“Let’s try it out.” Ling Han leapt up, but his expression changed immediately. With this leap, he discovered the gravity here was unusually strong. Originally, he could jump at least several hundred feet, but now it was hardly five feet.
Fortunately, he still jumped onto that floating stone.
The strange thing was that when he was on the floating stone, the gravity returned to normal and no additional weight came upon him.
Apparently, the gravity existed to stop Flower Blossom Tier warriors from flying, as well as to increase their difficulty in advancing.
This should also vary according to tier, or else it would lose meaning.
“All of you come up, this road probably won’t be so easy to walk,” he said.
This was a bit like the city gate of the first stage, but the obstructive force was layered, while the gravity here was terrifying. The key was that the formation spirit said it would suffice to arrive within ten days; what did this mean?
The road was damn long!
Therefore, this tested endurance and willpower; otherwise, under such a strong gravitational environment, who could maintain their pace for ten days’ time?
Everyone jumped up one after another. Some people actually didn’t jump high enough and had to jump again—and this was only the first layer of floating stones. The end of the rows of floating stone steps couldn’t be seen, so no one knew how far the road led.
If there were an end, then everyone would at least have a goal to strive for in their minds, but the situation before their eyes… a road without end and moving forward was extremely difficult. This could very easily make people disheartened and lose tenacity.
Everyone began to move forward. At the start, everyone was fierce, jumping over the floating steps one after the other, but only after ten minutes, their speed became slower and slower, with sweat trickling down their backs.
Ling Han was still relaxed. He could actually store Liu Yu Tong and the others into the Black Tower and bring them to the top, but he didn’t do so, because as he saw it, this was great for improving oneself.
Those who could walk to the end in ten days, regardless of martial arts talent, would at least prove that they possessed a heart to never back down.
This was an indispensable quality on the road to the peak of martial arts.
So, Ling Han didn’t wait for the others and employed his movement arts, climbing upwards rapidly.
Flower Blossom Tier cultivators could only jump step by step here too. Moreover, the higher the tier, the greater the gravitational force one endured, losing their advantage. The test here was more about willpower than cultivation.
Ling Han soon left everyone behind, and the only one who kept up with him was Hu Niu. This little girl’s speed was also clearly restricted, but she was still fast, at least no slower than Ling Han.
Jumping, jumping continuously, and jumping until exhaustion, they rested on the floating rocks, meditating and absorbing Spiritual Qi to recover. This was greatly beneficial in increasing one’s cultivation.
Ling Han had eaten many great things, and the time was too short for many of them to show their effects, accumulating within his body. Now his body was operating in excess burden, which finally unleashed the effects.
After completing cultivation, Ling Han began to cultivate the Nine Dragon Tyrant Body Art.
This could only be cultivated one hour each day and no more. Going beyond the limit would instead harm the body. Also, during the cultivation process, blood, flesh, veins, and bones would absorb large amounts of energy and essence. If there weren’t enough world treasures to keep up, then one would only overdraw oneself.
Ling Han cultivated now because the essences of the treasured medicine accumulated within the body were all released through intense exercise. If he didn’t cultivate the Nine Dragons Tyrant Body Art now, it would truly be a great waste.
He assumed a strange posture, and instantly, ka ka ka , the bones all over his body crackled. He almost bent himself into a curve, and Qi and blood instantly couldn’t circulate normally; it was so painful that he almost spurted out blood.
The Nine Dragons Tyrant Body Art’s initial stage had a total of twelve styles of such postures; before acquiring the second portion of the art, there were only six styles, and apparently, the completed Tyrant Body Art probably had eighteen styles.
Chapter 497
Translator: Reverie_ Editor: Kurisu
A minute later, Ling Han changed to the second posture. Ka ka ka, the bones in his body crackled again, as if stir-frying soybeans. Even though he already completed the cultivation of the Iron Sheet Tier and the hardness of his bones was comparable to rare metals’ of the same tier, he still felt like his bones were about to break.
Since he was the one who forcibly assumed such a posture, it was equivalent to fighting against himself. So even if it were a rare metal of the same tier, divine metal would also break.
Under this strange posture, his blood, flesh, and bones were as if they’d each possessed life, frantically absorbing the accumulated energy and turning it into his power; yet, it wasn’t Origin Power, but brute force of his physical body.
The muscles definitely didn’t bulge, but he still felt that each cell was filled with vitality and that he could crush a lofty mountain with a slight burst.
This was obviously an illusion. He had just cultivated the body art, so it couldn’t possibly have such a surprising effect already. However, once he truly completed the cultivation and became a god in flesh, then one punch would have the terrifying power of nine true dragons.
Ling Han changed to the third pose and ka ka ka, his bones continued to crackle. He coughed out blood, but it was actually black with some impurities inside, making him struck dumb with amazement—the effects were too obvious.
The sweat on his body was like rain, and his hair was all wet. With the dripping sounds of sweat, the hot air rose and formed puffs of white steam.
Hu Niu found it interesting and began to mimic his posture.
“Ow ow ow!” The little girl cried incessantly, slumping onto the ground, and said with a wry face, “Not fun, not fun at all!”
