The End of the Record and the Physical Body Extreme Realm

"Eight."

When that number appeared on the light screen, time seemed to come to a halt.

Outside the cultivation tower, thousands of students, whether freshmen or seniors, whether geniuses of the Earth Class or prodigies of the Heaven Class, were all frozen in place as if petrified. Their faces held various exaggerated and comical expressions—eyes wide open, mouths agape, corners of their mouths twitching.

The wind blew across the plaza, stirring up a few fallen leaves but unable to dispel the deathly silence.

Eight times gravity!

This was no longer something that could be simply described as a "record." It represented the ultimate barrier to physical body strength in the Body Refinement Realm! It was a legend that countless outer court students gazed up at their entire lives, unable to reach!

Before this, in the entire history of Cloud Creek Academy's outer court, only three people had ever set foot in the eight times gravity zone while still in the Body Refinement Realm! And those three people were now all top figures commanding influence in the inner court, the goals and idols of all outer court students.

And today, right before their eyes, an unknown freshman from the worst class, "Yellow Class Nine," had become the fourth!

This impact was enough to subvert all their perceptions!

"Insane... this world... it must be insane..." The senior student in charge of registration slumped onto the chair, utterly distraught, muttering to himself, having completely lost the ability to think.

And on the fifth floor of the cultivation tower, in the top-tier cultivation room.

"Pfft—"

Xiao Lang could no longer suppress the churning Blood Essence within him, and he violently spat out a mouthful of blood. He wasn't injured by the gravity, but by the extreme humiliation and anger that attacked his heart!

He struggled to get up from the ground, staring intently at his communication jade token as if he wanted to devour the name on it.

Lin Xiao!

That name, like a steel needle dipped in potent poison, pierced deeply into his arrogant self-esteem.

He, Xiao Lang, the eldest son of Marquis Wuwei's estate in the royal city, the universally acknowledged number one person in the outer court, had been stomped underfoot by a bumpkin who appeared from nowhere, in the most direct and brutal way, in front of the entire academy!

He could imagine that from today onwards, he, Xiao Lang, would no longer be the sole legend. When people talked about the gravity tower record, another name would inevitably be mentioned alongside his, or perhaps... even surpass him!

"Argh—!"

An uncontrollable surge of rage caused him to let out a suppressed roar. He punched the obsidian wall beside him fiercely, and the hard wall actually bore a shallow fist print!

"Lin Xiao... I don't care what kind of monster you are, I don't care what secrets you have! I, Xiao Lang, swear here and now, if I don't tear you to shreds, I will not be human!"

The earth-shattering storm outside had no effect on Lin Xiao, who was at the center of the tempest.

Eight times gravity!

When this terrifying pressure, capable of crushing an ordinary Body Refinement Sixth Level cultivator into a pulp, descended, Lin Xiao's body finally let out a groan of being unable to bear the load.

His bones creaked as if they would shatter at any moment. His muscles trembled violently, and fine beads of blood seeped from every inch of his skin, turning him into a bloodied figure in an instant. His internal organs felt as if they were being squeezed by an invisible giant hand, making breathing incredibly difficult.

Agony!

Unprecedented agony surged from every corner of his body, wildly assaulting his nerves.

Yet, amidst this extreme pain, Lin Xiao's eyes shone with a terrifying brilliance! A hint of almost manic laughter even appeared on his face!

"This is the feeling! Not enough! Still far from enough!"

He could clearly feel the deepest potential of his body, modified by the Earth Core Body Tempering Milk, being frantically squeezed out bit by bit under this extreme pressure!

He didn't resist purely with spiritual energy like others.

He released his control over his spiritual energy, allowing the terrifying gravity to act directly on his physical body. At the same time, the profound meanings of the thousands of body-refining techniques in his mind flashed through his sea of consciousness like a sky full of stars.

The resilience of the Indestructible Vajra Art, the dominance of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Power, the force-dispelling nature of the Hundred Battles Body Tempering Technique...

Countless methods of tempering the physical body converged, merged, and evolved in his mind.

He began to try adjusting the vibration frequency of his muscles with the slightest amplitude; controlling the flow rate of his blood with the most precise methods; guiding the resonance of his bones with the most efficient patterns...

He treated his own body as a piece of stubborn iron. And this eight times gravity was the merciless forging hammer!

