Chapter 712: Three Years

Liu Xi had sat motionless on the sixth step for half a year. When he finally stood again, he felt as though he had been reborn. His entire body radiated a newfound vitality—every muscle, every bone polished to perfection.

Stretching lazily, he smiled faintly. "Ah, that's better. Let's see if I can reach the ninth step this time."

The oppressive weight that once felt unbearable now seemed no heavier than a gentle breeze. Over these six months, his body had been tempered countless times, every fragment of power fused into a seamless whole. His movements were calm, precise, his presence steady like an immovable mountain.

Turning his gaze to the remaining three steps, Liu Xi's eyes gleamed with determination. The eighth step—the one that had thrown him off last time—was now his next goal.

He exhaled slowly, then took his first step forward.

Boom!

The moment his foot touched the seventh step, a powerful surge of pressure rippled through the air. Yet Liu Xi's expression remained composed. His body did not waver in the slightest.

Even this crushing force, capable of flattening mountains, could no longer stop him. He stood upright on the seventh step, his aura as solid as steel.

"Hu…" He exhaled deeply and lifted his foot again.

The eighth step awaited.

Boom!

His left foot landed firmly. The pressure doubled again, the sheer weight capable of pulverizing a Heavenly Sovereign into dust. Even those who wielded world-shattering power would have been crushed—but Liu Xi stood tall, his body trembling only slightly under the burden.

A smile curved his lips as his right foot followed, setting him fully upon the eighth step. The suffocating gravity roared down on him like a tidal wave, yet his eyes only gleamed brighter.

"All that remains," he muttered, "is the ninth."

He looked upward. The final step seemed simple, but a strange, ominous feeling lingered in his heart.

As his right foot rose toward it, a sudden buzzing filled his ears.

Buzz… buzz… buzz!

A chorus of chaotic whispers invaded his mind—urgent, overlapping voices that screamed a single warning: If you take that step, you will die!

Liu Xi froze, his foot suspended midair. His expression shifted rapidly between doubt and caution.

'Could it be that even now… I'm still not strong enough to reach the ninth step?'

He frowned deeply, sensing the danger hidden within that final level. After a long moment of hesitation, he slowly withdrew his foot and sat cross-legged on the eighth step instead.

He was a cautious man—one who cherished life. Rather than gamble on survival, he preferred to spend more time polishing his strength until he could be certain.

The Azure Lotus Flame within him flowed steadily, radiating life energy through every fiber of his being, nourishing and reinforcing his body.

If his physique wasn't refined enough, then he would refine it again and again—until perfection.

He sat unmoving, the boundless pressure of the eighth step seeping through his skin, muscles, and bones, drawing out every last drop of hidden potential.

…

While Liu Xi endured this brutal tempering, Qing Yanjing had gone beyond the cave mansion and climbed to the summit of the mountain that anchored this hidden world. There, at the heart of the domain, she seated herself upon the ground.

Though the strange power in this realm still sealed her Spiritual Energy, that very restriction allowed her to observe the world more purely—seeing not with power, but with heart.

As a High-Level Spiritual Array Grandmaster, Qing Yanjing had long surpassed the stage of Heart Array and entered the realm of the Heart's Eye—an insight that allowed her to perceive the world's laws directly.

The Heart's Eye had two forms: the Illusory State, which could see through any array, and the True State, which could replicate an opponent's array in perfect detail.

Now, stripped of Spiritual Energy, Qing Yanjing unconsciously entered a higher realm—an ethereal emptiness where body and spirit dissolved, merging with the heavens and earth themselves.

Her talent was extraordinary, especially in the Dao of Spiritual Arrays. Reaching the level of Great Grandmaster was merely a matter of time.

Mystic rules and obscure patterns flowed through her consciousness—things once unfathomable now clear and comprehensible.

If she could fully comprehend this natural Spiritual Array, she would immediately ascend to the Great Grandmaster Realm. At that level, she could condense an array in an instant and even contend directly with a Heavenly Sovereign.

Thus, both Liu Xi and Qing Yanjing advanced rapidly in their own ways.

This place was like a paradise hidden from the world—sealed, undetectable. To the outside world, the two of them had simply vanished.

The stir their disappearance caused soon faded into silence.

Only the Ancient Maha Clan remained restless. They searched desperately for Liu Xi and Qing Yanjing but found nothing.

Maha Tian grew increasingly furious, his rage burning day and night. For three long years, he scoured the lands—yet not a trace of them could be found.

Meanwhile, within that secret realm, Liu Xi still sat upon the eighth step.

Three years passed.

He had attempted the ninth step several times, but every time, as his foot approached, those same chaotic voices would resound in his mind: If you step forward, you will die.

Each time, he faltered.

By now, the oppressive might of the eighth step felt no heavier than a breeze. Even without Spiritual Energy, Liu Xi could easily crush an ordinary Heavenly Sovereign with his bare hands.

Yet still… he hesitated before the ninth.

"Damn it…"

His face darkened. He raised his left foot again, but it lingered midair, motionless. Every time he resolved to move, the countless whispers surged anew, warning him of certain death.

He clenched his fists. "To hell with it!"

Closing his eyes, he drew in a deep breath, then reopened them—his gaze burning with unshakable resolve. He had refined his body to perfection, yet if even this wasn't enough to set foot upon the final step…

He would no longer retreat.

'What is the true secret of this cave mansion?'

With that thought, he emptied his mind and stepped forward.

His foot landed.

He braced himself for the devastating weight that was sure to follow—but it never came. Instead, the crushing pressure from the previous eight steps vanished entirely, receding like a tide.

Caught off guard, Liu Xi stumbled forward, nearly falling flat before regaining his balance.

Then he froze.

The suffocating oppression was gone. His body felt impossibly light, every fiber of muscle surging with endless strength.

He blinked, utterly dumbfounded, a strange expression twisting his face—half laughter, half tears.

"…You've got to be kidding me," he muttered under his breath.

A bitter chuckle escaped his lips.

"This ninth step was fake all along!"

For a moment, he could only stand there, equal parts exasperated and amused.

Three years of effort… all wasted on an illusion.

(End of Chapter)

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