Chapter 1 — The World of Towers
Five hundred years ago, the heavens went silent.
The ancient scriptures called that day The Divine Departure.
Temples across the world lost their light. Sacred statues cracked. Divine artifacts that once shone with heavenly power turned into ordinary metal overnight.
The gods had vanished.
No one knew why.
Some believed the gods had abandoned humanity. Others believed a war had happened in the heavens.
But the truth… remained hidden.
For centuries, humanity struggled without divine protection.
And then, two hundred years later, the world changed again.
The first Tower appeared.
It descended from the sky like a pillar of obsidian, piercing the clouds and embedding itself into the earth. The structure was taller than any mountain and surrounded by strange spatial distortions.
Soon after, portals began appearing across the world.
Creatures that did not belong to this planet poured out.
Monsters.
Some were as small as wolves.
Some were as large as castles.
Entire cities were destroyed during the first decades of chaos.
But humanity adapted.
From the ruins of the old world rose a new civilization — one built on cultivation and tower exploration.
Power became the only law.
Those who cultivated spiritual energy could strengthen their bodies, manipulate the elements, and fight the monsters that emerged from the portals.
They became known as Hunters.
And the Towers?
They were trials.
Inside every tower were hundreds of floors, each containing dangerous environments, powerful monsters, and ancient rewards left behind by unknown creators.
Those who conquered floors gained:
cultivation techniques
divine weapons
rare treasures
unimaginable power
Over time, great nations rose around the towers.
The strongest among them were called Empires.
Among those empires was one known as the Bharata Empire, a land of ancient traditions and powerful cultivators.
Within one of its cities stood a modest courtyard house surrounded by tall stone walls.
Inside that house, a boy sat quietly beneath a blooming tree.
He looked no older than ten.
Black hair.
Calm eyes.
A strangely composed expression for someone so young.
His name was Aarav Dev.
At this moment, the boy was staring at his own hands.
And sighing.
"Ten lifetimes…" he muttered softly.
His voice carried none of the innocence of a child.
Because Aarav Dev had lived nine lives before this one.
In his first life, he had been a Sword Emperor, feared across the entire world.
In his second life, he became the greatest Array Master of his era.
In his third life, he walked the brutal path of Body Cultivation, shattering mountains with his fists.
Life after life, world after world, he climbed to the peak of power.
And every time…
He died.
Then he was reborn.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Nine times.
Now this was his tenth life.
Aarav had originally believed this life would be the same as the others.
Another journey.
Another climb to the peak.
But fate had played a cruel joke.
Because in this life…
He could not cultivate.
Not at all.
Aarav slowly clenched his fist.
Inside his body, his spiritual meridians were completely shattered.
It was as if the heavens themselves had decided to block his path.
He had tried every technique he knew from his previous lives.
Sword cultivation.
Soul cultivation.
Body refinement.
Even forbidden ancient methods.
None of them worked.
His body simply refused to absorb spiritual energy.
Aarav leaned back against the tree trunk and looked at the sky.
Above the clouds, far beyond mortal sight, a massive black structure pierced the heavens.
A Tower.
Even from this distance, its outline could be seen.
Aarav's calm eyes narrowed slightly.
"So the towers already exist in this world…"
That meant this world was far more dangerous than his previous ones.
Portals.
Monsters.
Empires built around tower exploration.
And somewhere out there…
Other powerful cultivators.
Normally, that would excite him.
But right now, it was simply annoying.
"Without cultivation, even memories from nine lives are useless."
He closed his eyes.
But after a moment, a faint smile appeared on his face.
"Well…"
"If I cannot cultivate…"
"Then I will simply make my family the strongest."
After all, he still possessed something extremely valuable.
Knowledge.
Nine lifetimes of cultivation knowledge.
Sword techniques.
Alchemy.
Array formations.
Body cultivation.
Soul arts.
All of it existed inside his mind.
If he could not walk the path of power himself…
Then he would create monsters instead.
Footsteps suddenly approached from behind.
"Aarav!"
A cheerful voice echoed across the courtyard.
A young girl ran toward him.
She looked about seven years old, with bright eyes and messy hair.
"Aarav! Father said the cultivation tester arrived!"
Aarav slowly opened his eyes.
His younger sister.
Kavya Dev.
Behind her, another small boy peeked curiously from the doorway.
That was his younger brother.
Arjun Dev.
Aarav stood up calmly.
Cultivation test…
He already knew the result.
But still, he followed his siblings toward the main hall.
Inside the hall stood a tall crystal pillar glowing with faint spiritual light.
Next to it stood a middle-aged man with a spear resting against the wall.
Strong shoulders.
Calm expression.
This was Devendra Dev, Aarav's father.
A former tower expedition commander.
Beside him stood a graceful woman holding a small notebook.
Gentle eyes.
Sharp intelligence.
Meera Dev, his mother.
"Aarav," his father said.
"Place your hand on the crystal."
Aarav did exactly that.
For a moment…
Nothing happened.
Then suddenly—
CRACK.
The crystal pillar shattered.
Silence filled the room.
The examiner stared in shock.
Then he slowly shook his head.
"…I'm sorry."
"This child's meridians are completely destroyed."
"He will never be able to cultivate."
Kavya froze.
Arjun's eyes widened.
Meera covered her mouth.
But Aarav simply smiled faintly.
He had already known.
Still…
Looking at his worried family, he spoke calmly.
"It's fine."
Then he glanced toward the distant tower visible through the window.
His eyes became thoughtful.
"I may not be able to cultivate…"
"But that doesn't mean our family cannot become powerful."
A strange confidence filled his voice.
And somewhere deep inside his heart…
A quiet thought echoed.
This life will be different.