I Am Overlord c1-962
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But after a short rest, Xiang Shaoyun entered the room again. Again, he left after an hour. The elder was completely stunned watching everything unfold. The Kings were still there, and by now they were completely speechless.
That was a limit room! But that kid had gone in and out three times in a row, as if that limit room was his personal cultivation room!
Chapter 255: Personal Opportunities
The limit rooms had been bustling recently, but it wasn't because the number of challengers had increased. Rather, it was because a bunch of lunatics had appeared. The first lunatic was a person called Xia Liuhui. This young man was a brand new ninth-stage Astral Realm cultivator and had actually challenged a Transformation Realm limit room.
This wasn't exactly the first time someone had done something like this. However, Xia Liuhui, a completely unknown kid, had done it and had succeeded. That was how his fame had started to spread.
After succeeding, he had even proceeded to enter the limit room for seven more consecutive times. In only seven days, he managed to break through into the Transformation Realm, becoming an overnight sensation.
After his breakthrough, he went on into the next limit room. Although he failed his challenge, he still managed to catch the attention of a previous generation's elder who then accepted him as a personal disciple.
Xia Liuhui's fame skyrocketed as a result of that.
One ought to know this previous generation's elder had been in seclusion for a very long time. He was extremely powerful, and with this elder's backing, Xia Liuhui's future path would most certainly be much smoother.
The other person who had also become a sensation recently was Lu Xiaoqing. A gentle girl like her was also challenging the limit rooms that people at her cultivation level shouldn't be able to challenge. She had also succeeded.
But all that was not important. What was important was that her hair had turned green. Lu Xiaoqing herself was stunned by that transformation. Why was that so important? Because she found that after her hair turned green, something seemed to have awakened in her body, and that something allowed her to heal her injuries at an inconceivable speed.
Her transformation attracted the attention of Cloud Margin Pavilion's higher ups who proceeded to summon her over. Ultimately, it was concluded that there was a unique bloodline within Lu Xiaoqing's body. It was something she innately possessed, and it was an ancient bloodline that gave her a natural intimacy with the power of wood. The power of wood was also the reason her healing speed had increased considerably.
When that was revealed, quite a number of people offered to accept her as a disciple. She was then forcefully accepted as a disciple by a previous generation's vice pavilion master. One could say that both Xia Liuhui and Lu Xiaoqing had experienced a lot in the short span of half a month. It seemed like they were people of great fortune, and numerous disciples were envious of them.
As for Wang Zhenchuan, he was not as high-profiled as them. However, he wasn't envious at all. Rather, he sincerely felt happy for them and continued working hard silently. Wang Zhenchuan's master, Zi Changhe, had broken through into the Skysoar Realm without the pavilion's help. He was only about 30 years old, and Skysoar Realm cultivators that young were rather rare in the Cloud Margin Pavilion. Thus, he had been handsomely rewarded by the pavilion for his breakthrough, creating a sensation in the pavilion as well.
He was given an estate of his own and had earned the favor of the vice pavilion master, Tian Xu. With his newfound power, Zi Changhe summoned Wang Zhenchuan back to his side so he could nurture this disciple personally.
All three of them had been given their own opportunities, and how far they could reach in the future would depend on themselves. Of course, in terms of creating a sensation, all of them were incomparable to one certain event.
What was that event? It was Xiang Shaoyun consecutively challenging and overcoming several Skysoar Realm limit rooms as a Transformation Realm cultivator. It was worth noting that the gap between the Transformation Realm and Skysoar Realm was completely different from the gap between the Astral Realm and Transformation Realm. The higher the cultivation realm, the crazier the gap between realms would be.
Because of that, the gap between the Transformation Realm and the Skysoar Realm was almost unsurmountable for an ordinary person. Without a doubt, Xiang Shaoyun had the strength of a War King. Thus, it wasn't surprising that he had succeeded in challenging the first limit room. But he had actually succeeded in clearing the second and third limit rooms as well.
