CHAPTER 404: CH-404: SPIRIT DIMENSION (1)

’This brother of mine always embarrasses me in public. No wonder he got rejected by Min Li no matter how hard he tried—he deserves it,’ Jiang Yao fumed inwardly when she saw Wang Ming staring at Jiang Cheng in disbelief. Her palms clenched and unclenched as she took a deep breath to calm the anger her brother stirred in her.

"Ignore him, let’s go inside," Jiang Yao said to Min Li and Wang Ming, who both nodded. After giving one last glance at Jiang Cheng, they entered the cultivation tower.

"Hey, wait for me!" Jiang Cheng shouted when he saw them leaving. He hurriedly sprang to his feet and followed them inside.

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Cultivation Tower

"Woah... the spiritual energy here is at least ten times denser than at the peak," Min Li said in awe.

"Honestly, it’s only about double compared to the peak my brother and I belong to," Jiang Yao replied casually.

"Oh? I thought all the peaks had the same amount of spiritual energy," Wang Ming said with a raised eyebrow, glancing at Jiang Yao.

"Of course not. Why would you think that? Each peak has a different level of spiritual energy density. The top peaks have the highest, while the weakest—like the Jade Peak—have the lowest," Jiang Yao explained, not noticing the sudden change in their expressions.

’Damn, we’ve been scammed,’ Wang Ming and Min Li thought at the same time as they exchanged glances. They realized Zhou Huixin hadn’t deliberately concealed the truth—she had simply never told them, and they hadn’t asked.

"By the way, which peak are you two from? Which one did you join?" Jiang Yao asked curiously.

"Can’t you see?" Min Li said, annoyed, as she pointed at the symbol of their peak on their Core Disciple robes.

"I apologize. Since my cultivation was high enough, I directly joined the peak as a Core Disciple. I’ve been in closed cultivation since then, so I don’t know much. My brother is the one who explored," Jiang Yao explained, then spotted her brother sulking nearby.

"Jiang Cheng, you loser, what peak does this symbol represent?" Jiang Yao called out. Jiang Cheng grumpily walked over, giving Min Li a longing look before forcing a bitter smile.

"Don’t call me a loser," Jiang Cheng glared at his sister, then turned his gaze toward Wang Ming and Min Li. He carefully observed the symbol on their robes. After a few seconds, he blinked, alternated his gaze between them, and then looked at them strangely.

"Why did you two join the Jade Peak... of all the peaks?" Jiang Cheng asked, making both Min Li’s and Wang Ming’s eyebrows twitch.

"..." Jiang Yao.

Jiang Yao blinked several times before her eyes widened in disbelief.

’Why would they join that peak? Their cultivation is high enough to get offers from the top peaks...’ she thought, stunned. When she sensed their cultivation at the Peak of Core Formation Realm, her shock deepened—especially at Min Li, whose rapid progress had even surpassed her own.

"Why did you even join the Jade Peak?" Jiang Yao asked, and even Jiang Cheng perked up his ears to listen. Min Li looked at Wang Ming, who just shrugged his shoulders. With a sigh, she began recalling everything.

"..." Jiang Cheng.

"..." Jiang Yao.

"So, in other words... you were basically scammed," Jiang Cheng said bluntly, which made both Min Li’s and Wang Ming’s eyebrows twitch—but they had no words to refute it.

"Alright, let’s go," Jiang Yao said, trying to divert the topic as she started walking toward the higher floors.

Wang Ming and Min Li were thoroughly surprised as the spiritual energy density kept increasing with each floor they climbed. Along the way, they saw disciples cultivating with closed eyes, and on the upper floors there were even private rooms. These rooms had arrays inscribed to further concentrate spiritual energy, allowing for faster cultivation—but they cost even more contribution points.

"How many floors are there?" Wang Ming asked curiously.

"There are about a hundred floors in the cultivation tower, and at the very top is the entrance to the Spirit Dimension," Jiang Yao explained as they continued walking.

’So the top floor is the place, huh,’ Wang Ming thought as they continued climbing the stairs.

When they finally reached the 99th floor, it was almost empty except for an elder guarding the staircase to prevent unauthorized people from entering the top floor. The elder raised an eyebrow when he saw them but didn’t utter a single word.

"You’ve come all the way to the 99th floor, but do you even have enough contribution points to use the rooms?" Jiang Yao asked with a raised eyebrow as she pointed at the private rooms.

"Min Li, if you don’t, I can—" Jiang Cheng’s words were suddenly cut off when he felt Jiang Yao glaring at him.

"Wait, where are you going?" Jiang Yao asked as she saw Wang Ming and Min Li walking toward the elder guarding the stairs. She blinked in confusion.

’They probably don’t know about the Spirit Dimension,’ Jiang Yao thought as she watched them stop in front of the elder.

"Hmm?" The elder raised an eyebrow when he saw two Core Disciples approaching. He opened his mouth, ready to tell them to back off.

"Disciples, you cannot go to the 100th floor without the—" The elder’s words froze mid-sentence, and his pupils contracted when he saw the tokens in their hands.

"These... tokens..." the elder muttered in disbelief. He snatched them from their hands to examine them closely and was shocked to find they were genuine.

"Where did you get these?" the elder asked with a sharp, suspicious gaze.

"The Sect Master gave them to us," Wang Ming replied calmly.

The elder didn’t say anything further. Instead, he quickly contacted Jiang Hong, and after speaking with him, the elder’s expression shifted.

"I see. Very well, you may go. Once you reach the top, you’ll find a portal that will take you into the Spirit Dimension," the elder said as he handed them another rule book and watched them ascend the stairs.

"What the hell—how did they get permission?!" Jiang Cheng cried out in disbelief, while Jiang Yao said nothing, though her face was full of shock as well.