Chapter 994: Chapter 993: Step onto the 8th Stone Step_1
The seventh step was steeped in an incredibly heavy atmosphere.
Min Tianliang’s eyes were glued to Shi Xiaole, his aura churning like a volcano about to erupt, exceptionally restless. Below him, Min Yunshu appeared calm, but internally he was both anxious and worried, tormented by his inability to communicate silently, consumed by his own quiet desperation.
Under the scrutiny of multiple gazes and amidst a myriad of thoughts, Min Tianliang’s chest heaved, but in the end, he did not act. After weighing his options, he couldn’t risk it.
Seeing this, Min Yunshu sighed in relief, thinking to himself that a momentary show of power meant little, his son should understand the value of shame and bravery, and realize that biding time was truly wise.
However, as his gaze swept over Shi Xiaole clad in blue, a deep-seated intent to kill, along with a hint of mockery, flickered through Min Yunshu’s eyes.
"Sigh!"
Xia Youying let out a sigh, lost amidst the relatively lively clamor around her. Xia Xiaonine glanced at her, then at Shi Xiaole, a deep sense of guilt rising on her face.
Some of the royal elders seemed to have also thought of something, their expressions subtly changing.
At this point, the ceremony had essentially become the Kirin’s one-man show, overshadowing even Min Tianliang, the leading figure of the Daxia line.
What was curious was that the Witch Heavenly Guards on the tenth step hadn’t made a single comment, and no one knew what they were thinking.
The talents from the Ancestral Temple who had been beaten down by the Kirin, no matter how reluctant or powerless they felt, could only accept the current situation. Everyone began ascending the steps once more, including the royal prodigies.
Min Tianliang walked toward the eighth step. When he had covered two hundred meters, his pace began to slow. At three hundred meters, each step became a laborious shuffle.
Certainly, he had reached his limit, and to move forward, he had to enhance his understanding and realm of the "Wizard Scroll" under the grind of the Array System.
Shi Xiaole was in a similar situation. Having walked two hundred and eighty-six meters, he sat down cross-legged, adopting the demeanor of someone deeply immersed in comprehension.
"Putting on airs!"
"Does he think this is the Wuzi Temple?"
Below, the walking talents from the Ancestral Temple wore looks of discontent, secretly sniping at him in their hearts.
With only one day for the ceremony, lingering in one spot to comprehend had little significance. Instead, proceeding despite the pressure and using the Array System’s rhythm to impact one’s own self was more beneficial.
Thus, seeing Shi Xiaole’s maverick act should have pleased the talents from the Ancestral Temple. Yet, when they thought of his astonishing perception, some couldn’t help but mutter, worried he might actually achieve a miracle.
"Impossible, with just one day, and thousands of meters away from the eighth step, it’s highly unlikely he will grasp much."
"Perhaps he could move forward twenty meters at best."
Suppressing the anomaly in their hearts, the crowd began to focus on themselves.
Time slipped away bit by bit.
Soon, a 2-hour period had passed.
Min Tianliang had progressed three hundred and thirteen meters, one meter more than before, which left onlookers in awe of his tenacity and perceptiveness. Although it was only a meter’s distance, in terms of progress in the "Wizard Scroll," it represented at least months of hard work.
The more talented the individual, the greater the benefits gained on the steps. This was why many aspired to join the ceremony. However, due to the Array System’s energy drain on the stone steps, the event was only held once every ten years.
Think about it, Min Tianliang made one meter of progress in a 2-hour period, at most twelve meters in a day. But don’t forget, the further one goes, the harder it gets. Let’s suppose he made ten meters; relative to the "Wizard Scroll’s" progress, that’s also the work of several years.
At first glance, it seemed like great progress, but in the history of the Daxia Dynasty, apart from the Witch Queen, no one had ever mastered the eighth layer of the "Wizard Scroll," rendering several years meaningless.
In that sense, the earlier prediction that Shi Xiaole could advance twenty meters was already an extraordinary assessment.
However, what happened next left the already numb audience once again profoundly realizing the vast gulf between them, an experience they would never forget for as long as they lived.
"The effect here is indeed extraordinary."
Shi Xiaole unabashedly cultivated the "Wizard Scroll," in which any emergent negative energies were instantly devoured by the Demon Martial Way, posing not an ounce of burden.
To put it in an imprecise metaphor, like race cars sprinting on a track, others had to reduce their speed to avoid losing control, while Shi Xiaole revved his engine to the max, still feeling too slow for his liking.
Under the trio of his unmatched perceptiveness, will, and the power of the Supreme Martial Arts, certain miracles were destined to occur.
Another 2-hour period passed.
Shi Xiaole stood up from the ground, taking steps forward.
Three hundred meters.
Three hundred and ten meters.
In the stunned gazes from behind, Shi Xiaole effortlessly surpassed Min Tianliang.
Crack, crack.
Min Tianliang clenched his fists tightly, his forehead veins faintly surfacing, his shock was immense, tinged with a sense of absurdity.
Three hundred and twenty meters.
Three hundred and thirty meters.
...
It wasn’t until he reached three hundred and eighty meters that Shi Xiaole stopped, though the onlookers behind him were already as still as statues, their thoughts blank. Before their breaths could even catch up, they saw Shi Xiaole continue advancing.
He wasn’t as fast as before, but he certainly wasn’t struggling.
