One week ago
"Through foresight, I have devised a way. You will be nurtured, tested, and tempered—until you can withstand its embrace. That is why I have gathered you here, those most compatible. You will be cast into enriched domains I have cultivated, sustained by the life force I call Lower Essence and, as you advance, Middle Essence. There you will grow, struggle, and clash against one another. Only then will I choose who is worthy to ascend, to touch the Highest Essence… and aid me in averting the future I have foreseen."
The Final Existence spoke to all of her chosen players, with her omnipresent form reaching out to everything and everyone. "Now, my children—fight strong. Grow. Pass the first trial. Earn the right to bathe in the Highest Essence. Climb until you reach me."
This was the path Liang Xiu now faced. His ordinary life, once bound to schoolyard struggles, shattered before his eyes. He looked upon the Final Existence and felt his destiny change.
The Tower welcomes you, Player 16704. May you ascend its heights, reach the pinnacle of existence, and rival even the Outer Gods.
"Fight strong, huh?" the figure on her palm muttered.
A crooked grin formed as he rubbed the small bandage on his nose. Then the white world fell apart around him, unraveling into black nothingness. His body plummeted until he crashed onto solid ground. The damp scent of soil filled his nostrils.
He stirred, his core flickering faintly as a warm current of essence poured into him. "This feeling… it's like I'm floating in a hot spring," Liang Xiu whispered. "I almost don't want to move."
But I guess I have; if what she said was true, then I have to see where this leads, he thought. I'm not much of a web novel reader, but it's strange they actually predicted an event like this, or is it the other way around since she was the one who wrote those stories?
He forced himself upright, growling. He found himself underground, deep in a tunnel. His eyes fixed on a massive bronze door before him. Across its surface were imprints of fists—perfectly carved inward, transforming the door into a work of divine craftsmanship.
Liang Xiu narrowed his eyes. "So this is it? A single chamber… no way out but forward?"
He clenched his fists.
"Guess there's only one path then."
With his left hand bracing him, Liang Xiu pushed himself upright. A gust stirred as he rose, brushing against his bare skin. He froze, glancing down.
"…Great. I'm naked," he muttered sarcastically, his "little brother" dangling freely between his legs.
Shaking his head, he stepped toward the massive bronze door and pressed his fist into one of the indents. A faint crimson glow spread through the thin grooves carved around the imprint—only to flicker out.
He drew back and struck harder. Thud! The heavy frame rattled, and this time the red light crawled a little farther, forming the beginnings of a pattern he couldn't yet decipher. Thud! Thud! His right fist hammered the same indent again before his left moved to another of the sixteen scattered across the surface.
One… two.
Thud! Thud!
One… thud! Two… thud!
He worked across the door, punching each mark in turn. Crimson veins of light spread through the grooves, weaving into what looked like a formation array. Yet some sections dimmed as time passed, or perhaps his strikes hadn't carried enough force.
"Haa… haa…" His breath came heavy, his fists raw and stinging.
"This is interesting…" he thought, driving his knuckles into the cold bronze. He switched angles, striking high and low, left and right, experimenting as he pieced the trial together. "I'm supposed to activate the array… by punching hard and fast enough to open the door. Or die of hunger trying."
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Minutes dragged on. His arms screamed from fatigue, sweat dripped down his temples, and still he hadn't stopped. His dantian pulsed, drawing in essence to fuel him.
"Come on! Come on!"
Thud!
"I've already lit you up!" He growled, his body bathed in the door's crimson glow. "Is there some other trick to this?"
He pulled back, wiping sweat from his forehead. "No… I'm close. I can feel it." His gaze hardened. "Maybe it's just raw strength you're testing me for."
He clenched his fist, drew back, and grounded himself in a stance. His teeth grit.
"AHHHHHH!"
His fist roared forward—
Flash!
The grooves blazed with a richer crimson light, and the bronze hinges groaned.
"Haa… haaa…" Liang Xiu panted, a smirk tugging at his lips. "So that's how hard you want me to hit, huh~?"
He lowered his fist, blood trickling from two busted knuckles. Instead of wincing, he smiled, eyes gleaming.
"I've still got fuel in the tank. So let's dance again… just you and me, beautiful."
He cooed at the door like an old lover, rolling his shoulders as he prepared to deliver a storm of stronger blows.
