Outside of the Tower of Life.

A radiant obsidian pillar rose beside the massive verdant doorway. Its surface gleamed with verdant-gold light separated into one hundred distinct square sections, each representing a floor within the Tower of Life.

This was the Observation Pillar. It allowed those outside to witness the progress of entities currently attempting their evaluations…tracking their advancement through visual representation that made every floor's activity visible to external observers.

Many blinking dots of light populated the higher floors. The twentieth through thirtieth floors showed considerable activity…dozens of verdant circles representing Living Lives currently pushing through those levels with varying degrees of success. Even up to the fiftieth floor, scattered lights indicated beings attempting to reach heights that only exceptional candidates ever achieved.

But each ascending floor showed fewer and fewer blinking lights. The attrition rate was dramatic…what began as hundreds attempting lower floors dwindled to mere handfuls at elevated heights where pressure and other challenges became truly overwhelming.

Because for higher floors, it wasn't merely Haki but also Entities and other wonders one had to get past!

Xar'vantheon's focus remained fixed on the display of the first floor. A single green marker had just appeared, freshly manifested as the newest candidate entered the Tower's evaluation system.

This was Achilles.

A smile crossed the Guardian's features as he observed the stationary dot. His verdant eyes gleamed with anticipation for what this particular candidate might achieve, what rankings this Young Living Life might claim.

Another Living Life approached to stand near him. The being's teal radiance suggested he was one of those Xar'vantheon had spoken with earlier, someone familiar with the Guardian's duties and curious about his latest find.

"So." The newcomer's tone carried casual interest. "What are your expectations for this one? How far do you think he'll reach?"

Xar'vantheon considered the question with thoughtful expression. His gaze remained fixed on the blinking green marker that hadn't yet begun moving across the first floor's display.

"Honestly? I'm not entirely sure." His admission was frank, without false confidence. "He registered as Second Circle Minor, which suggests decent foundation. His inclination toward our authority felt genuine when I encountered him outside the Sanctuary."

He paused, calculating.

"If he can make it to the rankings within the top one thousand of the first floor, second floor, and even third floor..." His smile widened slightly. "I may have just struck it rich. The Living Contribution Points from bringing in a candidate who performs that well would be substantial…more than enough to purchase the Sacred Life Herbs I've been coveting."

The teal-radiant Living Life nodded with understanding. Everyone here knew the value of identifying promising candidates, the rewards that came from successful recruitment.

On the display before them, the blinking green light remained positioned on the far left side of the first floor. The visual representation was straightforward…when the marker reached the far right of the display, it would indicate the candidate had entirely crossed that floor's distance and reached the ascending stairs.

The verdant circle representing Achilles stayed stationary. Seconds passed without any visible progress, the light remaining firmly fixed in its starting position.

Xar'vantheon's smile began to fade. His brow furrowed slightly as concern crept into his expression.

Was the pressure too much? Had Achilles's inclination toward Life been less compatible than initial observations suggested? Sometimes candidates froze upon entering the Tower's evaluation…overwhelmed by the concentrated Haki pressing down around them, unable to adapt quickly enough to begin meaningful progression.

He opened his mouth, about to voice his worry…

When suddenly…

...!

The stationary blinking verdant circle exploded into motion.

It didn't gradually accelerate or slowly build momentum. One instant it was completely still, the next it transformed into a blinding green line shooting across the display from left to right with velocity that made Xar'vantheon's eyes widen in shock and stupor.

"What in the-" The teal-radiant Living Life beside him shook his head incredulously. "Is that... is the display malfunctioning?"

Because at this moment, they were observing something that defied conventional understanding of how Tower evaluations progressed. The verdant circle of light had become a streak, a line of brilliance racing across the floor's representation with speed that suggested complete absence of resistance.

And instead of slowing down as it progressed….as logic dictated it should, given that the Solidified Haki of Life became exponentially more intense the further one traveled across each floor...

The marker actually accelerated.

It became faster as it advanced, the green line blurring with velocity that transformed observation into barely-trackable phenomenon.

So much so that in a matter of seconds, less than ten heartbeats, it had crossed from the left side to the right side. The marker smashed into the representative doorway at the far right with impact that seemed to shake the entire display.

Ten seconds.

Ten seconds to cross the entire first floor.

BOOM!

A blinding verdant-gold light erupted from the first floor section of the actual Tower of Life. The luminosity was so intense it drew every eye near the structure…cultivators meditating nearby looked up in shock, beings floating on distant mountains turned their attention toward this phenomenon.

It felt like a blinding green-gold sun had suddenly risen from the Tower's base. The radiance pulsed outward in waves that carried implications even those unfamiliar with evaluation mechanics could recognize as significant.

Xar'vantheon's body trembled. His hands shook as he stared at the display showing the rankings…the list of names inscribed in order of achievement for first floor completion during initial evaluation.

A radiant name appeared at the bottom of the one thousand displayed rankings. It began ascending upward with momentum that seemed unstoppable, climbing through positions with rapidity that made tracking its progression difficult.

Nine hundred. Eight hundred. Seven hundred.

The name continued rising, toppling established records with each passing instant.

Five hundred. Three hundred. One hundred.

Rapidly. Gloriously. Succinctly.

The name reached the top ten, then top five, then…

It claimed the number one position.

Achilles Adrastia.

First place on the first floor's all-time rankings for initial evaluation!

But what was even more shocking…what caused jaws to literally drop among the observers who had gathered to witness this phenomenon, was what happened next.

The blinking verdant-gold circle that represented Achilles now appeared on the second floor's display. It materialized at the very entrance, the marker pausing momentarily as if the candidate was taking in the grander atmosphere and increased pressure of this elevated level.

Then…

The circle exploded into motion again.

It shot from left to right across the second floor's display with the same impossible velocity. No gradual acceleration, no visible struggle against the overbearing pressure that should have been pressing down with force exponentially greater than the first floor.

He was shooting across as if there wasn't any resistance whatsoever.

The Living Lives nearby felt their jaws opening wide enough to metaphorically smash onto the floor. Horror mixed with disbelief painted their features as they witnessed the impossible.

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