Tower of Heaven

Atlas didn't pay much mind to the mounds of gold, instantly transferring them to his inventory and throwing out some of the food he received from the tutorial reward.

The gold was the least impressive thing in this place.

In usual tombs, there would be a collection of treasures ranging from artifacts to pills and elixirs of various quality, but Kallos was different.

As a man who ruled over such secondary professions, leaving such treasures for a successor was a light task for him. However, Kallos believed in hard work and loyalty, as those were the qualities that took him to the peak.

Instead of treasures, Kallos was the type to pass down techniques, so his successor could one day rid themselves of the need for external aid.

Once the gold was cleared, aside from the Hundred Flower Dew Wine, there were only two treasures remaining in this space.

The first was a small book, worn down by the rivers of time. It looked like it would crumble with a single touch, but when Atlas carefully lifted it, he found it much sturdier than expected.

[Spirit Severing Art]

The name of the technique within presented itself in shining blue letters on the book's cover.

'Spirit Severing? Perhaps, is this manual related to the soul?'

Soul Cultivation.

It was a long forgotten art even in Atlas' era. Soul cultivators were feared for their power over the ethereal, but were also rarer than anything.

Finding a soul cultivation manual could be considered one's single greatest lucky chance in life. It wasn't something to be handled carelessly.

In the current era, it seemed the already sparse knowledge on the subject had dwindled considerably.

'However, the so-called "skills" of this tower utilize stamina as a base, and on a deeper level, touch one's spirit as well.'

Regardless of how much they knew about it, every cultivator had a link to their soul built when they first established their dantians.

Atlas was certain his soul was slightly strengthened every time [Regeneration] activated.

'It is subtle to the point of being negligible, but with time, the effects of this slight improvement will culminate into something grand.'

He turned his attention back to the book in his hand and began flipping through it.

The Spirit Severing Art, as its name suggested, proposed a method by which one could pressure their own soul for the sake of growth.

It was a torturous manual.

To cultivate it, one needed to use qi to sever their soul into countless small pieces and aid it in naturally reconstructing itself.

'Is this possible? Can a soul truly reconstruct itself after sustaining this level of damage?'

Atlas was flabbergasted by the concept.

Wasn't this just suicidal?

"Yet, you would not have left it here if it was useless."

He sighed and put the manual in his inventory before turning his attention to the last treasure'

'I no longer have space in this storage. If necessary, I must discard a portion of the gold I have collected.'

It was unfortunate, but this treasure was definitely the most valuable thing in the treasury, so Atlas didn't feel the pain.

It was a shard, a fragment of sorts, but at the same time was a perfectly formed crystal.

It shined with light like a thousand suns, and though it radiated not an ounce of aura, its majesty could not be doubted.

'Could this be your crowning treasure?'

The greatest possession of the Behemoth Emperor Kallos, what could it be?

No matter its identity, Atlas had absolute trust in his brother. He reached out and grabbed the crystal without hesitation.

That was when it happened.

Shik!

A blade of light extended from the crystal and impaled his hand. Blood puffed into the air and streamed onto the crystal, dying its beautiful radiance in red.

'This…!'

Atlas hurriedly tried to pull his hand away, but it wouldn't budge.

It was as if…the crystal became a part of him.

It was a true fusion. Within a second, it decreased in size tremendously as it transformed into a crystalline liquid that flowed into his body. It traveled through his systems, writhing and wriggling like an army of worms and spreading a disgusting feeling through Atlas' extremities.

The man himself was frozen. The liquid immobilized him and probed him, and when it judged him fit…

"ARGH!"

Atlas groaned in pain.

The crystalline liquid pierced his mind and directly entered his soul with no prior warning.

Sharp, searing pain like he was burning in a vat of acid while being impaled to death assaulted him from all sides.

It was the worst pain he'd felt in his life. His mind almost collapsed instantly, but he held onto his last sliver of consciousness and did his best to endure.

And worst of all, as this pain came from the soul, there was nothing he could do to stop it!

"AAAARGH!!"

Atlas roared in pain and fell to the ground, sweat flowing like rivers from his body. His seven orifices bled, and his consciousness was edging closer to the void with every passing second.

'Do…not…FALTER!'

He bit his tongue and forced himself awake. If he fell unconscious at this juncture, he would undoubtedly be crippled!

The soul was a delicate subject. A small scratch was enough to drive a mortal to madness, let alone a full on assault like this.

More than that, this was not an "attack."

It was just a "side effect."

Memories, no, knowledge flowed into Atlas mind in droves, forcefully engraving itself in his memories.

'Thunder Tree Fruit, Burning Cloud Essence, Withering Bamboo…'

'Sky Iron, Millennium Cold Iron, Volcanic Steel…'

'Three quarters mixed here…flame control…rhythm…'

'This…this…this…!'

He understood now.

He understood Kallos' miracle!

"Haa…haa…haa…"

Atlas took several deep breaths as he adjusted his position on the ground. The pain subsided somewhat once a majority of the information settled in, but the process wasn't over yet!

There was still much more for him to digest.

The name of this treasure appeared in his mind,

[Formation Spark]

The Formation Spark, as it was titled, had one simple purpose.

It filled Atlas' mind with knowledge on every resource below the Immortal Realm, from herbs to metals, from beasts to environments!

Not only that, it provided him with techniques related to alchemy and forging.

This was what allowed Kallos to turn his life around.

This was an absolute encyclopedia on all things alchemy and forging!

'If I am able to practice these techniques, there is nothing under Heaven that I will not be able to craft.'

The information in his head was currently limited to the Mortal Realms, but a treasure directly bound to the soul could not be so simple.

He was certain it would show more potential once he was powerful enough to accept it!

'Kallos, even the heavenly treasure you kept hidden from me, your closest brother, is merely a mechanism that can only function under the preface of hard work. Until the end, you…'

Atlas shook his head.

He cleared his thoughts and focused on the task at hand, internalizing everything he was given.

More than an hour passed before the pain finally subsided and the process came to an end.

Atlas glanced at the wall through which he entered, a shimmer of light in his eyes, before glancing at the bottle of Hundred Flower Dew Wine.

The true final treasure.

Not the wine, but what accompanied it.

That lonely and decrepit recording crystal.

The last will of his dear friend.

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