The Shock of the Gravity Training Room

Time, like sand slipping through one's fingers, quietly passed as Lin Xiao immersed himself in the ocean of knowledge.

Another half month went by.

During this period, the second floor of the Library Pavilion had practically become Lin Xiao's second home. He was like a sponge that had been dry for eons, frantically absorbing every bit of nourishment it offered.

Unlike the basic and shallow cultivation techniques and martial skills on the first floor, the texts on the second floor were undoubtedly far more profound and esoteric. Both the techniques for utilizing spiritual energy and the understanding of move variations had ascended to an entirely new level.

Lin Xiao was lost in it every day, completely captivated. The number of Human-tier, mid-grade cultivation techniques and martial skills recorded on his system panel grew daily, rapidly breaking through from a few to over a hundred.

Vast amounts of knowledge converged, collided, and fused in his mind, elevating his understanding of the word "cultivation" to an unprecedented height. He no longer simply imitated and learned; he began to try to comprehend the fundamental principles behind each cultivation technique and martial skill, discarding the dross and retaining the essence, drawing parallels between different disciplines.

This progress was astonishing.

However, the price of progress was the rapid depletion of Merit Points.

Entering the second floor of the Library Pavilion cost one hundred Merit Points daily. The "fortune" he had won from Wang Chen and the others melted away like snowflakes in just half a month, dwindling to empty once more.

"Not enough Merit Points again..."

That evening, when Lin Xiao was blocked from entering the Library Pavilion due to insufficient Merit Points, he finally realized the severity of the problem.

Living off one's savings was ultimately not a long-term solution. He had to find a stable and efficient way to earn Merit Points.

On his way back to the dormitory, he pondered as he flipped through the Academy Beginner's Handbook, which he had already thoroughly studied.

Soon, a place caught his attention.

The Gravity Training Room.

This was a special training facility that the academy had spent a fortune to build, inviting array masters to construct it. Inside, it was inscribed with the ancient "Great Earth Magnetic Array," capable of simulating gravity environments ranging from two to ten times normal.

Training under gravity not only greatly tempered the physical body and strengthened bones and muscles but also tested a cultivator's precision in controlling their spiritual energy. Under high gravity, even the simplest action required several times the usual stamina and spiritual energy. For cultivators in the Body Refinement Realm, it was an excellent supplementary training ground.

What attracted Lin Xiao the most was the reward mechanism of the gravity room.

To encourage students to challenge their limits, the academy stipulated that anyone who broke the training duration record for their level in the gravity room would receive a very generous reward of Merit Points!

"This is it."

A bright glint flashed in Lin Xiao's eyes.

His body, having undergone a complete transformation thanks to the Earth Core Body Tempering Milk, was already far tougher than cultivators of the same level. Coupled with the theoretical support of the thousands of Body Refinement techniques in his mind, the gravity room was practically a stage tailor-made for him!

The next morning, Lin Xiao did not go to Yellow Class Nine for roll call. Instead, he headed straight for the Gravity Training Tower, located in the core area of the training grounds.

It was a colossal tower built entirely of obsidian, divided into five floors, exuding an aura of heaviness and oppression. The area in front of the tower was bustling with activity, as almost all the elite outer court students were regular visitors.

Lin Xiao's arrival immediately caused a stir.

"Look, isn't that Lin Xiao from Yellow Class Nine?" "What's he doing here? The gravity room is exclusive to our Earth Class and Heaven Class students. Why is a Yellow Class student crowding in?" "Heh, he probably tasted some sweetness last time at the mission hall and wants to show off again, right? He really doesn't know his place. The gravity room isn't something you can handle with a little cleverness!"

Various discussions filled with mockery and disdain clearly reached Lin Xiao's ears. However, he ignored them and walked directly to the registration desk.

The person in charge of registration was a senior student in the Body Refinement Sixth Level. Seeing Lin Xiao's class information, he raised an eyebrow and said lazily, "Yellow Class? Kid, you're in the wrong place. The minimum charge here is fifty Merit Points per hour. Are you sure you want to go in?"

"I'm sure," Lin Xiao nodded. "Give me a training room with five times gravity."

"What?!"

The senior student suspected he had misheard, and the surrounding students who were eavesdropping with their ears pricked up erupted in an uproar.

"Five times gravity?! Is he crazy?!" "Don't new students usually start with two times gravity to adapt? Even geniuses like Su Yue and Shi Lei only dared to challenge three times gravity on their first try!" "Is this guy risking his life just to get attention? In five times gravity, if his spiritual energy falters, his body could be crushed into pulp!"

Facing everyone's shock, Lin Xiao's expression remained calm. "Is there a problem?"

"No... no problem." The senior student felt a bit unnerved by Lin Xiao's calm gaze. As he processed Lin Xiao's request, he sneered inwardly, Foolish thing. You'll be crying later.

After receiving the key to the training room, Lin Xiao walked into the training tower under the gaze of everyone who looked at him like an idiot.

