Chapter Forty-Nine: Ascending to the Sixth-Rank Realm
As Doraemon absorbed everything indiscriminately, the numbers in Tianming’s mind kept changing…
Experience points +50,000!
+50,000 points!
+50,000 points!
+100,000 points…
Ding, ding, ding—
“Congratulations, Master, you have received two hundred thousand experience points and successfully advanced to the fifth rank of the Spirit Void Realm. You are only 88,096 points away from reaching the sixth rank!”
“You also have one remaining chance to draw a prize.”
…
With the advancement of his realm, Tianming felt a wave of comfort. The vitality of heaven and earth within him grew ever more abundant, and he sensed a profound elevation in the depths of his soul!
This sensation was simply exhilarating; no wonder so many yearned to cultivate immortality.
“Qing Po, earlier you mentioned the grading of pills. Can you explain the specific hierarchy in detail?” Tianming opened his eyes and asked with great interest.
It was obvious that pills of the Human Grade could not be so plentiful. If his guess wasn’t wrong, each of the ten Human Grade pills was worth twenty-five thousand points, while a single Heaven Grade pill was worth one hundred thousand experience points.
Qing Po…
At this moment, Qing Po’s expression hardly changed at Tianming’s breakthrough. Compared to before, this was nothing remarkable—he was already used to such surprises! If Tianming hadn’t advanced after consuming all those pills, perhaps Qing Po would have been astonished. But as for this question, he was more curious why Tianming would ask something so widely known across the continent; it was hardly a secret.
“On this continent, pills are divided into four grades. As I mentioned before, from highest to lowest: Heaven, Earth, Human, and Mortal. Within each grade, there are ten markings—the first being the lowest, just like cultivation, and the tenth being the best.” Though a little surprised, Qing Po still explained everything clearly.
“So… how many markings did the pills you just gave me have?” Tianming nodded and asked again.
Qing Po had roughly mentioned this before, but Tianming was still curious about what grade Qing Po had rewarded him with.
“Heaven Grade, first marking, and Human Grade, tenth marking. Both times you took the Gathering Essence Pill. The more markings a pill has, the harder it is to refine, but also the better its effects. I believe you’ve experienced this yourself, so I need not elaborate.” As if expecting this question, Qing Po nodded with a gentle smile.
Ah!
So that’s how it is.
No wonder the ten pills he’d just taken could rival a Heaven Grade pill—it turns out there was so much to it…
—
“Qing Po, let’s proceed to the third trial!” With this thought, Tianming no longer dwelled on the matter.
After all, the priority now was to continue advancing through the trials. He was looking forward to the rewards that awaited him; each cleared stage brought him one step closer to true power!
But what test would the third trial hold?
Seeing this, Qing Po said no more. His illusory blue hand waved once again.
Whoosh!
Immediately, a gentle blue wind swept in. In an instant, Tianming’s surroundings turned upside down—his view changed dramatically…
Tianming, now accustomed to such sensations, was not surprised. Instead, he began to examine his new environment.
The grid-like space had vanished, replaced by a heavenly staircase stretching into the endless sky. He seemed to be suspended thousands of feet above the ground, surrounded by a boundless, white void. The floor beneath his feet felt solid, but the scene was a stern test of his nerves.
“…What is this?” Raising his head in shock at the majestic staircase, Tianming felt his legs go weak. He had always been afraid of heights.
Just as Tianming’s eyes glazed over, Qing Po’s voice echoed once more.
“Welcome to the third trial: Surpassing Your Limits!”
As Tianming pondered, that ancient, system-like voice spoke again.
“The rules are as follows: due to external factors, the challenger is forbidden from using any weapons or magical artifacts. Success requires crossing forty steps—each step corresponds to a rank within a realm. The higher you climb, the greater the pressure. Steps one to ten represent the Warrior Realm, steps twenty to thirty the Foundation Realm, thirty to forty the Spirit Void Realm, and fifty to sixty the Void Oblivion Realm, stacking accordingly…”
“So, I can’t use my Lightning Sword, right?” Tianming froze for a moment, dumbfounded.
If that was the case, he’d have to endure the pressure of the tenth rank of the Spirit Void Realm across forty steps—and do it without his Lightning Sword, relying solely on his own strength!
No wonder this third trial was so ruthless.
“…Correct!” Qing Po nodded, rolling his eyes at Tianming.
To Qing Po’s surprise, Tianming actually thought of relying on an almost cheating method to pass. While not outright cheating, it was close enough. How could Qing Po allow such a thing? A previous oversight was one thing, but not this time.
This time, there’d be no such luck.
“You’re tough!” Clenching his fists, Tianming could only accept the situation and grit his teeth.
After all, Qing Po had not yet acknowledged him as his master and could expel him at any time!
“The reward for the third trial is a mysterious weapon. You have one hour. I now declare the challenge begins!” Qing Po announced with a hint of pride, as if relishing the thought of Tianming struggling. Unfortunately, no one below could witness it…
—
“…A mysterious weapon?” Tianming muttered, brow furrowed.
Unlike Qing Po’s smugness, Tianming was bewildered—now he was offering some kind of mysterious reward.
“Qing Po, is this mysterious weapon better than my Lightning Sword?”
Pondering this, Tianming nodded to himself. It sounded impressive, so he quickly looked up, his puzzled gaze searching for an answer.
“…No.” Qing Po’s mouth twitched as he replied flatly.
Ah!
“Then I don’t want the reward. Let me go to the fourth trial!” Upon hearing this, Tianming instantly lost interest.
He already had the Lightning Sword, and though it was time-limited, he still had a chance to draw another prize at any time!
“You… No!” Qing Po said sternly.
“Why not? You yourself said I’m your destined one. Can’t you make an exception just this once?” Tianming spread his hands, completely bewildered.
He knew skipping trials wasn’t ideal, but he didn’t want to waste time on pointless challenges.
“An exception? I might as well let you pass outright!” Qing Po huffed angrily.
“That’s fine, I’d love that,” Tianming replied with a smile, cutting him off before he could finish.
“It’s precisely because you’re my future master that I must be even stricter with you. Now you have two choices: wait until time runs out and I throw you out, or continue the trial. I won’t waste my time!” Qing Po’s tone was calm but the atmosphere grew ever heavier.
It wasn’t that Qing Po didn’t want to make an exception; it was simply that the rules could not be broken, not even by him. More importantly, the true value of these trials lay not in the final reward, but in the breakthroughs achieved through the process. That was why, no matter what, Qing Po could not consent.
“…Fine.”
Seeing this, Tianming said no more. After all, Qing Po didn’t know he had Doraemon shielding him, so his stance was understandable.
Shaking his head, Tianming stepped onto the first stair. Instantly, a crushing pressure, as if from the weight of the world, descended upon him…