280: Chapter 280 The Heavenly Ladder, the Final Step

Inside Xu Ruyu's body, the Haotian True Qi Chapter, which had already reached the twenty-fifth layer and was progressing slowly, began to loosen and advance deeper under the polish of this all-encompassing extreme pressure!

His understanding and control of "kinetic energy" became increasingly refined, to the point where he could even use the Law pressures of different attributes on the steps to temper, differentiate, and reorganize the attributes of his own True Qi.

He no longer merely resisted the pressure but began to attempt to "analyze" it.

He viewed the different Law pressures as "energy fields" or "rule bundles" of various attributes, using the framework of the True Explanation of Taixu Source Energy to understand their structural principles and modes of action.

"The 'heaviness' of this step contains the 'gravitational enhancement' of the Earth Law and the 'stagnation' characteristic of Earth Spiritual Qi..."

"The 'sharpness' of this step is a combination of the Metal Law and the Wind Law, forming an effect similar to a 'particle stream cutting'..."

"The 'illusion' of this step is an interference and implantation into specific frequency bands of the Divine Soul..."

"The alternation of 'scorching heat' and 'icy cold' in this step utilizes the 'temperature difference effect' of energy transfer and the 'polarity conversion' of the Laws..."

Like a tireless scholar, he walked upon a massive "textbook" written by the Laws of Heaven and Earth, where every page (every step) contained profound knowledge.

He walked slowly because he was "reading," "understanding," and turning the knowledge within the book into his own nourishment.

Five thousand steps! Six thousand steps!

The pressure had already become great enough to make it impossible for ordinary Golden Core Cultivators to move a single inch, making their Divine Souls tremble.

Xu Ruyu's footsteps became incredibly heavy; every time he lifted a leg, it felt as if he were contending against the entire world.

His bones let out slight sounds of being overburdened, his Meridians throbbed with a tearing pain, and his Divine Soul felt as if it were being crushed under a millstone.

But he still did not stop. His gaze remained clear, even carrying a sort of fanaticism immersed in exploration.

Under this extreme pressure, the Bottleneck of the twenty-fifth layer of the Haotian True Qi Chapter shattered with a bang!

The total amount of True Qi did not skyrocket, but its quality underwent a qualitative change!

It became more condensed, more agile, more closely integrated with his Physical Body, and its energy conversion efficiency soared!

Twenty-fifth layer of Qi Refining, Breakthrough!

Entering a deeper and more profound level!

At the moment of the Breakthrough, his footsteps seemed to lighten slightly. But soon, even greater pressure surged in.

Seven thousand steps!

Eight thousand steps!

The sea of clouds was already beneath his feet, the astral winds were as sharp as knives, lightning flickered in and out of existence, and space was distorted and folded. The pressure here already contained a hint of the destructive aura of a Heavenly Tribulation, beginning to touch the Origin of life.

Xu Ruyu was covered in blood, caused by capillaries bursting under the immense pressure.

His body was slightly hunched, yet he still climbed upward, step by step. His speed was as slow as a snail's, but it never truly stopped.

At the foot of the mountain, there was already dead silence.

Everyone held their breath, watching the light point on the light screen that represented a very high position moving slowly.

Eight thousand steps! This had already surpassed the achievements of the vast majority of Geniuses in the history of the Taihu Clan!

Those who could reach this point were all individuals with hearts like iron and astonishing perseverance.

And Xu Ruyu, an outsider at the Qi Refinement Stage, had actually done it!

Moreover, he didn't rely on some secret treasure or special Physique to endure it; instead, he reached this point step by step through that slow, steady method of "learning" and "digesting" the pressure!

What terrifying willpower and perseverance did this require?!

What steadfast faith in his own "Dao" did this require?!

Madam Qingli was already in tears—not out of worry, but out of pride, heartache, and shock.

The hands of the Clan Chief and the Grand Mage had tightened at some point.

Elder Mo Feng's face was ashen; the last bit of his unwillingness and jealousy was crushed to pieces by this iron-clad fact.

Nine thousand steps!

The pressure was no longer something human strength could describe, as if the weight of the entire world was pressing down on his shoulders. With every step up, it felt like opening a new world and breaking through an invisible barrier.

Blood began to seep from Xu Ruyu's seven orifices, his vision blurred, and he lost most of his hearing, relying entirely on an unyielding will and the instinct of the True Explanation of Taixu Source Energy operating spontaneously within him to endure.

His body seemed to have turned into an extremely precise "energy-pressure converter," channeling the terrifying Law pressure from the outside into his body bit by bit, tempering every cell, every strand of True Qi, and every bit of Divine Thought in a nearly self-destructive manner.

He walked on the edge of life and death, struggling on the boundary between collapse and Breakthrough.

Nine thousand five hundred steps! Nine thousand seven hundred steps! Nine thousand eight hundred steps!

Close! Getting closer!

The heartbeats of the people at the foot of the mountain were almost synchronized with that slowly moving light point.

Everyone stood up, looking up as if they could see that lonely figure making his final climb with his life through the thick layers of clouds.

Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety steps!

Xu Ruyu felt as if his Soul was about to be crushed.

His consciousness began to blur, leaving only the thought of "going up," like a spark branded deep within his Soul that refused to go out.

He was almost crawling, using both hands and feet, his nails digging into the hard rock and leaving trails of blood.

Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-eight steps!

The final step!

Xu Ruyu lay prone on the ground, no longer having the strength even to lift his head and look at the final step that was within reach.

Blood stained the rocks beneath him red.

Give up?

No.

His Dao was to demand energy from Heaven and Earth, to understand the rules of all things, and to go against the heavens!

How could he fall at this final step?!