CH 150

Chapter 150 – Preferential Treatment

When the red and gold colored radiance faded, Xu Disheng found himself standing at the bottom of a staircase that seemed to climb up into the sky. When he looked all around him, he saw thousands of disciples standing on the platform at the very bottom of the flight of stairs.

There was a vast expanse of clouds and mist surrounding the platform. The only path forward was this massive flight of stairs that seemed to stretch on as far as the eye could see.

A cold and somewhat machine-like voice resonated throughout the entire space. “This flight of stairs is set up to imitate the Heart Seeking Road in the Shangqing Sacred Sect. Its level of profundity and complexity are nowhere close to the original, and there are some slight differences regarding the details. Those who are able to climb up 500 steps will qualify for the next trial.”

This voice clearly belonged to a remnant consciousness that remained in Vast Ocean Primordial Lord’s inheritance. It didn’t have any emotions. It simply carried out the inheritance trials and followed the rules exactly by the book.

“Heart Seeking Road? I heard that it was one of the three Heart Roads of the Shangqing Sacred Sect’s Refining Heart Mountain. It’s apparently an ancient inheritance that has existed for countless years.”

“As it turns out, the space inside the Great Harmony Water Palace was actually a small realm. Although it’s a badly damaged realm, it really goes to show how profound Vast Ocean Primordial Lord’s cultivation base was as a half-step Clone Avatar stage supreme powerhouse.”

Many people began to discuss spiritedly amongst themselves, sighing in admiration. A few of the people already began to move forward, silently climbing their way up the first step.

Xu Disheng’s eyes lit up and he also started walking up the first step. Every step of the staircase was extremely long at about roughly 10 meters per level, and the staircase itself was hundreds of meters wide, more than spacious enough to accommodate several thousands of people climbing at once.

An indescribable might pressed down on his body, but its force was still extremely weak. Without carefully perceiving it, it might be difficult to even notice it.

The people around Xu Disheng, feeling that the pressure was extremely small, began to activate their movement techniques and rushed forward madly.

It was impossible to fly here, even for Magic Treasures. Each person had to go step by step, and there weren’t any shortcuts.

Xu Disheng silently perceived the minute changes in pressure weighing down on him as he climbed up each step.

More importantly, he discovered that if he activated Azure Ocean, a water element cultivation method, the pressure would instantly decrease by a lot, and would even transform into strands of pure primordial water energy and imbue itself little by little into the operation of his Azure Ocean cultivation method.

After traversing a mere thirty steps, Xu Disheng noticed that his comprehension and understanding of the Azure Ocean cultivation method had gone up by a bit, and even its might had increased.

When he looked up ahead, he saw that many people were gradually starting to slow down. Some of them realized Vast Ocean Primordial Lord’s intentional designs and began to activate water element cultivation methods, allowing them to use the pressure on the steps to refine their cultivations.

Even in the middle of a trial, Vast Ocean Primordial Lord was allowing the living beings near the Zhaojiang who cultivated water element cultivation methods to increase their strength. This kind of meticulous consideration and merciful spirit really drew people’s admiration.

100 steps!

The primordial water energy surrounding Xu Disheng rose sharply. With just a thought, countless screens of water materialized around him. Surprisingly enough, this level of mastery was already enough to match He Junyu’s display of that water screen technique back during the tournament.

A black drop of water condensed at the tip of his finger. It was none other than the Summon Rain technique, which had a hint of the aura of Pure Oblivion Water.

Xu Disheng let the water screens fall away. Then, he began to channel the concentrated primordial water energy coming from the mysterious pressure into the black droplet of water at his fingertip, making it more and more refined.

Meanwhile, He Junyu and Jian Liangbi had already walked up 200 steps. Right now, their expressions drastically differed from one another.

Several hundred water screens appeared around He Junyu in a shocking display of power. The aura around him became more and more impressive, and each step he took seemed light and easy.

On the other hand, Jian Liangbi’s expression was somewhat grave. He had even taken out an umbrella Magic Treasure and positioned it over his head to try and resist the pressure as he moved forward.

Many of the other people on the staircase were just like him.