He quickly found his room - "Profound Room Thirteen."

Pushing open the heavy door forged from fine iron, he entered a spacious stone room of about a hundred square meters. The walls and floor shimmered with faint, earthy-yellow runes.

As the door slammed shut with a "boom," an irresistible, terrifying pressure instantly swept in from all directions, acting upon every cell of his body!

Five times gravity!

Lin Xiao felt his body sink heavily, as if an invisible mountain had been placed on his back. His blood flow instantly slowed, and breathing became difficult. For an ordinary cultivator at Body Refinement Fifth Level, it would be extremely difficult to even stand steady under this pressure.

However, a hint of enjoyment appeared on Lin Xiao's face.

"This is the feeling..."

He could clearly feel his bones, muscles, and flesh, transformed by the Earth Core Body Tempering Milk, not only felt no discomfort under this immense pressure but seemed to be nourished by it, emitting an excited "buzz"!

He slowly executed a set of the most basic Body Refinement exercises in the center of the room.

Initially, his movements were somewhat stiff and slow. But as time passed, he gradually adapted to the pressure. The essence of the thousands of Body Refinement techniques in his mind flowed like a trickle into every movement.

His boxing began to become smoother and more expansive.

An hour later, he had not only fully adapted to five times gravity but even felt that the pressure could no longer effectively temper his body.

"Time to add some 'spice'."

Lin Xiao walked to the control panel in the center of the room and unhesitatingly adjusted the gravity coefficient to "six"!

Boom!

An even more terrifying pressure descended!

Lin Xiao's body suddenly sank, his knees bending slightly, his bones emitting creaking sounds of being unable to bear the load.

But he merely took a deep breath, and the spiritual energy within him surged like a raging river. A faint treasure light flowed beneath his jade-like skin.

Soon, he adapted once more.

Then came seven times!

On the light screen at the registration desk outside the training tower, the user information and gravity coefficient for each room were clearly displayed.

At this moment, almost everyone's gaze was fixed on the information belonging to "Profound Room Thirteen."

"It's been an hour! That guy actually lasted an hour under five times gravity!" "This... How is this possible?! Wasn't the highest record for a freshman under five times gravity set by Qin Wushuang of Heaven Class at half an hour?" "He broke the record! A student from Yellow Class Nine broke the record of a Heaven Class prodigy!"

The crowd completely exploded.

However, this was merely the beginning.

Just when they thought Lin Xiao had reached his limit, the number "five" representing the gravity coefficient on the light screen suddenly flickered and changed to the glaring "six"!

The entire venue fell silent.

Everyone was like a duck with its throat squeezed, their mouths agape but unable to utter a sound.

Immediately after, under their already numb gaze.

The number flickered again.

"Seven"!

"Seven times gravity... This... This has already matched the highest record for all Body Refinement Realm cultivators in the outer courtyard!" the senior student in charge of registration said, his voice trembling. The jade token in his hand fell to the ground with a "clatter."

And the one who set this record was none other than Xiao Lang, currently recognized as the number one in the outer courtyard, who was about to break through to the Origin Opening Realm!

At this moment, in a top-tier training room on the fifth floor of the training tower, where eight times gravity was active and only a select few in the entire outer courtyard had the qualification to enter.

Xiao Lang was shirtless, sweat pouring down his body like rain, strenuously resisting the terrifying gravity that could flatten steel.

Just then, the communication jade talisman on his wrist suddenly vibrated violently.

He impatiently connected, and immediately, Li Mo's panicked voice came through.

"Brother Lang! It's bad! Something big happened! That Lin Xiao... That Lin Xiao, he... he matched your cultivation record under seven times gravity!"

"What?!"

Xiao Lang's mind was greatly shaken upon hearing this, his aura faltered, and he could no longer maintain his balance. With a plop, he was forcefully pressed to the ground by the terrifying gravity!

Ignoring the searing pain, he abruptly raised his head, his handsome face filled with ferocity and disbelief.

"Lin! Xiao!"

He gritted out this name word by word from between his teeth, his eyes filled with extreme killing intent.

Meanwhile, Lin Xiao, at the center of the storm, was completely unaware of this.

Under seven times gravity, he finally felt a trace of true pressure. Every cell in his body was repeatedly squeezed, tempered, and then broken and reborn under this pressure!

He could feel his physical body's strength increasing at an unbelievable speed!

He even had a premonition that if he continued to cultivate here for a while longer, he might be able to touch that legendary realm—the Physical Body Extreme Realm!

"Not enough!"

Lin Xiao's eyes burned with frenzied fighting spirit.

He walked back to the control console again, extending the hand that was trembling slightly with excitement.

And then, under the gazes of thousands of nearly petrified onlookers outside the training tower, the number "seven," representing the highest record in the outer courtyard, slowly but resolutely flickered.

It changed to—"Eight"!

At that moment, the entire world seemed to fall silent.