In half a month, a Transformation Realm kid like him had actually succeeded in challenging three King Realm limit rooms in a row. It was a feat never done before, and it was unknown if it could even be replicated in the future.
Xiang Shaoyun's previous feat of taking on the Lightning Alliance alone had already created a sensation. And with what he did at the limit rooms, he shocked the entirety of the Cloud Margin Pavilion's higher-ups. Many elders were tempted to personally take a look at this genius young man. They were curious just what kind of person had achieved all these world-shaking feats.
But the Zither Empress suddenly decreed that nobody should disturb Xiang Shaoyun's cultivation, forcing all the elders to calm down. Even so, many of them had committed the name "Xiang Shaoyun" into their memories when they realized that he was actually related to the Zither Empress as well.
Today, Xiang Shaoyun dragged his terribly injured body back to his own estate, looking extremely sorry. He had succeeded in clearing the first two limit rooms on the first day itself, but the third limit room had taken him half a month to clear. Of course, he had also made great gains from clearing the third room as well.
Apart from an increase in strength, his combat prowess and strength control had been greatly tempered as well.
The third room is utter madness. One has to be at least a fourth-stage Skysoar Realm cultivator to stand a chance at clearing the room. If it wasn't for my Nether Soul Domain, I would have failed as well, thought Xiang Shaoyun as he still felt some lingering fear when he recalled his experience in the third room.
The third room was formed of illusionary formations that could not only fool one's eyes but also disturb one's soul. Additionally, puppets at and above third-stage King Realm were also in the room, working in tandem with the formations to attack the challenger.
In other words, when an ordinary cultivator entered the room, they would be immediately trapped in illusion and attacked by the puppets. Even fourth-stage—or even fifth-stage—Skysoar Realm cultivators would have a hard time clearing that room.
Xiang Shaoyun was only able to clear it by relying on his Nether Soul Domain to see through the room's essence. Even so, the puppets had still badly beaten him up. He was lucky to have been able to survive.
As for the contribution points that he had earned after clearing the rooms, he did not care about them. The first thing he did after returning was give them to Long Hui, who would be managing them on his behalf. Just as he was about to treat his injuries, a silhouette appeared noiselessly in his estate.
"Big sister, why are you here?" asked Xiang Shaoyun when he noticed who the newcomer was.
The newcomer was none other than the Zither Empress, Hua Cheng.
She was dressed in a light muslin outfit that perfectly accentuated her flawless figure. With a look of heartache on her face, she reprimanded, "Are you trying to die? Why are you forcing yourself so much? Take this healing pill first before saying anything else."
The endlessly elegant woman arrived before Xiang Shaoyun and handed him a high-tier healing pill. Xiang Shaoyun did not bother being courteous and accepted the pill before tossing it into his mouth. Different from the healing pill the elder at the limit room had given him, this pill contained a boundless and pure energy. It had a much better healing efficacy.
While refining the pill, Xiang Shaoyun asked, "Big sister, so what are you doing here?"
"What? Can't I visit my little brother? It's not like you will ever
come visit me. Looks like you don't even remember you have a big sister anymore," grumbled Hua Cheng resentfully.
"Haha, how is that possible? If you aren’t staying in a forbidden zone, your little brother will visit you every single day," said Xiang Shaoyun with a hearty laugh.
"Flippant and insincere!" said Hua Cheng as she rolled her eyes. She paused for a bit before she said seriously, "This time, your big sister needs your help with something."
Chapter 256: I Really Like You
"What do you need, big sister? Just tell me about it. Your little brother will complete it even at the cost of his life!" vowed Xiang Shaoyun.
Hua Cheng smiled and said, "No, it's nothing that serious, but this is somewhat dangerous. However, I am confident you can complete it." She went straight to the point, "I need you to get something for me from the Land of Soul Springs. If you can complete the mission, your big sister will reward you handsomely."
"You need a soul spring as well, big sister?" Xiang Shaoyun asked in astonishment.
For those in the Emperor Realm, a soul spring wasn't really helpful. Even for those in the King Realm, a soul spring was only slightly useful. It was most suited for a cultivator at peak Transformation Realm.