Huff… Huff…
"This isn't working," Liang Xiu muttered, slumping onto the filthy floor, his knuckles swollen and raw from pounding against bronze. I'm only hurting myself at this point.
He stared at the door, breath ragged. "I need to rest a bit. Even if this place is sealed, it's spacious enough that I won't run out of air for a few days. The real problem will be wasting energy without a way to replenish it…"
Lying flat on his back, he exhaled. "…Since there's nothing here to eat or drink."
He gazed at the ceiling, breathing until his chest steadied, faint wisps of essence trickling into him. There it is again… He sighed, closing his eyes, and focused.
Something seeped through his pores, winding along his meridians and into his muscles. Heat pooled in his abdomen, warmth rippling through his body. This feeling… amazing. What is this?
Energy returned to him, steady and gentle. His fatigue ebbed. Is this the Lower Essence that goddess spoke of? She said it was a form of life force…
Opening his eyes, he flexed his wounded hand.
The pain dulled, the swelling already easing. His hunger, too, had faded. He touched his stomach. "…So this is food and water here."
Sitting upright, he drew in a deep breath. "Who would've thought the sky turning black would be my first encounter with the supernatural? And now my goal is to climb to the top—tearing down gods along the way. Isn't this the thrill you always wanted, Liang Xiu?"
He grinned, shifted into lotus position, and cleared his mind, focusing solely on absorbing the life force that lingered in the air.
Inhale. Exhale.
Twenty minutes passed, his breathing steadying into a calming rhythm. The cylinder-like energies in the air burrowed into his body as he dragged them into a translucent sphere surrounded by another spherical bubble in his body; the essence floated into the first bubble with ease.
Then they began to try to dig into his main core with a wall one inch thick; this process continued till one successfully entered his core—where, under an unknown influence, it melted down, its body distorting as it dissolved into a clear liquid.
[Congratulations: Player 16704]
You have successfully converted lower essence into its purest form and have met the first condition of being a true player. Gaining the rights to witness your status, to better help you in improving yourself.
A light flashed in front of Liang Xiu as he opened his eyes to a golden screen. Its frame illuminating the whole chamber he was in, "... A status...??? "
Status Panel – Newly Acquired
Name: Liang Xiu
Path: Mortal → Brawler
Pure Essence: 1/100
Physique: 9
Condition: Meditative (half awake)
True Physical Stats:
Strength 21 (Heroic) | Agility 16 (Rare) | Stamina 11 (Common) | Intelligence 7 (Common) | Endurance 24 (Heroic) | Luck 12 (Common)
Disposition: Chaotic Good
Equipment: 3 Mystic Bamboo Slips
Heroic… Rare… Common?
"What is this stuff?"
Trait (×2)
[This is your stat evaluation; in this tower, players' overall strengths have been categorized into four current ranks depending on the statistical starting strengths and future growth limit. Starting with an average baseline, Common, then those with higher constitutions, and so on: Common, Rare, Heroic, and Legendary.
[But don't let this discourage you, as some individuals hold special traits unique to themselves. This can help close your shortcomings and boost your stats as well.
"Traits... So those are like video game skills? If there's strength, agility, and such, there should be stuff that works off those." Liang Xiu thought, his fingers on his knees, then a lightbulb lit up in his mind, "Wait, didn't I see a pop-up for that just now?"
He looked at the panel and saw the little button at the bottom.
He pressed it, and the screen changed:
Abilities:
Boxing Match: Grade; Heroic
With enough essence, you can create a small domain lasting 1.2 seconds where you and your opponent can not use any weapons or abilities outside of normal boxing techniques.
Note: if your matched opponent is too strong, or you lack the essence needed, this trait will fail.
Street Fighting: Grade; Common
This grants you a keen understanding of nonformal fighting styles, with no drawback other than eating away at a large rate of essence as time passes.
"Woah," he gasped in awe, "this can't be real, right?"
"Even if the first skill only lasts one second, that'll be all I need to take down a difficult mage, or whatever these settings' long-range fighters are. This is really busted; I really want to test Boxing Match on something."
Hmm, but there are no people in here. "Hey... Screen massage guy, are there people who I can fight outside of this room?" He asked with a grin, and just in a few seconds he got his response.
