Chapter One Fainted

  "Nine hundred and ninety-nine steps"

  A massive stone monument suddenly appeared, its surface smooth as a mirror. Eight ancient and vigorous inscriptions seemed to emerge from the monument itself, bringing with them an aura of antiquity that was both vast and profound.

  Xiao Zhan walked towards the stone tablet with curiosity, and as soon as he approached, another line of small characters appeared on the stone tablet.

  "One step at a time, ascend the ladder of fate, and receive the martial legacy from the ancient warrior clan."

  Each step was extremely large, with a height that was even taller than Xiaozhan's, and a width of over ten meters. Looking at the crystal staircase that stretched all the way to the starry sky, Xiaozhan shook his head secretly. Such a high staircase, ordinary people might not even be able to climb up.

  A mysterious power envelops the staircase, countless falling meteorites bypass it, and the crystal-like staircase shines brightly in the starry sky, dazzling.

  The road back was cut off, and the only way to go was to try his luck at the palace in the starry sky. Taking a deep breath, Xiao Zhan stepped onto the first step. As soon as both feet landed, he felt like he had fallen into water, and with each breath, a coolness gushed into his mouth and nose, making him feel like he was drowning, suffocating, and his chest was tight, with a blank mind.

  His throat was burning, his brain was in a state of severe hypoxia. Xiao Zhan wanted to exit the platform, but his body suddenly sank, and a huge pressure came from all sides. Soon he found that even a simple leg lift felt like a thousand pounds, his body couldn't move an inch.

  Ma Bu took a deep breath, and Xiao Zhan stood steadily on the stairs. As he inhaled, the cool air poured into his mouth and nose, directly entering his lungs, but instead of feeling like he was choking on water, he felt an inexplicable sense of comfort throughout his body.

  Too unbelievable!

  It feels like a fish in water, breathing freely.

  The feeling of drowning disappeared, and the nervousness slightly calmed down. As soon as it entered the body, it immediately disintegrated and transformed into countless pure energies that nourished the body and surged into the meridians and acupoints.

  This discovery left Xiao Zhan in awe, these were actually all pure spiritual energy! Looking at the crystal staircase that extended all the way to the starry sky, his heart was filled with indescribable excitement, and he wondered how fast his cultivation would progress here.

  Suddenly, a strange power struck him, and Xiao Zhan's body actually moved on its own, practicing the "Thirty-six Style Gathering Star Fist" from start to finish. However, due to the influence of gravity, his movements were slow as a turtle's pace, just like a slow-motion shot.

  What's going on?

  It doesn't feel like being controlled by someone else, the feeling of punching with a weight of thousands of catties is clear and unmistakable, just like I'm in control of everything. At the same time, since the speed has slowed down countless times, even without using the True Eye to introspect, Xiao Zhan can still feel the changes within his body when he punches.

  "The Thirty-sixth Style of Gathering Star Fist" had been practiced for eight years, and every move and style was extremely familiar to Xiao Zhan. The fist speed was so slow that it was the first time he felt such a strange feeling, as if every movement was divided into countless fragments, a new and strange feeling lingered in his mind, and for a moment, it seemed as if he had gained some insight.

  Innumerable details that were previously overlooked now emerge one by one in his mind, and every change in each fist is firmly grasped. Unconsciously, Xiao Zhan becomes deeply absorbed in it, forgetting everything.

  At some point, Xiao Zhan sensed a star and the acupoints in his body began to vibrate, resonating with it. In an instant, the 36-style fist technique transformed into a single move, and in the dark universe, that star seemed to be pulled, countless starlights gathered into a strong beam of light, shining towards Xiao Zhan.

  "Boom!"

  Stardust poured into the aperture, bursting in with a loud noise. As time passed, the aperture continued to expand, and when the internal stardust reached its limit, a strange power appeared on the stairs, purifying and compressing the stardust, repeating this process until the aperture became like a bottomless pit, frantically devouring the starlight. As the aperture expanded, the original physical strength limit of 10 crystals per aperture was broken, and the physical strength began to increase gradually, 11, 12, 13... Xiao Zhan's fist speed also accelerated accordingly.

