Tower of Heaven

The massive entity that seemed to be connected to the ceiling by a series of veiny roots was still just as terrifying when they saw it for a second time.

In Atlas' mind, as they'd approached the trial in an order that he thought was correct, the eye would be different from the last time. He assumed that it would be hostile at the very least.

The only indication from the eye that they did the trials in the correct order was the fact that it acknowledged them. It was no longer a statuesque being, but a real, living, writhing eye that was horrid to look at.

"Um…are we supposed to be doing something?"

Horus didn't want to question Atlas as the other man was making it clear that he wasn't going to say anything.

He was more worried about his condition than he should've been. The fact that there was "hidden power" in his body and that the force would not respond to him didn't make him happy at all.

Rather than seeing it as a positive that he always had this reserve to rely on when his circumstances became difficult, he reached the opposite conclusion.

To him, something like this was dangerous and could lead to his downfall if not handled properly. To him, it was an issue of utmost importance to solve.

However, even this had to wait until he left the 20th Floor. He could only ruminate on possible causes for his issue.

As such, the walk into this trial was quiet and that silence was only broken by Horus' words as he looked up at the massive eye.

Atlas returned his focus to reality, observing the same things as Horus.

"I…cannot say," he responded with confusion in his voice.

This room was empty and without hidden corridors. It was a room made only to hold the eye tethered to the ceiling, so that eye had to be the center of this room's trial.

Yet, the eye itself was merely looking at them. It stared into their souls, and suddenly, their bodies began to glow.

Three symbols exited their beings, one representing each room they just passed through. The eye read their stories through those symbols, and as it defined them in its own perception, the symbols began to change.

In front of Horus manifested an eye, a bow, and a scale.

In front of Atlas manifested a blade, a thundercloud, and a set of twins.

They meant nothing to the two men, yet they clearly had value in the trial. The symbols dove back into their bodies and the light around them shined brighter. When the light finally blinded them entirely, the floor disappeared from beneath their feet.

They felt the sensation of falling but only saw the bright whiteness from before. The disorienting sensation continued for over ten seconds, practically tearing Atlas' mind apart before the light finally died down.

There was indeed solid ground under his feet.

But…

'I am not in the same place.'

Horus was no longer present and Atlas himself was inside of a tight corridor that could only hold a single person. There was no path behind him, so he was forced to go forward.

'Was it spatial transportation?'

It was something Atlas had only experienced a few times as the Heavenly Emperor. Back then, spatial cultivators were a rare breed and this kind of globalized technology was still being studied.

'To think that a trial on such a low floor could possess something we once called rare and great.'

Sighing to himself lightly, he took a few moments to ready himself and walked the path he was given to arrive in a room with many people.

Horus was not one of them, and none of the people from the original group Atlas came from were here either.

'For there to be multiple rooms like this one, all with so many people, this tomb must be massive.'

There were roughly fifty people in the chamber. They sat in front of a stele on which were etched words from top to bottom.

[Vital Armor Canopy]

'A defense technique?'

Atlas was able to understand that much based on the title alone.

'Then, the goal of this trial is merely comprehension?'

He didn't believe that there could possibly be a defense technique so convoluted that it could keep such a crowd around it, but he still sat down and observed the description on the stele to see what he could make out.

'In the first iteration, you must understand the vitality that flows through your own body. It resides in your blood, cycled through your heart to give life to your entire being. Feel it, understand it, and manifest it as aura.'

The goal of the first paragraph was to lead people into viewing vitality as a concept that extended past just blood and internal organs yet was intrinsically connected to those systems. It might have been difficult for new cultivators, but Atlas was not one of them.

He already understood this concept well. Manifesting vitality as aura was something any cultivator could do, but it wasn't necessarily a skill unless one had the methods to do something with that aura of life.

Atlas closed his eyes and sunk into his mind. Just a few moments later, a very faint red hue surrounded his body

'Once the aura of vitality has been manifested, follow the clan's teachings. Vitality is not a negative force. Become familiar with it and then proceed. Sense the aura of wood, find the vitality within, and transmute your aura to mimic it.'

Atlas was able to understand the crux of the technique with this much. Essentially, it was a shield of hardened vitality that covered the body. Since it was made from aura and not the vitality itself, it did not deplete anything but qi. However, its strength heavily relied on one's understanding of the concept of vitality.

Unless one was studying the Dao of Wood or daring to attempt to comprehend the Dao of Life, vitality was a concept only studied briefly for the sake of body cultivation.

Luckily, Atlas was particularly good at comprehending concepts when they were presented to him like this. From the first two passages, he took what was necessary and interpolated the technique for himself.

The aura around him turned a subtle shade of green. It stayed in an energy state, but if one paid attention to it, one could sense the density presented within the energy.

'Not bad.'

Atlas was quite satisfied with the technique. If he practiced it some more, it could definitely become a strong part of his arsenal.

However, just as he was about to finish his comprehension and move on, he noticed something hidden within the words he had just read.

'Hm?'

His curiosity was instantly piqued.'

'Is that a technique…inside of a technique?'

The words came together in his mind, weaving a completely different picture from before.

It was still the Vital Armor Canopy at its core. Otherwise, it couldn't have been hidden so.

'The Vital Armor Canopy was only the entrance technique. It is the prerequisite required to perform the technique hidden within.'

The true treasure of this chamber was revealed before his eyes.

And, of course, there was no way Atlas was going to ignore it and move on.

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