When Shen Han arrived at the Soul Forging Tower, the plaza outside the tower was already packed with people.
The new batch of students at Mingzhu Martial Arts University, totaling around six thousand, were almost all present, waiting nervously and excitedly for the challenge to begin.
The annual Soul Forging Tower challenge was not only an opportunity for new students to showcase their strength but also the first test of their ranking among themselves.
The Soul Forging Tower had a total of one hundred floors, and starting from the first floor, the Mental Might of each floor was 50% higher than the previous one.
This increasing sense of oppression was a severe test for the newly Awakened Black Iron-grade Mental Energy new students.
According to regulations, a Breakthrough beyond 20 floors might lead to a Breakthrough of the Black Iron grade, stepping into Silver-grade Mental Energy.
A large screen outside the tower displayed the progress of each challenger, and many older students from higher grades also came specifically to watch.
Many of them had challenged the Soul Forging Tower before and knew the difficulty involved.
In previous years, the highest record for new students was 41 floors, held by a top Genius senior, who reached the height of Gold-grade Mental Energy.
This year, there were rumors that there was also a Genius among the new students whose strength was close to this record, a Mental Special Ability user named Liu Ruyan; she possessed a rare Mental Special Ability and had a certain immunity to Mental Might, which was why everyone generally favored her.
Shen Han and Lu Yanlin walked side by side into the tower.
As the heavy tower doors slowly closed, the two exchanged glances, and a silent Battle Intent ignited in their eyes.
The challenge began.
On the screen, Lu Yanlin's and Shen Han's names were displayed side by side, and everyone held their breath.
From the first to the tenth floor, the two passed easily with almost no effort, their speeds nearly identical.
But starting from the fifteenth floor, the Mental Might gradually began to show its power, and Shen Han's pace slowed down.
Lu Yanlin, beside him, glanced at him with a hint of sarcasm and said, "This is probably as far as you go, isn't it? Coming from Yang City, you don't have much Cultivation resources; being able to get this far is already a blessing from heaven."
Shen Han did not respond, his gaze as calm as water, silently enduring the stinging pain brought by the Mental Might.
He knew that every step from now on would be a huge challenge for him, but it was also his moment to Breakthrough himself.
Gradually, the two passed the twentieth floor, and at this point, more than half of the new students participating in the challenge had already chosen to withdraw because they could not withstand the impact of the Mental Might, and there were only a few left ahead of Shen Han and Lu Yanlin.
On the twenty-first floor, Shen Han inwardly observed his Sea of Consciousness and found that his Mental Energy, after being refined and compressed, showed a different color.
The light gray Mental Energy, which had originally been thin as mist pervading his Sea of Consciousness, was now a faint white after being tempered by the external Mental Might.
"Is this Silver-grade Mental Energy? I wonder how powerful it is."
But he could feel that the quality of the light white Mental Energy was much stronger than before, and with a slight activation, he could feel the elemental forces of various systems more clearly.
"Continue!" His eyes lit up, his steps became stable and powerful again, and he continued to climb to higher floors.
At this time, on the large screen outside the tower, the older students saw that the first echelon of new students had already reached the twentieth floor.
"It seems this batch of new students is quite good; so many people can Breakthrough to become Silver-grade Mental Energy users right after entering school."
Shen Han's steps, though slow, were as steady as ever, his eyes revealing a hint of determination, gritting his teeth, he continued to advance towards higher floors.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the Mental Special Ability user Liu Ruyan was also quietly challenging the tower.
As a Mental Genius, she had a unique resistance to Mental Might, climbing to the twenty-fifth floor almost effortlessly, even appearing relaxed and at ease.
Soon, the screen showed that she had reached the thirty-first floor, still seeming to have plenty of energy to spare.
"It seems she has a chance to break the record for new students challenging the tower over so many years."
After reaching the thirty-sixth floor, the Mental Might surged like a tide, pounding her Sea of Consciousness, and she finally felt increasing pressure, and her speed of challenging the tower gradually slowed down.