  At the same time, liquid spiritual energy poured into his body, and the true energy in Xiao Zhan's meridians rushed from the first heaven to the ninth heaven.

  At some point, when the power of the hole reached its limit and rose to 20 crystals, it suddenly stopped. Xiao Zhan also stopped practicing his fist technique at the same time. After a slight movement, he found that his body was no longer as difficult to move as it was at the beginning, and he could barely move his feet with difficulty. He wanted to return to the platform, but was blocked by an invisible air mask, making his attempt a luxury.

  Dazed and stunned, Xiao Zhan could only bitterly smile. It seemed that he had no choice but to climb these 999 steps.

  The Eye of Reality instantly turned inward, examining the results of his cultivation. The acupoints that corresponded to the stars had swollen to twice their size, filled with an abundance of starlight energy, making them feel full to bursting. At the same time, the true qi in his meridians had reached the ninth heaven of the post-heavenly realm, and the feeling of being completely full made him ecstatic.

  The orifices refined within the body shone like stars, radiating a brilliant light, and at the same time resonated with a certain star in the starry sky. As he felt this strange sensation, Xiao Zhan lifted his head to gaze into the dark universe, and suddenly, a star as resplendent as the sun appeared before his eyes.

  What's going on?

  There are stars that shine so brightly, and yet they're so close. It's as if it were a sun! Since entering this place, Xiao Zhan discovered that everything here was shrouded in mystery, and with his knowledge, he found it difficult to understand. For a moment, he couldn't help but think of Little Honey, who should be able to enlighten him with her omnipotence. But no matter how he called out, Little Honey didn't respond, nor could the ring be opened.

  Here is the translation:

  Everything here seems to be locked up by an invisible force, and everything needs to rely on itself.

  Looking at the second level of stairs not far away, Xiao Zhan had a sense of collapse. Now it's very difficult for him to move his feet, and it seems too difficult to climb up these stairs that are so much higher than others. Looking at these 999 steps again, the difficulty is simply like climbing to heaven.

  What's next?

  After some thought, Xiao Zhan discovered that the only way to climb up to the second level was to continue increasing his own strength and make his body move freely. To increase his strength, "Ji Xing Quan" was the best way; cultivating the true energy in the meridians and breaking through to the innate realm could also increase his strength; as for other methods, Xiao Zhan didn't know.

  Xiao Zhan gritted his teeth and continued to practice. He had never learned the internal skill of cultivating meridians, so he could only start practicing fist techniques. After more than a dozen repetitions of the same style of fist technique, there was not even a hint of movement, it was as if trying to move the stars in the sky would be futile. Unwilling to give up, Xiao Zhan began to practice the 36-style fist technique again, but after many repetitions, the effect was minimal, and this result made him extremely disheartened.

  What should I do?

  Xiao Zhan's physical strength is 3700 Jing, plus the additional 2000 Jing gained during his time in Wu Kuang, making his current total physical strength 5700 Jing, equivalent to a fourth-level Heaven. If he adds the true energy from his meridians and the star power bursting from his acupoints, he can reach up to 6000 Jing at most, such immense power would barely allow him to climb up.

  Looking at the high steps in front of him, Xiao Zhan gritted his teeth and decided to climb up first.

  Using all his might to catch his breath, he barely managed to crawl up the second step, wiping away the sweat from his forehead. Just as he let out a sigh of relief, a massive pressure came crashing down on him, almost pinning him to the stairs.

  Patted his chest, Xiao Zhan's heart still had lingering palpitations. This pressure seemed to be layered and cumulative, just enough to render him immobile. Amidst the stifling atmosphere, that mysterious power reappeared, and Xiao Zhan resumed his cultivation of "Gathering Star Fist".