"I… I can't wait to get back to Martial World Sharang after I settle my affairs here."
Aksai murmured to himself, still captivated by his newly unlocked perspective.
The feeling was similar to a non-combat young man wearing night goggles for the very first ti. Even though the vision provided by the night goggles wasn't much different from seeing things in broad daylight minus the color palates, it would make the wearer curious about the seemingly hidden world around him.
As for why Aksai wanted to go back to Sharang all of a sudden? It was indeed related to Qi Sense and his current stagnation in Celestial Harmony.
He had planned to return to Sharang after finishing his hunt for the Aether Beast. After all, he needed to create a body cultivation technique tailored specifically for himself.
Aksai needed to conduct human experints to find a technique that would be fully suitable for him, and Martial World Sharang was the ideal place for such body cultivation research. Not just the Qi-rich resources, the "samples" he needed in his experints could also be only found there.
He already had his Spirit Sense and neural link fabric to assist him in his experints. But with Qi Sense, Aksai's experints could yield twice the results with half the effort.
Aksai had taken several body cultivation thods from Haitin with the hope of conducting his experints in Martial World Sharang upon his return. That way, he would be able to break past his current body cultivation realm.
Aksai had a solid plan after his transaction with Haitin, though he hadn't been able to set the finer details. With Qi Sense, however, achieving breakthroughs in the Argent Body Realm seed more attainable than ever.
"Alright. I should move. It's good that I didn't take that skip-a-stage pass."
Aksai stood up, dusting off his long robes with a quick swipe. The shimring spatial rift appeared in front of him, signaling the exit from the 7th stage.
He exhaled deeply and stepped forward, the faint hum of the rift vibrating through his body as he passed through.
Under normal circumstances, Aksai would never have considered progressing beyond the 7th stage, especially after experiencing firsthand how formidable it was. He knew that the difficulty curve spiked dramatically for the final three stages.
But the realization that using his body cultivation path had made a tangible difference changed his outlook entirely. What once seed insurmountable now held a glimr of possibility.
"I have knowledge from not one but two completely different civilizations from Spirit cultivation. Perhaps… Perhaps I can do things others can't."
The change in perspective was significant: the last three stages were indeed treacherous, crafted with the expectation that only Core Formation cultivators or higher could conquer them.
But Aksai was no ordinary challenger. He had two auxiliary cultivation paths—his Qi and Aether cultivation thods—which set him apart from even the most elite disciples of the ancient Holy Land Torel.
"I also need to see if I can beat the scores of that Everwood guy. I don't know who he is but sothing tells he is so form of missing link."
With this newfound understanding, Aksai stepped out of the rift and erged into the 8th stage. It was another isolated dinsion, suspended in the vastness of space like a lone ship on an endless sea.
The cosmos stretched out around him, a breathtaking expanse of swirling stars, nebulae, and celestial hues that seed to stretch infinitely. The sight was beautiful but also imposing.
The island itself wasn't massive; Aksai estimated he could leisurely walk from one edge to another in about half an hour. It was noticeably larger than the tight, constricted platforms of the first six stages, giving him more room to maneuver and assess.
But what caught his eye was the expansive lake at the center. It shimred with an eerie, silvery glow, as if the stars themselves were trapped beneath its surface.
He cautiously made his way toward the lake, each step deliberate as he scanned the terrain. The ground beneath his feet was cracked and dry, a stark contrast to the vibrant, almost liquid light of the lake. Aksai felt a strange pulse from it, as if the water itself was alive and aware of his presence.
"This… What kind of challenge is it this ti?" he muttered, glancing around for any signs of traps or hidden chanisms. Every muscle in Aksai's body was on high alert as he approached the edge of the lake.
Ripples ford in the water, though no wind touched its surface. Aksai's brows furrowed as he realized that the disturbance ca from deep within the lake itself.
"They should give so form of hint. What am I supposed to do here? Stare at the lake?"
Aksai stood at the edge of the shimring lake, its surface reflecting the endless expanse of stars above. Suddenly, the neutral voice spoke in his mind, cold and detached:
[The challenger needs to walk from one end of the lake to another in an hour. ]
[ Use of artifacts and druidic blessings are not allowed. The ti will start the mont the challenger takes a step on the water. ]
[ Please note that a challenger cannot quit midway after taking the challenge. He needs to either complete the challenge or co back to the shore on their own.]
Aksai's brows furrowed at the words. The voice's implications were clear: he'd either succeed or face potentially lethal consequences. There was no room for hesitation or turning back.
"So, I can't quit? That's comforting," he muttered dryly. His heartbeat thudded in his ears as he steadied his breath, trying to calm the mix of excitent and tension swirling in his chest. After all, judging from the information available to him, he knew that he would be offered good rewards if and when he performs spectacularly in this test as well.
With a determined nod, he stepped forward, his bare feet eting the water's surface. To his surprise, it felt firm beneath his feet, like walking on polished glass, though the ripples beneath his weight reminded him it was still liquid.
Instantly, he felt a strange shift in his body. His Spirit cultivation base was sealed—no power coursed through him, no familiar pulse of energy at his fingertips.
"Again? Is that why you asked to go for Qi Sense technique, Yelia?" he muttered under his breath. However, the artifact spirit did not reply to him. She wanted him to concentrate on his current task.
"Alright. But you need to tell everything you know if and when I clear the 9th stage."
Aksai took a sharp breath. It was just him and his body cultivation now.
He started walking, the soft sloshing of water beneath each step oddly muffled. Just ten paces in, a dense, misty fog began to gather around him. It thickened quickly, swirling and rising until it obscured everything beyond a few ters.
The lake's glassy surface faded into a ghostly void, leaving Aksai in a bubble of uncertainty. The silence pressed down on him, amplifying the sound of his own heartbeat and the rhythmic thud of his footsteps.
"Damn. it's like I can almost scoop up this fog."
He could barely see ahead and felt a prickling sensation of vulnerability.
Swoosh. Zoom. Splash.
Suddenly, a sharp splash broke the monotony. Out of the corner of his eye, sothing moved—a flash of silver. Before he could react, a palm-sized piranha leaped out of the water with deadly precision.
Its jagged teeth sank into the flesh of his right arm, tearing away a small chunk before disappearing back into the depths with a flick of its tail.
"Aaaargh….fuccc…."
Aksai clenched his teeth to stifle a grunt of pain, looking down at the fresh wound. The crimson sar on his arm glistened against the pale mist, droplets trailing down to the water's surface, vanishing into ripples.
Swoosh. Zoom. Spash.
He barely had ti to process the first attack when another piranha burst from the lake, this ti striking his leg. Its bite was just as swift and brutal, and before Aksai could even consider retaliating, it was gone, replaced by silence once more.
"Damn it," he muttered, flexing his leg to assess the injury. The bites weren't deep, but they stung and bled just enough to make him acutely aware of his vulnerability.
The realization hit him like a cold wave: these piranhas were fast—too fast. Were they a form of special Spirit fish? They attacked in quick, opportunistic strikes and retreated before he could react.
Aksai took a deep breath, steeling himself. He couldn't let the fear of another bite slow him down. The challenge wasn't just about crossing the lake; it was a test of composure and resilience.
He adjusted his stance, shifting his weight forward, ready to react faster, and kept moving. Each step felt heavier now, not just from the pain but from the awareness that the water beneath him was no longer just a path. It was an ambush waiting to happen.
The fog thickened further, the visibility dropping to barely a few ters. His pulse quickened as he prepared himself for the next strike, muscles tensed like coiled springs.
Qi Sense!
Aksai activated his Qi Sense as well to figure out the incoming attack. Thankfully, the trick worked.
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