I was able to subvert impossibility by contacting a single person?’

It was hard to say that it was Altas’ merit. Atlas’ only merit was his connection with Aeon.

There was a reason she was trapped and sealed in the lower floors to rot. She couldn’t be killed by even the strongest of the Immortal Realm. She was an impossibility herself, so what was impossible for him was nothing to her.

’I know she said that this is her way of repaying my favor. When I originally contacted her, I even hoped that she would remember my favor and choose to repay it. However, the gratitude I feel is different from that.’

Atlas still felt like he needed to repay her even if this aid was something he rightfully earned. After all, she treated it like it was nothing, but it truly wasn’t.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The air sloshed back and forth like waves as Atlas started to practice martial forms in the forest. He closed his eyes and entertained his thoughts in full, allowing his body to move and expel the energy built up inside him.

It was certainly different.

Years ago, when Atlas began his cultivation journey, he tried his best to follow the path he paved in his past life. He fought wildly and used brutish techniques to force his way to victory.

The forms he practiced at that time were more rigid and meant to cause damage with every movement.

That was no longer the case, was it?

He moved swiftly, practically dancing with the grace of his movements. The forms he used now were not damaging in their own right. They were meant to support the offensive and allow it to show its full potential.

The energy around him was peaceful and quiet. It would remain like that until the moment he struck. His fangs would only be bared at that very final moment.

He was a hidden killer, a cheetah in the tall grass. He was a completely different person, and he was growing into a completely different monster.

He moved and he allowed his thoughts to flow. He allowed his body to expel energy and calm down until it was exhausted. He refreshed himself with pure qi and continued even when his legs felt like they were going to give out.

And, when he finally collapsed to his knees, he sat down and meditated, combatting his exhaustion so he could move once more.

It went on like that. How else could it go? If Atlas stopped for even a moment, his mind would go to that place.

’It’s finally happening

’I can finally go to the upper floors.’

’What is waiting for me there?’

’What will I find?’

’Can I truly face those dangers? Am I truly as worthy as I believe I am? Is everything I believe nothing more than arrogance?’

’Will I die if I keep moving forward?’

The doubts came from a place of anticipation and impatience. It wasn’t as if there was a way to get rid of them. He could only allow them to flow as they pleased so they couldn’t truly affect him. RαɴƟꞖĚṣ

[Perfect Adaptability] could help him if he wanted it to, but its power…

Its power was still being blocked by that treasure. As Atlas never asked for it to stop blocking the trait, it never did.

This one time, he wanted to recover his mental state naturally. This one time, he wanted to use methods that would not negatively impact his well-being.

That was why he cultivated and trained. It was the only way he knew how to clear his thoughts otherwise.

But, eventually, three days did pass.

"Huu…"

[Perfect Adaptability has activated.]

He made contact with that treasure once more. He only asked it as kindly as he could to remove its influence and it listened.

It went back to ignoring his words soon after, but that was fine as well.

With [Perfect Adaptability] functioning again, his thoughts didn’t run wild. His mind reached a cold balance of indifference, and he finally calmed down.

"Huu…"

The second breath he took felt estranged from the first, as if a different person was walking away from this forest than the one who entered its grounds.

Atlas disappeared rapidly. He raced against the backdrop of Minora, his destination set for the meeting point he agreed upon with Aeon.

It was around a thousand kilometers away from Revine. It was close enough to the city that Atlas could immediately reach it if he needed to, but it was still far enough for the signature of Aeon’s qi wouldn’t attract countless cultivators.

Naturally, the unique aura of her qi would attract others, but with enough distance, it would only happen after Atlas and Aeon had both already left.

That was the plan. Considering the location as well, there wasn’t much that could interfere with it.

Minora was nothing more than a blur around Atlas until he came to a halt.

He was not the first to arrive at the coordinates.

When the world stilled once more, Atlas was standing behind a woman with short black hair and tight-fitting clothing meant for assassins or others of similar occupations.

She looked nothing like Aeon until she turned around. Only then was Atlas able to make out some familiar features in her face.

Especially those eyes that looked like galaxies. They could never be hidden no matter how hard she tried.

"You came quickly. I only just arrived."

She spoke in the same voice. Even without all of her power, it still contained that mysterious charm.

Atlas smiled, nodding his head in greeting.

"How could I keep my benefactor waiting? You came all the way here for me. This is the least I can do."

