The moment Max neared the tower itself—

His expression suddenly changed slightly.

Boom!!!

An overwhelming pressure descended from above without warning.

The air around the tower instantly became unimaginably heavy.

Max felt as though an invisible mountain had suddenly crashed down onto his body.

The seven colored lightning surrounding him flickered violently as his forward momentum came to an abrupt halt.

"What?"

Max’s eyes narrowed instantly.

The pressure around the tower was terrifying.

It was not ordinary suppression.

The closer he approached the tower, the heavier the invisible force became, almost as though the entire structure itself rejected flight.

Boom!

Max attempted to push forward forcefully using his physical strength and lightning movement technique.

However, the pressure only intensified further.

The surrounding space distorted heavily while the force pressing down upon him multiplied explosively.

Even someone with Max’s monstrous body felt his movements slowing drastically.

Then suddenly—

Bang!

Max’s body was violently slammed against the outer wall of the tower.

Stone cracked beneath the impact as the enormous pressure forced him downward.

The seven colored lightning around him exploded chaotically while his body slid several meters across the dark stone surface before finally stopping.

Below, several participants witnessed the scene and immediately reacted.

"Hah! Another one got slammed down!"

"I told you flying is impossible near the tower!"

Even some participants fighting nearby briefly looked upward in shock after recognizing Max.

"That’s Max Morgan!"

"He got forced down too?"

Max ignored the voices around him while slowly stabilizing himself against the wall of the tower.

Then his eyes gradually sharpened with realization.

"So that’s how it works..."

He could now clearly feel the strange force enveloping the entire tower.

The closer one moved toward it, the stronger the suppression became.

It was specifically designed to prevent flight.

No matter how powerful a participant’s movement technique or flying ability was, they would eventually be forced down onto the tower itself.

In other words—

Everyone had to climb physically.

No shortcuts existed here.

Max slowly looked upward toward the countless caves spread across the tower.

Now he finally understood why all the participants were climbing manually instead of simply flying toward the upper caves.

The force surrounding the tower made aerial movement nearly impossible.

To claim the treasures hidden within the caves, one had to ascend step by step while enduring the pressure of the tower itself and fighting against countless other participants along the way.

The higher one climbed—

The stronger the pressure would likely become.

A faint smile slowly appeared on Max’s face.

"This tower..." he murmured quietly.

"It really was designed to force everyone into competition."

At that moment, another violent battle erupted not far above him as several participants fought fiercely for control over a middle level cave.

Shockwaves spread across the tower while disciples continuously climbed upward like ants struggling to ascend a mountain.

Max looked upward calmly.

Then—

Without hesitation—

He placed his hand against the tower wall and began climbing upward himself.

Max climbed steadily along the surface of the enormous tower while seven colored lightning flickered faintly around his body.

The pressure surrounding the tower truly was extraordinary.

The higher he climbed, the heavier the invisible force pressing down upon him became. It felt as though the entire tower was trying to drag every participant back downward, forcing them to rely solely on their own strength to ascend.

Along the way, Max passed countless caves scattered throughout the lower regions of the tower.

Some caves had already been occupied by participants who sat within them while absorbing treasures or recovering their strength. Other caves had become battlefields where disciples fought desperately to drive one another away.

The tower was in complete chaos.

Explosions echoed continuously while spiritual energy fluctuations erupted from every direction. Participants occasionally lost battles and fell screaming from higher layers of the tower before crashing far below.

However, Max did not stop moving.

The treasures in the lower regions failed to interest him.

He continued climbing upward calmly while enduring the increasingly terrifying pressure surrounding the tower.

Eventually—

He reached the Fifth Layer.

The moment Max pulled himself onto the platform connected to the fifth layer, his eyes narrowed slightly as he observed the scene before him. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Unlike the lower levels, the number of participants here had decreased drastically.

The pressure in this region was already intense enough that weaker disciples could not even remain standing comfortably for long periods of time. Every movement required far more effort than before, and even circulating spiritual energy felt noticeably slower.

Clearly, reaching this level was already difficult for ordinary participants.

In front of Max stood a massive cave entrance embedded directly into the black stone wall of the tower. Ancient runes faintly glowed around the cave while waves of dense spiritual fluctuations seeped outward from within.

Even without entering, it was obvious that the treasure inside this cave was far superior to anything located in the lower layers.

However, the cave was currently occupied.

Or rather—

Contested.

Several participants were fiercely battling on the wide stone platform located directly outside the cave entrance.

Boom!

A violent shockwave erupted as two disciples clashed head on, causing cracks to spread across the platform beneath them. Nearby, another participant attempted to sneak toward the cave entrance itself only to be forced back by sword energy from another group.

The fighting was intense.

No one was willing to back down.

After all, everyone understood how valuable the treasures within the fifth layer caves likely were.

At that exact moment—

Max stepped fully onto the platform.

Crack.

The faint sound of his footsteps echoed lightly across the battlefield.

It was not loud.

Yet strangely—

Almost everyone present instinctively noticed him immediately.

The chaotic battle slowed slightly as one participant after another turned toward the newly arrived figure.

Then their expressions changed.

"That’s..."

"Max Morgan?!"

"The number one genius from the previous trials?"

Shock spread across the platform almost instantly.

Even the disciples currently fighting stopped momentarily as their attention shifted completely toward Max.

The seven colored lightning flickering faintly around his body made him extremely recognizable, especially after the earlier rumors that had already spread throughout the Survival Trial.

A spear wielding disciple’s expression became serious immediately.

"What is he doing here already?"

Another participant frowned deeply.

"To reach the fifth layer this quickly..."

"He really is monstrous."

A young man standing closest to the cave entrance narrowed his eyes sharply while gripping his sword tighter.

The atmosphere on the platform immediately became tense.

Unlike the lower participants earlier who underestimated Max because of his cultivation, the geniuses capable of reaching the fifth layer were far more cautious. They clearly understood that someone capable of ranking among the top participants in two consecutive trials could never be simple.

Moreover they had also seen Max ranked 3rd in this trial too and because of that they were even more cautious.

Even if Max’s cultivation appeared lower—

No one here dared to truly underestimate him carelessly.

Max himself calmly looked around the platform while ignoring the various gazes directed toward him.

His eyes briefly landed on the cave entrance before slowly scanning the surrounding participants.

There were around ten people here.

And every single one of them was strong.

Far stronger than the participants he previously eliminated below.

At that moment, one of the disciples suddenly spoke while staring directly at Max.

"You came for this cave too?"

The platform instantly fell silent.

Every gaze remained fixed on Max, waiting for his answer.