Chapter 178: Chapter 178: Entering the Trial Tower
Camilla and Zachary watched from the side, and they couldn't believe how powerful their fellow newcomer Charles was.
Just by looking at the reactions of the senior students nearby, they could tell how astonishing Charles's performance truly was!
"How is this possible? The brightness of the testing crystal is still increasing. It can't be, the testing crystal must be broken." Aero focused intently on Charles's side, not daring to blink.
He had never seen a genius like Charles before. Typically, after systematic training and improvement, it's impressive for an average student to make the testing crystal light up one-third.
When it came to Charles, not only had it lit up one-third, but the brightness was still increasing!
The brightness of the testing crystal reached half before slowly dimming. This scene left the other students with their mouths agape, and someone said to their companion:
"Put your face over here, let me smack it and see if it hurts. I suspect I'm still not awake, and that whole scene was a dream."
"Why don't you just hit your own face?"
"I'm afraid it'll hurt."
Smack!
"My face really hurts! It looks like I'm not dreaming. That only leaves one possibility: the testing crystal must be broken!"
Many would rather believe the testing crystal was faulty than accept that Charles's mental power was so strong that he lit it up to half on his first test!
That's something even a Level 5 Beast Master would struggle to achieve!
Aero couldn't contain his excitement and rushed up to the front desk, addressing the staff, "What's going on? The testing crystal must be broken, you need to check it right away."
The staff member was also taken aback by Charles's performance. He quickly picked up the testing crystal and examined it closely, then said with a face full of disbelief:
"The testing crystal is perfectly fine, there's not a single issue!"
Aero still didn't believe it. He quickly placed his hand on the crystal, trying to calm himself. It slowly lit up, and the brightness was just like usual, reaching two-fifths!
"Wow, it really isn't broken! I'm not dreaming, the testing crystal isn't damaged. He really is that strong!" Aero muttered to himself, as if his whole worldview had been shattered.
As a senior student, he was a Level 4 Beast Master, with decent mental strength. Combined with his diligent training, he could only get the testing crystal to light up to two-fifths.
He never expected to encounter Charles today, a newcomer who hadn't undergone training and had only been in school for a few days, yet could make the testing crystal shine to half!
That level of talent was simply terrifying!
Charles nonchalantly glanced at the surrounding gazes. He had long since grown accustomed to the way people reacted in shock around him, as if he always brought surprises.
"How is it? Did I pass? Can I enter the Trial Tower now?" Charles asked calmly.
The staff member, still a bit stunned, nodded and said, "Yes, not only did you pass, but you exceeded expectations by a lot!"
"Great, then I'm going in." Charles replied, nodding as he turned to enter the Trial Tower.
"Wait a moment, since it's your first time inside, there are some important points I need to tell you."
The staff member finally snapped back to reality, Charles's earlier performance had been too shocking.
Seeing Charles stop and turn back, he hurriedly continued, "When you enter the tower, there's a stone wall at the beginning where you can clear your mind and take a moment to feel your surroundings before proceeding further."
"After finishing each level, you must return to the stone wall at the start to reflect on your battle experience and feel the wall again. This will greatly help you, provided you have enough insight."
After listening, Charles nodded. According to the staff member, that stone wall was the key to comprehending the [Battle Techniques].
At that moment, Charles wasn't thinking too much, he just wanted to fight well and release the emotions he had inside!
When a person's mind is chaotic, it's impossible to focus on training properly. They will always feel like everything around them is a distraction, and at such times, it's necessary to let it all out to calm the mind.
Taking a deep breath, Charles walked into the Trial Tower under the gaze of the crowd.
Outside the towering Trial Tower, which stretched straight into the clouds, countless onlookers watched as Charles's figure disappeared before they began to discuss among themselves:
"So this is the strongest newcomer of the new generation? He seems impressive!"
"Impressive doesn't even begin to cover it, his talent is simply inhuman. You can't even call him a genius! He's more like a monster!"
"Do you think he can make it to which level?"
"That's hard to say. After all, the Trial Tower doesn't take your Beast Master level into account. It completely relies on combat skills and instincts. I'd say he'll probably max out at the second level."
"Isn't the second level a bit low? I feel like he can reach the third level! Maybe even the fourth!"
"I think that's impossible, he's just too young. I heard he's only eighteen. The second level should be enough!"
