Tower of Heaven

With Feng Yaohua in front of him and Feng Qingru following from behind, Atlas was led over a hill and into a clearing that soon transformed in a scene of grandeur.

As it turned out, the entire hill and the entire clearing were false. The Trial of Fire stood just outside the Phoenix Palace's main gate, only, the main gate was not something just anyone could see.

Feng Yaohua had already led Atlas into a courtyard area that was beyond the gate. He could see before him the grand scene of a palace made of ruby and shining gems.

"This is…quite a spectacle," Atlas said, not knowing how else to describe it.

Feng Yaohua smiled wryly.

"Well, if it was a matter of vanity, we wouldn't be hiding it. It just kind of ended up like this somehow, and we as the future generations can only deal with it."

Atlas nodded in understanding.

At the end of the day, the palace was a sacred place for the Phoenix Race. They couldn't do anything about the fact that their ancestors had a love for the gaudy things in life.

The inside of the palace was just as gaudy as the outside, but only for the main rooms where guests were expected to be.

When they first entered, they saw an ornate hallway with very beautiful murals painted on the ceiling. The ground was covered by a rug of some sort made of a material that had Atlas feeling like he was walking on clouds, and though the walls were very simply lined with portraits of the former leaders of the Phoenix Race and the Feng Clan, each of those images radiated an aura of regality and power.

"This kind of big scene used to be important, since when the Immortal Realm was still around, the Feng Clan had visitors often," Feng Yaohua explained.

"However, nowadays, we don't really entertain anyone. There was a period in the Tower when Divine Beasts were hunted down and slaughtered en masse, so just like the rest of the clans, we were forced to enact some changes."

She glazed over the conflict simply, but it definitely wasn't anything of the sort. If it was enough to make the Phoenix Race change everything about their ideology…

Well, it wasn't Atlas' place to question it, so he only followed the woman and listened to her explanation.

"There's a throne room at the end of the hall and a pretty huge dining room that branches off from it, but those are the same as this place; uselessly gaudy and unused."

Instead of moving down the corridor, Feng Yaohua led their group of three into a small door near the main entrance. It opened to what looked like an ordinary room, but the moment Feng Yaohua sent some qi into the air, it also changed.

"You're probably wondering if this is some kind of secret, but it really isn't. I'm showing you because it doesn't matter either way. It's just that this is the easiest way to get past the more annoying parts of the palace and reach the fun places."

They were in a new corridor, and when Feng Yaohua once again began her guidance, she had a new pep in her step.

As she said, their surroundings had suddenly become much more active. The sounds of people training in the distance could be heard, the aura of phoenix flames powerfully radiated from all of those cultivating on the premises, and the voices of those living their lives filled the entire palace with vitality.

Compared to the emptiness of the previous flashy scenery, this was much better.

"So, the majority of the palace has been renovated to be more practical. I guess once the Tower became a thing, our ancestors realized that the fine things in life are meant to be held close. What we needed to focus on more than anything else was our own power, so rather than calling it a palace, maybe it's better to call its current form a dojo."

Martial Arts Dojos were a very mortal concept. They were used by influences on a much smaller scale run by people who had reached the Sky Sage Realm at most, used to train young children and give them the foundational skills they needed to become good cultivators.

For Feng Yaohua to be comparing the Phoenix Palace to such a place really was a humble gesture.

'No, perhaps this is just the kind of person she is.'

Since their first meeting, she had been very calm and casual. She was a person who treated the world through serene and unbothered eyes, so it was only natural for her to ignore such distinctions. Continue your adventure with empire

Feng Yaohua only gave him a brief tour. Despite seeming like she was welcoming him with open arms, she still knew what to hide and what to show to an outsider.

The various locations in the so-called dojo were interesting, but not any more than they would have been in any other location.

If there was one thing that made the Phoenix Palace stand out specifically, it was none other than the phoenixes living within.

Unfortunately, just as they were about to reach the training grounds, which also happened to be the last stop of their tour, they were met with an interruption.

"Our clan has a pretty extensive history, but just like everyone else, we had something of a new start when the Tower appeared. This is what that new start has culminated into, and frankly, after hearing about the way our ancestors used to live, I think I might prefer being born into this generation."

Atlas nodded in understanding.

The Tower created an environment that he could only call "free" and "connected."

It was like those two things that seemed far apart from each other had been brought together perfectly. There was a place for each and every person to live freely on the path they chose for themselves. The Tower offered them a framework, and it was up to them what they wanted to do with it.

Before the Tower, people were confused. If people did not know other people, it was very difficult to start on the path of cultivation or change one's life in any meaningful way unless one was a once-in-a-generation talent. That kind of divide had been completely broken down.

It was replaced by a different divide, but even that could be considered the choice of those who did not want to attempt the Tower's trials.

And, weren't the people of the Tower connected in every way? Atlas didn't even know how many people knew his name, but he could see them interacting with his Legends through the Tower Forums whenever he wanted to. It really was an unfathomable world.

"Right. You both are still climbing the Tower, right? What floor have you reached?"

Atlas was the one who asked the question. Though Feng Qingru had only been quietly following them all this time, he still included her in the question.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

The two women looked at each other, and as they opened their mouths to answer…

"Look, a rat managed to enter the palace! How could the clan allow such a thing?!"

A voice oozing with hostility and mockery slid down the hall like slime and entered the ears of anyone unfortunate enough to hear it.

Feng Yaohua and Feng Qingru's faces immediately dropped.

Of all the people they could have encountered, just why did it have to be her?