Chen Ping’s footsteps faltered, a silent sigh echoing in the hollow of his chest.

This was the price of having no retreat.

These prodigies, born with golden spoons and supreme talent, could climb far higher than him in a single, explosive attempt. But under this unreasonable, continuous high pressure, once they reached their limit, failure was the only outcome.

As for himself? He was relying on the Jade Pendant space for “cheating” breaks time and again, barely managing to crawl this far.

A profound sense of disparity stirred a bitter taste in Chen Ping’s mouth.

“My foundation… compared to these people, is it really this weak?”

He lowered his head to look at his own palm, sensing the vast yet somewhat ethereal and unstable Qi swirling within his body.

“A hastily achieved Great Perfection of Qi Condensation ultimately means an unstable foundation. The crushing pressure of these steps perfectly exposes the problem.”

The thought struck him like a bolt of lightning tearing through the darkness.

He abruptly raised his head, staring at the endless steps ahead, his eyes erupting with a predatory brilliance.

The continuously increasing spiritual pressure on these steps…

Wasn’t this the perfect external force for tempering spiritual power and solidifying one’s foundation?

External force compressing spiritual power—its effect was far more powerful, brutal, and direct than any amount of solitary meditation!

“Since my foundation is unstable and ethereal, then use these steps to crush it for me! Press it until it’s solid! Press it until it can’t be pressed any further!”

Chen Ping’s mind cleared instantly. The resentment vanished, replaced by a surge of intense desire and fighting spirit.

He was no longer climbing merely to reach the summit. He was climbing to forge himself.

Adjusting his breathing, he stopped passively enduring the restraint of the spiritual pressure. Instead, he actively guided it, inviting the crushing weight into his meridians.

When he felt the Qi circulation becoming sluggish and his body nearing its limit, he did not immediately retreat into the Jade Pendant space. Instead, he endured the agony, fully operating his cultivation technique. Under the extreme spiritual pressure, he forced the loose, chaotic spiritual power within his meridians to compress towards the core of his Dantian.

The Qi felt as if it were being gripped by an invisible giant hand, transmitting waves of tearing, distending pain.

Chen Ping gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead like worms.

Persist!

Only when both his body and willpower reached the critical point of total collapse did he, with a thought, escape into the Jade Pendant space.

The moment the pressure vanished, the Qi that had been compressed to its limit rebounded like a coiled spring released. Nourished by the pure Qi of the Spirit Stones, it condensed fiercely, far surpassing the results of his usual cultivation!

…

The stone steps wound their way upward, vanishing into the indifferent mist.

Chen Ping’s figure disappeared from the steps time and again, only to reappear moments later at a higher point, refreshed and stronger.

Each time he reappeared, his steps were heavier, steadier.

He lost track of time. He lost track of the steps.

When Chen Ping emerged from the Jade Pendant space once more and stepped onto the cold bluestone slab, he felt a distinct snap within his body.

In the Sea of Qi within his Dantian, the originally full, billowing cloud of Qi that occupied the entire space had visibly shrunk by a third.

The total amount had decreased sharply, as if evaporated into thin air.

No, not evaporated.

Chen Ping focused his Inner Sight, and his heart shook violently.

The volume of Qi had decreased, but at the core of his Dantian, the remaining energy had deepened in color. As it flowed, it faintly revealed a condensed, jade-like luster.

The Qi cluster seemed as if it had been tempered a thousand times in a furnace. The actual power it contained far surpassed its previous state.

His cultivation realm had not fallen; he was still at the peak of the ninth layer of Qi Condensation, Great Perfection.

But the “total volume” of spiritual power was now only equivalent to that of an ordinary ninth-layer cultivator.

However, its quality was several times more condensed and refined!

With the same output, whether in terms of power, speed, or endurance, his Arts would receive a tremendous boost.

“It worked!”

An irrepressible joy erupted in Chen Ping’s eyes.

The spiritual pressure of these steps, combined with the recovery of the Jade Pendant space, was a supreme cultivation method tailored for him!

He looked at the steeper steps ahead, the pressure radiating from them like a physical wall. He felt no fear, only hunger.

Limit. Compression. Recovery. Climbing.

This cycle became his rhythm, his heartbeat.

Under the repeated forging of the spiritual pressure’s giant hammer, the volume of the Qi within his body continuously shrank, while its density skyrocketed.

When the volume was compressed to the equivalent of a Qi Condensation eighth-layer cultivator, its density was already double what it was when he started.

Every circulation of Qi was as smooth as a stream, yet contained the force of a raging river.

During the climb, he passed more than ten figures.

These prodigies from various sects were battered, their auras weak and withered, struggling bitterly against the gravity. Every step was like carrying a mountain.

When they saw Chen Ping—whose aura appeared to be “only” at the eighth layer—walk past them with a steady, rhythmic pace, their eyes widened in shock and disbelief.

It defied common sense. It defied logic.

Chen Ping did not stop. He did not explain. He was a predator on the hunt for power, and they were merely scenery.

He moved upward, one step at a time.

When the Qi cluster within his Dantian was compressed to the size of a Qi Condensation seventh layer, its solidity reaching three times the initial level, another change occurred.

A brand new, completely different pressure slammed into Chen Ping’s Sea of Consciousness without warning.

This pressure was formless and intangible, yet heavy as a mountain.

It did not act on the meridians or spiritual power. It pressed directly on his soul.

His thoughts instantly became sluggish; every mental command felt like wading through molasses.

A wave of exhaustion and dizziness originating from the depths of his soul violently assailed him, far harder to resist than physical fatigue.

“Soul pressure?!”

Chen Ping’s heart turned solemn.

The trial of the Heaven Ascending Ladder had finally extended from the tempering of spiritual power to the fundamental level of the soul.

The difficulty spiked, but the fire in Chen Ping’s eyes only burned brighter.

Qi compression. Soul tempering.

The dual pressures were like two mountains constantly increasing in weight, trying to crush him into dust.

Every step drained him.

The condensation of his Qi granted him explosive power, but the fatigue of the soul was a bone-deep maggot, constantly eroding his will.

However, Chen Ping discovered a pleasant surprise. Under the extreme oppression of the soul pressure, combined with the complete rest in the Jade Pendant space, his soul power was becoming more condensed and resilient.

His Divine Sense, originally slightly stronger than his peers, now had a razor-sharp clarity. His control over his own Qi became exquisite.

Each entry into the Jade Pendant space was not just physical recovery, but a respite for his soul.

Each time he emerged, his soul’s adaptability strengthened.

He had entered the space thirty-two times.

Within his Dantian, the repeatedly tempered Qi cluster had condensed to the size of a fingernail.

This volume was equivalent to a mere Qi Condensation sixth-layer cultivator.

But the purity was terrifying.

The Qi presented a deep, introverted luster. Its quality was six, perhaps seven times that of when he first entered the steps.

He had reforged his foundation from mud into steel.