Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Deceptive First Layer of the Cultivation Technique

“Hmph, why should I be embarrassed? Do you have any idea what kind of existence the Absolute Heaven Tower is? If I could simulate it, would I be wasting my breath with you here? I would have long since become an honored guest in every galactic empire!” Bai grumbled indignantly.

“You say that as if you could actually leave Earth right now...” Lan Tian retorted, slapping him down once again.

“Fine... This time, you win.” Bai opened his mouth, but in the end, he found himself at a loss for words, only able to mutter in frustration.

“Haha, even you have a day like this!” Having finally won over Bai for once, Lan Tian was elated, almost bursting with pride.

Suddenly, dark clouds rolled overhead, and a bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, aiming straight at him and hitting him directly.

Lan Tian was left charred from head to toe, his hair standing on end like an explosion, gazing in angry despair at Bai, who was holding out his hand, scrutinizing his nails as if nothing had happened. Any temper he had left was gone.

You’re just a lousy computer, what nails could you possibly have...

Of course, he only dared to grumble inwardly; he had no wish to be struck by lightning again.

After their scuffle, Bai finally grew serious. Pointing at the giant tower ahead, he said, “Go inside. Although I can’t simulate the interior of the Absolute Heaven Tower, based on your descriptions, the first level cultivation manual you gave me, and some data I’ve gathered from the virtual universe network, at least the first layer should be pretty close to the real thing.”

“Besides, you’re only here to learn the basics—the first layer of the foundational combat technique. Whether it’s exactly like the real Absolute Heaven Tower makes little difference.”

Not wanting to be struck by lightning again, Lan Tian chose not to provoke Bai further and proceeded toward the Absolute Heaven Tower.

Since it was Bai’s own simulation, Lan Tian didn’t sense anything unusual. It felt just like stepping into an ordinary room as he entered the first level of the Absolute Heaven Tower.

Once the doors closed behind him, he was stunned. The space on the first floor had seemed like any ordinary room—empty, unremarkable—but suddenly, the scene before his eyes shifted. The roar of crashing waves filled his ears, and he found himself surrounded by an endless ocean, standing atop a lone reef. Gazing around, all he could see was water in every direction.

“This reef is way too fake. In the depths of the ocean, where would you find a solitary rock sticking out like this?!” Lan Tian raged inwardly, silently complaining.

“Who cares if it’s fake? This is the cultivation method for the first layer of the foundational combat technique. I’ll transmit it to you now,” Bai’s voice echoed at his ear, but he was nowhere to be seen. Bai continued, “According to the records, the first floor of the Absolute Heaven Tower is more or less like this. It only gives you the cultivation method—no hints, no guidance. Whether you succeed or fail is up to you.”

“As for when you’ll pass the first layer, naturally that’s when you master the first stage of the foundational combat technique.”

“Don’t expect any hints from me, either. If you need a hint to get through the first floor, that only proves your comprehension isn’t enough! You’d better be on your own.”

With that, Bai’s voice fell silent. The only sound left in this world was the endless roar of the surging waves.

A surge of fighting spirit rose in Lan Tian’s heart. He quickly reviewed the cultivation method Bai had sent him. He refused to believe he couldn’t even clear the first layer.

Bai had already told him—his previous master had taken only a single day to pass the first floor.

And Lan Tian harbored his own ambitions; he didn’t just want to pass the first layer. He wanted to do it faster than anyone ever had—even faster than the legendary War God.

But then, his eyes widened and his face fell. He simply couldn’t believe it: the so-called foundational combat technique, first layer, wasn’t even a written manual! What on earth was this?!

In his mind, the “cultivation method” Bai had transmitted was nothing but an image—and not just any image, but a depiction of his current surroundings: the boundless, raging sea...

The sea...

“What does this even mean? This is the first layer’s technique? The sea?” Lan Tian howled at the sky. “Bai, get out here! I promise I won’t beat you to death!”

He shouted for a long time, but Bai gave no response. In the end, Lan Tian could only sit back down, dejected, squatting on the reef and staring blankly at the vast expanse before him.

He understood now—this sea was the cultivation method for the first level of the foundational combat technique.

But where to begin cultivating? Should he... go for a swim?

No sooner thought than done. Lan Tian stripped off his clothes, tossed them onto the reef, and dove headfirst into the sea.

He swam around the reef—once, twice, three times...

“...Why don’t I feel anything at all?” Lan Tian eventually stopped, climbed back onto the rock, and silently put his clothes back on.

He was truly speechless. This felt like one of those brain teasers, except even a brain teaser gave you some clue. This so-called cultivation method was nothing but a picture—what clue was there to be found?

In the end, he even scooped up some seawater and took a sip—salty and bitter, nearly impossible to swallow!

So this is what it’s come to...

An entire sea as a cultivation method...

Could they make it any more twisted? The first layer is already this insane?!

Wait!

A sudden gleam of insight flashed in Lan Tian’s eyes. That’s right—it’s only the first layer. It couldn’t possibly be this convoluted. Maybe... he was overthinking it, making a simple problem complicated?

It was like a riddle—sometimes, adults overcomplicate things, thinking that since it’s a puzzle, it must be difficult, so they overthink it and miss the obvious answer. But a child, taking the question at face value, might blurt out the right answer with no trouble at all.

This was a blind spot in thinking.

“If so, why can’t I set aside all that business about ‘no one ever reaching the top of the Absolute Heaven Tower,’ and start from the simplest perspective—look at the essence of the thing? Isn’t the tower just a vessel for transmitting techniques?” Lan Tian muttered to himself. He realized he’d probably been misled by Bai’s constant praise of the tower. It wasn’t really so complicated—he was just making it complicated in his own mind.

He closed his eyes and reflected, thinking back over everything that had happened from the moment he entered the first floor.

Without a doubt, both the change of scene and the image in his mind indicated that the cultivation method for the first layer was this very ocean.

But what was special about the sea? Nothing but its salty taste, its vast waters, and its endless waves.

Wait a minute!

Endless waves!

The thought struck him like lightning. Perhaps the first layer’s cultivation was not so complicated; it might not even really be about the sea itself, but only about the surface—the waves.

Those surging, overlapping, ceaseless waves that crashed into the sky!