Over seven hundred people have been eliminated from the Elemental Tower, leaving just over two hundred still inside.

Currently, the Son of Buddha is on the sixty-seventh floor, which is dedicated to the Iron Element. His immediate objective is to master this element so he can challenge the sixty-eighth floor. The Son of Buddha is unequivocally in first place, with no one capable of contesting his dominance. The focus of everyone watching, and his own target, is not to compete with others—for no one inside the Tower can challenge him—but rather whether he can shatter the existing record of the eighty-fourth floor and set a new benchmark.

The record: eighty-four floors!

Meanwhile, Ling Qingyun, holding second place, has reached the fifty-fifth floor, dedicated to the Blunt Element. Ling Qingyun must now master this element. Upon reaching the fifty-fifth floor, Ling Qingyun has poured virtually all his concentration into the task, yet success here is far from guaranteed; reaching the fifty-fifth floor of the Elemental Tower is already exceptionally arduous.

Ling Qingyun roared, "I will defy the heavens! I must succeed!" He was absolutely unwilling to accept defeat.

Third-ranked Lei Qi is now on the fifty-third floor.

And fourth-ranked Zhan Bai is trailing just behind Lei Qi on the fifty-second floor.

Externally, a significant number have already been eliminated—more than seven hundred.

"There are still two hundred people left inside."

"Yes, those two hundred remaining will gain greater benefits, but it won't last long; most will probably be eliminated soon."

"Speaking of which, this Lu Yuan is quite the enigma," someone suddenly remarked.

"What's so mysterious about Lu Yuan? Isn't he still ranked quite low? His performance this time is seriously below par, completely inconsistent with his usual reputation," commented someone nearby.

"Who said that? When I was on the thirty-eighth floor, it seemed Lu Yuan mastered the En Element of that floor not long after entering." The first speaker insisted.

"Pah, impossible. That's just his usual level..." the person beside him scoffed.

"You really shouldn't underestimate him. Lu Yuan's standard is far from ordinary. I was on the thirty-ninth floor; I actually tracked it. He only spent fourteen shichen (hours) to master the Fan Element of the thirty-ninth floor," another person chimed in, having meticulously timed Lu Yuan’s breakthrough on that level.

"Now that you mention it, I recall something too. I was on the forty-first floor. I didn't track the exact time, but Lu Yuan took an extremely short period—certainly less than twenty shichen—to master the Niobium Element of the forty-first floor," another person immediately interjected.

Discussions about Lu Yuan began to surface intermittently.

The two Immortals, Dongji Xianweng and Xiji Xianweng, who had not paid close attention to Lu Yuan for some time, felt a stirring upon hearing the chatter below and turned their focus toward him.

What they found upon checking Lu Yuan's ascent records made them both startle.

Up to the thirty-seventh floor of the Elemental Tower, Lu Yuan’s performance had been entirely conventional.

But starting from the thirty-eighth floor, things became abnormal. The two Immortals traced his progress and discovered that on the thirty-eighth floor, Lu Yuan had mastered the En Element in a mere twelve shichen. Was this a joke? Dongji Xianweng and Xiji Xianweng’s pupils dilated; this was genuinely farcical. The En Element on the thirty-eighth floor was notoriously difficult to grasp, yet Lu Yuan managed it in just twelve shichen—a feat the Son of Buddha himself likely couldn't match.

However, this was merely the beginning.

On the thirty-ninth floor of the Elemental Tower, the time Lu Yuan spent was also incredibly short: he mastered the Fan Element in a total of fourteen shichen.

The fortieth floor: Lu Yuan mastered the Dang Element in sixteen shichen.

The forty-first floor: Lu Yuan mastered the Ni Element in eighteen shichen.

The forty-second floor: Lu Yuan spent twenty shichen to master the Yue Element.

How astonishingly fast! Lu Yuan, who had previously seemed undeserving of his fame, was finally unleashing his power? And when he did, it was terrifying.

The outside world suddenly erupted in excitement. Few people had been discussing Lu Yuan before, but this string of achievements drew the attention of a vast number. They had no choice but to watch.

On the forty-third floor, Lu Yuan waved his hand: "Jian Qi (Sword Seven), Little Sword Realm."

Instantly, a sword-like world materialized beside him. Lu Yuan began meditating on the element of the forty-third floor, which was a silver-white metallic element called Ai, seemingly radioactive. Such radiation was detrimental to mortals, but Lu Yuan, now at the third heaven of the World Realm, possessed a divine body and feared no minimal radioactivity.