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

His heart beat like a war drum, heavy and powerful. Each beat pumped blood imbued with magnificent life essence to every corner of his body, repairing the muscle fibers torn by the pressure and nourishing the bones that showed cracks.

Gradually, a faint golden halo began to appear beneath his skin, as white as jade.

His body was undergoing a fundamental transformation!

He felt as if his physical body was awakening, breaking free from the constraints of spiritual energy, about to become an independent and powerful existence!

"Physical Body Extreme Realm..."

A legendary term surfaced in his mind.

It was the supreme achievement that cultivators in the Body Refinement Realm could attain! Once this realm was entered, the physical body would become its own world, indestructible and unyielding, possessing the power to shatter mountains and break the seas with every gesture!

"Just a little more... still need a little more pressure!"

Lin Xiao's eyes burned with fierce fighting spirit. He knew he was standing before a once-in-a-lifetime threshold, and once crossed, he would leap over the dragon gate into a boundless sea and sky!

Dragging his legs, which felt as heavy as lead, he took one difficult but incredibly firm step after another back towards the control panel representing the limit.

He extended his blood-stained, trembling hand.

Outside the cultivation tower, everyone had already become numb. They simply stared blankly at the light screen, as if witnessing the birth of a myth.

Under their gaze, which could no longer be described in words.

The number "eight," a monument to the Outer Court's history, slowly flickered.

It changed to -- "nine"!

At that moment, the entire world seemed to tremble.

BOOM--!

The instant nine times gravity descended, Lin Xiao could no longer stand. He was slammed to the ground with a "boom," pinned down.

His consciousness instantly plunged into darkness.

He felt as if his body had been completely crushed, reduced to the most basic particles.

However, amidst this endless darkness and destruction, a point of golden light quietly bloomed from the deepest part of his body.

Then came a second, a third...

Billions of points of golden light ignited in every cell of his body, eventually converging into a brilliant river of stars!

It was as if a new universe had been created within him!

RUMBLE!

A silent roar exploded in his Sea of Consciousness.

His long-stagnant realm bottleneck, in the face of this new power erupting from within, shattered instantly like paper!

Body Refinement Sixth Level!

When Lin Xiao regained consciousness, he found himself still lying on the ground. But the nine times gravity, which was enough to crush mountains, now felt like a mere... gentle "caress" against his body.

He slowly rose to his feet.

As he stood up, the dried blood scabs on his body cracked and peeled away inch by inch, revealing skin beneath that was as delicate as a newborn's, yet filled with explosive power.

A faint golden halo flowed slowly beneath his skin.

He had succeeded.

Not only had he broken through to Body Refinement Sixth Level, but he had also taken half a step into the legendary "Physical Body Extreme Realm"!

He slowly walked out of the training room.

As he pushed open the heavy, wrought-iron door, the dazzling sunlight in the corridor outside made him squint slightly.

Outside the training tower, when everyone saw the door of "Profound Room Thirteen" open and that figure emerge, the entire plaza erupted in a thunderous uproar!

"He's out! He's out!" "He lasted in nine times gravity for... a quarter of an hour! My god!" "A new record! This is a new record that will be etched into the academy's history!"

Lin Xiao ignored the frantic shouts. He calmly walked to the registration desk.

The senior student was already waiting respectfully. He looked at Lin Xiao as if he were a god, his hands trembling as he returned Lin Xiao's jade token.

"Lin... Senior Lin... your... your rewards... have all been deposited into your jade token..."

Lin Xiao took the jade token and scanned it with his divine sense. The number representing Merit Points had become an astronomical figure that even he found astonishing -- fifteen thousand points!

He simply nodded and turned to leave.

Wherever he went, the surging crowd automatically parted a path for him. Everyone's eyes were filled with awe and fervor.

At the entrance of the training tower, he saw Shi Lei and Su Yue, who had been waiting there, their faces flushed with excitement.

And at the entrance to the fifth floor, he saw a figure whose expression was as dark as water and whose eyes were filled with endless killing intent.

Xiao Lang.

Their gazes met in mid-air.

No words, no provocation.

But it was as if invisible electricity crackled in the air.

It was the harbinger of a fated confrontation.

Lin Xiao merely glanced at him calmly before looking away, disappearing into the crowd with Shi Lei and Su Yue.