Yang Zhen and Fat Cat chased each other in a life-or-death race in the Upper Gen Mirror World, before crashing headfirst into a mountain.
On Upper Gen Mirror World, thick Blood Qi filled the air. Countless cultivators gathered there, looking up at an old man on the mountain with horrified expressions.
The old man's expression was solemn as he stepped up the stone steps of the mountain. With each step, his aura rose significantly.
There were over a thousand cultivators around, all staring nervously at the old man's back. Among them were many Nascent Soul Realm experts, including some powerful beings at the eighth or ninth level. Like the other cultivators, they all wore solemn and tense expressions.
boom!
As the old man stepped onto the tenth stone step, a monstrous wave of energy surged down from the mountain, violent as a raging torrent, wave after wave, relentlessly.
The old man paused, let out a low shout, and a terrifying surge of True Essence emanated from his body, actually forming a gigantic phantom behind him, resembling a lifelike War God roaring to the sky.
Boom!
The two waves of energy collided, unleashing a violent shockwave that swept in all directions. In an instant, sand and stones flew everywhere at the foot of the mountain, and all the cultivators' expressions changed drastically, exclaiming in alarm.
"This mountain has such terrifying restrictions! Elder Qu, a powerful cultivator at the Void Refinement Realm, only managed to climb to the tenth level before struggling!"
"Such a terrifying restriction, is it possible that only experts at the Spirit Wandering Realm can ascend to it?"
"Not necessarily. I just tried climbing these steps, and although I was knocked back down after only reaching the third floor, the resistance I encountered wasn't that great."
"Does this mean that the higher a cultivator's cultivation level, the stronger the restrictions they face?"
A group of people got excited and started offering various opinions.
"If that's true, then even those of us with lower cultivation levels might be able to reach the summit. Perhaps the very mountaintop holds the legacy left behind by the Great Sage Chenxue!"
"Look, Elder Qu is climbing up again."
After pausing for a moment on the tenth floor, Elder Qu snorted coldly. The illusory image of the War God behind him let out a muffled shout and suddenly burst out with a ball of gray light. Elder Qu's aura also rose rapidly.
"This... is terrifying. Void Refinement Realm expert is actually this powerful?"
"That's natural. Those in the Void Refinement Realm can cultivate their spirit into the void, condensing an imprint that can overturn rivers and seas, and shake mountains and forests!"
One step, two steps, until the nineteenth step, Elder Qu's expression finally turned ugly.
"Not good!"
Elder Qu let out a deep shout, his aura exploding outwards. He stomped heavily on the twentieth floor, causing the heavens and earth to tremble and the sound of terrifying waves crashing down resounding endlessly.
Buzz!
A thunderous roar came from the east, and a terrifying, violent Blood Qi emanated from the mountaintop, slamming into Elder Qu.
The terrifying burst of the restriction came suddenly. Elder Qu's expression changed drastically. It was too late to react. He was pushed down with a thud and sat on the ground. He quickly stood up again.
A group of people rushed forward, their expressions filled with horror, and asked, " Elder Qu, is it true that no one can climb over this barrier?"
Elder Qu's expression changed repeatedly. After calming his Qi and Blood, he shook his head and said, "There is a strange restriction on this mountain path. The stronger the cultivator's cultivation, the greater the resistance they encounter. I don't know how to climb up."
"Would it be possible to avoid resistance without using True Essence?"
"That's not the case. I just tried it, and whether I use True Essence True Essence not, the resistance I encounter is not small."
"What... what should we do?"
The crowd looked at each other, at a loss for what to do, and all their eyes fell on Elder Qu.
Elder Qu glanced at Hua Youyue in the crowd, frowned, and then asked with a smile, " Tower Master Hua, you just entered the fifteenth floor with your Nascent Soul Realm cultivation. Did you discover anything?"
Upon hearing this, many people around changed their expressions and hurriedly asked, "Yes, Tower Master Hua, I am also at the Nascent Soul Realm stage, yet I can't even reach the eighth floor. How did you manage to pass the tenth floor?"
