C9 Ever Seen a Masochist Protagonist?
Outside of Hall of Limits, the marital instructor who brought Xiang Shaoyun here came back and said to the elder: "Senior Brother, aren't you being a little too harsh? Only those in the sixth grade or above are allowed in the first room. Moreover, even those cultivators were only asked to endure the pressure for a quarter of an hour. He was a mere fifth grade Martial Entering Stage cultivator, and yet you asked him to hold on for an hour."
The elder waved his hand and said, "Don't worry. He has a five star talent, so he will have to endure more than ordinary people. If he can't even survive the first stage of the test, it will prove that he is mentally weak and will achieve nothing great in the future."
"Alright, let's hope that nothing bad happens. If the nineteenth elder blamed me for the mishap, I won't be able to handle it!" The martial instructor glanced at the Hall of Limits one last and then left.
The elder didn't pay him any mind and once again closed his eyes.
In the first room of the Hall of Limits, Xiang Shaoyun was being tormented by the mountainous pressure.
With his cultivation, withstanding this much pressure for a mere second, already pushed him to his limits. And now, he was supposed to hold on for an hour.
Although Xiang Shaoyun used the Overlord Dominating Heaven Mantra to reduce the pressure he had to shoulder, as time passed, he couldn't help but feel as if his bones were being crushed. With each passing moment, he found it harder to breathe as if his lungs were being squashed. His head felt heavy, and he was fading in and out of conciseness.
This hall wasn't merely for testing one's physical endurance as it also tested their willpower.
It was based on the fact that a person's body is only as strong as their will. The moment their willpower gave way will be the moment their body will be crushed.
"I must break this limit! Overlord Dominating Heaven Mantra! The pressure forced the humiliating memories of being bullied by others to resurface in Xiang Shaoyun's mind. Reliving those memories induced a sudden wave of stubbornness in every part of his mind. As if responding to his will, those nine stars in his body spun more rapidly. Within seconds, those nine stars turned into nine glowing whirlpools with a never-ceasing hunger for power. His skin, bones, muscles, and meridians burst forth with untapped potential!
Buzz! Buzz!
Xiang Shaoyun's body was actually emitting a buzzing sound of an alien frequency. His body was actually using his four limbs to suck all the power it could gather from the surrounding.
This tremendous rush of power was neither something a fifth grade Martial Entering Stage cultivator possessed nor was it gained from withstanding 1,000 pounds worth of gravitational pull. This energy was actually coming... from within Xiang Shaoyun's body!
"Father, what are you doing bringing such a large medicine vat over here? Eh, the liquid inside is still boiling!"
"I will be using this elixir bath to strengthen your body. Although you have an astonishing talent, you will be wasting the next ten years of your life due to a meaningless bet. I am doing this to build up your foundation. So that after ten years, you soar in the cultivation world like a phoenix. If you lack both the foundation and the cultivation after ten years, your life will end up being one with mediocrity all around."
"That's well and good, Father. But, in case... you haven't noticed. That liquid is still boiling. I'ma come out as a dumpling if I take a bath in it."
"What's there to fear? I'll protect you! Seal your meridian and your stars. Use your body to fight the heat! It's nothing too difficult. Have some faith in me!"
"O-okay. I'll trust you this once... Ahhh!!! You liar!!! This hurts like hell!! I'll never trust you again! You da—Ah!!!"
"..."
Xiang Shaoyun recalled the scenes from when he was five, and a smile unconsciously surfaced on his face. "Father... I can finally understand your foresight. Rise!"
Xiang Shaoyun shouted at the top of his lungs. Something astonishing happened next. His collapsed body was being supported by his hand and was slowly rising up against that mountainous pressure!
Those nine stars were now as brilliant as the stars in the sky as strands of mystical energy kept on rising from them. Those shining strands would fuse with Xiang Shouyun's meridians and circle his 365 acupoints at a blinding speed. Right now, his body was being flooded with energy!
Within moments, his early fifth grade Martial Entering Stage cultivation became late fifth grade Martial Entering Stage! And it didn't stop there! His cultivation level kept on rising!
Boom!
Sixth grade Martial Entering Stage!
Xiang Shaoyun was being enveloped in an absurd amount of energy. He was like a god shouldering the world, yet the 1,000 pound-force kept on pushing him down. As if angered by the insolence, his body reacted by engulfing energy from everything in his surrounding! But even this absurd amount of energy wasn't able to satisfy the hunger of those nine stars. Why? Because those stars were using raw energy to power Xiang Shaoyun's cultivation base! His strength was increasing at a never seen before pace now.
Xiang Shaoyun’s elixir baths begun when he was five years old and lasted until he was fourteen years old—a full nine years! The result of this was that his body seemed to contain boundless energy now! And now, this energy was beginning to seep out.
Filled with this energy, Xiang Shaoyun forgot all about his hunger; even the monstrous pressure didn't seem like much now.
"I shouldn't be too hasty to achieve a breakthrough. First, I need to condense my strength and build a firm foundation." Although Xiang Shaoyun was a beginner in cultivation, few understood the essence of cultivation better than him.
Working on his thoughts, Xiang Shaouyun actively suppressed his energy. He forced the energy back into the nine stars.
Although the energy seemed boundless, as soon as it went near those nine stars—it vanished without a trace!
As Xiang Shaoyun kept on channeling the energy into the stars, the pressure on him decreased. It was no longer unbearable.
At the same time, the energy that flooded his body was also receding. After a few more seconds, it vanished without a trace too.
Was this all nine years of constant physical training had to show? Energy that only lasted a few minutes?
Xiang Shaoyun naturally knew that this was not the case. It was something really ironic in reality. Actually, This room of limits was already... at its limit. In other words, it could no longer force his body to draw more energy.
Unknowingly, an hour had already passed!
The elder appeared in front of the first room door and realized that Xiang Shaoyun looked unaffected by the environment. He stood straight without the slightest hunch! This almost made the elder's eye pop out.
Ever since he had taken control of the Hall of Limits, he had never seen anybody below the seventh grade of Martial Entering Stage stand there so effortlessly, much less someone at the fifth grade!
"No, wait a second! t-this boy has broken through to the peak sixth grade! H-how is this possible!" The elder trembled in surprise.
At this time, Xiang Shaoyun turned around and smiled at the elder. "Elder, can I stay here for a bit longer?"
"Uh, thi-this is naturally possible," said the elder after a moment of hesitation.
"Thank you very much!" Xiang Shaoyun replied.
When the elder left the Hall of Limits, his old face carried a look of skepticism and bewilderment. In the end, he silently cursed in his heart, "Damn, this kid must be a masochist!"
If Xiang Shaoyun heard this, he would have fallen face flat onto the ground.
How could he be a masochist?
He just wanted to get used to the gravity here and see how long he could last!
Two hours later, Xiang Shaoyun walked out.
The moment he walked out of the Hall of Limits, he felt the pressure on his body disappear in an instant. He felt like his entire body had become light.
Xiang Shaoyun showed a satisfied smile and said, "Haha! Breaking through the limit was indeed fun!"
Xiang Shaoyun walked outside and saw the elder waiting outside.
"Kid, you're not bad!" The elder praised Xiang Shaoyun generously.
"Thank you for the high praise, Elder." Xiang Shogun was just was saying that out of respect.
"Alright, since you've completed your challenge, you'll receive a reward of 1,000 points!"
"1,000 points in reward? What the heck is that? I want food!!" Finally, Xiang Shaoyun has turned. He too... was now a reincarnated hungry ghost.
