While Feng cut through the tower like a storm wrapped in silence, the other challengers climbed floor by floor, their paths heavy with sweat, teamwork, and desperation.
The tower was vast. Each floor carried its own weight, its own tempo. While Feng fought like a ghost, some pressed forward like armies.
Xing's Team: Discipline Meets Might
On the ninth floor, a clash of metal and qi echoed.
"Shields up!" Yuki's voice rang clear, sharp as a bell. The mage stood behind her team, her fingers weaving rapid circles of light. A translucent shield wrapped around the frontline just as a pair of D-rank Dracowolves hurled themselves forward.
Renji braced with his tower shield, the impact shaking his arms, while Koto shifted wide, drawing the monsters' attention with a taunting roar.
Xing himself surged in. His broadsword swept down like thunder splitting the skies. The wolf shrieked, its chest splitting as the Qing Family's Heavy Blade Style revealed its terrifying simplicity—no wasted movements, no flourish, just absolute destruction.
"Left flank open! Mei!" Yuki shouted.
Lady Mei was already moving. With a flick of her wrist, her twin fans shimmered, cutting the air into a storm of slicing gusts. The attack staggered the second wolf, leaving it exposed. Xing's follow-up strike ended it with one brutal cleave.
"Floor clear," Mei said with calm poise, snapping her fans shut.
Xing rested his blade on his shoulder, sweat glistening down his brow. "Onward. We won't be outdone."
They were efficient. Calculated. But compared to the silence that followed Feng's passing, their movements felt heavy.
Maria's Elite: Frost and Fury
Elsewhere, floor eight turned to ice.
Rose's spear struck the ground, crackling with lightning Qi. The shockwave stunned a cluster of flame bats mid-flight, their screeches cut short. In that heartbeat, Maria raised her staff, lips moving with elegance.
"Frozen Grave."
A blizzard exploded into being, the air turning white and sharp. The bats fell like broken glass, their bodies frozen solid before shattering against the floor.
Behind her, two mage allies kept barrier wards alive, shimmering domes that flared whenever stray fireballs struck.
Rose grinned. "As precise as ever."
Maria lowered her staff slowly, breath even, expression calm as an ancient lake. "Do not get careless. The tower hasn't even shown its teeth yet."
Her voice carried no arrogance—just certainty.
The crowd watching her fight murmured admiration. She was elegance incarnate, the Ice Mistress of Iron Fall. Yet, despite her beauty and efficiency, even her name couldn't hold the same grip as the whispers about Feng.
Solo Contenders Rising
Not every challenger relied on squads. Some walked the path alone, carving their names into the monitors.
Lucca—the Metallurgist's Storm. The youth with silver hair and hawk-like eyes controlled a cloud of metallic shards that hovered around him like a living storm. Every flick of his hand sent a blade screaming into monster flesh, cutting with both precision and cruelty. "Dance," he whispered to them, and they obeyed.
Corner—the Wild Chief. His axes dripped with blood, his bare chest streaked with sweat and scars. He roared as he split through a cluster of armored boars, his strikes so savage that even the crowd felt their knees weaken. He fought as if the tower itself had insulted his ancestors.
Loreto—the Beastmistress. With a flame-tiger and aura-lion at her side, she was never alone. Her movements flowed with theirs—strike, dodge, roar, burn—until the three fought as a single being. The crowd marveled at the unity, her glowing aura-claws carving monsters apart while her summons flanked like trusted sisters.
The Shadow of Feng
And yet, despite all their brilliance, the hall kept circling back to one name.
Feng.
Every time a crystal monitor pulsed with updated results, the entire observation chamber froze.
The glow stretched across the hall's ceiling:
Tower Results – Current Rankings
Feng – Floor 10 cleared. Time: 2 minutes, 15 seconds.Rating: Excellent.ADP Earned: 150 (Total: 325).
Xing's Team – Floor 9 cleared. Time: 7 minutes, 30 seconds.Rating: A.ADP Earned: 90 (Total: 210).
Maria's Elite – Floor 8 cleared. Time: 6 minutes, 43 seconds.Rating: A+.ADP Earned: 110 (Total: 240).
Loreto – Floor 7 cleared. Time: 5 minutes, 18 seconds.Rating: S.ADP Earned: 120 (Total: 215).
Lucca – Total: 198.
Corner – Total: 185.
Whispers erupted.
"Two minutes?!""No, no, that has to be wrong—floor ten is designed to drain even elites.""He's not even from Central… so how—?"
One student pressed his hand to the monitor as though touching it would change the words. Another cursed under his breath, jaw tight.
In the far corner of the observation hall, Lisa stood with her arms folded. Her gaze didn't waver from Feng's name. Ava leaned closer, whispering, "That's faster than even your record."
Lisa's lips barely moved. "He's not finished yet."
Her tone was cold, but her hand flexed once at her side, betraying tension.
The Tower's Grip
As the different groups advanced—teams coordinating, solos gambling everything—the shadow Feng cast grew longer. Even in victory, even in glory, every challenger felt the silent pressure of his name carved into the light above them.
It wasn't just about points anymore.
It was about who could breathe in the same air as him.
✨ End of Chapter 12 ✨