Mythical Cultivation

After all, as cultivators, most people still have a clear understanding of themselves, understand their own strength and potential, and will not do things that are beyond their ability or do things that they know are impossible.

Putting all this aside, Wu Ming's footsteps slowly began to move again, step by step, towards the stairs above. Although his pace was slow, as long as he could move forward, it was a kind of progress.

However, the number of the three hundred people ahead of Wu Ming was dwindling. Some, unable to advance any further, stopped moving forward, while others, realizing the summit was hopeless, turned back and descended. After all, when one knows the path ahead is blocked, there's no point in forcing oneself. It's better to step back and look for opportunities on either side of the second stage's square. There's no right or wrong in this choice; everyone has the right to make their own decision. Regardless of the outcome, it's the path they've chosen.

As a result, the number of monks in front of Wu Ming continued to decrease. When Wu Ming climbed nearly a hundred steps again, there were only a little over 200 monks in front of him. However, Wu Ming did not notice this because he was now completely immersed in his own world, staring at the next step, trying to figure out where his limit was.

Nearly another hour had passed, and by then, there were fewer than five hundred monks left on the entire third stage of the stone steps. Wu Ming was right in the middle of this handful of hundreds. Looking at the monks in front of him, there were only a little over two hundred.

By this point, the monks were quite close to one another, with many steps housing more than one monk. Wu Ming was already on the same step as four others. Wu Ming had already successfully climbed over eight hundred steps. If each stage had a thousand steps, then he should have fewer than two hundred left to reach the destination.

Wu Ming tilted his head slightly upwards and could vaguely see the end of the stone steps through the layers of mist. However, he couldn't tell whether this scene was real or just an illusion.

When Wu Ming looked ahead, he saw the monks standing silently on the stone steps like lifelike stone statues. Aside from a dozen monks at the front who were still moving forward at an extremely slow pace, the rest of the group was almost completely motionless, as if frozen in time.

The same thing happened to Wu Ming himself. He had returned to his pre-promotion state. His body, essence, and spirit had all reached their limits. However, Wu Ming didn't give up, and continued to push himself, hoping to push himself further.

Unfortunately, after an incense stick of time had passed, Wu Ming still could not make any further progress. Wu Ming knew that he had really reached his limit. Seeing that there were still nearly two hundred stone steps to go, Wu Ming did not force it anymore. He knew where his own shortcomings lay and that his cultivation was too low.

Furthermore, his spiritual awareness was as powerful as that of many other cultivators present. The maximum distance his spiritual awareness could reach was a staggering 100 meters! This distance was already the limit of what an ordinary Qi-refining cultivator could reach.

As for physical strength, he relied on his unremitting efforts and exceptional talent to successfully cultivate the "Hundred Refinements of the True Body" physical training technique to the remarkable fourth level. This achievement, in terms of the Qi Refining stage, can almost be said to have reached the pinnacle.

Unfortunately, his current cultivation level was quite low, only at the late seventh stage of Qi Refining. If his cultivation could be further advanced, he firmly believed that with his strength, he would have the opportunity to reach the summit and dominate the crowd. However, reality was cruel, and since reaching the summit was currently hopeless, Wu Ming was open-minded and no longer insisted on it.

So, he resolutely turned around, ready to retrace his steps and head to the square to investigate. After all, it was already late, and perhaps he could still find something he had missed there, making the trip worthwhile.

Despite this, before leaving, Wu Ming couldn't help but cast his gaze once again at the two hundred cultivators before him. Without a doubt, these were all masters who had been able to enter the secret realm this time. Each of them had profound cultivation, and without exception, they were all powerful warriors at the ninth level of Qi Refining.

Wu Ming unexpectedly recognized one of them instantly—it was Huang Hao! At that moment, Huang Hao was among the two hundred people in front of Wu Ming, and his position was quite forward, even behind the dozen or so cultivators in the front row, and he seemed poised to overtake them at any moment. The dozen or so cultivators ahead of him were only a few dozen stone steps away from the summit. It seemed Huang Hao might have reached the summit.

"I have no hope of reaching the summit. I hope you, Huang Hao, can reach the summit, which will make this journey to the secret realm worthwhile." Wu Ming muttered to himself, a hint of envy in his eyes as he watched Huang Hao's receding figure. Then, he slowly turned around and cast his gaze at the group of cultivators behind him.

Some of them had already reached their limit and stood quietly on the steep stone steps, breathing heavily. However, the majority of the monks still gritted their teeth, mustered their energy, and climbed up step by step with difficulty.

All of these people were in the late Qi Refining stage, with nearly half even reaching the ninth level. As Wu Ming observed them, he thought to himself: It seems the competition in this secret realm journey is incredibly fierce!

Just then, Wu Ming suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure—Mei Lingshuang. Her figure was nimble and graceful, like a nimble swallow, as she struggled to climb the mountaintop. Though her clothes were already soaked with sweat, her steps remained firm and powerful.

It wasn't until Wu Ming stepped down to the same staircase as her that Mei Lingshuang noticed his presence. She raised her head slightly and asked with a hint of surprise, "You actually gave up?"

Hearing this, Wu Ming simply smiled, his face betraying no trace of disappointment. He calmly replied, "Yes, my cultivation is still too low. Dreams are beautiful, but reality is often cruel and unforgiving. Although I deeply desire to reach the summit, my strength doesn't allow it. I simply can't do it!" He then gently shook his head, as if trying to shake off a slight regret.

In fact, the fact that he, a cultivator at only the seventh level of Qi Refining, could actually defeat so many powerful cultivators at the ninth level was in itself a testament to his extraordinary abilities. Although he ultimately failed to reach the summit, through this challenge, he had clearly discerned the limits of his own abilities. Faced with this result, he did not become frustrated or discouraged.