Mythical Cultivation

Wu Ming saw Mei Lingshuang's expression and hurried forward to ask with concern, "Mei Lingshuang, wake up! What's wrong with you?"

Seeing her lack of reaction, Wu Ming realized something was wrong. Without hesitation, he stepped forward and patted her shoulder. Finally, Mei Lingshuang slowly regained consciousness. When she realized she had caught up with Wu Ming and successfully entered the square for this stage, she couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. After all, this proved that she was no less capable than Wu Ming.

"Thank you, Wu Ming. I'm fine, just a little tired. I'll be fine after a while," Mei Lingshuang said softly. Despite her slightly weary tone, Wu Ming didn't press her further. He himself felt exhausted and desperately needed rest. So, they both sat down quietly and began to recuperate.

However, Mei Lingshuang was so weak because her body had reached its limit. She had only been able to reach this point thanks to her tenacious willpower.

She was determined to prove that she was no worse than Wu Ming, so she followed Wu Ming closely. Even though her body was exhausted, she still relied on her own will to persevere until here. However, Wu Ming did not know the reason and just thought that Mei Lingshuang had other problems.

After resting for a while, Wu Ming looked towards the square. There were far fewer monks there than in the first square, only about two or three hundred. There were also small paths on both sides of the square that led to other places, but no monks went there.

After some reflection, Wu Ming understood the reason. Most of the cultivators heading towards the small path in the first square were in the early to middle stages of Qi Refining. They knew their strength was limited, and they couldn't compete with those in the late stages of Qi Refining, nor could they climb the higher stone steps. Therefore, since they couldn't obtain the inheritance of the Shenmu Sect, they had to seek opportunities elsewhere to make their trip worthwhile.

However, the cultivators who climbed onto the second-stage square were almost all cultivators in the late stage of Qi Refining. Naturally, they would not think that they were worse than others. They all wanted to strive for a higher position. In case good fortune came, they might even reach the top. Therefore, no one went to the small paths on both sides.

So, Wu Ming decided not to dwell on it any further and just rest and recover his strength. After all, there were still more difficult challenges waiting for him.

"Wu Ming, why don't I see Huang Hao and the other two?" Wu Ming, who was secretly observing his surroundings, suddenly heard Mei Lingshuang's voice. He turned around and saw Mei Lingshuang looking at him with a puzzled look. It turned out that after a period of rest, Mei Lingshuang had almost recovered. After waking up, she began to look for Huang Hao and the others, but she looked around and found no trace of them. So she asked Wu Ming what was going on.

"Huang Hao and the others should have already reached the next stage of stone stairs. If we continue climbing, we should be able to see them," Wu Ming speculated. He thought to himself: With Huang Hao and the others' strength and speed, they shouldn't be far behind. Perhaps they have already reached the next stage of stone stairs first.

"They've all made it to the next stage, so we can't fall too far behind. Why don't we continue on our journey? I've almost recovered, how about you?" Mei Lingshuang looked at Wu Ming, her eyes gleaming with determination. She knew time was running out, and if she didn't catch up quickly, she might lose the chance to reunite with them.

"I've recovered, too. So, let's continue climbing." Wu Ming nodded in agreement. He knew the road ahead was long, and only by moving forward could the answers be found. The two exchanged a smile, and then embarked on a new journey together.

The two continued ascending the third set of stone steps. Wu Ming immediately felt a distinct difference. Each step was now exceedingly difficult, requiring dozens of breaths to reach each stone step. Furthermore, with each step, he needed more than ten breaths to steady his footing, otherwise he would be pushed back to the previous step. This pressure and difficulty were extremely strenuous for Wu Ming, but he didn't give up. He gritted his teeth and persevered.

"Sure enough, only at this stage can I truly appreciate the difficulty of the path of refining the mind. The previous two thousand stone steps are just a warm-up, and the real challenge has just begun." Wu Ming thought to himself.

Since the beginning of the climb, he had been carefully memorizing the number of stone steps at each stage. The first two stages each had a thousand steps, so what was next? Were there more steps waiting to be climbed? If so, Wu Ming couldn't help but wonder if he could reach the summit. After all, the difficulty had already exceeded his expectations.

Despite his doubts, Wu Ming remained resolute and forged ahead. He knew that only by constantly surpassing himself could he go further on this path. No matter how many obstacles lay ahead, he was determined to give it his all. After all, this was a rare opportunity and a test of his own strength. He believed that with perseverance, he would be able to overcome the current difficulties and reach greater heights.

The fourth level of the Hundred Refinements True Body was indeed powerful. Although Wu Ming felt under immense pressure at this moment, he firmly believed that he could still hold on. He just wasn't sure how many levels he could reach.

He keenly sensed the fluctuations of true energy emanating from the hundreds of figures ahead, knowing full well that they had all already activated their true energy, including Zhao Xiaohai and Hou Tiancheng. However, he could detect no fluctuations of true energy from the sparser group of cultivators further ahead, clearly indicating that there were quite a few powerful cultivators. Wu Ming also vaguely spotted Huang Hao among these cultivators.

Time passed quietly. More than an hour had passed, and Wu Ming had only climbed one or two hundred steps. The higher he went, the more tired he felt, and his speed gradually slowed down.

Even the monks behind him began to gradually surpass him. Arriving early did not mean he would always be ahead. Some monks who set out later also caught up with and surpassed him. The number of monks ahead of him increased. By the time he reached over 300 steps, the number of monks ahead of him was close to a thousand.

"Alas, I'm still not strong enough. I didn't expect there to be so many formidable cultivators among these newcomers. You really shouldn't underestimate everyone in the world," Wu Ming sighed, a hint of regret and helplessness on his face. But at the same time, a glint of determination shone in his eyes. This experience had made him deeply aware of the gap between himself and other cultivators, but it also unleashed a deep competitive spirit within him.

You know, since entering Qingyun Sect, Wu Ming has always remained calm and composed. Even when facing difficulties and challenges, his mood rarely fluctuates too much.

Because he knew what kind of personality he had. If he let himself follow his temper, he was afraid that even though his talent was lower than Mei Lingshuang's, his cultivation would increase faster than theirs. He was afraid that he would be left further and further behind by others, and the gap would become larger and larger.