"It’s always flattery with you, isn’t it?"

"I was raised right, after all."

The two exchanged casual conversation. It was impossible a few days ago, but now that they were in front of each other, Atlas wasn’t so jittery.

"I won’t take too much of your time, as I have to leave soon as well. First, take this."

Aeon placed her finger on his chest and injected energy into his body.

"Don’t resist it. This is your way back to Minora when you’re ready."

Atlas raised a brow curiously, but he did as she said. Allowing her energy to circulate through his qi channels, he felt a certain tangible structure start to form.

"This way, you cannot lose your escape method unless you die. It will also respond instantly, so you will only need to wait for a short period before you are teleported away. All you need to do is contact it with your qi to activate it."

As the skeleton-like structure completed itself, she pulled her finger away and gave him a severe look.

"Remember, you need qi to activate it. Always keep yourself replenished with at least a small amount. For this moment’s sake, I gave you something extra so you can understand what it’s like to open the portal."

"You mean…"

Aeon nodded, confirming his thoughts.

"It’s in your hands. Whenever you’re ready, you may open your path to the Isle of Sizcelle."

Atlas looked down at his own hands and then back at her. He wanted to hesitate. It felt like the moment would mean something more if he hesitated.

But he could not. It didn’t need to be mentioned anymore. In this quest, he would not hesitate even once.

Calling upon the qi in his body, he connected to the skeleton that had formed in his qi channels.

A rush of purple qi spread into his surroundings before converging back on his body. Slowly, it gathered into a storm that gained depth. Darkness spread from the energy’s centerpoint, carving out a circular opening in its form.

That was it.

Only a small portion of Atlas’ qi was used in its creation, but that was nothing less than a portal leading to the upper floors.

"I’m not dreaming, am I?"

"You are not."

"You only put a small amount of qi into my body. It’s able to support this portal?"

"A small amount of qi is a very different thing depending on who it comes from."

Atlas nodded again. She didn’t need to say more.

"I know this is technically already repayment, but I cannot allow this favor to be forgotten. I will repay you when I return."

Hearing his solemn vow, Aeon only shook her head with a chuckle.

"I’m already used to these words from you. Instead of spouting them again, you should start acting. You’re short on time, aren’t you?"

Atlas flinched.

He was.

With every second he spent traveling, more and more time passed for Horus and Artemia in the Underworld. If he took too long, they would have to experience many more years of torture and madness.

"Huu…"

He took a breath to push back the words crawling up his throat. As Aeon said, he didn’t need to repeat them again.

He looked into the portal that hinted at the magical scenery beyond. He looked back at the one who created it for him and bowed to her in thanks.

And then, he turned back and stepped through it.

As his body was enveloped in the aura of chaotic space, he disappeared from the lower floors.

His destination…?

A place that would give him his first true "First" in the Tower.

It was time for the name "Atlas Vaun" to gain real weight.

******

NOTICE

******

I hate that I have to do this, but I’m not in a position where I can ignore the lack of growth this book has experienced anymore.

Starting February, TOH will be on the backburner. It isn’t a hiatus, but it still sucks.

My mental state has been getting worse recently and it’s affecting my writing quality. Even my physical state has been declining as a result. I don’t want to continue this and ruin this book by hoping for the best while I continue to do worse and worse.

It’s going on the backburner only because I don’t have the freedom to focus on it right now, but I really, really want to write this book. I’ve been stressing over the thought of dropping it so much that I literally chose not to.

The current plan goes like this: I take a few weeks to rest and then come back with a new book. The goal is 2 chaps of that book and 1 chap of this one a day. If this book happens to gain some traction, maybe it’ll increase, but that’s just the ideal situation.

If I’m being honest, this book’s updates might be inconsistent for some time, but I am going to keep updating it. I don’t want to drop this book or end this story prematurely.

So, for anyone who truly has been reading and enjoying it, I promise that Tower of Heaven will eventually be finished. It will eventually receive the attention it deserves from me, just not at this moment.

As I said before, I’ll be taking some time to rest and recuperate before starting a new book. If you still trust in my writing, please go check it out when the time comes. I’ll announce it in the discord when I publish it, so make sure to join if you want to know. The link is in the synopsis.

Until then, thank you for enjoying Tower of Heaven so far. I’ll be doing my best to grow and improve so that I don’t have to write something like this a second time.

Read new adventures at

-Crocs ;)

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