Chapter 477

A not so subtle poke in his shoulder woke Arthur from his fugue state. Whilst waiting, he had started cultivating, drawing in a little more Tower energy so that he could refill his low stores. He was nearly two thirds of the way full, which was lovely – but it did mean that he had little time in the past few levels to truly meditate and refine the energies. It was one of the other major disadvantages of this Tower, that the number and chances of them getting the crystals were low – they had to run numerous quests – some repeatable to get the crystals necessary.

On the other hand, he had a large pouch of ghost dust by his side, and all the time after the boss was killed to keep running. It was more dangerous – theoretically – because the ghosts were more numerous and stronger on this floor than previous floors, which was why many stalled on the fifth floor.

Of course, depending on which quest branch you utilized, you could also spend time on the seventh floor too, to cultivate. Something he knew many of his other companions were doing. But this one had better overall rewards, supposedly – and getting a new technique and boost to his body among other things – was just one of them.

As he nodded to Jan to indicate he was paying attention, noting how Bomoh Umi was shifting a little on her feet as she readied herself to interrupt the group below, he flicked on his status sheet. The last few weeks hadn’t seen a large change, but he had managed a small overall increase.

 

Cultivation Speed: 3.243 Yin (2.57 Yin)

Energy Pool: 34 (Yin) + (7/7)

Refinement Speed: 0.1814

Refined Energy: 0.58 (42) +(0/3)

 

Attributes and Traits

Mind: 17 (Multi-Tasking, Quick Learner, Perfect Recall)

Body: 29 (Enhanced Eyesight, Yin Body, Swiftness, Fast Twitch Faster, Lightning Reflexes, Explosive Strength)

Spirit: 18 (Sticky Energy, From the Dregs, Strengthened Aura)

 

Techniques

Night Emperor Cultivation Technique (89% compatibility)

Focused Strike (121.9%)

Accelerated Healing – Refined Energy (Grade IVd) (11.8%)

Heavenly Sage’s Mischief (153.6%)

Refined Exploding Energy Dart (166.9%)

Steel Skin (109.1%)

Seven Cloud Stepping Technique (293.9%)

Poket Simpanan Tua (199.9%) (Refined Exploding Energy Dart 98% Integrity)

Imbued Strike - Yin Poison (121.9%)

Yin Aura (Level 1) (148.8%)

Yin-Yang Energy Exchange (108.2%)

Simultaneous Flow (298.7%)

Book Spirit of Diligent Study (100.1%)

 

Partial Techniques

Yin Poison Darts (52.9%)

Shadow Sense (94.8%)

Heavenly Sage’s Heaven Beating Stick (98.9%)

Water Walking (5.1%)

 

For the most part, the degree of improvement in this Tower was significantly lower. Part of that was the speed that he had progressed through it, taking just over two months compared to the years in the first. A lot of progress in the Tower needed time, time to consolidate gains, to improve and perfect techniques, to draw in energy. He had not had it, not yet; and that reflected itself in his own improvements.

In another sense, part of the problem was his own lack of focus. He had too many techniques, too many attempts at utilizing things like his Aura to sense, when he had an incomplete Shadow Sensing technique in play. Which he barely had utilized, though some experimentation with combining it with his aura was beginning to bear fruit. In both improving it, and also giving him a sense of progress.

Other techniques, like many of his Yin-based attacks had barely even moved and he never expected it would change while he was in this Tower. Utilizing a Yin-based energy attack against a ghost was about as useful as feeding a starving a man. Sure, you could eventually kill them that way, but there were a lot easier ways of doing so. For that reason, those techniques fell by the way side and weren't improved.

In truth, the biggest focus had been utilizing whatever boosts and refined energy he could get to improve his base stats. He was so close to reaching the next threshold that he could taste it, but also knew better than to overbalance entirely on Physical stats. The focus would be to improve his mental and spirit stats up to the next attribute layer, and then go for the threshold.

The only question is if it made sense to do it now, or wait till he hit the next Tower. He was leaning towards the first, since that would – by itself – place him in the Climber equivalent of upper middle class. Or maybe not. It was hard to tell – perhaps only the government had a real idea of what the levels of individuals in the country was like.

He had a long way to go before he hit the upper class, that mountain got steeper every step of the way and it would take numerous other Towers before he could breach the third threshold. Most people stalled at first, the majority of those who didn’t ended up on second. There just wasn’t a lot of reason to push ahead for more, and many ran Beginner Towers all across the world, slowly improving by bits and pieces but living their lives otherwise.

As it stood, just running the Towers and selling the excess cores ensured a more than decent life. There was little point in pushing to Intermediate Towers, except for the truly experienced or the hungry. Funny thing about people, while many wanted or desired the prestige of such improvements, very few were willing to accept the sacrifices involved.

In the case of Tower climbing, the sacrifices often became less metaphorical and intangible like time and sweat and focus and became more physical and focused.

In the case of Tower climbing, the sacrifices often became less metaphorical and intangible like time and sweat and focus and became more physical and direct. In this case, loss of limbs, loss of life, loss of friends and family. Spending months, years at times in a Tower only to emerge, battle-hardened, willing to sacrifice individuals and ones own sanity to complete a Tower left a scar on people. 

There were places in the world that were Climber only. Las Vegas had rebranded itself in that way, what with the Tower that gleamed from its center.  The normals still lived there, but the laws, the rules, the city had altered itself to supply the ones in charge with ever greater luxuries, ever greater prestige and comforts. Ever greater faicilities for them to train and improve themselves, and most of all, a place to wind down and talk about events that no one but another Climber could understand.

Perhaps for the first time, with the necessity of the Towers, of how bodies changed, it was impossible to steal valor. Thresholds and solo quests ensured that those with the right credentials, the right bodies were shown in. And those that could not hold the significant amounts of cultivation and refinement energy, left behind. 

Arthur had heard of those stories, of course, wawtched the expose reality TV shows and documentaries. Was entertained by the TV shows like Climber Rich and Tower Elite, but it was only dawning on him, slowly; that one day he might climb to those heights himself.

Of course, first, he had to survive the upcoming fight. Which, as the energies in the hall below gathered and reached a point that even the Bomoh was happy enough with, might not be as easy as he thought. After all, as she stomped down, moving at speed; he could feel his own aura being tugged at.

"Time to fight," Arthur muttered, hefting his spear. 

End of the day, power and strength was what mattered. Everything else was just a passing illusion, one that could be torn away by another of greater strength.

Just like they were about to show the rajah below.