Tower of Heaven

Once they returned to solid ground, Atlas took the treasures out of his spatial ring and distributed them.

Artemia received the armor she wanted and immediately put it on. The moment it came in contact with her qi, it disappeared and became an invisible shield that always protected her.

'As expected, there was more to it.'

Such a function didn't exist before it found its wielder. It was a good thing, since the hidden functions that Atlas didn't know would ensure her survival in the most crucial moments.

At the same time, he gave Horus the Iridescent Steel.

"With your personality, you're going to reject this automatically, but I don't need it. I already have Iridescent Metal, so you can take this without guilt."

When Atlas led with that kind of speech, Horus really had no choice but to accept it gratefully. Iridescent Steel would be a great addition to the metal composition of his gauntlets, but as the person who did the least work, he felt somewhat unworthy of a reward.

Atlas didn't think the same way. These two had great potential and would both become stars when they got stronger. It wasn't a bad thing to invest into their strength now.

Plus, traveling with companions was enjoyable. The thoughts that always ran through Atlas' mind were silent when he was with them. It felt like he was able to truly enjoy the Tower for the first time since the tutorial.

If either of them thought they needed to repay him for anything, their presence was more than enough to do so. Nothing else was needed.

With that kind of attitude, the three of them continued their climb. They finished the trials on the 37th and 38th Floors and challenged the hidden areas they found. In the process, they found themselves with several new resources and cultivation materials that would aid them, but nothing of too much value.

At most, they were able to expand the diversity of their spatial storages. The real boon was the experience itself.

With every passing day, the three of them functioned better and better as a team. They had their arguments, but surprisingly enough, they never reached problematic levels.

Well, the reason was obvious. In this group, there was already an established leader. They liked to make fun of him for it, but his more grounded and mature attitude was the glue that kept them together.

Horus and Artemia started to rely on that leadership, which allowed cohesion to become a natural thing.

In the several months that passed since their meeting on the 35th Floor, each and every one of them improved.

For Artemia, it was about sense. She had to refine her mind so that her entire battle style didn't rely on her senses. Atlas was the perfect person to observe and mimic to make progress in this aspect.

For Horus, it was simpler. He merely wanted to get stronger, so these adventures were great for him. The combat experience he gained from their travels and the spars he had with Artemia were valuable enough.

And, finally, Atlas.

Now that he'd become a true fire-wood practitioner, what was his next goal? Was it to enhance his existing elements, or maybe to expand his mind?

No.

'I cannot liquify my qi.'

It was a strange realization to make. Despite the fact that his qi was already in a semi-liquid state due to the reward he received when he discovered the absolute truth, he could not take the first step and force his qi to liquefy.

'Why is that?'

He took these few months to ponder it before coming to a conclusion.

'This is a caveat of the Five Element Technique and the Heavenly Unification Law.'

He had everything ready to take the first step, but he could not take it.

'Not until I make some progress in comprehending another element.'

Now, he didn't need to master another element, which was good, but he required its energy to at least start gathering in his dantian.

'In the first place, my goal in the Mortal Realms of cultivation is to bring all five core elements into my dantian and root them. The Five Element Technique and Heavenly Unification Law both aim for this conclusion.'

Atlas was making good progress. Fire, water, and wood were all present in his dantian regardless of how small their influence was.

'Still, there is an imbalance.'

He had three realms left to progress through before he could challenge immortality. The Realm Heart Realm and World Core Realm were both extremely complex matters on their own, and it was clear that the cultivation technique Atlas used had bigger plans than even what he knew.

'In essence, the energy of a fourth element will form the foundation dantian needs in order to accomplish whatever is at the end of the Five Element Technique. Once the four energies coalesce, liquefaction will become possible.'

It was a little bit frustrating, but the manual itself was always complicated.

'Currently, my strength is already all over the place. Because I cannot focus entirely on one Dao, all three are fragile. I would prefer if I could focus on improving what I have before adding more, however…'

Now wasn't the time.

The Law Sea Realm was the end of the three stages known as the Sage Realms. The next two stages were the Emperor Realms and also the peak of Atlas' past self.

It was better for him to stop and improve his existing strengths when he was facing the barrier to that great stage rather than the almost broken barrier to the Law Sea Realm.

Nevertheless, that was how Atlas made the decision to start learning the [Stone Buddha's Sacred Manual] that the Xuanying Treasure Pagoda gave him.

He didn't have much time as not much time passed. At most, he could only understand the gist of the manual.

The Stone Buddha was a legendary figure of the past with a Legend that couldn't be described. The manual he created for those who wanted to learn the Dao of Earth was extremely detailed, but it was clear which concept he favored the most.

The manual consisted of a cultivation method to increase the quality of one's earth qi, a specific mantra that helped cultivators connect to the Heavens to comprehend the Dao, and most importantly, a wide array of techniques ranging from the most simple fist forms to some of the most complicated martial skills Atlas had ever seen.

The Stone Buddha valued the concept of weight greatly, and it was the concept that spoke to Atlas most as well. It was no wonder why the Xuanying Treasure Pagoda gave it to him.

This was truly the perfect manual for Atlas.

But, just when he thought he would have some time to sit down and understand it, his life became exciting again.

The group of three entered the 39th Floor from the same Celestial Ladder and arrived at the trial ruin together.

They descended into its depths with confidence and anticipation, and as if to respond to their feelings, the ruin gave them an experience to remember.

But, that was a story only now unfolding. It couldn't be described in just a few short words, could it?