At this time, Lu Yanlin surged forward, reaching the thirtieth floor, and after a brief adjustment, continued to ascend step by step.
Shen Han had also reached the twenty-eighth floor, lagging behind Lu Yanlin in speed, but from his expression, he should still be able to continue climbing.
After another half an hour, out of the more than 6,000 new students, fewer than 200 remained.
"This batch has 200 people who passed the thirtieth floor; they're completely on par with our batch," an older student downstairs remarked.
"It seems there's a chance to witness history this time; someone might break the record of the forty-first floor."
Lu Yanlin mobilized all his Mental Energy to resist the Might within the tower; his body was almost numb, his ears buzzed incessantly, and blood seeped from the corners of his mouth—all signs indicated that this, the thirty-ninth floor, was probably his limit.
"No, I can't stop!" A hint of unwillingness flashed in Lu Yanlin's eyes. "I'm a Genius; how can I fail here? What kind of Genius can't even break the 41-floor record!"
"Boom—" In his Sea of Consciousness, faint golden threads appeared within the already solidified white Mental Energy.
"Gold-grade Mental Energy, it's here!"
But he was exhausted, and the idea of continuing to charge towards the forty-first floor instantly vanished.
He smiled bitterly in resignation and retreated from the tower, surrounded by onlookers who lamented regretfully:
"Just one more floor! He almost surpassed the historical record!"
"Look, there's still someone challenging over there!"
Among the first echelon, only Liu Ruyan remained who had passed the fortieth floor.
After passing the fortieth floor, she was still challenging upwards.
At this time, Shen Han was also approaching the fortieth floor, each step as difficult as a knife's edge.
His forehead was covered in cold sweat, but his gaze became increasingly firm, as if he wanted to integrate his entire will into this challenge.
"Gold-grade Mental Energy, Breakthrough ~"
Shen Han became the second new student to step onto the fortieth floor.
On the external screen, Shen Han's name, following closely behind Liu Ruyan's, gradually attracted everyone's attention.
On the forty-second floor, Liu Ruyan was the first to enter.
"Broken, the record has been refreshed! She actually rushed to the forty-second floor!"
"But she's a Mental Special Ability user, naturally resistant to Mental Might..." someone whispered.
On the forty-first floor, Shen Han had been there for ten minutes.
He felt his Mental Energy seemed to be undergoing re-forging; at this moment, the originally light white Mental Energy in his Sea of Consciousness gradually solidified into pure white, mixed with strands of golden light.
"Is it going to Breakthrough to Gold-grade? Can't stop, keep pushing!"
Another 10 minutes passed, and Shen Han was still on the forty-first floor.
"Are you going to make it or not? If not, hurry up and come out!"
Shen Han's entire body was sore, and even moving a finger was incredibly difficult.
He gritted his teeth and silently chanted: "Devouring Skill, activate—"
He tried to use the Devouring Skill to devour and refine the Mental Might that surged like a tide.
"It's working," Shen Han was overjoyed; the devoured Mental Might could also temper his Mental Energy within his Sea of Consciousness.
The Mental Energy in his Sea of Consciousness was constantly strengthening, and more golden threads gradually emerged from the pure white.
He unleashed his Devouring Skill, greedily absorbing the pressing Might, as if immersed in a subtle Cultivation.
Another 10 minutes passed; the Mental Might on the forty-first floor had lessened somewhat, but at this point, only Shen Han remained in the Soul Forging Tower, so others couldn't detect anything amiss.
Inside his Sea of Consciousness, the golden Mental Energy also became increasingly dense.
"I can still continue—"
"Look quickly, Shen Han has reached the forty-second floor! The 41-floor record has been broken twice today!"
"Shen Han has probably reached his limit too; he's been on the forty-first floor for half an hour. It's almost impossible for him to enter the forty-third floor."
Upon entering the forty-second floor, the Mental Might that rushed towards him was stronger than ever.
Shen Han persevered for 10 minutes, "Devouring" a considerable amount before choosing to withdraw.
Challenge ended!