There's still one month until the next Lightning Element internal challenge. I'll use this month to challenge the Soul Forging Tower to earn academic credits. I'll exchange the credits for time to Cultivate in the Soul Forging Tower. Once my Mental Energy is stable, trying to Cultivate Mental Special Ability should yield twice the results with half the effort.
Shen Han planned accordingly.
He arrived at the base of the Soul Forging Tower again, took a number, and waited in line.
"Senior, do you know if there's a suitable challenge for a second attempt at the Tower? I want to earn some academic credits through a challenge," Shen Han directly asked the senior in charge of distributing numbers.
"Oh, that's simple. If you can surpass your previous record by 10 floors, you'll be rewarded with 1000 academic credits; for every floor you surpass after that, you'll get 100 academic credits. But you only get one chance."
"Alright, thank you, Senior."
Shen Han's previous record was the 42nd floor, and that was without a Mental Special Ability. With the assistance of a Mental Special Ability this time, there was a good chance he could reach around the 60th floor.
"Junior, this challenge task has practically become a decoration. Don't hold too much hope. It's very difficult to improve by at least 10 floors without a year or two of training," the senior kindly reminded him.
"Thank you for the reminder, Senior. I'll just give it a try."
Half an hour later, it was Shen Han's turn to challenge.
Soon, in less than ten minutes, Shen Han had reached his previous 42nd floor, now with almost no difficulty.
"Who is that? He's so powerful, reaching such a high level so quickly."
"I heard he's a junior."
"At this speed, he's bound to reach 60. It's incredible."
The 43rd floor, passed with ease.
The 44th floor, still no obstacles.
The 49th floor, his steps remained steady, seemingly effortless.
"It seems with the tempering of the spirit fire Mental Energy last time, plus the assistance of the Mental element, the efficiency of challenging the Tower this time is very high," Shen Han secretly mused.
On the 50th floor, the Mental Might began to show its true power. An invisible pressure permeated the air, like a large net trying to trap his mind, but Shen Han merely made a slight adjustment, stabilized his steps, and continued forward.
On the 55th floor, the Mental Might surged abruptly, like a mountain pressing down, forcing him to divert more attention to stabilize the balance of his Sea of Consciousness. A few beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, but his steps remained firm.
On the 58th floor, the pressure neared its limit, as if every step was treading on a knife's edge. The invisible Might came like a towering wave, rushing directly into his Mental world, trying to completely crush him.
The moment he stepped onto the 59th floor, Shen Han felt as if a giant rock had been violently thrown into his Mental world. Ripples spread throughout his Sea of Consciousness, nearly causing him to lose balance. He gritted his teeth, his eyes slightly closed, and quickly activated his Mental Cultivation Technique to stabilize his mind.
"It's time. 'Devour'"
Just like last time, as the [Devour] skill continued to operate, the Might that had been oppressing him gradually transformed into pure Mental Energy, seeping into his Sea of Consciousness and tempering his Mental stars.
Outside the Tower at this time,
"This junior is too fierce! He's on the 59th floor. This is the limit for Gold-Rank Mental Energy. Any further down is Platinum-Rank."
"Heroes have always emerged from the young!"
"The new generation replaces the old!"
"The younger generation is formidable!"
After about an hour, the Mental Might of the 59th floor finally fell into a disadvantage in its confrontation with Shen Han.
"Continue—"
On the 60th floor, the moment he stepped in, Shen Han felt an unprecedented pressure surge into his Sea of Consciousness. The Mental Might was like invisible giant waves, layer upon layer, impacting his consciousness, as if to crush his Mental stars.
The [Devour] skill was still running.
"This Might is several times stronger than all previous floors combined." Cold sweat streamed down Shen Han's forehead, and a faint stinging pain came from deep within his mind. But he did not panic; instead, he quickly calmed down and mobilized all his Mental Energy to resist this terrifying pressure.
In his Sea of Consciousness, a Chaos-like vortex slowly rotated, and a powerful devouring force spread out, beginning to draw in the surrounding Mental Might. This invisible pressure was gradually absorbed by the vortex, and Shen Han also felt his previously chaotic Sea of Consciousness slowly calm down.
He did not waste time, but focused all his attention on the operation of the [Devour] skill, extracting the essence of this Might to its utmost.
Time passed by minute by minute, and Shen Han's Sea of Consciousness underwent a baptism of rebirth. The golden-yellow Mental Energy had been replaced by some platinum-white, which was a sign of his Mental Energy stepping into the Platinum-Rank.
One hour... two hours... Finally, Shen Han felt he had reached his limit again.
"It's time to leave. I hope next time I challenge the Tower, I can reach above 80."
Tempering his Mental Energy to Platinum-Rank this time was already the biggest gain. Continuing to push would only be counterproductive. Cultivating Mental Special Ability next should also be more efficient.
He adjusted his breathing, decisively stopped his challenge, turned, and left.
As soon as he stepped out of the Soul Forging Tower's exit, the senior in charge of recording scores walked up to him, with a hint of respect and politeness in his expression.
"Junior Shen Han, your previous record was 42 floors, and this time you broke through to 60 floors. Your performance is outstanding. You have accumulated 1800 academic credits, which have been transferred to your account. Please check it," the senior's tone was more solemn than usual, clearly amazed by Shen Han's progress and respectful of a powerful individual with great potential.
"Thank you, Senior." Shen Han nodded slightly, responded simply, and then walked away without lingering.
The news of Shen Han breaking through the 60th floor of the Soul Forging Tower on his second challenge quickly spread throughout the campus like wildfire.
"How is this possible? How could he improve so much?" Lu Yanlin, who was preparing to take enlightenment tea leaves to Cultivate and redeem himself, looked incredulous.
"My roommate is such a Prodigy?" Li Tianhao was also unable to calm down after hearing this.
"Shen Han, huh, interesting." Liu Ruyan's lips curved into a smile upon hearing the news.
Shen Han again used academic credits to rent a high-level training room and continued to Cultivate.
Sitting cross-legged, he took out two precious enlightenment tea leaves. The thin tea leaves had a crystalline luster, emitting a special aura that invigorated one's mind. He took a deep breath, crushed the tea leaves, dissolved them into a special spirit tea, and drank it all.
Closing his eyes, he felt a cool sensation permeate his Sea of Consciousness, fusing with his Mental Energy, bringing an unprecedented clarity. He unhesitatingly chose to begin Cultivating the Mental Thorn skill. The Mental stars in his Sea of Consciousness began to vibrate, and wisps of spiritual light flowed within them, as if igniting the potential deep within the stars.
Mental Thorn is a highly aggressive Mental skill that can directly strike an opponent's Sea of Consciousness, disrupt the flow of Mental Energy, interrupt an opponent's Special Ability, and even severely damage their will. Cultivating this skill requires not only pure Mental Energy but also extremely high control, otherwise it is easy to suffer a backlash.