"No, no soul spring. I need something else, the soul raising stone," said Hua Cheng with a longing look in her eyes.
The moment Xiang Shaoyun heard the term "soul raising stone", he became excited as well. After all, he was well aware how rare that stone was. The so-called soul raising stone could not only nurture one's soul, but it could also enhance one's mental power. Either of the two was something any cultivator would long for.
The higher the cultivation level, the stronger the soul and mental power needed for one to reduce the risk and increase the probability of success when breaking through to the next realm. Very few treasures could enhance one's soul, and this soul raising stone was one of them. Thus, even an Emperor Realm cultivator would greatly long for it.
As for why Hua Cheng was longing for it, she had an additional reason, which was also the most important reason to her—the stone would also be helpful in improving her dao of zither, pushing it to an even higher level.
After Hua Cheng told Xiang Shaoyun the location of the soul raising stone, he asked in confusion, "Since you know the location of the soul raising stone, why don't you go get it yourself? My strength is far lower than yours."
"If I could enter, I would have done so long ago," said Hua Cheng. She paused for a bit before offering more explanation, "The Land of Soul Springs is a unique place that those at the Skysoar Realm and above won't be able to enter. Even after entering, one will be suppressed to the Transformation Realm. Therefore, very few Skysoar Realm cultivators are willing to enter. As for Emperor Realm cultivators, they will be directly repelled when they try to enter. They might even be killed by that place's power."
"Such a wondrous place exists? Nice," Xiang Shaoyun said joyfully.
It was at this moment that he recalled how Li Yaxuan had told him he was lucky to not be the one who had broken through into the Skysoar Realm. Otherwise, his cultivation level would be suppressed after entering, and his combat prowess might suffer as well.
Hua Cheng continued her explanation and told Xiang Shaoyun that she had heard about the soul raising stone from the previous two batches of disciples who had entered. In truth, this was already an open secret.
But even until today, nobody had succeeded in harvesting the soul raising stone, as not only were there powerful Demon Kings guarding that place, but there were numerous other dangers waiting around as well. The soul raising stone was not something an ordinary person could hope to get.
In fact, during the previous openings of the Land of Soul Springs, Hua Cheng had also tasked some disciples to harvest the soul raising stone for her. Unfortunately, all the disciples had failed and died there.
"Although your big sister wants that soul raising stone, you have to be careful. If you really can't get it, don't force yourself," warned Hua Cheng.
"Haha, since my big sister likes it, I will definitely harvest it for you. Don't worry!" Xiang Shaoyun chortled and promised.
"Yes, I have confidence in you. You wouldn't have been able to clear three limit rooms in a row if you weren't capable. That is also why I have decided to tell you about this," Hua Cheng said with a nod. She then took out an armor and handed it to Xiang Shaoyun. "This is a high-tier armor. With this, you will be able to stay alive."
Xiang Shaoyun accepted the armor with no hesitation. "Thank you, big sister. I won't disappoint you."
"Ok. Focus on healing up for now. If you can come back with the soul raising stone, there will be more rewards waiting from your big sister, alright?" said Hua Cheng with a mischievous tone.
One ought to say that when Hua Cheng was not behaving like a haughty Empress, she looked like an ordinary girl-next-door. Hua Cheng immediately vanished into thin air, leaving behind only a faint lingering fragrance.
Xiang Shaoyun emptied his mind and started focusing on healing up. He also refined a large amount of spirit crystals in his astral cosmos sea. At the same time, the star congregation jade remained active, causing a thick clump of astral energy to twirl around him at all times. The numerous sources of energy helped him both heal faster and grow in strength.
One day and one night passed quickly. Xiang Shaoyun was already about 60 or 70 percent healed, and his cultivation level had increased to mid eighth-stage Transformation Realm. Anyone else who had cleared a few limit rooms in succession would definitely be able to force a lot of their potential out and break through into the next level.
