Chapter 3: Trial of the First Floor
Light returned slowly.
Li Jian found himself standing inside a massive circular hall. Stone pillars surrounded him. On the walls were murals — scenes of dragons conquering the skies, kings kneeling before them.
In the center of the floor, a glowing inscription appeared:
First Floor – Trial of the Body
Suddenly—
Gravity multiplied.
Li Jian dropped to one knee.
His bones creaked violently.
The pressure was terrifying — far beyond anything he had experienced during cultivation.
"So… this is the trial…"
He gritted his teeth and stood up.
The pressure increased again.
Cracks appeared on the floor beneath his feet.
Blood seeped from his lips.
For years, he had been stuck at the Ninth Layer of Body Refinement.
No matter what he tried, he could not break through.
But now—
Under this crushing force—
He felt something different.
The spiritual energy inside his body began moving violently, as if reacting to the pressure.
The invisible barrier that had blocked him for years… trembled.
Roarrrrr—
A phantom dragon formed above him.
Not attacking.
Watching.
Testing.
Li Jian let out a furious shout and forced himself upright.
His meridians burned.
His bones screamed.
But he refused to kneel.
"I will not… be trapped again!"
The pressure peaked.
And then—
CRACK.
Something shattered inside him.
A wave of energy burst outward from his body.
The pressure vanished instantly.
Silence returned.
On the wall, new words appeared:
Body Refinement – Tenth Layer Achieved
Li Jian stood frozen.
Tenth… layer?
There was no such realm recorded in the village.
His barrier hadn't been weakness.
It had been incompleteness.
He wasn't stuck.
He was waiting.
Above him, the dragon phantom slowly faded.
And stairs leading upward appeared.
To the Second Floor.