[Yes, the corridor outside your testing gate will lead you to the next waiting area where other players will gather as well.]
His lips curled up some more.
"Then it's time... I get back to work," Liang Xiu muttered, his voice dripping with excitement. He rose, gaze locked on the bronze doors. His muscles throbbed, half-recovered. He stretched his arms and cracked his knuckles.
His eyes glinted with amusement. "Let's continue where we left off."
Breathing deeply, he let the life force funnel into his body, steadying himself at peak form. Then he rushed forward—
Bang!! Bang!!
Crimson light flared across the bronze as his fists hammered down. Minutes bled into hours as he refined his rhythm. Power, speed, efficiency—he learned to weave them together. He smiled through the pain, never letting up, his lungs burning, his arms trembling. When they failed him, he rested, recovered, and struck again—stronger, sharper, and more precise. His knuckles tore open, blood streaking the bronze, but he pressed on.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Then he froze, chest heaving. The bronze door vibrated under his strikes, a faint hum shivering through the chamber walls. At first, it seemed random—just the echoes of impact—but when his fists landed on three particular indents in succession, the hum deepened, weaving into a low resonance he hadn't noticed before.
"…A sound?" he muttered, tilting his head.
He struck again, this time adjusting his angle. Bang. The first hum trembled through the air. Bang. The second followed, thinner but sharper, like a plucked string. Bang. The third joined them, and together they formed a strange harmony—soft, fleeting, and almost imperceptible unless one listened closely.
A grin split his bloodied face. "So that's it. Not just force… but music."
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
He began to experiment, shifting sequences, blending impact and rhythm. Some strikes canceled each other, silencing the hum entirely, while others resonated, layering into a chorus of vibrations that carried deep into the bronze. Slowly, methodically, he mapped the hidden pattern.
The grooves flared brighter with every correct sequence, feeding off the vibrations as much as the raw power.
Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen. Sixteen.
Huff… Huff…
He staggered back, panting. At last, he had done it. After days of trial, pain, and relentless routine, he had mastered the rhythm—the sequence, the beginning, and the end. No more blind bashing, but precision. Not just fists, but fists turned into instruments.
The formation roared to life, flooding the chamber with crimson radiance. Shadows vanished. His blood glistened in the light.
Then—groaning thunder. The doors shifted. Gears turned, hinges shrieked.
With a final quake, the bronze doors split open.
Beyond lay a cave tunnel, its stone walls glistening faintly with the glow of stray fireflies. Liang Xiu paused at the first sign of life.
"If there's a chance you guys were brought here too… I wonder what else I'll find ahead," he murmured, excitement sparking in his eyes. Adrenaline surged through him, granting a second wind as he pressed on, following the tunnel's curve until it opened into a garden—lush grass beneath his feet, the air rich with the perfume of blossoms.
At the garden's heart stood a small purple pavilion. Inside, six seats were arranged around a hexagonal stone table. On the chair directly ahead rested two bamboo slips—one golden, the other silver. Beside them lay a neatly folded black Tang jacket and pants, the fabric shimmering faintly.
On the table sat two carved wooden arms, each fitted with five silver rings, polished and gleaming. In the middle of both was a golden coin, it's surface marked with a famillar face—his own.
A narrow stone path cut through the grass, leading directly to that seat—as if guiding him to claim it.
Liang Xiu exhaled, flexing his battered fists, blood dripping from his knuckles. His eyes narrowed, a half-smile tugging at his lips.
"…So this is my reward, huh?"
He looked over the items, reaching first for the clothing. The Tang jacket's fabric felt just right—firm yet comfortable, hugging tightly against his muscles. Finally, something that makes me feel civilized again, he thought as he pulled it on.
Liang Xiu then turned his attention to the two rolled bamboo slips resting on the table, their glows drawing his gaze. He picked one up carefully.
The first slip was tied with a red string. Its title read True Turtle Defense Art. Unrolling it, he found a series of sketches depicting a man wearing the same silver bangles from the table. The figure shifted through various defensive stances as Liang Xiu spread the slip open fully.
He glanced from the illustrations back to the bangles. "So those are meant to be used with this technique… Then what about you?"
Setting the defensive art aside, he picked up the second bamboo slip. This one was inscribed with four bold characters:
Grade I – Chain Dao Seed.