Something Is Very Wrong

On the second level of the Martial Arts Heavenly Ladder, on the large platform.

Jiang Ye's figure reappeared.

"Hoo!"

He gasped for air, collapsing onto the ground.

In his cultivation journey so far, Jiang Ye had never been so disheveled. This was the first time.

The reason was simple: the torment he had just endured was far too long.

"Hiss~ So painful!"

Even though the assessment had ended, he could still feel intense pain radiating from his body.

"Damn it, just thinking about it can bring back that pain?"

Jiang Ye felt as if he had PTSD. Even though he had left that scene, phantom pains still plagued him.

Rumble!

Just then, a massive, golden stone tablet slowly rose before Jiang Ye.

On its surface, several large characters were written in a bold, vigorous style, exuding a majestic aura:

"Limit Grandmaster!"

[Congratulations, you have stepped onto the second level of the Martial Arts Heavenly Ladder and obtained the Immortal Monument!]

[Calculating rewards.]

Seeing this, Jiang Ye's gaze became peculiar.

"Is this Immortal Monument some kind of strength certification?" 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 the assessment, he could still receive rewards.

The two seemed to operate on different mechanisms.

[Your assessment time was: 3 hours, 30 minutes, 59 seconds, exceeding 99% of Martial Arts Grandmasters. You tempered yourself with endless pain, using flesh and blood as a furnace, overcoming myriad tribulations to reach the limit.]

[Title Unlocked: Finding Joy in Misery!]

--

[Reward Settlement]

[Finding Joy in Misery, Maintaining Clarity in Misery, Comprehension Enhancement]

[Finding Joy in Misery: While in a state of pain, all attributes receive a considerable boost (temporary). The deeper the pain, the greater the boost.]

[Maintaining Clarity in Misery: While in a state of pain, you can maintain absolute clarity, holding firm to your heart, unmoved by any tribulation.]

[Comprehension Enhancement: Comprehension permanently increases by 10%]

--

Jiang Ye looked at the rewards on the panel, his expression somewhat strange.

Finding Joy in Misery?

Could it be that he would feel pleasure in pain?

He didn't want to awaken any weird attributes!

And Maintaining Clarity in Misery, staying clear-headed in pain?

"What a living Yama."

Jiang Ye shook his head slightly. This not-so-smart low-level martial arts System always managed to come up with new tricks.

Never mind.

He looked at the rewards for this time, his eyes lighting up slightly.

"Comprehension increased by another 10%."

Although it wasn't much, it was valuable because it came with every level.

If each level provided a 10% increase, the cumulative effect would be terrifying.

However, to significantly increase comprehension in a short period, one would need to exploit bugs.

For example, 'Friend of the Ancestor' and 'Saintess as Servant' greatly boosted comprehension.

For Jiang Ye, the rewards this time were already quite generous.

Taking the 'Finding Joy in Misery' and 'Maintaining Clarity in Misery' rewards as an example.

Although Jiang Ye felt they were twelve parts inappropriate, He had to admit that these two rewards would be immensely useful in the future.

"Let's re-enter the assessment to verify."

As soon as Jiang Ye thought this, a sharp pain shot through his body.

"No, it hurts too much. I need to take a break." Jiang Ye thought to himself.

After more than three hours of 'torture,' even his Martial Will was starting to falter.

He needed to do something else to relax.

With that thought, Jiang Ye couldn't help but look towards the first floor.

"Got it."

His eyes lit up, and he immediately strode towards the first floor.

Two hours later.

Jiang Ye withdrew from the illusion assessment on the first floor, his body feeling completely limp.

In this illusion, he had experienced the attentive care of five young girls.

Under the intimate service of five stunning beauties, both his body and mind had been greatly relaxed.

The previous pain was completely forgotten.

"I didn't expect the illusion trial on the first floor to have such an effect?" he was quite surprised.

At this moment, Jiang Ye recalled the previous torture, but he no longer felt any pain.

He could now proceed to the second-level assessment without any reservations!

"After I finish the second-level assessment, I'll go back to the first floor to relax, and then attempt the second level again."

Jiang Ye thought to himself, "This way, won't I be able to loop indefinitely?"

His eyes lit up.

With that, Jiang Ye no longer hesitated and immediately returned to the second level.

[You have passed the second-level assessment. You can re-attempt it, but you will not receive any rewards.]
[You can continue to the third level.]

Jiang Ye said without hesitation, "Repeat the second-level assessment!"

Buzz!

His consciousness plunged into darkness.

The next moment, he found himself back in that dimly lit room, with torture devices hanging on the walls.

Jiang Ye took a deep breath, determination flashing in his eyes.

"System, let me see your limits!"

Buzz!

The next moment, the torture rack shook violently.

"Holy crap!"

Instantly, waves of excruciating pain surged through Jiang Ye's mind.

Jiang Ye's eyes widened.

"What happened to Finding Joy in Misery? Why does it still hurt so much!"

Time passed.

In the midst of endless pain, Jiang Ye understood one thing.

The so-called 'Finding Joy in Misery' didn't mean he actually derived pleasure from pain.

After all, he didn't have any strange fetishes.

The true effect of Finding Joy in Misery was to increase his resistance to pain.

His basic attributes like Attack, Defense, and Agility had all temporarily received significant boosts.

In other words, he could endure the pain for a longer period!

Coupled with the effect of 'Maintaining Clarity in Misery,' which made him unshaken by hardship and steadfast in his original intention.

This allowed Jiang Ye to gradually adapt to this level of pain.

Time flew by.

Two hours.

Three hours.

Four hours.

In the blink of an eye, four hours had passed.

By this point, the assessment had employed all sorts of 'torture' methods. Lingering death and dismemberment were child's play compared to this.

An ordinary person would have long since fainted from such inhuman torment.

But Jiang Ye was still holding on!

Another two hours passed.

Jiang Ye finally couldn't hold on any longer and withdrew from the assessment.

[Assessment Time: 6 hours 20 minutes 35 seconds]

"Three hours longer than the first time," Jiang Ye looked at the panel.

This was not only the effect of Finding Joy in Misery and Maintaining Clarity in Misery, but also showed that his tolerance for pain had increased.

"The longer the time, the greater the pain of the assessment."

"But as long as I keep training, one day, I'll be completely immune to pain."

This was definitely an astonishing thing.

How terrifying would it be if a person had no fear of pain?

Nothing in the world could defeat him!

"The physique transformation should be over now."

Jiang Ye suddenly smiled, "I'll go out and see first."

He was quite expectant.

What kind of experience was a Grade A+ Physique?

"Hiss~ So painful." Just as he was about to move, Jiang Ye felt a sharp pain in his body.

"I'll go to the first floor to relax first."