He mastered the Ai Element in twenty-three shichen and advanced to the forty-fourth floor.

After Lu Yuan entered the forty-fourth floor, Dongji Xianweng and Xiji Xianweng exchanged bewildered glances.

"What was that technique Lu Yuan just used?" Dongji Xianweng asked.

"That technique should be World Transplantation—a method of overlaying a minor world onto our plane. While not as potent as the True World Realm of the eighth heaven of the World Realm, it is an extremely wondrous skill," Xiji Xianweng analyzed, his pupils wide.

"How did Lu Yuan employ that technique?" Dongji Xianweng questioned again, astonished.

"That move requires absolute fusion of time and space. Even we might not be able to execute such a maneuver," Xiji Xianweng replied.

"The Dao of the Sword is rare, and advanced techniques are few. Where did Lu Yuan learn such a terrifying move?" Dongji Xianweng, whose insight was sharp, noted in shock. Both Immortals recognized it as a world-destroying-level sword technique with immense potential, even more profound and mystical than most others of its rank.

Xiji Xianweng could only respond with resignation, "How should I know? I understand Lu Yuan’s logic: he constructs his surroundings into something resembling a Sword World, leveraging his legendary, unparalleled talent in the Dao of the Sword to accelerate his element mastery. It was rumored that Lu Yuan was a singular genius, possessing supreme talent in the Dao of the Sword but lacking in all other areas. Now I finally see the truth—such strange talents truly exist in this world."

With their superior sight, the two Immortals quickly discerned the source of Lu Yuan’s rapid progression.

Even after understanding the mechanism, they were stunned. If Lu Yuan could use the method of creating a miniature sword world, the sheer depth of his talent in the Dao of the Sword must be unimaginable to allow him to break through floor after floor in such short spans.

And Lu Yuan continued to create miracles.

Elemental Tower, forty-fourth floor: this level contained the Nail Element. Lu Yuan spent twenty-five shichen, a remarkably brief duration.

Forty-fifth floor: Containing the Lao Element, Lu Yuan required twenty-seven shichen, also very short.

Forty-sixth floor: This level was saturated with the Ji Element. Lu Yuan took thirty shichen—a speed that could be called flying.

Forty-seventh floor: Silver Element. Lu Yuan took thirty-one shichen; his pace had actually accelerated this time.

Forty-eighth floor: The Di Element. Lu Yuan mastered this element in thirty-three shichen.

Unknowingly, Lu Yuan observed that the number of people ahead of him dwindled rapidly, especially by the forty-eighth floor, where only twenty or thirty stragglers remained. Most had been eliminated before reaching this stage. The average entry point had been the thirtieth floor; anything beyond that surpassed the average.

Upon reaching the forty-ninth floor, which was filled with the Gu Element, Lu Yuan noticed even fewer people. Only a sparse handful remained. The others had been eliminated. Those who stayed were merely clinging on; advancing further was nearly impossible, as the Tower’s difficulty exponentially increased toward the summit, pushing everyone to their absolute limits.

Lu Yuan did not linger on the forty-ninth floor either, spending a mere thirty-five shichen.

"Lu Yuan is exerting himself now."

"He wasn't pushing hard before; he's only starting now." "His speed is incredible."

"Twenty-five shichen on the forty-fourth floor, twenty-seven on the forty-fifth, thirty on the forty-sixth, thirty-one on the forty-seventh, thirty-three on the forty-eighth, and thirty-five on the forty-ninth—how frighteningly fast is that?"

"The difficulty of the Elemental Tower increases with every floor, yet Lu Yuan only adds about two shichen per level. By this calculation, couldn't he potentially reach the seventies? If so, his result would be spectacular, perhaps not matching the Son of Buddha, but certainly approaching the level of the Seven Sons of Fortune."

"Indeed, he’s nearing the rank of the Seven Sons of Fortune."

"It seems Lu Yuan truly lives up to his name."

"We're in for a grand show." Those who had been disappointed by Lu Yuan’s initial poor showing were now energized, anticipating an extraordinary spectacle.

This show would undoubtedly be magnificent!

Dongji Xianweng and Xiji Xianweng rapidly recorded Lu Yuan's performance in the Elemental Tower. Lu Yuan was already one of the figures the Immortal Ancient Civilization intended to monitor, and while they initially felt his progress offered little note-worthy data, they now realized they absolutely could not afford to ignore him.

In a blink, Lu Yuan reached the fiftieth floor, which was permeated with Tin Element. Upon arrival, Lu Yuan discovered he was utterly alone; the entire floor was empty, presenting a sensation completely different from the levels below.