Chapter 96 Mysterious Water Treasure Trove, Wave-Piercing Blade

[You felt a strong spatial distortion.]

[You shook your slightly dizzy head and opened your eyes.]

[The heavy, mountain-like deep-sea pressure that had previously enveloped your body completely dissipated.]

["Whew..."]

[You took a deep breath.]

[You clearly felt the pure water elements contained in the water vapor surging into your body along with your breath.]

[They produced a slight resonance with the "heavenly river water lotus" Origin deep within your Dantian, causing your tense nerves to relax slightly.]

[But years of battle instinct prevented you from relaxing your guard in the slightest; you immediately mobilized your Divine Thought to investigate the surroundings in all directions.]

[The scene before you was completely different from the previous deep-sea waters.]

[It was neither the simple stone platform at the entrance of the Heavenly Ladder nor the strange space where that azure tree was located.]

[Instead, it was an open circular stone platform.]

[The stone platform was about fifty zhang in diameter, and the ground was entirely covered with fine, light-blue water-pattern runes.]

[There was a faint flow of water light between the runes, as if they were alive.]

[Touching the ground lightly, you could feel the warm sensation from the runes, perfectly matching your own Xuan Shui Spiritual Rhyme.]

[Surrounding the stone platform was an endless, gray Void Realm.]

[Occasionally, fine threads of water streaked through the void, making a faint "sizzling" sound.]

[You could vaguely feel a weak sense of oppression coming from the depths of the void.]

["This place... is most likely the trial grounds for the second tier of the Heavenly Ladder."]

[You slowly turned your body, scanning the entire circular stone platform, finally fixing your gaze on the center of the platform.]

[Standing there was a zhang-high black stone stele.]

[The stele was smooth as a mirror, its surface shimmering with fine water light.]

[An ancient circle of patterns was carved into the base, connecting with the water-pattern runes on the ground, faintly forming a complete Formation.]

[At the top of the stele, four powerful characters were carved in ancient seal script—"Profound Water Secret Treasury."]

[Faint water mist lingered around the characters, as if it could merge into the air at any moment.]

["I must complete this tier's trial as quickly as possible; I absolutely cannot waste too much time here."]

[You thought to yourself.]

[Although the flow of time in the Heavenly Ladder is different from the outside world, you are completely ignorant of the specific conversion ratio.]

[Outside, there is "sweet dew" waiting for you to harvest tomorrow; it is a supreme treasure that can directly increase your strength.]

[Every drop is worth a fortune, and there is no room for any delay.]

[Moreover, you are also anxious to obtain new Legacy information and improve your strength as soon as possible.]

[Only by being strong enough can you maintain your position in the Grotto-heaven.]

[You suppressed the impatience in your heart and forced yourself to calm down.]

[You activated the Hiding the Edge secret technique, locking your entire Origin Opening Realm aura tightly within your body.]

[At the same time, you triggered the concealment trait of the Profound Water Spirit Body, walking step by step toward the black stone stele in the center.]

[Your footsteps were light, making no sound at all.]

[Even when the water-pattern runes beneath your feet were touched, they only emitted a faint water light without making any unusual noise.]

[Reaching the stele, you stopped.]

[Your fingertips lightly touched the body of the stele, and a cold sensation traveled up from your fingertips.]

[At the same time, the Xuan Shui Spiritual Rhyme in your body was instantly activated, producing a strong resonance with the stone stele.]

[" Buzz——"]

[The water mist on the surface of the stele became increasingly dense.]

[The seal script characters began to flash with a dazzling blue light, as if responding to your touch.]

[Without hesitation, you immediately mobilized your Divine Thought and slowly probed into the interior of the stone stele.]

[Boom!]

[A massive and obscure flow of information surged into your mind like a tide.]

[It was somewhat difficult to understand at first, but with the resonance of the "heavenly river water lotus" Origin...]

[This information flow was quickly dismantled and organized, becoming clear and easy to understand.]

[You studied it carefully and finally figured out the core of these Legacies.]

[After you collected all thirty-six water-repelling jiaozhu, you unlocked the advanced chapter of the Surging Waves evasion technique.]

[It recorded thirty-six basic application methods for the variations of the Profound Water Evasion Technique.]

[It covered thirty-six movement variations such as 'With the Flow, Against the Waves, Treading Waves, Stealth, and Body Protection.']

[Each method required the Xuan Shui Spiritual Rhyme as a guide and relied on the eighteen Water Splitting Talismans on the body's surface to operate.]

[There was no need to call upon the Origin Qi within the body; it was entirely focused on the application of the ability side.]

["But those are all variations related to evasion techniques; the means of attack are here."]

[Profound Water Secret Technique: Wave-Piercing Blade!]

["Good stuff!"]

[This was a killing secret technique that developed the Water-elemental Ability to its limit.]

[You carefully studied the information in your mind, becoming more and more shocked as you read.]

[This was an extremely difficult micro-operation, which might be quite challenging for other examinees.]

[But you were different.]

[You were a holder of the five-times Awakened Profound Water Spirit Body!]

[This was like taking a max-level account to fight in a novice village dungeon; it was a complete dimensional strike.]

[You carefully studied the information recorded in the stone stele, becoming more and more shocked as you read.]

["Wave-Piercing Blade..."]

["Core principle: Compress the water element to its limit, condensing it into a single point like a bullet."]

["Then, with the help of the thrust provided by several constructed Water Splitting Talismans, eject it at the speed of sound!"]

["Isn't this... high-pressure water jet cutting?"]

[Your eyes lit up.]

[Water is both extremely soft and extremely hard.]

[High-pressure water flow can even cut through diamond.]

[How much more so for the Wave-Piercing Blade after being enhanced by abilities and extremely compressed?]

["Previously in the deep sea, although I could protect myself, I lacked a long-range means to settle a fight in one blow."]

["And this secret technique on the ability side perfectly makes up for my shortcomings of short attack range and insufficient penetration power."]

["I must master it as soon as possible!"]

[You didn't waste any time and immediately began practicing in the open space next to the stone stele.]

[" Buzz——"]

[You mobilized the Xuan Shui Spiritual Rhyme in your body, gathering the dense water vapor around you.]

[At first, this was an extremely difficult micro-operation.]

[To compress the violent water elements into the size of a needle tip required not only strong Mental Energy control...]

[...but also a profound understanding of the characteristics of Profound Water.]

[But you were a holder of the five-times Awakened Profound Water Spirit Body!]

["Converge!"]

[You shouted inwardly.]

[The surrounding water vapor gathered frantically, forming a fist-sized water ball at your fingertip.]

["Compress!"]

[You concentrated intensely, locking down the water ball tightly.]

[The water ball began to tremble violently, its color changing from transparent to deep blue, and its volume shrinking frantically.]

[Marble-sized... grain-sized... and finally,]

[It became an extremely unstable, deep-blue point of light emitting a piercing radiance!]

[" call out!"]

[As your will relaxed, that point of light instantly erupted.]

[No flight path was visible; only an extremely sharp, even ear-piercing sound of breaking air was heard.]

[Ten meters away, on a piece of Black Granite used for trials, a pinhole that was transparent from front to back and had edges as smooth as a mirror instantly appeared.]

[This was the Wave-Piercing Blade—so fast it was invisible, so sharp there was no resistance.]

["It's done!"]

[Although the charging time is still a bit long, this is already a qualitative leap.]

[Just as you were preparing to strike while the iron was hot and continue to master this secret technique...]

[A sudden change occurred!]