The second layer of the Martial Arts Heavenly Ladder, on the great platform.
Jiang Ye's figure reappeared.
"Whew!"
He gasped for breath and sprawled straight onto the ground.
Since he began cultivating, Jiang Ye had never been this wretched. This was the first time.
There was no other reason. The torment he had just endured had simply lasted far too long.
"Gah—so painful!"
Even though the trial was over, he still felt waves of searing pain coursing through his body.
"Damn it, just thinking back on it is enough to make me feel that pain all over again?"
Jiang Ye was practically suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. He had already left that scene, yet his body was still aching.
Rumble!
Just then, a gigantic golden-yellow stone stele slowly rose up in front of Jiang Ye.
On its surface, several large characters were written in bold, flowing strokes, their powerful, vigorous lines radiating an imposing aura:
"Limit Grandmaster!"
[Congratulations, you have reached the second layer of the Martial Arts Heavenly Ladder and obtained the Immortal Monument!] [Calculating rewards.]
Jiang Ye's eyes turned curious at the sight.
"Is this Immortal Monument something like a certification of strength?" Jiang Ye guessed.
His strength had broken through to Limit Grandmaster, and the system had already given him a reward.
After climbing the Martial Arts Heavenly Ladder and passing a trial, he could earn additional rewards.
The two seemed to operate on different mechanisms.
[Your trial time was 3 hours, 30 minutes, and 59 seconds, surpassing 99% of Martial Arts Grandmasters. You tempered yourself with endless pain, using your flesh and blood as a furnace to overcome countless trials and tribulations and reach the limit.] [Title unlocked: Finding Joy in Misery!] -- [Reward Calculation] [Finding Joy in Misery, Maintaining Clarity in Misery, Comprehension Enhancement] [Finding Joy in Misery: While in pain, all attributes receive a considerable temporary boost. The deeper the pain, the greater the boost.] [Maintaining Clarity in Misery: While in pain, you can remain absolutely clearheaded and hold fast to your heart, unmoved by every trial and tribulation.] [Comprehension Enhancement: Comprehension permanently increased by 10%.] --
Jiang Ye looked at the rewards on the panel, his expression a little strange.
Finding Joy in Misery?
Could this actually make him feel pleasure while he was in pain?
He didn't want to awaken some weird proclivity, okay?!
And this Maintaining Clarity in Misery thing—staying clearheaded while in pain?
"What a devil of a system."
Jiang Ye shook his head slightly. This not-so-bright low-martial-arts system really could come up with something new for him every time.
Whatever.
He looked over the rewards, his eyes brightening a little.
"My comprehension has increased by another 10%."
It wasn't much, but the good thing was that he got a boost every time.
If he could increase it by 10% at every layer, the accumulated gains would be terrifying.
Still, if he wanted to improve his comprehension by a lot in a short time, he would have to exploit a bug.
For example, Friend of the Ancestor and Saintess as Servant had both greatly boosted his comprehension.
As far as Jiang Ye was concerned, this time's rewards were generous enough.
Take Finding Joy in Misery and Maintaining Clarity in Misery, for instance.
Although Jiang Ye felt there were twelve things wrong with them for every one thing that was right,
he had to admit that both rewards would surely prove useful in the future.
"Let me repeat the trial and test them out."
The moment Jiang Ye thought of it, a burst of pain shot through his body.
"No, it hurts too much. I'd better rest first," Jiang Ye thought.
After more than three hours of "torture," even his Martial Will was having trouble bearing it.
He needed to do something else to unwind.
At that thought, Jiang Ye couldn't help looking toward the first layer.
"Got it."
His eyes lit up, and he immediately headed for the first layer.
Two hours later.
Jiang Ye emerged from the first layer's Illusionary Tempering trial, his whole body limp.
In this illusion, he had been pampered by five young women.
Under the attentive care of five peerlessly beautiful young women, both his body and mind had relaxed immensely.
The pain he had felt earlier had been forgotten completely.
"I never imagined the First Layer's Illusionary Tempering could have this effect." He was rather surprised.
Now, when Jiang Ye thought back to the torture, he no longer felt any pain.
He could take the second-layer trial again without a single worry!
"From now on, after taking the second-layer trial, I'll return to the first layer to relax, then go back to the second."
"Wouldn't that let me keep repeating the cycle?" Jiang Ye thought.
His eyes lit up.
With that in mind, Jiang Ye didn't hesitate. He immediately returned to the second layer.
[You have passed the second-layer trial. You may repeat it, but you will not receive any rewards.] [You may continue climbing to the third layer.]
Without hesitation, Jiang Ye said, "Repeat the second-layer trial!"
Buzz!
His consciousness abruptly went black.
The next moment, he was back in that dim room, with torture instruments hanging all over the walls.
Jiang Ye took a deep breath, determination showing in his eyes.
System, let me see your limits!
Buzz!
The next moment, the torture rack jolted violently.
"Fuck!"
A surge of pain instantly hit, sweeping through Jiang Ye's mind.
Jiang Ye's eyes widened.
Weren't you supposed to let me find joy in misery? Why does it still hurt so much?!
Time passed.
Amid endless pain, Jiang Ye came to understand something.
This so-called Finding Joy in Misery didn't mean he actually took pleasure in pain.
After all, he didn't have that kind of strange fetish.
The real benefit of Finding Joy in Misery was that it made him more resistant to pain.
His basic attributes—attack, defense, agility, and the rest—had all received a tremendous temporary boost.
In other words, he could last longer while in pain!
Combined with the effect of Maintaining Clarity in Misery, which kept him unmoved by tribulations and steadfast in his heart,
it let Jiang Ye gradually grow accustomed to pain of this intensity.
Time flew by.
Two hours.
Three hours.
Four hours.
In the blink of an eye, four hours had passed.
By now, the trial had used every method of "torment" imaginable. Compared with this trial, things like lingchi and being torn apart by chariots were child's play.
An ordinary person would have passed out from the agony of such inhuman torture long ago.
But Jiang Ye was still holding on!
Another two hours passed.
Jiang Ye finally couldn't take it anymore and withdrew from the trial.
[Trial time: 6 hours, 20 minutes, and 35 seconds]
"I lasted three hours longer than the first time." Jiang Ye looked at the panel.
That wasn't just the effect of Finding Joy in Misery and Maintaining Clarity in Misery. It also meant his tolerance for pain had increased.
"The longer the trial goes on, the more painful it gets."
"But as long as I keep training, one day I'll be completely immune to pain."
That would be an astonishing feat.
How terrifying would it be if someone feared no pain at all?
Nothing in the world would be able to bring him down!
"The transformation of my physique should be over by now."
Jiang Ye suddenly smiled. "I'll go out and take a look."
He was quite looking forward to it.
What was a Grade A+ Physique really like?
"Gah—so painful." Just as he was about to move, Jiang Ye felt a burst of pain in his body.
"I'd better go to the first layer and relax first."
Before you continue