novelraw Chapter 587: Extreme Duality
Chapter 587: Extreme Duality
"Should we keep going or are we going back?" Chu Hao asked after fully understanding the process of ascension.
"Let’s go forward. We’ve only been here for a few days and in the outside world, that’s only a day or two." Murong Yi suggested and everyone nodded.
Yes, they had gained a lot on this trip. Even if they didn’t get anything valuable anymore, they could still take the expansion of their dantian and purification of spiritual energy as their gain.
In addition, there was also the spirit changing elixir.
That was an opportunity to become an Immortal. So, there couldn’t be a bigger gain.
Now, if they met that zombie king again, they wouldn’t have to worry about not being able to challenge him.
However, they still decided to move forward.
In the next part of the journey, the group came across many powerful spirit beasts.
To stabilize their foundation, they used them as sparring partners and fought their way to a desert.
Chu Miao never expected that beyond the forest, there was actually a place where there was nothing but sand in sight.
Moreover, in the forest, the temperature was normal except for that area where they had to pass through the cold zone.
However, this area was completely different.
As soon as they stepped out of the forest and into the desert, everything felt different.
If the cold zone had been a silent execution ground that froze one’s bones and soul, then this place was the complete opposite.
Heat.
Blazing, suffocating, all-consuming heat.
The sand beneath their feet was scorching. Even through their shoes, they could feel the burning sensation climbing up their legs like flames licking at their skin.
The air itself seemed to ripple.
Each breath they took felt dry and sharp, as if it carried tiny blades that scraped their throats.
"Damn... what kind of place is this?" Pei Ming muttered as he wiped sweat off his forehead almost instantly after stepping in.
"This is worse than the cold zone..." Li Kun added, his voice already strained.
Before anyone could say more...
A wave of heat surged towards them like a tide.
Instinctively, everyone activated their spiritual barriers.
However, they realized that they had underestimated the condition there.
In the cold zone, the spiritual barrier they build to protect themselves from the cold drained spiritual energy. But in this place, spiritual energy just disappeared without a trace.
Their expressions changed.
"My spiritual energy... it’s draining again!" Gu Fan exclaimed.
Ye Xuan and Chu Miao turned to look at each other.
In the cold zone, their spiritual energy had been consumed to resist freezing.
Here...
It was being burned away.
"This is another trial," Chu Miao said quietly.
"It might be a little more challenging than the others." Ye Xuan nodded.
The group stood still for a moment, adjusting.
The cold had forced them to circulate their spiritual energy faster.
This heat...was forcing them to slow down its consumption and condense it.
Sweat poured down their bodies almost instantly, yet evaporated just as fast.
Even breathing became difficult.
The spiritual energy inside their dantian began to fluctuate violently, as if reacting to the external pressure.
They hadn’t even walked twenty meters into the desert and they already wanted to run.
What were the Chu family ancestors thinking when they set up this trial?
"Little White," Chu Miao called softly through their connection. "Do you know what this place is?"
Little White, who had already jumped out of the contract space again, squinted its eyes.
"This..." it paused, then its tone became slightly serious.
"This is a fire-tempering ground."
"A what?" Chu Hao asked.
"It’s similar to the cold zone, but instead of purifying spiritual energy through freezing, it tempers it through burning."
Little White stood on the sand, its paws slightly sinking.
"The cold zone expanded your dantian and purified your energy."
"This place..."
"Will compress it."
"If you manage to complete the trial, you will be able to use the smallest amount of spiritual energy in a battle compared to others. If the purification in the cold zone allows you to fight across realms, once you are done here you will be able to fight across two realms." Black tortoise, who was now squatting on Ye Xuan’s shoulder commented.
"Uh! Cultivation is really not for the faint-hearted. How can anyone survive all this?" Li Kun muttered, taking off his shirt.
He was now down to his vest and the heat was still unbearable.
But he didn’t dare to strip any further or his boss would skin him alive for parading himself in front of his future sister-in-law.
"Once you reach the top, you won’t have to worry about such challenges anymore." Chu Miao comforted them but it only made it worse.
When would they reach the top?
"So, when you say this place will condense our spiritual energy, what does it mean in layman’s language? I understand its effect in a fight, but outside of the battlefield, what’s the use?" Li Han asked curiously.
"In the cold zone, your spiritual energy became purer but also more abundant." Black tortoise spoke.
"But abundance without control is dangerous. This place forces your spiritual energy to condense under extreme pressure and heat. In simple terms..." It stopped for a moment before continuing to speak.
"It makes your foundation even more solid."
Hearing this, everyone’s expressions turned serious.
They had just experienced how beneficial the cold zone was.
If this place offered similar benefits...
Then enduring it would be worth it.
Chu Miao nodded slightly.
"Same as before. Take out crystal cores and absorb while moving. And don’t let your barriers drop."
They began walking forward with vigor.
At first, it was manageable.
But after only ten minutes, the difficulty increased drastically.
The heat intensified and the sand beneath them began to glow faintly red.
The air distorted even more, making it hard to see clearly ahead.
"What the hell..." Pei Ming cursed under his breath.
"My spiritual energy is being burned faster than I can absorb!"
"Focus," Ye Xuan said calmly.
"Don’t let your rhythm break. This not only tempers your spiritual energy, but also your mental strength."