The eighth floor was about to collapse!

With the opening created, Vale no longer hesitated as he activated his Levitation Spell.

This Spell allowed him to defy gravity and ascend through the newly formed passageway. He soared above the crumbling Pavilion, driven by a firm will to see the next floor!

Whoosh~

As he emerged onto the higher floor, Vale felt a surge of triumph mixed with relief.

He had defied the odds and made his own path to the ninth floor. The stairs may have eluded him, but he had found a way to transcend the obstacles before him.

'That was an amazing However, I didn't get any treasure chest reward from the eighth floor since I didn't pass it through a normal method.' Vale wryly smiled as he felt that the Silver Treasure Chest on the eighth floor could have provided him with some expensive Mystical Items.

Anyway, he at least learned a lot from Sterling Carlisle.

Vale suddenly paused as he suddenly recalled why his name sounded familiar!

'Carlisle? Is he related to Katharina Carlisle?' Vale's heart started beating faster as he felt that he just discovered something incredible.

Katharina's soul was inside the Dark Soul Tower, and thanks to her memories, he learned about the Temporal Timepiece and its usage.

Now, he found Sterling Carlisle in the Ascension Tower and helped him understand the Celestials.

He couldn't help but sigh in amazement as he felt it was a fateful encounter.

Vale then looked at the hole he created as he wanted to see the collapse of the eighth floor.

However, to his surprise, the hole was already repaired!

"That was fast" Vale muttered as he finally had the time to observe the place he had entered.

"W-what? Is this the ninth floor?" Vale exclaimed, taken aback by the unexpected sight before him.

He found himself standing on a circular stone platform, similar in size to the previous floors.

However, instead of being surrounded by walls, he was greeted by an expansive grassy landscape. There was a blue sky above him, hills adorned the horizon on his right, a serene lake shimmered in the distance, and a gentle breeze caressed his face.

It felt refreshing, so Vale didn't voice out his complaint for now.

Of course, he was still perplexed by this sudden change, as he couldn't help but question the nature of this floor.

Doubts crept into his mind, wondering if it was an illusion designed to deceive him.

"What is the meaning of this? How am I supposed to conquer this floor and reach the 10th floor? Should I look for the path again?" Vale muttered to himself.

With caution in his movements, he began to explore the surroundings, albeit hesitantly.

He ventured only a short distance from the stone platform, wary of any hidden dangers that might lurk beyond. He could feel that the platform had some sort of protection since he saw how the hole was repaired so quickly.

His senses remained alert, searching for any clues or indications of what lay ahead.

As he carefully observed the landscape, Vale noticed a peculiar anomaly near the edge of the lake. A faint shimmering light caught his attention, drawing him closer.

Curiosity overcoming his initial reservations, he cautiously approached the source of the mysterious glow.

As Vale observed the lake, a subtle movement in the waters caught his attention.

Ripples formed, growing larger and more pronounced until a magnificent creature emerged from the depths of the lake.

Whoosh~

Waves of water reached Vale, so he had to use his Darkness Manipulation to avoid being soaked.

What welcomed him was a mystical creature!

Vale guessed that it was a Water Dragon. This creature doesn't have wings, but it has sleek, iridescent scales shimmering in shades of aquamarine and silver. Its eyes were filled with wisdom, and they seemingly held an ancient power.

'What now?' Vale thought as he prepared himself to fight against a dragon. He wasn't too confident since his Phantasm State could sense that it had several layers of magical defense.

Nevertheless, he would certainly give it a try and unleash everything he got just to win.

As Vale was about to unleash his Call of the Divine Lightning, hoping that the sky above him would let him summon the lightning, the Water Dragon spoke.

"Welcome, young Arcanist, to the realm of the ninth floor. To proceed further on your journey, you must prove your worthiness by passing my test." The dragon spoke without opening its mouth.

It seemed to be using telepathy, but Vale wasn't sure.

"Test? So we're not going to fight?" Vale asked cautiously.

"Gahaha You can never win against me even if you have the blood of immortals flowing through your veins. I have the power to absorb the life energy of anyone I touch, and the power of your lineage won't last long." The dragon spoke, ridiculing Vale's statement.

'I also have a similar power Let's see who has a stronger absorption power.' Vale wanted to tell this to the Water Dragon but decided to just go with the flow.

This dragon might hide the path leading to the 10th floor, and he doesn't think that he could pierce the blue sky above him this time.

"Very well Tell me the test I need to pass." Vale asked.

"It's simple. You must demonstrate your mastery over the element of water" The dragon declared as Vale stood on his spot, confused by the weird test.

The dragon didn't even stop and continued. "Control the currents of the lake Only by harnessing the essence of water and showcasing your understanding of its fluid nature will you be deemed worthy of progressing."

"Wait I'm a Dark Arts Practitioner." Vale said as he summoned his spells to prove his point.

His Corrupted Chains appeared, enough to cover the whole body of the massive dragon. In addition to that, he also summoned his three huge Ghost Hands...

"So what? I'm a noble creature who controls the water. Blame your luck that I'm the one who's awake. If you don't pass the test before the sky turns dark, you'll fail and I'll expel you from this place"