Next, strange phenomena erupted. The blue crystal absorbed and consumed Evelyn Benson's fresh blood like a sponge soaking up water. Then, it broke free from the unconscious Evelyn Benson's grasp, floated into the air, and released a beam of light as thick as a thumb, striking the center of his forehead.

If this scene were witnessed by someone knowledgeable in the cultivation world, they would be utterly shocked, because for a magic treasure that requires a blood-recognition ritual, even the lowest requirement is that it must be of superior grade.

And the existence of a superior-grade magic treasure—even some sizable mid-tier sects might not possess a single one.

Boundless pain assaulted every inch of Evelyn Benson's body. At this moment, he even had the thought of ending his own life; the agony was simply unbearable.

Just as Evelyn Benson struggled in pain, the blue crystal in midair released one final beam of light, then shot rapidly toward his forehead.

Boom!

The blue crystal did not pierce through Evelyn Benson's head, but instead completely merged into his brow, vanishing without a trace in an instant. The light in the small room faded away, and Evelyn Benson felt his soul leave his body. When he regained consciousness, he found himself in a vast expanse of blue sky and earth.

"Where is this place?"

At this moment, the pain brought by the "Burning Blood Technique" had completely disappeared. As Evelyn Benson wondered in his heart, a towering giant tower descended from the sky, slamming heavily into the ground, causing the entire world to tremble violently.

Stunned by the scene before him, it took Evelyn Benson a long time to recover. After looking around, he formed a rough guess in his mind.

"Magic treasure space... That seems to be the only explanation..."

All of Evelyn Benson's knowledge of the cultivation world came from what his old man had told him. It had to be said, in this regard, William Benson was truly an exceptionally knowledgeable teacher.

Thanks to his father's thorough instruction, even though Evelyn Benson had not yet reached the second stage of martial refinement, his understanding of the cultivation world was by no means inferior to that of disciples from certain cultivation sects.

So-called magic treasure space refers to the independent spatial layer inherent to a magic treasure of at least superior grade. The more powerful the treasure, the larger its independent space. It is said that the immortal-grade treasures, now extinct in the cultivation world, possessed unique spaces vast as billions of miles, forming worlds of their own.

Looking as far as he could in all directions, the space seemed boundless; Evelyn Benson simply could not estimate its size. He could only focus his attention on the towering, crystalline giant tower before him, which soared eight hundred zhang high.

The closer he got to the tower, the more comfortable Evelyn Benson felt throughout his body. He could even vaguely see wisps of spiritual energy emanating from the tower with his naked eye.

The "Burning Blood Technique" within him had long since vanished, and even the muscles, bones, and meridians previously damaged by it had fully recovered under the nourishment of the dense spiritual energy—indeed, they were even stronger than before.

When he finally stood before the tower's entrance, Evelyn Benson felt a sudden warmth in his dantian, his strength surging, his whole body brimming with inexhaustible power—clear signs of a breakthrough in cultivation.

Such a sudden change left Evelyn Benson deeply shocked, for at this moment he could confirm that he had broken through the bottleneck of the second stage of martial refinement, reaching the "Strength Condensed Like a Tiger" realm.

"What is going on?"

Feeling the surging power within, Evelyn Benson was left speechless in astonishment. "That's it—it must be the spiritual energy released by this tower that pushed me to break through."

"This is incredible! Just by taking a dozen steps and absorbing a bit of the spiritual energy from the tower, I've advanced to the second stage of martial refinement. If I enter the tower, wouldn't my progress be even more explosive?"

Suppressing his wild joy, Evelyn Benson stepped into the tower without hesitation. The moment he set foot inside, a deep, ghostly voice echoed in his ears.

"Lifeform has entered the Tongshen Tower. Comprehensive assessment of physical strength in progress. Requirements for grade-level enhancement met. Enhancement system activating..."

A string of words sounded in Evelyn Benson's ears. Immediately, the surrounding light flared brightly, and a golden pillar of light descended, enveloping Evelyn Benson completely before he had any chance to dodge.

Bathed in golden light, Evelyn Benson felt his body freeze, unable to move even a finger. Strange forces surged into his body, causing excruciating pain—his flesh felt as if pierced by thousands of sharp arrows, his skin split open, blood seeped out, bones shifted, and a crackling sound like beans frying filled the air.

The hundred meridians within his body were suddenly flooded by this immense, alien force, swelling to more than twice their size. The agony of having his meridians forcibly expanded made Evelyn Benson cry out in pain again and again.

"Enhancement progress 26%... Enhancement progress 40%... Enhancement progress 77%... Enhancement progress 100%..."

No one knew how long the torment lasted. Suddenly, the golden pillar of light vanished, and the unsupported Evelyn Benson collapsed to the ground with a thud.

When his consciousness finally broke free from the grip of pain and he got up again, he was filled with both surprise and joy.

Feeling the boundless, surging new power within, Evelyn Benson threw a punch into the air. The punch thundered, stirring up a fierce wind, with faint explosive sounds echoing out.

Heavens! Is this really the power I now possess?

A punch that thunders like an explosion—this is a sign of reaching the sixth stage of martial refinement, the "Qi Swallows the Bull" realm.

Could it be that the golden pillar of light just now directly elevated my strength to the sixth stage of martial refinement...