Tower of Heaven

The original plan was to climb up several floors in the month before Scarlet Fox completed her task, but he wasn\'t going to waste this opportunity.

So, what did Atlas want to focus on now that he had a year of absolute freedom for training?

There were two things that mattered more than anything else. The first, of course, was the Dao of Wood.

Atlas didn\'t have the opportunity to use water much as it was opposed to fire, but the situation changed once he mastered the Dao of Wood.

As long as he hid his identity, he could present himself as someone who comprehended the Daos of Wood and Water, which were complementary. This way, he would be able to train both elements at the same time.

At the moment, he had not a single bit of comprehension of this element. However, he had been keeping with him a method to learn it ever since he completed the 20th Floor\'s Cumulative Trial.

[Unfettered Saintly Immortal\'s Personal Diary]

An item that contained someone else\'s Dao comprehension.

Wood only had three concepts. It was unlike the other base elements as in some cultures, wood was not one of them at all.

The Heavens\' perception of a Dao and its concepts changed based on how those Daos were known by those living beneath it. There were mixed opinions on the actual status of the Dao, however, each and every culture valued elements that could be defined in one of the three concepts.

The first was Vitality. The second was Longevity. The third was Growth.

Atlas spent the first week digging into the Unfettered Saintly Immortal\'s Personal Diary and understanding all three concepts to truly understand which one he would pick.

Vitality was the most obvious. It was the essence of life tied to regeneration, healing, and other such things.

Longevity, while similar, was very different as it was more focused on the extension of life than its restoration. Its abilities were better suited for a profession like alchemy, as it was perfect for keeping pills and their ingredients alive for much longer than their shelf lives.

Growth was similar as well in that it was perfect for alchemy. It could be used to age materials at a rate that allowed the impossible, and more importantly, it also provided battle power as one could control the surrounding nature through it.

Each had its own advantages and disadvantages, but if Atlas was going to add the Dao of Wood to his arsenal, he needed to do it properly.

\'The plan was to use the concept of vitality from the beginning. I was worried since it doesn\'t have much combat power, but this changes things.\'

The techniques the Unfettered Saintly Immortal used for the concept of vitality were quite interesting.

\'He studied not only how to give vitality to himself and others, but also how to steal it.\'

There was a technique contained within the journal called [Guriyatra\'s Life Seed] that had properties Atlas couldn\'t help but be interested in.

This was the first time Atlas had seen something like an assassination technique, and it came from a place that people usually wouldn\'t expect. It would certainly help him in the future, as he currently didn\'t have any skills that would particularly help him when he had to be covert.

In this life, acting secretively was just as important as being in the limelight. He had to adapt to this kind of lifestyle by finding ways to cover his weaknesses.

\'I can feel more assured in my decision knowing that this technique and the others in this book exist. The other two concepts are also very interesting, especially the potential of the concept of growth, but that is not the path for me.\'

The path of the concept of growth led to a possible future where Atlas could use the Dao of Wood to directly enhance the potential of himself and other humans.

He was never going to be able to give any of his Daos the attention they truly needed, as his path forced him to comprehend so many that it was simply impossible.

He could only study one concept to the extent that he could study that one concept until he was forced to move on.

As such, the concept of vitality became his focus. In the next year, he would study it to the point where he would be able to call it mastered soon. Continue your adventure with M V L

The rest of his time would be spent on something far more painful.

\'The Spirit Severing Art.\'

Atlas tried it one time and found it too painful to try again. However, the situation was different. His soul was tumultuous and too often decided to surprise him with situations he could not explain.

Perhaps by strengthening it, he would be able to stabilize it. And, perhaps by strengthening it, he would find answers to the questions raised in his mind.

The soul was a part of the body that Atlas simply didn\'t know. This was a good opportunity to start learning it before it was too late.

There was a lot that Atlas could have focused on and a lot that he could have done. In the eyes of another, maybe he could have used his time more efficiently than he planned to.

However, Atlas had a plan in mind for the long term that was becoming clearer with every passing day. The steps he took forward were already starting to take shape, and in order to support them, he spent this one year.

One year in silence, entirely separated from the rest of the world. One year that he spent imperceptible and completely hidden.

In this year, even Dusk, who could always see his relative position, could not find him.

Without worry and without haste, Atlas spent his days training.

When he wasn\'t comprehending the Dao of Wood, he tortured himself endlessly as he made attempt after attempt to split his soul so it could regenerate stronger.

But it was not easy. That was a pain comparable to falling into the abyss, but Atlas had to get through it.

Like he was trying to cut fabric with a dull knife, he tore through a few inches at a time, desperately trying to make the straightest line possible as he could.

At first, he quit after no more than two inches. It took months for him to get any further.

Every new advancement made what came next easier. As long as he kept single-mindedly focusing on success, the things he wanted would come to him.

Wasn\'t that how he conquered the Xuanying Treasure Pagoda?

One year passed. It was one year defined by nothing but effort.

The product of such a time…