261 Soul Tower (1/2)
The moment he stepped into the Soul Tower, Xue Wei felt a heavy pressure once again bearing down upon him, but it was much different from what he had sensed earlier.
This pressure came from the sheer concentration of soul power inside the tower. It was dense energy that poured into his body like a flood through a broken dam.
The steps Xue Wei took were heavy. His entire body felt as if it was being pressured downwards, as if the gravity within the tower had been amplified manifold compared to outside.
The first floor did not have that many students on it. Those that were on this floor were mainly students coming down from the second floor, those who had just finished cultivating, and those who were on their way to cultivate.
Xue Wei was astounded that the students were this used to the heavy pressure, but although it was heavy and making it hard for Xue Wei to move, it was not enough to crush him. With a glance at Bai Tianyi, who looked like a cat that had just caught a mouse, he shook his head and moved towards the stairs up to the second floor.
Xue Wei did not rush there like all the other students within the tower. He took his time to get used to the change in pressure.
Bai Tianyi was walking easily as if the pressure was nonexistent. He flashed a great smile and he was happily glancing in every direction of the first floor in the hopes of understanding how they had managed to amass this much soul power.
One has to remember that soul power was the power of one's soul. When one dies, the energy that is left in the soul will be released. If one died young from an accident or disease, the subsequent release of soul power is greater than what would be left behind from the death of an old man whose lifespan runs out.
But one thing was certain: soul power came from the dead. To have generated this much soul power in one place, how many people had to have died to make it possible? Not to mention that the atmosphere outside of the tower was permeated with dense soul power because of the Black Nebula Stones.
How many people had to have died to make this happen? Xue Wei frowned. He felt that this Soul Tower, which was great for cultivation, was not as simple as it seemed.
In fact, although the speed of cultivation was much faster here than outside, he could not help but feel that there was something wicked about it.
He was not the only one who had this thought, as the thought also surfaced in Bai Tianyi's mind, but the latter did not care. He had lost his humanity and alongside it his empathy. He did not care if the entire continent died as long as he and his friends were fine.
Since this was the case and, exhilarated about all the soul power that was rushing into his body, Bai Tianyi was not polite and refined it into spiritual energy as fast as he was able.
Xue Wei pondered for some time. He looked around the area and found that there were many unrecognizable runes inscribed on the wall of the tower.
They were clearly some sort of formation, but they were different from all the formations he had practiced in the past. Frowning, Xue Wei was unaware of what exactly he should think, but after considering it for a moment, he decided that it was time for him to head to the second floor.
He would not be able to tell whether or not there was something wrong with this place unless he had experienced training here.
It was a risky move. In case some sort of conspiracy was afoot, then he would likely injure himself or his future accomplishments, but he would gain a great benefit if the opposite was true—at the cost of many dead experts.
Slowly walking towards the second floor, Xue Wei could feel that the pressure was getting heavier and heavier. Their walking speed became slower and slower, but they did not stop at any point.
Finally, they reached the stairs and started ascending the steps, towards the second floor.
Fortunately, it was not as if the pressure on the second floor hit them like a hammer. Instead it slowly increased with every passing step, and their movements became increasingly slow.
Although they had not made it too far into the tower, they dared not rush to the second, third and fourth floor like the others did.
Although the pressure was getting heavier and heavier, Xue Wei and Bai Tianyi did not stop their steps. They continued moving upwards and upwards, further and further into the tower itself, and finally they reached the second floor.
Where the first floor was mainly a place where people went forth and back, the second floor had quite a number of experts sitting to the sides in the midst of cultivation.
Although there were around twenty experts cultivating on the second floor, everyone was sitting at the sides, ensuring that they did not block the flow of the floor for those who were busy going towards the third floor or on their way back.
Xue Wei looked at Bai Tianyi. Although Xue Wei felt the pressure, and his body was feeling exhausted, he did not stop but continued forward. Bai Tianyi, on the other hand, looked completely fine. He seemed as if there was no pressure on him at all, as if he was taking a stroll in his own garden.
This was the difference between a body made from flesh and blood, and one made from soul power. The soul body was simply like a black hole, drawing in as much soul power as it could at once and refining it at the fastest speed.