"Judging by his expression, it seems he didn't pass any floors," Zhou Xingchen sneered, glancing at Lin Tian's dejected posture.
Hearing this, the old man's eyes betrayed a trace of disappointment. Earlier, upon seeing Wu Xuan's name soar to the twentieth floor, his heart had been torn with conflicting emotions. Doubts even crept into his mind—had sending Lin Tian to the Tower truly been the right decision?
"It's fine. Failing to pass isn't the end of the world. We can return, study diligently, and try again once we are better prepared," the old man said, gently guiding Lin Tian away.
"Master! I have finally lived up to your expectations—I've successfully conquered the tenth floor!" After the old man led Lin Tian away, Zhou Xingchen turned to Elder Yao Xin with a respectful bow, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
Yet, compared to Zhou Xingchen's elation, Elder Yao Xin could not summon much enthusiasm. His disciple's success on the tenth floor proved his innate talent in the medicinal arts, a matter worthy of celebration. But upon glimpsing the numbers trailing Wu Xuan's name, his joy evaporated.
"Master, why do you look so gloomy? Do you think it took me too long to pass the tenth floor?" Zhou Xingchen asked, puzzled.
"Take a look at the Tower rankings, and you'll understand," Yao Xin sighed deeply.
"What's there to see? Could someone have possibly snatched my first place?" Zhou Xingchen replied, bewildered. But when he glanced at the rankings, his eyes went blank.
What on earth was happening? He was now not only in second place but lagging ten floors behind the leader. Before he entered the Tower, he had been ranked first. In the interim, an outer disciple had surged ahead, conquering more than ten floors. Since when had the Tower's challenges become so surmountable?
Rubbing his eyes and checking again to ensure he wasn't mistaken, Zhou Xingchen was utterly dumbfounded. The exhilaration of breaking through the tenth floor was completely swept away, replaced by a profound sense of defeat. Wu Xuan's name had dealt him a crushing blow.
"Master, what is going on?" Zhou Xingchen asked, glancing at Yao Xin with utter confusion.
"What could it be? While you were in the Tower, that boy conquered twenty floors and seized first place," Yao Xin explained, his tone heavy with helplessness. He reflected on his own disciple—once deemed impressive, yet now overshadowed.
Hearing this, Zhou Xingchen almost spat blood in disbelief. Though he had suspected such a possibility, hearing it confirmed left him thoroughly humiliated.
"You need not be so disheartened. Such prodigies are a rarity that appears only once in centuries. Focus on your own path, and that is sufficient," Elder Yao Xin comforted, observing his pupil's crestfallen state. Encouragement, he reasoned, was still warranted despite his own lingering dissatisfaction.
…
Meanwhile, in the library.
Seeing Lin Tian so downcast, the old man approached, concern etched across his face. "Disciple, what's troubling you? Why do you look so dispirited?"
"It's nothing. During the final stage of the trial, I was on the verge of success, but I misapplied a single ingredient at the last moment, causing my failure," Lin Tian confessed, his heart heavy with frustration.
The Medicine God Tower's trials were merciless, granting only three chances per ailment to concoct the correct remedy. Lin Tian had exhausted all three attempts without success—a bitter blow to his confidence.
"Victory and defeat are but common in any endeavor. Why cling so tightly to it? If you fail this time, we can simply try again next time," the old man sighed, attempting to console him despite his own sense of disappointment.
"By the way, how many floors did you manage to pass this time?" the old man asked. Although the Tower's ailments changed with each attempt, the patterns remained predictable. With proper insight, passing was not impossible. He wished to impart these insights to his disciple.
"Just twenty floors," Lin Tian admitted, exhaling heavily, his disappointment palpable.
"That's more than commendable—twenty floors is an impressive feat," the old man said, patting Lin Tian's shoulder to offer reassurance.
Yet his expression suddenly shifted, shock overtaking him as he sprang upright, his voice rising in disbelief, almost quacking in astonishment: "What did you say? You passed twenty floors?"
"What's wrong?" Lin Tian asked, puzzled by the old man's reaction. Passing twenty floors was not supposed to be extraordinary—the Tower's challenges did not consume spiritual or mental energy. Success depended solely on selecting the correct combination of remedies.
"So you're telling me that the current first-place disciple in the Medicine God Tower is you," the old man confirmed, eyes wide with disbelief.
"First place? Me?" Lin Tian blinked, stunned. Having entered the Tower without concern for the external rankings, he had been oblivious to the fact that he had secured the top position.
For Lin Tian, the outcome was baffling. Concocting the correct remedies was all it required; no spiritual or mental effort was expended. Surely, outer disciples should pass the floors quickly—how could twenty successful floors place him first?
"Ah, the token points!" The old man suddenly remembered, hastily grabbing his token to inspect the accumulated points.
The moment he saw the numbers, his eyes widened in utter astonishment.