Chapter 285: The Pagoda

The Golgoth Holy Ground stretched across a vast valley enclosed by mountain walls. Forests of dense, mana-rich vegetation covered the lower regions. And at the center of it all—rising above everything like a needle piercing the sky—stood the pagoda.

It was enormous with nine floors, each one wider than the last, tapering upward into a spire that disappeared into low-hanging clouds. The structure was carved from dark grey stone laced with golden veins. Dragon motifs coiled around each floor’s eaves. The roof tiles were forged from a rare metal.

"Let’s go to the pagoda first. I bet that’s where everyone goes first," Kael said, pointing at the pagoda.

Rue nodded. "Looks important."

They descended from the mountain ridge and crossed the valley floor. Six hours of walking through dense forest and over rocky terrain brought them to the pagoda’s base.

The entrance was a massive ten meters wall, carved with runic inscriptions. The doors were already open. People moved in and out—cultivators from various sectors, their expressions ranging from excited to frustrated.

Kael and Rue entered.

The first floor was spacious—fifty meters across, with a high ceiling and stone pillars lining the walls. But it was empty. No treasures. No weapons. No techniques. Just seats and a reception desk near the far wall.

This must be where disciples registered for missions or received assignments, Kael thought.

Several cultivators milled around, looking disappointed. Some sat against pillars, resting. Others discussed strategy in hushed voices.

Kael walked past them toward the stairway on the far side. Rue followed close behind.

The stairway was five meters wide across. A faint pressure emanated from above which grew denser with each floor.

They climbed to the second floor.

This floor was larger—weapon racks lined the walls. Swords, spears, axes, shields—all neatly arranged on display mounts. But Kael’s Spirit Eyes scanned them quickly—flicker—and his expression remained flat.

Tier 4 weapons. A few Tier 5.

The cultivators already present glanced at the racks with similar disappointment. These people were either from powerful families or IGF trainees. Tier 4 and Tier 5 weapons were garbage to them. The good weapons—anything Tier 2 or above—had already been taken by those who’d reached the pagoda in previous centuries.

Some cultivators were already heading to the third floor. Kael and Rue followed.

The third floor was a training ground. Open space, padded floors, practice dummies made of reinforced stone. Basic facilities for newly admitted disciples—beginners who needed to develop fundamentals before accessing higher floors.

This entire pagoda was structured like a sect’s training tower. Lower floors for new disciples. Upper floors for advanced ones.

The fourth floor was similar—another training ground, slightly larger, with more advanced equipment. Weighted training stations. Resistance arrays. Mana measurement crystals.

Kael scanned quickly and moved on. These floors held nothing for him.

They reached the stairway to the fifth floor.

WHUUUM!

A strong pressure crashed down. It pressed against everyone in the vicinity of the stairway.

Cultivators staggered. One man at Mana Heart Rank 6 dropped to his knees—thud—his body trembling. Another woman tried to reinforce herself with mana. Runes on the stairs flared—fzzzt—and her mana was cancelled entirely.

"What—" she gasped.

"No mana," someone who seemed to have tried the stairs before said. "The stairs nullify mana. Only body strength counts."

Several cultivators retreated—step, step, step—backing away from the stairway. Their bodies couldn’t handle the pressure. Tier 2 and Tier 3 Early were clearly not enough.

Kael walked forward. The pressure pressed against him but he wasn’t even affected by the pressure.

He climbed without slowing. Rue followed—her fox-kin physiology gave her natural body strength beyond her cultivation level. She winced slightly but adjusted within the first three steps.

Seventeen other cultivators climbed alongside them—those with Tier 3 Mid or above. The rest stayed below.

They reached the fifth floor.

Oh.

Kael stopped.

A library.

A massive library.

Shelves stretched from floor to ceiling—ten meters high, arranged in rows that extended across the entire floor. The space had been expanded internally—far larger than the pagoda’s exterior suggested. Hundreds of thousands of books, scrolls, and jade slips filled the shelves. Reading tables sat between rows, carved from dark wood.

Kael’s eyes widened with excitement.

A library. Finally. An intact library in this Void Realm.

His soul sense swept the floor. Five people were already inside, scattered among the shelves, reading or searching.

"Let’s go through the library," Kael told Rue.

She nodded. "Are we looking for anything specific?"

"Body cultivation techniques. Anything related to the Immortal Body path." He paused. "But I suspect there’s a restriction preventing anyone from removing books from the library."

Rue tilted her head. "Why?"

"Because these books are still here. This pagoda has been accessible for centuries. If people could take the books, the shelves would be empty by now."

Rue considered this. "So we have to read everything here?"

"Exactly."

They split up. Kael moved through the first section—systematically scanning spines, pulling books, flipping pages. His soul sense allowed him to read multiple pages simultaneously—processing information at inhuman speed.

The first section was... disappointing.

Romance books.

Dozens of them. Hundreds. An entire wall of romance novels—titled things like The Sword Saint’s Forbidden Love, Cultivating Passion in the Moonlight, and My Body Refiner Husband is Too Strong.

Kael’s expression went deadpan.

He shoved the book back. Thud. Moved to the next shelf. More romance. He moved to the next. Still romance. An entire quarter of this floor’s library dedicated to romance novels.

Who built this floor? Why is there so much romance in a body cultivation sect’s library?

He continued. Past the romance section—finally—the content shifted. Technique manuals. Low grade ones. Earth Grade body cultivation techniques. Sky Grade body techniques. Kael scanned each one quickly.

Earth Grade. Basic reinforcement. Useless.

Sky Grade. Meridian hardening. Obsolete.

Sky Grade. Bone compression. I already have something better.

Nothing above Sky Grade. Nothing that could complement his Void Body Refinement beyond Tier 4 Peak.

The good techniques must be on the higher floors.

Meanwhile, Rue was on the other side of the library.

Then she rushed toward him.

"Kael! Kael, look at this!"

She skidded to a stop in front of him—pat—holding a book with both hands. Her golden eyes sparkled with mischief.

Kael took the book. He opened it.

...

His eyes widened.

He slammed the book shut. SLAM.

He looked at Rue. She had a mischievous smile plastered across her face.

"What is this?"

"I found it in the romance section," she said innocently. "It’s very... educational."

Kael hit her on the head with the book. Bonk.

"Ow!"

"It seems you’re becoming very naughty," he said flatly.

Rue rubbed her head. Rub. She giggled.

That was a porn book. In a body cultivation sect’s library. Who put that there?

Kael shelved the book—thud—and turned away.

"We’re going to the sixth floor."

The stairway to the sixth floor was narrower than the previous ones. The pressure was immediately apparent. It was denser and more concentrated.

Several cultivators stood at the base of the stairs, staring upward. Two tried to climb. One managed two steps before his legs buckled—crack—and he retreated. Step, step. The other made it four steps before dropping to his hands and knees, trembling.

Peak Tier 3 minimum. Maybe higher.

Kael walked to the stairs. He took the first step.

The pressure hit him. His Void Body Refinement Tier 4 Peak absorbed it—easily. The pressure that buckled Peak Tier 3 cultivators barely registered.

He climbed. Second step. Third. Fourth. Unaffected.

Behind him, Rue took the first step. She winced—hsss—her body pressing under the weight. But her fox-kin physiology was resilient. Afterall, she wasn’t just any fox. She was a nine tailed fox with a Royal Bloodline. Her body was naturally far stronger than a human’s at equivalent cultivation.

By the third step, she adjusted. By the fifth, she was keeping pace.

They climbed together—past the struggling cultivators.

They reached the sixth floor.