79: Chapter 79 The Spiritual Mist is Like a Sea, the Core Area
Wang Pingan's figure shuttled rapidly through the mountain valley.
He pushed Phantom Flowing Light Steps to its limit, transforming into a faint grey stream of light that traversed the rugged mountain paths as if they were level ground.
His speed was more than twice as fast as before!
The precipitous cliffs that seemed like insurmountable chasms to ordinary Students were like flat land beneath his feet; he cleared them easily in a few leaps.
Soon, he arrived at the core zone of the valley.
The moment he stepped into this area, Wang Pingan's footsteps came to an involuntary halt.
For the first time, his face showed a genuine expression of 'shock'.
The scene before him had completely exceeded his imagination.
How was this still a mountain valley?
This was clearly a vast, boundless white ocean composed of yuan magnetic spirit mist!
The spirit mist was so viscous it had almost liquefied, surging beneath his feet like rolling waves.
The terrifying yuan magnetic gravity in the air had also reached an appalling level here.
One hundred times that of the outside world!
Wang Pingan could even see the space itself slightly distorting visibly to the naked eye due to the powerful gravitational field!
He tried taking a step forward.
Boom!
A terrifying pressure, as heavy as a planet, squeezed toward him fiercely from all directions!
Under this pressure, even his incredibly powerful physical body let out a groan of being overburdened.
The circulation speed of the blood and Qi within his body also stagnated.
"Good heavens..."
Wang Pingan's gaze became incredibly solemn.
He knew that this was where the true test of the Dragon Gate Baptism lay.
If an ordinary Fourth-Rank Martial Artist rushed in here without preparation, they would likely be crushed into a cripple instantly by this terrifying gravity!
But far from being afraid, Wang Pingan felt a surge of excitement.
Instead, a raging battle intent ignited in his eyes!
The more dangerous a place was, the greater the opportunities it often held!
He took a deep breath.
Pale gold Blood-Qi Astral Qi finally erupted from his body without reservation!
An incredibly condensed golden light shield enveloped his entire being.
The mountain-heavy pressure was mostly neutralized the moment it touched the golden light shield.
Wang Pingan suddenly felt a weight lift off his shoulders.
He no longer hesitated and strode forward, stepping into that white 'ocean'.
As soon as he entered,
Wang Pingan felt as if his entire body was soaked in a hot spring of the purest, highest-concentration energy.
Endless yuan magnetic spirit mist poured wildly and savagely into his body through every pore!
That sensation was ten times more intense than it had been on the clifftop platform earlier!
On his system panel, the numbers representing his strength began to skyrocket wildly in a blowout fashion once again!
[Strength: 135.1]
[Speed: 135.1]
...
[Strength: 137.8]
[Speed: 137.8]
...
[Strength: 140.0]
[Speed: 140.0]
...
The speed at which the numbers jumped was dizzying!
Wang Pingan forcibly suppressed the wild joy in his heart. While struggling against the terrifying gravity to move forward, he frantically circulated the Star Sea Contemplation Diagram to guide and refine the massive energy flooding into his body.
His body was growing stronger at an incredible speed!
Every muscle was cheering.
Every bone was rejoicing.
Every cell was undergoing a transformation!
He could clearly feel his realm, which had just entered the early stage of the fourth rank, stabilizing and consolidating at rocket-like speed, and then... launching an assault toward a higher level!
Just as Wang Pingan was immersed in the pleasure of his rapidly increasing strength,
His Eye of Truth suddenly captured a trace of something unusual.
In his field of vision,
within this vast white ocean of spirit mist, the energy fluctuations in several places appeared exceptionally... active.
The spirit mist in those spots seemed even denser and purer than the surroundings.
"That is..."
Wang Pingan's heart stirred.
Enduring the terrifying gravity, he struggled to move toward one of the most active energy 'accumulation points'.
The closer he got,
the denser that pure energy aura became.
When he finally pushed aside the layers of thick mist and saw clearly what was before him,
his pupils suddenly constricted.
Before him was a strange plant about half a person tall, crystal clear throughout as if carved from the purest crystal, growing quietly on a black rock.
The plant had no leaves, only nine branches that looked like tentacles.
At the tip of each branch was a fist-sized, round crystal glowing with a soft white light, resembling a fruit.
Streams of extremely pure yuan magnetic spirit mist were continuously emanating from those nine round crystals.
"yuan magnetic spirit fruit?!"
The name of this plant instantly surfaced in Wang Pingan's mind.
This was a natural treasure that could only be born in the core zone of a Yuan Magnetic Spirit Vein!
Every yuan magnetic spirit fruit contained a massive amount of pure energy!
And here, there were actually... nine of them!
Wang Pingan's breathing became somewhat hurried.
He had no doubt.
As long as he could absorb all nine of these yuan magnetic spirit fruits,
his strength would definitely break through to the Fourth Grade Mid-Stage on the spot, or even higher!
I've hit the jackpot!
I've really hit the jackpot this time!
Wang Pingan forcibly suppressed the wild joy in his heart.
He knew that such natural treasures were often accompanied by powerful guardian creatures.
He immediately activated his Eye of Truth and scanned the surroundings warily.
However, to his surprise,
the surroundings were deathly silent.
In his data vision, besides the massive energy emitted by the yuan magnetic spirit fruit tree itself, there were no other signs of life.
"Strange... could there be no guardian beast?"
Wang Pingan was somewhat puzzled.
But he soon felt relieved.
This was the freshman assessment grounds for Xuanyuan University.
Presumably, the school had already cleared away any potential dangers here.
This yuan magnetic spirit fruit tree was very likely the greatest 'opportunity' Instructor Shi Yan had prepared for them freshmen.
Whoever could find this place first would be eligible to enjoy this great gift.
"In that case, I won't be polite."
A brilliant smile appeared on Wang Pingan's face.
He no longer hesitated and walked straight forward, reaching out to pluck one of the yuan magnetic spirit fruits closest to him.
Just as his fingertips were about to touch the spirit fruit,
a sudden change occurred!
Buzz—!
The previously quiet yuan magnetic spirit fruit tree shuddered violently!
The nine spirit fruits that were emitting soft white light suddenly shone with intense brilliance!
Nine thick white pillars of light composed of pure energy shot out simultaneously from the nine spirit fruits!
They intertwined and converged in mid-air, finally forming a giant white net made of energy!
That net, carrying an aura that imprisoned space and locked down everything, came down toward Wang Pingan's head!
Not good!
It's a trap!
Wang Pingan's heart sank abruptly.
Without thinking, he fully activated Phantom Flowing Light Steps, intending to retreat.
But it was already too late.
The speed of that energy net was incredibly fast.
Almost the moment it appeared, it had already sealed off all his paths of retreat!
A powerful force of imprisonment that made even his heart skip a beat locked him firmly in place!
Wang Pingan's expression changed for the first time.