Ling Han wanted to laugh—so this little monster-like girl wasn’t freakish and surprising in all asepcts.
Twelve minutes later, he assumed every single position once. A puddle of sweat had already formed over his body—he was completely drenched. He changed postures again and returned to the first style, doing it for enough time.
His body was continuously absorbing the energy essences within his body, and quite strangely, when he activated the Five Elements Heaven Grade Skill, these essences turned into Origin Power, stored inside his dantian and spiritual ocean; whereas now, it was absorbed by the cells everywhere, turning into pure brute force.
Origin Power or brute force, what was the difference?
Ling Han had heard that some living spirits were born enormous, and their body size at maturity was even that of a city. They didn’t need to cultivate at all as a punch and a kick could disintegrate a tall mountain. Like humans to ants—from the perspective of ants, how many levels did it need to cultivate before being able to fend against a human’s brute force?
Nine Dragons Tyrant Body Art might be created by some living spirits that were born gigantic and focused on cultivation of the body, becoming gods in flesh!
Ling Han held down the distracting thoughts and devoted his whole mind to guiding the blood, flesh, veins, and bones in absorbing the drifting energy, turning it into his brute force. The things he ate these past few days were really too many, so the power converted from them was also very scary, making him feel as if would burst from being too full as his entire body was swelling.
An hour later, Ling Han stopped and sat abruptly onto the ground, gasping for breath.
This was truly exhausting, but also had an indescribable comfort, forming a strange feeling.
After sitting for a while, he entered the Black Tower, took a shower, c
hanged into new clothes, and then tested his brute force.
It was comparable to the Element Gathering Tier!
God, he only cultivated it for an hour, and crossed right over a martial arts tier.
Ling Han nodded to himself; this was because he stood at a different height. Now he was at the Spiritual Pedestal Tier and ate many tonic things, and once these things evaporated, was it still not enough for a normal person to cross the Body Refining Tier immediately?
Contrarily, if you let a Body Refining Tier cultivator eat so many tonic things, they’d die from being too full.
“However, the start is quick because I’m already at the Spiritual Pedestal Tier, and the following progress probably wouldn’t be so fast,” Ling Han said to himself, cracking a smile. Body art would be one of his trump cards; in the future, if anyone thought that he was at the end of the rope but he suddenly broke out with terrifying brute force, he could turn the tables with one move.
He exited the Black Tower and set a fire as he began to boil things with Hu Niu. Now he had one more area of expense, craving for food more and more.
“In the future, the Black Tower has to foster more beasts,” Ling Han said. Otherwise, it really would be impossible to sustain his and Hu Niu’s stomachs.
“Yes, yes!” Hu Niu expressed great approval, staring at Ling Han while drooling. “That egg!”
“That egg can’t be eaten!” Ling Han hurriedly said. The little girl still refused to give up her evil intentions, not forgetting about the Azure Flame Vulture’s egg.
“Hmph, stingy!” Hu Niu pouted, but when the food finished cooking, she immediately began eating delightfully.
When they were about to finish eating, they saw someone climb up arduously.
It was Shen Zhong Chen.
He never would’ve thought that the one charging at third place wouldn’t be a Flower Blossom Tier from the older generation and wouldn’t be a top figure of the prodigy roll in their prime, but instead the White-Robed Sword King who charged into eighth place this year.
Ling Han nodded. The third stage’s test was not about strength… of course, if it were monsters like Ling Han and Hu Niu who were undoubtedly at the cultivation of the second and third layer Spiritual Pedestal Tier but had the power comparable to the ninth layer, then that would be another matter.
As a whole, this stage tested people’s tenacity.
Spiritual Pedestal Tier warriors had already opened up a spiritual ocean, having continuous flow of Origin Power, and established spiritual pedestals, which could connect with the heavens. On a climb like this, they definitely couldn’t be exhausted. However, the gravitational force was too strong and very easily made people feel weary, so who was faster and who was slower was the sole matter of each person’s determination.
…If you walked a few steps and had to rest, then how could you possibly be fast?
This swordsman’s eyes were like swords, flickering with tenacity and resolution; he was obviously not going to stop until he reached the end.
His body was just like Ling Han’s previously, full of sweat, with hair completely soaked; but a man shedding sweat wouldn’t give people the feeling of disorderliness, but rather limitless masculinity.
Men… should be like so!
Ling Han gave up on the idea of inviting him over for a meal. Shen Zhong Chen was squeezing his determination to the limits, and it was very possible he would gain explosive improvement, rocketing in cultivation or having a great breakthrough on the path of the sword.
“Hu Niu, we can’t be lazy anymore. Let’s charge to the top in one go!” he said.
“Charge!” Hu Niu raised her small fist.
The two started climbing again. Their power far surpassed their tiers, and since this place delimited the gravitational power everyone endured by tier, their speed was ridiculously fast, surpassing Shen Zhong Chen in a short while.
Ling Han, however, sighed. He was too relaxed, so relaxed that he couldn’t push his own limits, which then would have no effect of tempering—how truly unfortunate.