Seeing that everyone's eyes were on her, Hua Youyue hesitated for a moment and said, "I'm not quite sure either. I just feel like I can climb a few more floors. By the way, when I reached the tenth floor, a sharp pain flashed through my Spirit Sea. The pain was fleeting, and I almost couldn't bear it."
"Huh?" someone exclaimed. "I've been there too. I felt a sharp pain in my head, and in my dazed state, when I came to, I was already down there."
"Is it only cultivators who have opened their Spirit Sea that can ascend?" Many people's expressions changed.
Not all Nascent Soul Realm cultivators can open their Spirit Sea; among the many cultivators present, the vast majority have not even opened their Spirit Sea yet.
"If that's really the case, then wouldn't we be out of luck with this secret inheritance?"
For a time, many people felt disheartened, their spirits dampened by the cruel reality.
At this moment, Elder Qu said in a deep voice, "Please do not be disappointed. In my opinion, although we cannot reach the top of the mountain, we can cultivate on the stone platform and achieve twice the result with half the effort. We can even use the energy of Qi and Blood and qi here to refine our bodies. Perhaps this is also a test for Great Sage Chenxue."
"Yes, I've noticed that too. Perhaps if we cultivate up there and adapt to this Qi and Blood, we can successfully reach the summit."
"But this restriction is very strange. The more people go up, the greater the pressure they will experience. With so many of us, who is willing to wait down there?"
The crowd began to murmur amongst themselves, all becoming wary. At this moment, everyone was vying for a spot on the stone steps; who would want to wait below while everyone else cultivated?
Elder Qu looked at the two Void Refinement Realm elders outside the gate, exchanged a glance, and nodded inwardly, as if they had reached some kind of agreement.
A tall, vigorous old man stepped out of the crowd and said loudly, "I propose that positions be assigned according to cultivation level, until someone can no longer persevere, then someone else can continue cultivating. In this positive cycle, perhaps everyone will have a chance."
Upon hearing this, everyone present echoed and agreed.
"If we follow what Sect Master Wang has said, does anyone have any different opinions?"
"How could there be any disagreement? These three senior Void Refinement Realm are incredibly righteous and have given us this opportunity, so we will naturally abide by the rules."
"I agree!" Hua Youyue glanced at Elder Yao and nodded in agreement.
Elder Qu chuckled and said, "Then let's do as Sect Master Wang says. Everyone, please find yourselves. However..."
At this point, Elder Qu's face darkened, and he snorted coldly, continuing, "However, let me make this clear: anyone who disregards the rules and exceeds our acceptable limits will face my ruthlessness!"
Seeing the terrifying aura emanating from Elder Qu, everyone immediately fell silent.
If Void Refinement Realm were to become enraged, the people here would likely be slaughtered.
Naturally, no one dared to voice any objection, and they all expressed that they would not do so.
Sect Master Wang chuckled and said, "Please don't be offended, everyone. Elder Qu is only thinking of everyone's best interests. If someone were to rush up halfway, not only would it disrupt the hard-won balance, but they might also suffer a backlash from the restrictions. If they were injured or even killed, it would be difficult to handle the situation."
Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly realized that the people's use of restrictions for cultivation was not such a simple matter. Just thinking about the consequences was truly terrifying.
After several attempts, the group finally reached a balance. If anyone else went up, everyone would be blasted down by the barrier, which was extremely dangerous.
Three experts at the Void Refinement Realm were on the nineteenth floor, while the remaining experts at the Nascent Soul Realm were on the fifteenth floor or several other floors. However, among the Nascent Soul Realm, only Hua Youyue was able to reach the fifteenth floor.
Seeing everyone sitting cross-legged and ready, Elder Qu said loudly, "Everyone, we will begin our cultivation first. Remember to pay attention to whoever can't withstand it and make up for it as soon as possible..."
Before Elder Qu could finish speaking, a deafening roar resounded:
"You Shameless Cat, you dare stop right Laozi!"
"Pah! Kid, I only drank a sip of your soup. You didn't need to chase me across six mountains, did you?"
Elder Qu and the others were completely bewildered. They turned to look at the source of the sound, and their expressions changed drastically.
"Oh no, Yang Zhen is here!"