But to every person that cultivated a water element cultivation method, traversing this staircase was like walking on flat ground. And while they were at it, they could polish their mastery of their cultivation method and increase their strength.

However, those who didn’t cultivate a water element cultivation method or only had a crude understanding of it had to endure the full brunt of the pressure on each step. The weight pressing down on them was only growing with each step. From the 200th step and onwards, if they didn’t use a Magic Treasure, it was practically impossible to move even a single step forward!

For a Dao Foundation stage rogue cultivator, having even a single Magic Treasure was considered amazing. Most of the Sea of Qi stage rogue cultivators only had a single Spirit Tool.

From the 200th step and onward, the number of people had decreased by a lot. The only people that remained were either like Jian Liangbi, who were relying on their Magic Treasures to move forward, or those who cultivated water element cultivation methods.

Vast Ocean Primordial Lord’s foundation was that mysterious water element cultivation method, so his inheritance naturally sought out someone who already cultivated the water element. It wasn’t surprising at all that those who cultivated water element cultivation methods were receiving preferential treatment here.

However, those who weren’t able to bear the pressure any longer and couldn’t continue onward weren’t without gains.

More and more people were realizing that if they no longer went forward and simply sat down on the steps to cultivate, they could use the power behind the mysterious pressure to improve any cultivation method at twice the effect with only half the effort.

Of course, those who cultivated water element cultivation methods would have even faster progress and experience far more explosive gains.

200 steps!

Xu Disheng was already using all of the power being transmitted from the pressure into refining the black drop of water. The aura of Pure Oblivion Water was becoming more and more distinct, and it was now emitting a faint aura of destruction.

On the 268th step, Xu Disheng spotted Li Cangyun, who was seated cross-legged on the ground, cultivating. He clearly wasn’t someone who cultivated the water element. Despite that, he was able to bear a tremendous amount of pressure, and he had already reached a step that entered the category of what a Dao Foundation stage cultivator could bear. But he had reached his limit, and now he made the most proper choice.

Gradually, the others that came along, like Luo Hongying and Jian Liangbi, began to stop at various steps along the way. They sat down and started cultivating, thereby giving up their shot at contending for the inheritance.

When Xu Disheng made it to the 300th step, he looked up ahead. Aside from He Junyu, he saw a few dozen people were still moving up the steps. These people were clearly all water element cultivators. There was no pressure apparent on their bodies, and they were even relying on it to slowly improve their water element cultivation methods.

As the black drop of water spun slowly at his fingertip, the destruction intent imbued in it was becoming more and more intense. If it could really transform into a drop of Pure Oblivion Water, its power would be enough to shake the heavens!

It was said that in the Heavenly Court, one of the three heaven realms, there was a river in the sky that existed since time immemorial. It flowed from an unknown origin and spanned the sky of the entire realm, flowing on to who knows where.

This was the Oblivion Sky River!

Every single drop of water in it was known as Pure Oblivion Water! Any living being that dared to enter its depths would be instantly destroyed. Their soul would scatter, and they wouldn’t even be given the right to return to the cycle of reincarnation.

Only those who had achieved the status of Bodhisattva could resist it somewhat.

That being said, there were still quite a few supreme powerhouses who could take a few drops of Pure Oblivion Water from the Oblivion Sky River for their own use. Whether it was refining Magic Treasures or refining it into pills, Pure Oblivion Water would always provide wondrous effects.

In the Human Realm, Pure Oblivion Water was practically extinct. It had long since become mere folklore.

Xu Disheng happened to have a fortuitous encounter and saw the Oblivion Sky River in his own memories, allowing him to comprehend a hint of its intent. He also happened to have the Summon Rain technique, which he could use as a medium to demonstrate its power.

Under the pressure and the concentrated primordial water energy it transmitted, Xu Disheng continued to refine and polish the black drop of water. At this moment, the aura of Pure Oblivion Water in the black drop of water was already around 70% of the real thing!

At this point, even Xu Disheng was having a bit of difficulty controlling the black drop of water. The destruction intent in it grew more and more intense as if it were about to erupt forth in the next moment and annihilate everything it touched.