Four hundred meters.
Four hundred and fifty meters.
Five hundred meters.
With each meter Shi Xiaole advanced, the hearts of the crowd seemed to rise an inch, now stuck in their throats, about to burst out. Many were inwardly screaming and cursing this maddening reality.
Those geniuses from the Ancestral Temples and royal families had long since become spectators, their eyes wide open. Countless people prayed for Shi Xiaole to stop soon.
Others clenched their teeth, critically thinking ’let’s see how far you can go’, only to see the distance between them grow further apart, Shi Xiaole’s steps still damned steady, driving people to despair.
When he reached six hundred and eighty meters, Shi Xiaole, drenched in sweat, finally stopped and continued to sit cross-legged.
Phew!
That was the sound of the crowd breathing out, some of the elders even wiped their sweat. Having lived so many years, the sum of their shocks probably couldn’t compare to the shock this one day, this one person had brought.
Nobody knew what would happen next. That young man from the Flying Horse Dynasty, could he really break the record, setting a terrifying precedent that was likely unmatched by both his predecessors and successors?
Another two 2-hour periods passed.
Shi Xiaole moved forward again; this time he covered more than three hundred meters, eliciting a chorus of swallowing noises. But no matter what, at least he walked less than the first time.
"A monster has descended from the heavens!"
"Do you think this kid could be the incarnation of some powerful being? I’ve heard that in the past, some searched for transcendence and found various methods to extend their lives."
"No, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth has only just started to grow denser, but it’s far from high tide. Those old beings wouldn’t dare to appear."
On the tenth stone step, the nine Witch Heavenly Guards were also frightened, thankful for the earlier direction from the Great Witch Servant, who clarified that the Kirin was not an unrivaled master and ordered them not to act rashly. Otherwise, they would have intervened long ago.
On his third attempt, Shi Xiaole reached the twelve hundred meter mark, less than a thousand meters away from the eightieth stone step. For others, that was an insurmountable gulf, but for him, the goal seemed within reach.
At least in the eyes of others, with less than six 2-hour periods left, following the Kirin’s previous pace, he really could reach the eightieth stone step!
"Family head, you don’t seem worried?"
A Min family expert looked at Min Yunshu.
"Young people are full of vigor, craving the spotlight is normal, but too much can be as bad as not enough. A man half a step ahead of the Martial World is a genius, one full step ahead, a freak, but several steps ahead, and no one can tolerate him."
Min Yunshu said indifferently, the corners of his mouth carrying a smirk that was not quite a smile.
The Min family expert also laughed, "I just checked, and those old freaks from the royal family don’t look too pleased. Obviously, they’re worried the Kirin will attract the envy of the Witch Heavenly Guard, yet the person concerned seems oblivious."
"Not necessarily."
Min Yunshu shook his head, "I once investigated this Kirin, he’s not someone who acts rashly. In this situation, there are only two possibilities. First, he has a way to break the situation, even if he arouses suspicion, he is confident he can escape."
"Impossible, right?"
The Min family expert was stunned.
Min Yunshu smiled slightly.
This place was within the Witch Queen Temple’s area, with just the layers of Array Systems, it was enough to trap any Void Origin Realm Martial Emperor of this era. Even the top Array System grandmaster in the world, without knowing the array formations, would find it impossible to discover any flaws for days and nights on end.
Let alone the monsters housed within the Witch Queen Temple, which would change the heavens and earth upon their intervention.
A mere half-step Void Origin warrior, no matter how powerful, where could he possibly find a way to break the situation?
So the first possibility, Min Yunshu only mentioned it in passing. He immediately added, "The second possibility, the Kirin cultivates the Wizard Scroll too easily, he must carry witch’s blood, or perhaps, he’s related to the Witch Queen! Hence, he hides a trump card, unafraid of the Witch Queen Temple’s harm."
The surroundings were eerily quiet.
As Min Yunshu conversed quietly with his companion, many nearby were listening in, their faces growing serious.
Hadn’t they thought of that possibility? They had simply subconsciously overlooked it. The Witch Queen’s legacy of awe was indescribable, and even after disappearing for thousands of years, she remained the spiritual pillar of the Witch Queen Temple.
Once Shi Xiaole had substantial evidence of his connection with the Witch Queen, it was unpredictable how the Witch Queen Temple would react, which was not something that the Ancestral Temples wished to see.
Moreover, if the hypothesis were valid, did Shi Xiaole possess a trump card left by the Witch Queen?
"Thinking about this is meaningless, let’s just continue watching for now."
Min Yunshu said indifferently, his eyes deep and profound.
Before they knew it, ten 2-hour periods had passed.
Shi Xiaole was less than two hundred meters away from the eightieth stone step, but by then, there were less than two 2-hour periods until the end of the blood sacrifice ceremony.
According to the previous pattern, he should have stopped to rest by now. Many people breathed a sigh of relief; at least in this way, it would be difficult for him to reach the eightieth step.
However, no one knew that Shi Xiaole didn’t need to stop like that before, he merely thought it wouldn’t be too exhausting. Now, with little time left, he smiled and decided to walk the remaining distance in one go.
One hundred and fifty meters.
One hundred meters.
Fifty meters.
"No!"
Many screamed internally, but that tall, straight figure did not hesitate for a moment, walking up to the eightieth stone step with his head held high and a nonchalant grace.
