Chapter 268: Tower Of A Myriad Worlds

Kael shook his head upon hearing the question.

"Nope."

"Alright. Scram."

Kael couldn’t help but chuckle at the blunt dismissal.

"I’ll be going, then."

With that, he turned around and walked toward the metal door. His hand pushed it open, and he stepped outside without looking back. A few seconds later, the heavy door closed behind him with a metallic clang, leaving the Sword Saint alone inside the training chamber.

For several moments, the old man remained completely still.

Then his eyes slowly opened.

His gaze settled upon the closed door through which Kael had just disappeared, and the calm expression on his face gradually became thoughtful.

"That kid..."

The Sword Saint had seen countless talented individuals throughout his long life, yet Kael had still managed to surprise him.

He’d deliberately kept the difficulty of the training high, expecting Kael to struggle for quite some time before showing any meaningful improvement. After all, the One-Breadth Evasion Technique wasn’t something that could be mastered through fast reactions alone. It required an understanding of movement that went beyond ordinary perception.

But Kael had adapted.

Slowly at first, then faster and faster.

The Sword Saint’s fingers lightly tapped against his knee.

"What an outstanding talent."

He muttered the words under his breath, almost as though he still found them difficult to believe.

Then another thought suddenly crossed his mind.

"Could he be one of those annoying fairy-followed figures?"

His expression became slightly complicated.

The Sword Saint had spent enough time climbing the Tower to know that there were monsters whose existence couldn’t be judged using ordinary standards. Kael’s talent was already frightening enough, but if he truly belonged to that group, then his potential was even more troublesome than he had initially thought.

The Sword Saint leaned back slightly.

The hundredth floor of the Tower wasn’t like the floors that came before it.

Someone who had never reached that height might naturally assume that the hundredth floor would be another boss floor, perhaps containing some powerful guardian standing between them and the next stage.

It wasn’t.

Instead, the hundredth floor opened into a vast world.

It was a place where individuals who had climbed the Tower from countless different worlds eventually converged. The Tower was multiplanetary, and because of that, its floors weren’t limited to a single world or even a single race. Humans, beasts, demons, elves, and countless other races could all eventually find themselves gathered there.

The hundredth floor was where those paths began to cross.

And with so many powerful individuals gathered in one place, competition was inevitable.

Violence wasn’t permitted within the Tower’s rules, but that didn’t mean everyone resolved conflict through fighting. Strength wasn’t the only thing that mattered there, there were factions, territories, alliances, influence, resources, status, and countless other ways to suppress someone without ever drawing a weapon.

Even someone as powerful as the Sword Saint had to lower his head to certain individuals when he reached that level.

And at the very top of that hierarchy were the fairy-followed.

The existence of a fairy companion was more than simply having some ally.

It was a sign.

A sign that the individual had climbed the Tower under the highest difficulty.

Those who managed to accomplish such a feat were monsters among monsters. Their strength and talent were often worlds apart from others who stood at the same apparent rank.

Naturally, they were proud.

Very proud.

Some were so arrogant that dealing with them was practically a headache in itself.

The Sword Saint couldn’t help but wonder whether Kael was one of them.

From what he had witnessed today, he couldn’t dismiss the possibility.

Kael’s talent wasn’t merely good.

It was extraordinary.

The speed at which he adapted to the Sword Saint’s movements alone was enough to place him among the most exceptional talents he had encountered. If Kael truly possessed the kind of talent associated with those figures, then it wouldn’t be strange for him to have reached such a level.

Could he also be someone who climbed the Tower on the highest difficulty?

The Sword Saint’s eyes narrowed slightly.

He was curious.

Very curious.

But after a moment, he shook his head.

"Well, let’s see how things develop."

There was no point jumping to conclusions.

"For now, I’ll keep watching."

With that, the Sword Saint closed his eyes once again and returned his attention to meditation, leaving his suspicion buried within his mind.

Meanwhile, outside the training chamber, Kael had already left the mansion.

He had changed into a fresh set of clothes before leaving. Fortunately, he hadn’t needed Albert’s help this time. Kael had already expected that his training session with the Sword Saint wouldn’t exactly leave his clothes in good condition, so he had brought another set with him beforehand.

Now, there was only one thing left to do.

Go home.

Kael walked through the mansion entrance and began making his way toward the spot where he had parked his bike. He had barely taken a few steps, however, when the entrance behind him opened once again.

Kael turned around.

Zoey walked out of the mansion.

She was wearing a comfortable dress, nothing particularly formal, her hair left down and styled. Judging from her appearance, Kael guessed she’d probably been somewhere else before returning.

Since she hadn’t been around when he arrived, maybe she’d gone out with Adam.

Kael didn’t think too deeply about it.

He simply smiled and raised a hand.

"Hey there."

Zoey smiled back.

"Hey. I heard from Uncle Albert that you came to see Grandpa today. So, how was it?"

"Pretty good."

Kael paused before adding with a small chuckle, "At least I didn’t nearly get sneak-attacked the moment I arrived."

Zoey laughed softly.

"That’s good."

Kael nodded before glancing toward the mansion.

"Oh, by the way, I didn’t see your parents around."

He paused.

"Not that I missed them."

Zoey gave him an amused look before answering.

"They’re away for the time being. Grandpa seems to have given them some kind of punishment for what happened the other day, so they’ve been gone for a while now."

Kael nodded.

"Good."

He didn’t pursue the matter any further.

He respected Zoey enough not to drag her into whatever resentment he still held toward her parents. He hadn’t forgotten what had happened, and his feelings toward them hadn’t suddenly changed just because some time had passed.

Still, knowing that the Sword Saint had personally dealt with the matter made him feel a little better.

Kael couldn’t help but chuckle to himself.

The old man might have been grumpy, stubborn, and occasionally rude, but he was undeniably an honorable senior.

His methods were simply a little rough.

Kael looked back toward Zoey.

"How’s Adam? I’ve been constantly busy lately, so I haven’t really had time to catch up with him."

"He’s good."

Zoey smiled.

"Although he’s become obsessed with training lately. He keeps saying that he’s going to catch up with you someday."

"Is that so?"

Kael smiled.

He didn’t say what he was thinking.

Unless some kind of miracle happened, Adam catching up to him was practically impossible at this point.

Still, there was no reason to crush the man’s motivation.

"Anyway, I’m planning to throw a housewarming party in a few days. I was hoping you guys could come over."

Zoey’s eyes brightened slightly.

"Oh, that’s cool. I’ll let Adam know."

"That’s great. I’ll send the invitation once I finish setting everything up."

"Okay. I’ll be looking forward to it."

Kael nodded.

"Alright, I’ll get going now."

"Bye."

"See you."

Kael turned around and continued toward his bike.

A moment later, he mounted it and started the engine. The familiar sound filled the air before he pulled away from the mansion, quickly disappearing down the road.

Zoey remained near the entrance for a moment, watching him leave before eventually turning back toward the mansion.