Camilla and Zachary listened to the discussions around them.
The two exchanged glances, both aware that the difficulty of the Trial Tower was beyond what they could attempt right now.
Zachary had other thoughts in his mind, he wanted to know just how big the gap was between him and Charles.
After pondering for a moment, Zachary approached the front desk of the Trial Tower and politely said, "Hello, may I try that testing crystal?"
"Don't tell me you're another monster like that guy from earlier?" The staff member asked, having been shocked by Charles's performance.
Zachary shook his head, forcing a bitter smile as he replied, "I just want to know how big the difference is between us!"
"Listen to me, young man, you might not fully understand what it means for the testing crystal to light up halfway. When you realize the gap, you might feel despair." The staff member kindly warned him.
Zachary took a deep breath and remained resolute, refusing to change his mind.
The staff member looked at him with sympathy and retrieved the testing crystal once more.
Like Charles, Zachary placed his hand on it, trying hard to calm his mind.
His actions piqued the curiosity of others, who turned their attention toward him. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the testing crystal slowly lit up, eventually stabilizing at about one-fifth of its brightness.
"Oh man, you scared me! I thought we had another monster on our hands, but this is more like it!"
"Speaking of which, if he's also a new student, his talent is pretty decent. But I'm not surprised at all."
"After seeing that monster's performance earlier, I'm no longer interested in these ordinary geniuses."
"Me too! Right now, I just want to know how far he can get in the Trial Tower!"
The onlookers quickly shifted their focus from Zachary to the large screen in front of the Trial Tower, where they could see information about Charles's progress.
Zachary gazed at the brightness of the crystal ball, filled with disappointment, and fell silent.
The staff member patted him on the shoulder, offering consolation: "Young man, accept your fate. Even among geniuses, there are differences. That person earlier was more than just a genius! He's practically a monster!"
Zachary nodded impassively and turned to return to the line.
He also looked up at the large screen, and now he was left with only one thought: he wanted to know just how monstrous Charles really was!
Charles had no idea that so many people outside were concerned about him, and even if he did, he wouldn't care.
Walking through a narrow corridor, Charles arrived at a hall where a massive stone wall stood in the center, appearing to be dozens of meters long and high!
"Strange, it didn't look this big from the outside." Charles thought, puzzled. He figured the Trial Tower must have some special features, with more space inside.
In front of the stone wall, there were several cushions placed, and about ten people were sitting on them, intently staring at the wall.
Seeing this, Charles found a cushion towards the back and sat down.
Following the advice of the staff member, he carefully observed the stone wall, wanting to see what was special about it.
To his surprise, just a few seconds into watching, it felt as though a hallucination appeared before him, with countless figures engaged in combat!
Every move was incredibly profound, as if they were imparting some knowledge to him!
"Is this the key to comprehending Battle Techniques?" Charles suppressed his thoughts and continued to watch.
However, there were so many figures that he felt dazzled and made little progress.
Finally, someone stood up from their cushion and walked toward the exit. Charles quickly followed and asked, "Excuse me, I have some questions I don't quite understand. May I ask you?"
The person, noticing that Charles looked unfamiliar, assumed he was a new student and replied enthusiastically, "No problem at all! What seems to be the issue?"
Before Charles could respond, the person continued, "You probably can't see what's on the stone wall, right? That's okay, it has to do with your insight. Just calm down and come a few more times."
Charles shook his head and replied, "That's not it. I saw a lot of figures just now, but I didn't make any progress. What's the reason for that?"
"A lot of figures? You must be joking!" The person frowned, stepping back from Charles, their expression becoming distant.
"Look, you can't see it if you can't see it. It's not embarrassing. Those with high insight might see two or three figures, but you're claiming you saw a whole bunch? That's too far-fetched!"
Without waiting for Charles to speak again, the person shook their head and walked away.
Charles scratched his head. He had indeed seen many figures practicing something, but because there were so many and it was all so chaotic, he hadn't made any progress at all.
"Could it be that my insight is just too high? Or is it for some other reason?" Charles thought, feeling somewhat confused.
He decided to first enter the first level of the Trial Tower and give it a try.
Perhaps by the time he came out, things would be clearer?
Meanwhile, outside the Trial Tower, the older students were continuously asking the recently emerged student questions.
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