Tempering!

Xie Yue's breathing grew heavier and heavier, each inhalation accompanied by a tearing pain in his chest, and each exhalation spewing out scorching Mist.

His muscles were stretched to their limit, his skin turned an unnatural Red, and even the stone steps beneath his feet groaned softly under the pressure of his Soul Power.

Lin Xia was also in bad shape. On his exposed skin, fine beads of sweat mixed with tiny beads of blood squeezed out of his pores due to the intense pressure, forming a wet mixture of blood and sweat.

His gaze remained calm, his deep purple eyes fixed on the steps above, his Soul Power flowing through his resilient meridians, resisting the all-pervasive tearing force.

The two clenched their teeth so tightly that their gums bled from the force, and a salty, fishy taste filled their mouths.

With an iron will, they continued to strive upwards!

Level 31!

Level 32!

With each step up, the pressure intensifies like a landslide or tsunami. Sweat pours down like a spring, pooling at their feet before being evaporated or absorbed.

Xie Yue's Soul Ring light began to fluctuate violently. The enormous Soul Power required to maintain the "Full Moon" state was nearing its limit under the terrifying consumption of double the Sea God's Light.

Level 33!

Level 34!

Level 35!

Level 36!

Level 37!

The moment Xie Yue's left foot slammed down on the thirty-seventh step, the surging Soul Power within him dried up abruptly, like a river cut in half!

The immense energy required to maintain the three major Soul Skill finally exceeded the limits that his Soul Emperor -level Soul Core could provide during his ascent to this point!

His body stiffened abruptly, and his originally round and Sharpness aura, like a full moon, instantly dissipated, and the light of his Soul Ring dimmed rapidly.

That momentary pause and vacuum of Soul Power became a fatal flaw under the terrifying laws of double the Sea God's Light!

"Roar--!!!"

Xie Yue let out a roar of unwilling anger, trying to Sheer Force activate the last bit of Soul Power to stabilize his body.

But it was too late!

That omnipresent and vast divine power, like a raging sea that has been gathering momentum for a long time, or like a spring that has been compressed to its limit and is now rebounding, has found an outlet to release its power!

An irresistible, overwhelming force, seemingly capable of overturning mountains, suddenly struck Xie Yue!

He felt as if he had been struck hard by an invisible giant hammer Wrap golden and blue divine power!

His body was thrown backward and upward uncontrollably, as fast as an arrow released from a bow, drawing a high parabola in the air.

He tried to adjust his posture in mid-air, but the strange rules contained in the repulsive force completely deprived him of control over his body, and he could only watch helplessly as the horrified faces of the shore and his companions rapidly receded from his sight.

Thump--!!!

The enormous splash of water sounded particularly jarring above the silent Sea God Mountain.

Water splashed high into the air as Xie Yue's figure crashed heavily into the Ring Sea!

The spot where he fell into the water was nearly seventy meters away from the shore!

This terrifying distance silently testifies to the horrifying force he endured on the thirty-seventh step—a repulsive force amplified by double the Ability of the Sea God's Light —that instantly sent him flying!

The icy waters of the Ring Sea instantly engulfed Xie Yue, the immense impact causing his vision to go black and him to choke on mouthfuls of salty seawater.

He struggled to the surface, coughing violently, his silver eyes filled with exhaustion, resentment, and a hint of indescribable shock.

He looked up at the towering, cloud-piercing staircase, its golden and blue light swirling, and at the figure that still stood stubbornly on the thirty-seventh step, covered in blood yet as steadfast as a rock— Lin Xia.

Xie Yue knew that Lin Xia was under twice the pressure he was under!

But Lin Xia is still persevering!

Standing on the thirty-seventh step, Lin Xia was fully aware of Xie Yue's fall, but he had no time to be distracted at the moment.

The doubled Fire God was like countless red-hot steel needles and icy awls, tearing and piercing his meridians and flesh from both sides.

The left side of his body felt as if it were immersed in ancient Mystic Ice, each breath carrying a bone-chilling cold, and fine frost even formed on the surface of his skin.

The right side of his body felt as if it were in the core of a furnace, the scorching power threatening to ignite his blood, his skin turning red, and a faint smell of burning emanating from it.

The consumption of Soul Power reached a desperate rate, as if a bottomless pit had been opened in the dantian.

However, amidst this extreme pain and immense exhaustion, a flame burned in Lin Xia's eyes that was even more intense than the Gilded Flame.

"Pressure... is the best whetstone!"

Bibi Dong's words echoed in his mind.

He clearly felt that under the extreme pressure of this double divine light, the potential deep within his body, which had been reshaped by Divine Blood, strengthened by the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings's essence, and honed by countless battles, was being stimulated at an unprecedented speed.

Like stubborn iron being forged by a master craftsman, gradually revealing the sharpness of a divine weapon!

Every torn meridian, under the combined nourishment of the blue light of the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud and its own life force, is painstakingly repaired, widened, and made more resilient.

Each depletion and exploitation of Soul Power made the mercury-like, solidified Soul Power even purer, and its total amount seemed to increase slowly but steadily under that extreme exploitation.

He looked up at the seemingly endless staircase that stretched all the way to the temple in the clouds.

Level 333?

Level 666?

That was no longer a cold, impersonal target number, but a blood-and-fire path paved with pain and willpower, leading to the pinnacle of power!

Lin Xia took a deep breath; the air, mixed with the smell of blood and the sea, seemed to carry a power within it.

Xie Yue was helped up by the crowd, coughed up a few mouthfuls of seawater, and looked up at the sky with resentment in his silver eyes.

Lin Xia had already stepped onto the fortieth step!

The terrifying pressure of double the Sea God's Light transformed into a tangible golden-blue torrent, almost crushing his body.

Just then, a sharp cracking sound rang out!

Lin Xia's clothes were suddenly ripped open at the back!

Six twisted, grotesque bone-like structures covered in fine, purplish-black Poison Point burst forth from his body—these were his External Soul Bone, the "Poison Vine Bone Wings."

However, unlike the flight pattern described in the reference materials, at this moment, the four thickest branches at the bottom of the bone wings pierced into the hard stone steps like living things, making a teeth-grinding "thud thud thud" sound.

A dark purple metallic sheen flowed across the tips of the bone spurs, carving shallow pits into the divine steps and providing a crucial additional foothold!

"Ugh--!"

A suppressed growl escaped Lin Xia's throat.

The attribute boost from activating the bone wings instantly surged into his limbs and bones.

The resilience of tendons and bones, the explosive power of muscles, and the upper limit of the capacity of meridians are Sheer Force increased!

The golden mist rising from his body was tinged with the purplish-black Poison Miasma emanating from his bone wings, giving it an eerie golden-purple hue.

Without pausing for a moment, he used this explosive force to push himself up again under double the pressure!

Forty-one, forty-two, forty-three... With each step, the stone steps groaned under the weight.

His legs felt like they were filled with molten lead; every time he lifted his knee, his entire skeleton made a heart-stopping "crackling" sound, as if they might break inch by inch at any moment.

The sweat had long since dried up, and what seeped from the pores was a viscous liquid mixed with tiny droplets of blood, which congealed into a dark red scab on the skin's surface.

However, instead of pain, Lin Xia's eyes burned with an almost fanatical flame—this was precisely his greatest purpose for this trip: to hone his skills!