Conversely, it was also because he had already pushed the limits beyond this level that he could be so relaxed now, having already gone through the process. With this thought, he felt balanced inside.
Chapter 498
Translator: Reverie_ Editor: Kurisu
For others, this “heaven ascending ladder” was a great test, but for these two monsters, Ling Han and Hu Niu, it was only slightly strenuous, absolutely unable to push them beyond their limits.
Thus, Ling Han soon lost interest, and after climbing for one day, he stopped to cultivate Origin Power, then increased his brute force. Instead, cultivating the Nine Dragons Tyrant Body art was extremely painful as each posture wasn’t something normal people could do, each time making him hack out blood.
No wonder he had to eat tonic things, or else he would die hacking out blood every day like this, then to hell with cultivation.
Each time Ling Han finished cultivating and began eating meat with Hu Niu, he would see the White-Robed Sword King catch up. With each passing day, his expression didn’t falter a single bit, and his gaze even became brighter.
Ling Han could see that something had been planted inside the heart of this swordsman, and once it budded, it would produce a surprising change.
This was Shen Zhong Cheng’s opportunity.
After nine whole days, Ling Han and Hu Niu finally climbed to the end of the heaven-ascending ladder, and this place was actually a large stretch of land, indescribably strange. It was as if it was originally a complete piece of land that was forcibly broken off by a mighty being, a part placed on top and a part placed on bottom, forming a massive stairway.
Suddenly, an unusual surge transmitted from below and emitted an astounding might, the presence surge like the tide.
“What, someone had a breakthrough, and it’s to the Flower Blossom Tier!” Ling Han was astounded.
In another short while, the surge rose again.
“A second person is breaking through to the Flower Blossom Tier!” Ling Han was even more surprised.
From the Spiritual Pedestal Tier to the Flower Blossom Tier, this was a process of transcending mortals, and although Flower Blossom Tier beings were far from beings called gods, Flower Blossom Tier creatures could fly and survive just from absorbing Spiritual Qi without eating, something mortals could not compare with.
Thus, crossing this step was extremely arduous, and the commotion associated with it was also ridiculous large.
In half a day, Ling Han actually felt the surge of seven breakthroughs to the Flower Blossom Tier, and it definitely wasn’t the same person charging seven times consecutively because of failure.
It should’ve been those prodigies who were stuck at the ninth layer of the Spiritual Pedestal Tier and were originally only a step away from the Flower Blossom Tier. Limited by the difficulty of crossing into the Flower Blossom Tier, they had been stalled in taking this step.
But here, they were forced to their limits and even surpassed them. This was a type of refinement of willpower that allowed people to enter the state of becoming one with heaven and earth extremely easily, completely seeing through oneself and comprehending instantly, then taking the key step.
No wonder so many people wanted to come in. Even if they couldn’t obtain any treasures, this toughening experience alone was worth it.
Of course, the seven could breakthrough also because their accumulation at the Spiritual Pedestal Tier was deep enough, or else those who just crossed into the ninth layer of the Pedestal Tier and wanted to break through to the Flower Blossom Tier through this walk would also succeed—that would just be a joke.
This was only supplementary, having a boosting effect. The key was still oneself.
Seven people wasn’t the end. On the afternoon of the tenth day, another three people began breaking through to the Flower Blossom Tier one after another. Obviously, these ten people couldn’t make it here in the ten days, because
breaking through to the Flower Blossom Tier would require at least ten days’ time.
When they completed the breakthrough, the limit of one month would come, and all would have to leave the mystery realm.
The White-Robed Sword King was the third to arrive, and when he crossed the last step, he sat down cross-legged; Spiritual Wi surged, and almost visibly poured into his body as if several shapeless hands were pulling the Spiritual Qi.
Looking closely, the Spiritual Qi turned into three fierce beasts, leaping at Shen Zhong Chen’s body at three different angles.
“What, Three Beasts Phenomenon!” Ling Han was astounded. “The legend is actually real. So it turns out that completely surpassing oneself will certainly bring forth the reaction of a mysterious power in heaven and earth! It’s said that the bigger the number of spiritual beasts one can draw forth, the bigger the number of small tiers one will break through at the end. Now, Shen Zhong Chen has really profited greatly.”
Spiritual Qi came surging and continued to turn into the shape of beasts. Three beasts after another leapt towards Shen Zhong Chen and continuously increased his cultivation.
In the matter of half an hour, powerful energy burst out from Shen Zhong Cheng’s body. He opened his eyes suddenly; his eyes were as bright as two small suns, but the radiance immediately faded, leaving his eyes still filled with intimidation and as if sharp swords.
The fifth layer of the Spiritual Pedestal Tier!
His cultivation grew drastically by three small tiers as expected.
Ling Han was awfully envious—why did he have to be so strong, strong to the point that the test here couldn’t force him to his limits…
The fourth person to arrive was actually Can Ye!
His killing intent overflowed from his body. He held a saber in his right hand, and a terrifying ominous glare shot from his eyes, as fearless as if he wouldn’t hesitate to strike with his saber to cut apart a Shattering Void Tier elite should one appear before him now!
Alchemy Emperor of the Divine Dao c1-1294 Page 263