77: Chapter 77 This isn't baptism, it's a buffet.

Lin Zhan's gaze was filled with complexity.

Shock, confusion, and a trace of... an emotion he hadn't even noticed himself, called 'frustration'.

He considered himself extraordinarily talented and firm in will; though his journey had its ups and downs, he had always been an undisputed leader among his peers.

But Wang Pingan before him was like a black hole that couldn't be measured by common sense, tearing his proud understanding of the world to shreds time and time after again.

He couldn't see through him.

He couldn't see through him at all.

Wang Pingan didn't waste much time on Lin Zhan.

He simply gave this former 'classmate' another warm smile, then set off, continuing toward the depths of the valley.

That leisurely posture made it seem as if nothing had happened just now.

Lin Zhan watched his receding back and the yuan magnetic spirit mist frantically gathering around him like a pilgrimage, remaining silent for a long time.

Finally, he slowly closed his eyes.

But his hand holding the spear gripped it even tighter than before.

...

The second half of Dragon Gate Valley.

The yuan magnetic gravity field here had already reached a terrifying level.

Seventy times the gravity of the outside world!

The air seemed to have turned into thick syrup; every breath felt as if his lungs were being filled with lead.

Those geniuses who had been far ahead earlier were now all in a wretched state.

With every step they forced forward, the bones throughout their bodies let out groans of being overburdened, and the muscles beneath their combat suits throbbed with tearing pain.

They were forced to circulate their entire body's blood qi to resist this omnipresent, terrifying pressure.

But this was undoubtedly like drinking poison to quench thirst.

The consumption of blood qi was like a floodgate opening, making their already exhausted bodies even worse off.

"Damn it... this hellhole... is it even meant for people to survive?" A tall young man leaned his hands on his knees, gasping for air. Sweat had soaked his hair, which clung to his forehead in clumps.

"Hold on! The finish line is just ahead! The first month's resources are right there!" A companion beside him gritted his teeth to encourage him, but his trembling legs betrayed that he himself was at his limit.

They no longer had any spare energy to absorb the surrounding yuan magnetic spirit mist, which was so dense it was almost turning into liquid.

To be able to reach the finish line against this terrifying gravity was already a victory for them.

Just then.

A set of unhurried, rhythmic footsteps slowly approached from behind them.

The footsteps were very light and steady.

In this area where even breathing was difficult, they sounded so out of place, so... ear-piercing.

The few Students who were struggling to move subconsciously looked back.

And then they saw a scene they would never be able to forget for the rest of their lives.

Wang Pingan.

It was still that Wang Pingan.

He still had that leisurely appearance, hands in his pockets, as if he were taking a stroll in his own backyard.

There was no sweat on his face.

His breathing was steady and long.

His steps were relaxed and easy.

The terrifying seventy-times gravity, enough to crush steel into a pancake, felt like a gentle breeze on him, as if it didn't exist.

And what made them collapse the most was...

Around Wang Pingan, those dense yuan magnetic spirit mists that had turned liquid—which they desired but couldn't reach—were currently forming a massive white vortex over ten meters in diameter!

The vortex centered on Wang Pingan's body, spinning frantically like a greedy black hole, swallowing all the surrounding spirit mist completely!

Wherever he passed, the area became clear.

Not even a trace of excess mist was left behind.

"..."

The few Students opened their mouths, wanting to curse.

But they found they didn't even have the strength to curse anymore.

Their minds were left with nothing but a blank space.

And a thought that kept echoing.

What... what the hell... kind of monster is this?!

Wang Pingan ignored the 'classmates' behind him who had already begun to doubt their lives.

His attention was entirely focused on the inside of his own body.

Refreshing!

So refreshing!

This could no longer be called a baptism.

This was a top-tier buffet custom-made for him!

He could clearly feel every inch of his flesh, every bone, and every meridian undergoing some kind of wonderful, deep-level transformation under the washing of the incredibly pure yuan magnetic spirit mist.

Although he was already a Fourth-Rank Martial Artist with an incredibly powerful physical body.

This peculiar energy originating from the source of the universe was still continuously optimizing his life essence, tempering his slightly floaty foundation—caused by his 'pay-to-win' methods—bit by bit until it was as solid as a rock.

He pulled up his system panel.

On the light blue screen, the row of numbers representing his strength was ticking upward at a slow but exceptionally steady pace.

[Strength: 100.1]

[speed: 100.1]

[Physique: 100.1]

[spirit: 100.1]

[recovery: 100.1]

...

[Strength: 100.2]

[speed: 100.2]

...

With every 0.1 point increase in attributes, he could feel his control over this body grow a fraction stronger.

This feeling of becoming stronger through his own talent and the external environment, rather than relying on pay-to-win points, gave him an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.

Of course, this 'satisfaction' didn't last long.

Because he soon discovered that this natural growth rate was simply too slow.

"Paying-to-win is still faster."

Wang Pingan silently complained in his heart.

While leisurely 'strolling,' he used the Eye of Truth to continue analyzing the energy field of the entire valley.

He found that the further he went into the depths of the valley, the intensity of the yuan magnetic gravity field increased exponentially.

However, the concentration of the yuan magnetic spirit mist was not the same.

In certain special areas, the concentration of the spirit mist would be several times higher than the surroundings, forming 'spirit mist accumulation points'.

And these 'accumulation points' were, without exception, all located in the most rugged, difficult-to-reach, or even pathless cliff dead ends.

Clearly, these were 'hidden stages' deliberately set up by Instructor Shi Yan.

Only those Students who were not only powerful but also possessed keen observation and flexible minds would have the chance to discover these places.

"A bit interesting."

The corner of Wang Pingan's mouth curled into an arc.

He glanced at the few figures still struggling to move at the end of the stone path and shook his head gently.

Then he stepped off the stone path that seemed to be the 'proper way'.

His figure flickered, and like a weightless leaf, he drifted up toward a nearby steep cliff hundreds of meters high that was nearly ninety degrees vertical.

Under the horrified gazes of those Students.

He was like a nimble ape, walking as if on level ground on that smooth cliff face which had almost no leverage points.

Every time he kicked off, he landed precisely on a protrusion only the size of a fist.

With the enhancement of the Phantom Flowing Light Steps, his figure turned into a bolt of grey lightning rapidly traversing the cliff face.

In just a few breaths, he had already climbed hundreds of meters into the air, disappearing into the mist-shrouded cliff top.

He left behind only that group of 'geniuses' who were completely petrified, their worldviews beginning to collapse.

They stared blankly at the empty cliff face, then looked down at the stone path beneath their feet that made every step difficult.

A fact that made them feel incredibly humiliated, yet which they had to admit, surfaced in their hearts.

Between them and that monster...

From the very beginning, they weren't even walking the same path.