Chu Tian stood up and looked behind him. Wei Jin and Miao Zuo were only about three hundred levels up.
It would take them a while to reach him.
So he turned and began to stroll around the platform.
In the center, ten light spheres floated.
He didn't know what they were for.
Chu Tian reached out to touch one. The outer membrane of the light sphere offered a slight resistance, and through the resistance, his hand reached inside.
Near these light spheres, there were many traces of combat.
There were some bloodstains and... teeth...
It seemed a fierce battle had taken place here.
Perhaps these light spheres originally contained some treasures?
He supposed that was likely; such trials should have rewards for the victors...
Chu Tian said to himself, uncertainly.
Behind the light spheres was a massive stone gate.
It seemed to pierce the clouds and reach straight into the sky.
The stone gate was half-open, with only a crack.
Just this small crack, Chu Tian estimated, would be enough for hundreds of people to pass side by side.
This must be the entrance to the second level.
Standing at the entrance, he couldn't see anything inside as it was pitch black.
It was as if behind that crack lay a world that could swallow all light.
He had walked around the entire platform, finding nothing.
Returning to the steps, he saw Wei Jin and Miao Zuo. The two had already fallen behind each other.
Wei Jin was around the 550th step.
Miao Zuo was about ten steps behind him.
Both of them were sitting on the ground, resting.
It seemed it would take them some time to catch up.
Chu Tian also found a clean spot to sit.
He had actually been quite injured when fighting Feng Lie earlier.
However, his internal organs were connected by five tendril-like branches extended from the Tree of Life.
Although they had suffered vibrations and his internal organs had been wounded, they were not severely damaged.
By now, he had almost recovered.
He peered inside and found no major issues.
Thus, he began to restore his strength.
When his strength was almost recovered.
Under the thirty-fold pressure here.
Chu Tian made a series of strange movements.
These were the exercises Old Yang had taught him.
Perhaps because he hadn't done them in a long time, they felt a bit rusty.
At first, it was just ordinary cross-legged meditation.
Then, his hands slowly moved, hanging naturally by his sides.
His body straightened like a rigid spear.
Just this change in posture took him an entire hour.
Wei Jin and Miao Zuo on the steps, during this long period, had only advanced about a hundred steps.
The two had already widened the gap by thirty steps.
Wei Jin still held a slight advantage.
As for Chu Tian, if one were to record it with a video camera and watch it at forty times speed, one could see his normal posture transformations.
After an hour, his formerly lowered hands were raised sideways, like a swan spreading its wings.
Then, after another hour, his hands were raised high, like a strongman holding up the sky, giving a sense of indescribable awe!
After a few movements, Chu Tian's clothes were soaked with sweat.
wisps of white steam like mist rose from his head.
Gradually, Chu Tian's consciousness began to immerse itself.
His consciousness grew hazy.
Faintly, he seemed to hear chants entering his ears.
"Beyond the organs, the sinews and bones govern; beyond the sinews and bones, the muscles govern; within the muscles, the blood vessels govern; it is the Qi that governs the movement and liveliness of the entire body..."
Streams of obscure and profound words were imprinted in his mind.
He didn't know how long had passed when Chu Tian suddenly awoke.
He opened his eyes, having just completed the last of the movements Old Yang had taught him.
What he saw was Wei Jin and Miao Zuo, supporting each other, reaching the position three steps away from the platform.
Chu Tian quickly stood up. His muscles and fascia made creaking sounds.
He moved around and felt a sense of exhilaration.
"Be careful, the last step... the pressure is at least thirty times greater!"
When Chu Tian saw the two of them on the second to last step, he suddenly spoke up to remind them.
Boom...
Before his words had even fallen, the void suddenly exploded.
A bolt of lightning, two times thicker than before, appeared in the air, targeting Chu Tian's forehead.
"What the f***... it's happening again... you're not even allowed to say that?"
Chu Tian was shocked. He moved instantly, covering more than ten meters.
With this movement, he himself was stunned.
The oppressive force here... he could barely feel it anymore!
And in the moment of his daze, the lightning bolt changed direction in the air.
Bang...
It struck Chu Tian's head hard!
"Hiss..."
Chu Tian gasped!
Pain... pain... it really hurt like hell.
Wei Jin and the other two were startled by Chu Tian's warning.
Seeing Chu Tian struck by lightning, they were even more shocked.
The feet they had already lifted were placed back down.
They directly sat down to recover their strength.
A few minutes later, Wei Jin stood up first.
"Brother... I'll go ahead!"
After saying that, he lifted his foot and stepped onto the platform.
"Urgh..." Wei Jin's body dipped, and he let out a soft grunt through his nose.
His face instantly turned purplish, but he held on and brought his other foot onto the platform as well.
Chu Tian flew over, ready to help him.
But he extended his hand halfway and then withdrew it.
At this moment, helping him would be harming him.
He could only endure it himself and adapt to the pressure on his body to break through his limits.
He guessed... this must be the ultimate purpose of the Ascending Stairway trial on this level!
Seeing Wei Jin's state, Miao Zuo also gritted his teeth.
He abruptly stepped onto the platform.
"Chh..."
A mouthful of blood spurted from his mouth.
Adding another smudge of crimson to the ground.
Chu Tian could hear the bones in his body crackling.
He frowned at the sound...
When he had ascended earlier, he had only felt a sudden increase in strength that almost threw him off.
He hadn't felt much damage.
Now, seeing Wei Jin and Miao Zuo, he felt as though he had underestimated the trials of the Ascending Stairway.
If these two could endure and stimulate their human limits, the benefits they gained would undoubtedly be greater than his own.
Chu Tian suddenly looked forward to what surprises the Ascending Stairways on the higher levels would bring him.
"Ah..." Wei Jin let out a loud roar.
His bent body suddenly straightened...
Buzz...
Chu Tian felt the vibration emanating from his body.
His explosive muscles suddenly contracted significantly.
It was as if a fat person had suddenly lost a lot of fat, making Wei Jin's broad body suddenly appear slimmer.
Miao Zuo followed suit, straightening his body like Wei Jin. Dafeng Novel Network
However, he lacked the strength to roar, his teeth grinding audibly.
The moment he stood straight, a similar change occurred. The intense oppressive force was tempering his physical body.
But in the next second, with a crisp crack...
It came from his calf bone.
Miao Zuo stumbled and fell to the ground.
A shard of bone pierced his flesh and broke through his pants, sticking out.
"Mm..."
This fellow was also a tough one. Despite such an injury, he only let out a nasal sound.