But Xiang Shaoyun was different from others. He had a nine-star physique. The amount of astral energy he required for breakthrough was far greater for him than for any other cultivator. It was already an exceedingly outstanding accomplishment for someone with his physique to actually grow in only half a month since his last breakthrough.
While Xiang Shaoyun was absorbing the purple qi from the first rays of sun, he was notified by Li Yaxuan's messenger to gather at the outer pavilion. After packing up, he left to meet them. Along his way, many people saluted and greeted him respectfully, their eyes filled with respect. There were also a number of smitten girls who were staring at him in admiration, and the braver ones among them were even confessing their love to Xiang Shaoyun.
"Xiang Shaoyun, you are so handsome! I think I have fallen in love with you!" said a chubby girl as she bashfully played with the corner of her shirt. Even Xiang Shaoyun felt shy upon hearing the confession.
"Oh...uhm..." He was completely speechless.
Yes, this girl was kind of short, and had a lot of pimples on her face, but she wasn't too heavy. She was definitely not heavier than 120 kilos. At most, she would be about 100 kilos in weight. No matter what, she was still a brave and adorable young lady. It would be rather cruel to reject her, right? But he really couldn't bring himself to say yes to her confession.
Right that instant, a slim silhouette appeared and pointed at the chubby girl before shouting, "An ugly fatty like you dares to confess to Xiang Shaoyun? Scram! He is mine!"
This girl...is too straightforward, right? thought Xiang Shaoyun to himself before adding, But I like her!
But when the slim silhouette turned and smiled at him, he felt like crying.
"Xiang Shaoyun, I really like you!" said the slim girl while winking her eyes.
Xiang Shaoyun felt like vomiting. Yes, the girl was slim, but she was completely flat. And her face...she looked manlier than a man, and she even had a tiny clump of beard on her chin!
"You darned tomboy! You have frightened Xiang Shaoyun with your looks! Piss off! He is mine!" shouted the chubby girl while rolling up her sleeves, looking like she was preparing for a brawl.
"Do you think I'm scared of you? Come, fight me 300 rounds if you have the guts! Xiang Shaoyun will belong to the victor!" said the tomboy.
"Bring it on! You think I'm scared?"
Chapter 2
57: Not Stuffed!
Xiang Shaoyun fled in panic. The two exotic girls were too scary. When he reached the gathering spot, he patted his chest, still scarred by what he had just experienced.
"Xiang Shaoyun, what's wrong with you? Are your injuries from the limit rooms still bothering you?" asked Li Yaxuan.
After catching his breath, Xiang Shaoyun replied, "I'm fine. I'm just feeling a bit nauseated, that's all."
Xiang Shaoyun finally got the chance to look around and was stunned to find that there were already a few hundred people gathered.
"The Land of Soul Springs will only open once every 10 years. Both overseers and disciples like us won't want to miss out on this. Therefore, we are all gathering here to set off together. Of course, we will go our separate ways when we arrive. You will remain with us from the Red House," said Li Yaxuan as if she had read the doubt in Xiang Shaoyun's mind.
Xiang Shaoyun finally realized that this was actually a group activity of the Cloud Margin Pavilion.
Looks like this Land of Soul Springs is not as simple as a place with soul springs. There are probably other treasures to be found there as well, thought Xiang Shaoyun to himself. He suddenly sensed several sharp gazes landing on him, with two of them carrying a particularly intense pressure.
When he looked over, he found a purple-haired young man staring at him with a pair of purple eyes as imposing as two bolts of lightning, which made it very hard to look straight into his eyes. A battle intent surged out of the young man; it was so intense even the people around him noticed.
Xiang Shaoyun met the gaze unyieldingly. A calm smile hung on his face, as if he was merely greeting an old friend, completely disregarding the pressure from that pair of eyes.
Interesting, remarked the purple-haired young man inwardly.
Xiang Shaoyun was able to guess the young man's identity, but he did not seem to care. He then looked in a different direction. There, a man of about 30 years old stood with a handsome smile on his face. He looked simple and honest and was dressed in a sleeveless garment that revealed his explosively muscular arms. He was a handsome man that almost reeked of testosterone.