Chapter 54

"Nine Hundred and Ninety-Nine Steps"

A huge stone stele suddenly appeared, its surface smooth as a mirror. Eight ancient and vigorous inscriptions on the stele seemed to leap out, exuding an ancient and distant aura.

Xiao Zhan, curious, approached the stele. As he got close, a line of small text appeared on the stele.

"Step by step, leave your mark on the ladder of fate, and receive the martial arts legacy of the ancient warrior clan."

Each step was extremely large, taller than Xiao Zhan himself, and about ten meters wide. Looking at the crystal staircase extending into the starry sky, Xiao Zhan shook his head. Such a tall staircase would be difficult for an ordinary person to climb.

A mysterious force enveloped the staircase, causing countless flying meteorites to detour around it. The crystal staircase shone brightly in the starry sky, dazzling and magnificent.

The way back was cut off, leaving only the palace in the starry sky as a chance to try. Taking a deep breath, Xiao Zhan stepped onto the first step. The moment his feet touched the ground, it felt as if he had fallen into water. A cool liquid rushed into his mouth and nose, making him feel as if he were drowning, suffocating, and his mind went blank.

His throat and nose burned, and his brain was severely oxygen-deprived. Xiao Zhan wanted to retreat from the platform, but his body suddenly sank, and a massive pressure pressed in from all sides. He soon realized that even a simple leg lift felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, making it impossible to move.

Steadying himself in a horse stance, Xiao Zhan stood firmly on the step. As he breathed, the clear liquid rushed into his mouth and nose, straight into his lungs, but there was no feeling of choking. Instead, he felt an indescribable comfort.

It was incredible!

The feeling was like that of a fish in water, able to breathe freely.

The feeling of drowning disappeared, and Xiao Zhan's mind calmed. He immediately noticed that the liquid entering his body immediately decomposed into countless pure energies, nourishing his body and flowing into his meridians and acupoints.

This discovery amazed Xiao Zhan. The liquid was actually pure spiritual energy! Looking at the crystal staircase extending into the starry sky, he was filled with joy and excitement. The speed of cultivation here would be unimaginably fast.

Suddenly, a strange force attacked, and Xiao Zhan's body began to move on its own, practicing the "Thirty-Six Forms Star Gathering Fist" from beginning to end. Due to the gravity, his movements were as slow as a tortoise, like a slow-motion scene.

What was happening?

It didn't feel like his body was being controlled. The heavy feeling when he punched was clear, and it felt like he was in complete control. At the same time, because his movements were slowed down countless times, he could feel the changes in his body without using the True Eye for internal observation.

He had practiced the "Thirty-Six Forms Star Gathering Fist" for eight years and was extremely familiar with every move. This was the first time the punches were so slow, and the feeling was very unique. It was as if each action was broken down into countless segments, and a new and novel sensation lingered in his mind, giving him a sense of enlightenment.

Details that had been overlooked countless times before now surfaced in his mind, and he firmly grasped every change in each punch. Unconsciously, Xiao Zhan became immersed in it, forgetting everything.

At some point, Xiao Zhan sensed a star, and the acupoints in his body began to vibrate, resonating with it. In an instant, the thirty-six forms of the fist technique became a single form. In the dark universe, the star seemed to be drawn, and countless starlights converged into a powerful beam, shining towards Xiao Zhan.

"Boom!"

The starlight flooded into his body, surging into the acupoints. As time passed, the acupoints continued to expand. When the star power inside reached its limit, a strange force on the staircase purified and compressed the star power. This process repeated, making the acupoint like a bottomless pit, voraciously devouring the starlight. As the acupoints expanded, the original physical strength limit of 10 crystals per acupoint was broken, increasing to 11, 12, 13, and so on. The physical strength gradually increased, and Xiao Zhan's punching speed also accelerated.

At the same time, the liquid spiritual energy flooded into his body, and the true qi in his meridians rapidly advanced from the First Heaven of the Postnatal stage to the Ninth Heaven.

At some point, when the strength of the acupoints reached 20 crystals, it suddenly stopped, and Xiao Zhan also stopped practicing the fist technique. He moved slightly and found that his body was no longer as difficult to move as before, and he could move his feet with great effort. He wanted to return to the platform but was blocked by an invisible barrier, making his attempt futile.

Stunned, Xiao Zhan could only laugh bitterly. It seemed he had no choice but to climb the nine hundred and ninety-nine steps.

Using the True Eye to inspect his cultivation results, he found that the acupoint corresponding to the star had expanded by a factor of two, filled with star power. At the same time, the true qi in his meridians had reached the Ninth Heaven of the Postnatal stage, giving him an exhilarating feeling.

The acupoint, like a star, shone brightly and resonated with a star in the starry sky. With a wondrous sensation, Xiao Zhan looked up at the dark universe, and a star as bright as the sun suddenly appeared before his eyes.

What was happening?

How could a star be so bright and so close, almost like a sun? Since entering, Xiao Zhan had found everything here to be strange, and his knowledge could not explain it. He thought of Xiaomie, who, in his memory, could do anything and should be able to help him. But no matter how he called, Xiaomie did not respond, and he couldn't even open the ring.

Here, all external forces were restrained by an invisible power, and everything seemed to depend on himself.

Turning to look at the second step not far away, Xiao Zhan felt a sense of despair. It was already very difficult to move his feet, and climbing a step much taller than himself seemed almost impossible. Looking at the nine hundred and ninety-nine steps, the difficulty was like climbing to the sky.

What should he do next?

After some thought, Xiao Zhan realized that he needed to increase his strength to move freely and then climb the second step. The best way to increase strength was to practice the "Star Gathering Fist"; cultivating the true qi in his meridians to break through to the Pre-natal stage could also increase strength. As for other methods, Xiao Zhan did not know.

Biting his teeth, Xiao Zhan continued his cultivation. He had not learned any internal cultivation techniques for his meridians, so he could only start practicing the fist. After practicing the same form more than ten times, there was no change, and even trying to draw the star from the sky was futile. Unwilling to give up, Xiao Zhan began practicing the thirty-six forms of the fist, but after several rounds, the results were minimal, leaving him extremely frustrated.

What should he do?

Xiao Zhan's physical strength was 3700 crystals, plus the 2000 crystals he gained in the Martial Pavilion, making his current physical strength 5700 crystals, equivalent to the Fourth Heaven of the Mortal Transcendence stage. If he combined the true qi in his meridians and the star power in his acupoints, he could reach a maximum of 6000 crystals, which would be enough to barely climb up.

Looking at the step taller than himself, Xiao Zhan bit his teeth and decided to climb it.

Using all his strength, Xiao Zhan barely climbed onto the second step, exhausted. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he just managed to catch his breath when a massive pressure hit him, almost pressing him to the ground.

Panting, Xiao Zhan felt a lingering fear. The pressure seemed to increase with each step, just enough to make him immobile. Feeling depressed, the mysterious force appeared again, and Xiao Zhan began practicing the "Star Gathering Fist" once more.