I Cultivated Too Long and Got Isekai’d Into a Game

The fourth trial floor, covered with grasslands and hills, along with a fresh breeze bringing the scent of wildflowers. No matter who saw it, this place was a good spot to rest and recover.

But despite all that, Achilles looked like he was going to explode.

"You all are just... gonna sit there, doing nothing?!" he growled under his breath.

A quick look around confirmed it.

Xu Tao sat like a mountain, eyes closed, melding his consciousness with the environment. Jehanne and Zetian flanked him like loyal retainers, as if fighting to be the first one he'd notice upon "waking up."

Yifa was simply meditating diligently, not missing the chance now that they were in a place with thick nature Qi, joining naturally with the outer disciples.

Most of the others had decided to rest in their own way, treating the current trial like an extended picnic. Like Millicent, who was happily chatting with the grass and flowers around her, or Jenna, who was sleeping peacefully.

Achilles paced across the field as he flexed his shield arm and twirled his spear. "Have you all gone mad? This is clearly a trial floor, and you're all acting like it's a vacation!"

No one responded.

Or rather—they couldn't. They were still unable to understand what each other was saying, after all. The Dao Law still clung to the floor like a second sky, scrambling all shared language like some sort of encoded message.

"Tch…"

Achilles scratched the side of his head.

He wanted to bark, to complain, to grab someone by the collar and demand they do something, but—

After he lost the duel, he had given his word to Xu Tao, to follow him from that point onward. Although he did it while in shock, nobody could deny his assent.

The memory of that sword wounding his arm still made his pride twitch.

So instead of kicking up a fuss, he moved toward the far edge of the plains and began his own kind of meditation: combat training.

He jabbed his spear forward, twisted, spun it behind his back. Each motion seamless, practiced to perfection. The round shield on his left arm spun with him, reflecting light from the still golden sun overhead. He danced like a lion without an audience—a warrior with no enemy.

Every strike left streaks in the wind. Every step turned the grass into a shallow spiral. He needed to move, or else he'd go mad like the rest... That's what he thought.

Meanwhile, Xu Tao sat peacefully, unmoving, his eyes half-lidded in a mockery of sleep. But inside, his mind was far from idle.

'So far, this floor hasn't tested strength, nor wisdom... just temperament.'

He traced the thought like a current, slowly reeling in details he hadn't had time to process earlier.

The last battle had left their levels mostly unchanged. The Tower didn't reward power easily—not even giving them experience points. Only when they gave up, or completed all trials, would they finally receive their rewards.

Then his thoughts drifted elsewhere.

'The city...'

He recalled the makeshift settlement of mortals, beastkin, elves, and other races that had now taken refuge in their stronghold in this strange otherworld. Left behind, protected only by the celestial beasts Zetian had summoned before they left for the desert.

'Will they be alright?' he wondered—not out of sentiment, but practicality.

They had promised to return, expecting their trip to end right back where they started. However, now they were stuck in the middle of the desert, thousands of kilometers away from them.

He couldn't even predict how long it would take for them to return, adding in their current state of challenging the Tower of Babel.

Xu Tao opened his eyes slowly, glancing at the golden platform ahead of them. He felt a wave of power coming from it.

And then—

A ripple of energy pulsed through the field, centered around the platform!

The light at the center of the array was glowing again, swirling like water going down the drain—but in reverse. A soft hum echoed as the surge of energy sped up.

A moment later—

FLASH!

A beam of golden light shot down, and from it, one figure after another began to appear, as if descending from heaven—or ascending from hell.

Xu Tao narrowed his eyes, silently counting.

Five... ten... twenty...

Twenty-five in total.

All of them stood by the array, neatly arranged in formation. Some wore confused expressions, but most remained calm.

"Sir Tao...?"

Among them, standing proudly at the front, was a familiar face.

"Arthur. So it's just you and your team," Xu Tao called his name, long cape rippling in the breeze.

Behind him stood elves, dark elves, humans, dwarves, and more. Every single person he had led from the time they split up on the first floor was still there—present, and more alive than ever. They had suffered zero casualties.

Xu Tao let out a small breath of relief, his lips curling into a faint smile.

Then, just as the last person arrived, the golden portal behind them morphed—twisting upward into a long rectangular column of glowing mass. With a faint metallic clang, a hum of two blades clashing, it solidified into a familiar sight...

A monolith.

Everyone turned to it instinctively, even Arthur's group, the new arrivals. All eyes locked onto the glowing words etched across its front.

Thankfully, there was no riddle this time. It was just a message written in clear, divine script:

[You, brave and wise warriors who cleared three consecutive divine trials.]

[As praise for your achievements, one hour of rest is granted before the path to the next trial emerges.]

[Prepare yourselves, for this is naught but the start.]

Silence followed. A different kind of silence from before.

Xu Tao read it again, then looked up at the sky.

They were allowed rest for a full hour!

Although this should be a blessing to most, to Xu Tao, it was nothing but the calm before the storm.

He could feel it in his bones—the pressure building, the atmosphere thickening like the moment before lightning strikes.

He turned to the others. Though they couldn't understand each other's whispered words, their faces said everything.

Determination. Readiness. Fear.

And from some, like Achilles—impatience.

Then he turned back to the monolith and narrowed his gaze.

'Another challenge awaits...'

A small grin crept up his face.

'Tower of Babel, I hope you can give me a worthwhile challenge!'