Start of Progress
Start of Progress
"Well, it's not hard to figure out why the Divine Citadel is like this", she told her, "This place was created as a nurturing ground for talent. However, as time went by there was a decline as such talent. Less people were interested in reaching the higher realms, and less motivated to aim higher. The higher one goes, the more difficult it becomes. After all, is there truly an end to Cultivation? Is a person's strength reliant on their talent? Or is it perseverance? Willpower? At what point, does one feel as though they have enough strength? Will it ever feel enough to them?"
Sheng Lan sighed, glancing over at Ming Yue.
"I'm sure that you understand that feeling. There are times in every person's life when they feel as though enough is enough. They're tired of it, the constant climb. That is what the Divine Citadel represents, an endless path that will work you to the bone", she told her.
The young cultivator looked at Sheng Lan quietly. Just as the woman said, Ming Yue knew that feeling well, the lack of motivation, the exhaustion. But she never realized that such feelings were a universal experience, she thought it was just her.
"So, it's because of that. Fewer and fewer people are willing to endure this sort of training."
The woman nodded.
"Yes, aside from that, the only way to enter is through the High Council now. They're one of the few that know how to enter though they themselves cannot enter", she revealed.
Ming Yue furrowed her brow after hearing this.
"What do you mean?" she asked, "Why can they not enter? Are they not the ones that created this place?"
Sheng Lan shook her head.
"They are but one of many other creators, but not the masters of this place. It would be better to say that they are the only ones still alive. The rest of us are most likely dead. As for why they cannot enter, It is natural that as one of the creators, they are also one of the 10,000 supremes. They've already reached the peak of their potential and given up at that point. To enter again is a waste of time. Besides, they're likely no longer at the peak of their power, slowly declining, growing weaker. At some point, they'll have to bestow this place to the next person."
She then stood up, stepping out of the bath while grabbing the towel by her side, and covering herself with it.
"That's enough of that, I had quite a pleasant talk with you today."
Sheng Lan gave Ming Yue a friendly gaze, smiling at her.
"For them to send someone here after all this time means that you're quite talented so, we're excited to see how far you'll go."
She then looked up at the ceiling while still talking to her.
"Hopefully, the others won't be so shy."
Her body started to glow as she disappeared, leaving Ming Yue alone. It had grown quiet once more and the young cultivator just looked at the empty space in front of her blankly.
After a moment, she immediately jumped out of the bath, wiping herself dry.
Ming Yue moved swiftly, grabbing her swords and putting on her clothes.
"Dian Zhuan, can you show me the training hall and the secluded rooms?"
As she walked out of the bath, the squirrel appeared out of nowhere, flying to her side.
"Hehehe, feeling motivated, are we?! Well then, follow me!"
He took the lead, taking her to the said places.
The secluded rooms were boxes that had nothing in them but a cushion to sit on. It was utterly silent, devoid of any distraction. But these rooms were dense full of energy, a perfect place for those looking to improve their cultivation. On top of that, there was a special feature that came with it.
"You see this wheel on the door? This will change the nature of the energy inside that room. If you wish to focus on the Lightning Dao, it will feel electric when you're inside. You can change it to wind, fire, water, anything you'd like", he pointed out.
The training hall was elsewhere, sitting behind a pair of stone doors. Inside was a stone hall whose walls were lined with statues as far as the eye could see. The space itself was mostly empty except for a boulder near the doorway.
"Welcome to the training hall! Since it's just you, I made sure to make it just for you! You're welcome to go as crazy as you'd like here, you don't have to worry a thing about damaging this place!"
Dian Zhuan flew towards the boulder, sitting on top of it. With this little paw, he tapped the boulder, causing it to shudder and transform into a giant golem.
"This here is your training partner if you want one! Just touch it with your palm and think of what you want as your opponent. It'll become practically anything you want!"
While saying this, the golem constantly morphed, changing from a golem to a man then a giant wolf before turning back into a boulder.
The squirrel hopped off, hovering towards Ming Yue with a proud smile on his face.
"Eh? What do you think? I made all of this you know!"
He had his little chest puffed out and his head hanging high while Ming Yue was too focused on the hall itself.
"I didn't think something like this existed! This is leagues beyond what I've seen before", she told him.
"Of course! After all, this is created by the brilliant me! And I didn't skimp out on the materials either. All of the supremes had to work together to gather everything for this!" he revealed.
Dian Zhuan grinned at her.
"Now then, I'll leave you to it! Can't wait to see how much you will improve the next time you attempt the Divine Citadel! Gahahaha!"
He flew away, cackling as he disappeared into the depths of the tower.
She watched him go before looking at the boulder. Touching it with the palm of her hand, she thought of an opponent and took a step back as she watched it transform.
In seconds, it turned into the Supreme of the 50th floor, wielding his bow and wearing an eagle mask.
Touching her swords, she grabbed the hilt tightly, slowly unsheathing them. There was a ringing sound as she took them out, reverberating against the stone statues.
The golem took a stance before leaping back, shooting several arrows at her!
From then on, Ming Yue thought of nothing else but training. She still had room for improvement, and the will to keep moving forward. And to her, that was all she needed.
Ten thousand floors! Could she conquer it all?! Will she have the power to reach that point? How far would she go?
But was time on her side?
A year inside is equal to a day in the real world. And with each passing day out there, the situation was getting worse.
The tremors grew worse, shattering mountains and forests alike. The weather was almost never peaceful, full of storms and floods that destroyed crops and ruined towns.
People without homes or food continued to flood into the cities, hoping for shelter.
This was just the Human Continent. Both Demon and Beast continents were facing problems of their own.
Constant droughts plagued the Demon Continent, destroying the progress made in rejuvenating these lands.
For the Beasts, the wild monsters that remained in the Savage Lands had grown stronger, now pushing back on the tribes, putting a stop to their reclamation.
How long would they have before the next calamity finally comes?