Translator: Reverie_ Editor: Kurisu

A minute later, Ling Han changed to the second posture. Ka ka ka, the bones in his body crackled again, as if stir-frying soybeans. Even though he already completed the cultivation of the Iron Sheet Tier and the hardness of his bones was comparable to rare metals’ of the same tier, he still felt like his bones were about to break.

Since he was the one who forcibly assumed such a posture, it was equivalent to fighting against himself. So even if it were a rare metal of the same tier, divine metal would also break.

Under this strange posture, his blood, flesh, and bones were as if they’d each possessed life, frantically absorbing the accumulated energy and turning it into his power; yet, it wasn’t Origin Power, but brute force of his physical body.

The muscles definitely didn’t bulge, but he still felt that each cell was filled with vitality and that he could crush a lofty mountain with a slight burst.

This was obviously an illusion. He had just cultivated the body art, so it couldn’t possibly have such a surprising effect already. However, once he truly completed the cultivation and became a god in flesh, then one punch would have the terrifying power of nine true dragons.

Ling Han changed to the third pose and ka ka ka, his bones continued to crackle. He coughed out blood, but it was actually black with some impurities inside, making him struck dumb with amazement—the effects were too obvious.

The sweat on his body was like rain, and his hair was all wet. With the dripping sounds of sweat, the hot air rose and formed puffs of white steam.

Hu Niu found it interesting and began to mimic his posture.

“Ow ow ow!” The little girl cried incessantly, slumping onto the ground, and said with a wry face, “Not fun, not fun at all!”

Ling Han wanted to laugh—so this little monster-like girl wasn’t freakish and surprising in all asepcts.

Twelve minutes later, he assumed every single position once. A puddle of sweat had already formed over his body—he was completely drenched. He changed postures again and returned to the first style, doing it for enough time.

His body was continuously absorbing the energy essences within his body, and quite strangely, when he activated the Five Elements Heaven Grade Skill, these essences turned into Origin Power, stored inside his dantian and spiritual ocean; whereas now, it was absorbed by the cells everywhere, turning into pure brute force.

Origin Power or brute force, what was the difference?

Ling Han had heard that some living spirits were born enormous, and their body size at maturity was even that of a city. They didn’t need to cultivate at all as a punch and a kick could disintegrate a tall mountain. Like humans to ants—from the perspective of ants, how many levels did it need to cultivate before being able to fend against a human’s brute force?

Nine Dragons Tyrant Body Art might be created by some living spirits that were born gigantic and focused on cultivation of the body, becoming gods in flesh!

Ling Han held down the distracting thoughts and devoted his whole mind to guiding the blood, flesh, veins, and bones in absorbing the drifting energy, turning it into his brute force. The things he ate these past few days were really too many, so the power converted from them was also very scary, making him feel as if would burst from being too full as his entire body was swelling.

An hour later, Ling Han stopped and sat abruptly onto the ground, gasping for breath.

This was truly exhausting, but also had an indescribable comfort, forming a strange feeling.

After sitting for a while, he entered the Black Tower, took a shower, changed into new clothes, and then tested his brute force.

It was comparable to the Element Gathering Tier!

God, he only cultivated it for an hour, and crossed right over a martial arts tier.

Ling Han nodded to himself; this was because he stood at a different height. Now he was at the Spiritual Pedestal Tier and ate many tonic things, and once these things evaporated, was it still not enough for a normal person to cross the Body Refining Tier immediately?

Contrarily, if you let a Body Refining Tier cultivator eat so many tonic things, they’d die from being too full.

“However, the start is quick because I’m already at the Spiritual Pedestal Tier, and the following progress probably wouldn’t be so fast,” Ling Han said to himself, cracking a smile. Body art would be one of his trump cards; in the future, if anyone thought that he was at the end of the rope but he suddenly broke out with terrifying brute force, he could turn the tables with one move.

He exited the Black Tower and set a fire as he began to boil things with Hu Niu. Now he had one more area of expense, craving for food more and more.

“In the future, the Black Tower has to foster more beasts,” Ling Han said. Otherwise, it really would be impossible to sustain his and Hu Niu’s stomachs.

“Yes, yes!” Hu Niu expressed great approval, staring at Ling Han while drooling. “That egg!”

“That egg can’t be eaten!” Ling Han hurriedly said. The little girl still refused to give up her evil intentions, not forgetting about the Azure Flame Vulture’s egg.

“Hmph, stingy!” Hu Niu pouted, but when the food finished cooking, she immediately began eating delightfully.

When they were about to finish eating, they saw someone climb up arduously.

It was Shen Zhong Chen.

He never would’ve thought that the one charging at third place wouldn’t be a Flower Blossom Tier from the older generation and wouldn’t be a top figure of the prodigy roll in their prime, but instead the White-Robed Sword King who charged into eighth place this year.

Ling Han nodded. The third stage’s test was not about strength… of course, if it were monsters like Ling Han and Hu Niu who were undoubtedly at the cultivation of the second and third layer Spiritual Pedestal Tier but had the power comparable to the ninth layer, then that would be another matter.

As a whole, this stage tested people’s tenacity.

Spiritual Pedestal Tier warriors had already opened up a spiritual ocean, having continuous flow of Origin Power, and established spiritual pedestals, which could connect with the heavens. On a climb like this, they definitely couldn’t be exhausted. However, the gravitational force was too strong and very easily made people feel weary, so who was faster and who was slower was the sole matter of each person’s determination.

…If you walked a few steps and had to rest, then how could you possibly be fast?

This swordsman’s eyes were like swords, flickering with tenacity and resolution; he was obviously not going to stop until he reached the end.

His body was just like Ling Han’s previously, full of sweat, with hair completely soaked; but a man shedding sweat wouldn’t give people the feeling of disorderliness, but rather limitless masculinity.

Men… should be like so!

Ling Han gave up on the idea of inviting him over for a meal. Shen Zhong Chen was squeezing his determination to the limits, and it was very possible he would gain explosive improvement, rocketing in cultivation or having a great breakthrough on the path of the sword.

“Hu Niu, we can’t be lazy anymore. Let’s charge to the top in one go!” he said.

“Charge!” Hu Niu raised her small fist.

The two started climbing again. Their power far surpassed their tiers, and since this place delimited the gravitational power everyone endured by tier, their speed was ridiculously fast, surpassing Shen Zhong Chen in a short while.

Ling Han, however, sighed. He was too relaxed, so relaxed that he couldn’t push his own limits, which then would have no effect of tempering—how truly unfortunate.

Conversely, it was also because he had already pushed the limits beyond this level that he could be so relaxed now, having already gone through the process. With this thought, he felt balanced inside.