His aura was ethereal and hard to pin down. Though not as ferocious as Xing Lie’s, it exuded a sense of unfathomable depth.
’He’s also at the Thirteenth Layer Peak of the True Master Realm...’
Jiang Che was inwardly alarmed.
’This Senior Brother Chu is clearly on another level when it comes to Techniques and his Divine Soul!’
The tower challenge began.
Chu Yun’s pace wasn’t fast, but it was exceedingly steady.
The light on each floor went out with an extremely steady rhythm.
Finally, under the expectant gazes of the crowd, the light for the thirty-eighth floor also went out!
"WHOOSH—"
The entire plaza boiled over with excitement!
"A third one! He’s the third person to clear the thirty-eighth floor!"
"Ji Lingfeng, Xing Lie, and Chu Yun... All three of them are now stuck on the thirty-eighth floor, tied for second place!"
"Now this is getting good. The competition for the True Inheritor Candidate spot has reached a fever pitch!"
The crowd buzzed with discussion, all of them guessing which of the three would be the first to break through their bottleneck, clear the seemingly insurmountable Thirty-Nine Layer, and earn the right to challenge the Ninth True Inheritor, Cao Ge!
"It’s too difficult..."
Someone shook their head and sighed, "The Guardian Beast Soul on the Thirty-Nine Layer is supposedly a Netherworld Ghost Tiger with an Ancient Bloodline. Its strength is comparable to an expert who has just entered the True Mastery Realm! Passing this stage won’t be easy!"
"Besides, so what if they clear the Thirty-Nine Layer? Senior Brother Cao Ge is a veteran powerhouse. He’s been in that position for nearly ten years and has who-knows-how-many aces up his sleeve. For all we know, his strength has advanced even further by now!"
"Yeah, challenging a True Inheritance is like gambling with your life..."
Listening to the discussions around him, Jiang Che gained a better understanding of Cao Ge, whom he had yet to meet.
Just then,
The tower’s gate flashed with light, and Chu Yun strode out.
His clothes were neat, and other than a slightly pale complexion, he showed no signs of dishevelment, a testament to his profound methods.
Chu Yun’s gaze swept over the crowd, quickly locking onto Song Yuan and Jiang Che’s position.
He smiled faintly and walked straight toward them.
"Senior Brother Chu!"
Song Yuan quickly pulled Jiang Che into a respectful bow.
"Junior Brother Song Yuan, it’s good to see you’re well."
Chu Yun nodded gently before his gaze fell upon Jiang Che, the smile in his eyes deepening slightly:
"This must be Junior Brother Jiang Che, I presume? The one whose fame has been on the rise, specially approved by the Grandmaster to be a Candidate?"
Jiang Che’s heart tightened. He quickly cupped his fist in salute and said:
"Greetings, Senior Brother Chu! I am unworthy of such praise."
He could clearly feel that although Chu Yun’s smile was gentle and he put on no airs,
the oppressive aura stemming from his higher Realm was as heavy as a mountain.
This was the power of a Half-step True Mastery Realm expert!
"Haha, no need to be modest."
Chu Yun lightly waved his folding fan, looking Jiang Che up and down before saying with approval:
"I’ve heard of your deeds, Junior Brother. To have achieved so much within a year of joining the Sect... the younger generation is truly formidable."
"Our Spirit Void Peak has been quiet for too long. We need fresh blood like you, Junior Brother."
"Keep up the good work. I look forward to your future performance. If you run into any difficulties in your cultivation, feel free to come find me."
After speaking, he patted Jiang Che’s shoulder, leaving behind a faint, fresh fragrance, then turned and gracefully departed.
"Farewell, Senior Brother!"
Watching Chu Yun’s dashing figure disappear, Jiang Che slowly straightened up and let out a long, turbid breath.
’So this is what someone at the pinnacle of the Inner Sect is like...’
’Even a casual word of encouragement carries a will that’s impossible to resist.’
’He’s too strong!’
Jiang Che’s heart tightened.
’No, I have to hurry up and break through too!’
’The Fifth Layer of the True Master Realm... it’s nowhere near enough!’
Jiang Che didn’t linger. After bidding farewell to Song Yuan, he hurried back to Tingtai Garden.
Back in his courtyard, he went straight to the Practice Room, sat cross-legged on a cushion, his eyes flickering.
’In my normal state, my combat power is decent, but at most I can only hold my own against masters of the Seventh or Eighth Layer of the True Master Realm.’
’Without activating my Black Armor Form, if I were to challenge the tower, I’d get stuck around the Tenth Layer at best. A result like that wouldn’t even break the top one hundred, so naturally, there’d be no ranking rewards.’
’Even if I forced myself to activate the Black Armor, I’d probably only make it to about the twentieth floor. I might get a rank, but it would be very low.’
Jiang Che shook his head.
’Besides, if someone at the Fifth Layer of the True Master Realm achieved a battle record far exceeding their Realm, it would only arouse suspicion without a reasonable explanation.’
’Even if I used the Concealing Breath Treasure Pearl to avoid detection, a heaven-defying reputation could easily attract frantic assassination attempts from the Great Yan Kingdom!’
’So... it’s better to be cautious!’
’My resources are sufficient for now. There’s no need to take risks for some empty fame!’
’The most pressing matter is to raise my Realm! As long as my Realm is high enough, everything else will fall into place!’
Having made up his mind, Jiang Che once again began a life of dull and lengthy closed-door cultivation.
...
Spring passed and autumn came; winter yielded to summer.
The green bamboo in Tingtai Garden yellowed and turned green again.
In the blink of an eye, a year had passed.
Inside the Practice Room.
Jiang Che sat cross-legged.
The aura within his body was like an active volcano on the verge of erupting—immeasurably powerful and scorching hot!
For the past year, he had been circulating the Spirit Void Technique almost without rest.
He had consumed massive amounts of Elixir Pills, which transformed into a surging torrent that continuously scoured his meridians and expanded his Qi Sea.
His Cultivation also rose steadily with each passing day of arduous training.
From the Fifth Layer of the True Master Realm, he had advanced at a breakneck pace!
Until...
The Sixth Layer Peak of the True Master Realm!
However,
just as Jiang Che was preparing to push through in one go and break through the barrier to the Seventh Layer, which symbolized the rank of a High-tier True Master,
he got stuck.
No matter how he circulated his True Qi or how many Elixir Pills he consumed, the Realm Barrier didn’t budge an inch!
"Huuuh..."
Jiang Che slowly opened his eyes, exhaling a long, turbid breath. A trace of helplessness flickered in his eyes.
’So this is a so-called bottleneck...’
The Seventh Layer of the True Master Realm was a massive watershed within the True Master Realm.
Crossing it meant becoming a High-tier True Master. One’s True Qi would liquefy and become self-sustaining, and both combat power and lifespan would undergo a qualitative leap.
Even a genius would often need several years, or even longer, to polish their mental state and wait for an epiphany to have a chance of breaking through this threshold.
This barrier, much like breaking through from the Peak of the Refining Organ Realm to the True Master Realm, couldn’t be overcome with conventional training alone.
Even with Jiang Che’s heaven-defying Comprehension and the help of his panel, he had finally encountered resistance when it came to the pure accumulation of a Realm.
’Forget it. Haste makes waste.’
Jiang Che stood up and stretched his limbs.
’Working in isolation won’t do. I should go get some fresh air and... find out what’s changed in the Sect over the past year!’
...