Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 269: Chapter 269 Breaking the Record

This was also the reason for Ye Qingchen’s slow climb. After gaining more insight on the sixth level, he finally stepped onto the seventh.

Upon reaching the seventh level, Ye Qingchen lingered for even longer. This led the onlookers to believe he might not even reach the eighth. Such a result would set a new record for the fewest levels ever climbed on the Stepping Heaven Ladder. In the past, even the weakest disciples of the Qin Family could climb more than twenty steps. It was unprecedented for someone like Ye Qingchen to be struggling on just the seventh level.

The crowd’s whispers grew into loud discussions, with everyone speculating on how many more minutes Ye Qingchen could last. Qin Zhantian, however, seemed to notice something else. Although Ye Qingchen’s ascent was slow, his expression remained perfectly calm, a stark contrast to the tormented faces of those who couldn’t bear the pressure.

What on earth is this boy thinking?

Qin Zhantian gave a wry smile. Realizing that Ye Qingchen wasn’t faltering from the pressure, he relaxed.

When Ye Qingchen set foot on the eighth step, the onlookers gasped. They still thought that even if he had reached it by a fluke, he wouldn’t last more than a few breaths before being teleported away. But contrary to their expectations, Ye Qingchen remained on the eighth step for three whole minutes before ascending to the ninth in a single motion. Another three minutes passed, and he ascended to the tenth step.

What no one expected was that upon reaching the tenth step, Ye Qingchen immediately sat down cross-legged.

”He must have hit his limit now, right?” a Qin Family disciple muttered, his words immediately drawing a chorus of agreement.

After all, despite his slow pace on the previous levels, Ye Qingchen had always remained on his feet. Yet here, on the tenth level, the pressure had seemingly forced him into a seated position. These people had no idea that after ten levels of comprehension, an inkling of insight had formed in Ye Qingchen’s mind. That was why he had chosen to stop on the tenth level—to organize these newfound realizations.

Ye Qingchen activated his Dual Pupil Martial Soul, allowing him to clearly see the surrounding pressure compressing countless streams of Spiritual Energy into his body. This Spiritual Energy, squeezed and condensed by the invisible force, became incredibly pure—pure enough to be directly absorbed by a Martial Artist to enhance their strength.

Ye Qingchen now understood. The Stepping Heaven Ladder used layers of exponentially increasing pressure to provide Martial Artists with pure Spiritual Energy while simultaneously tempering their physical bodies. With this two-pronged benefit, a Martial Artist’s strength was bound to soar. At higher levels, however, the immense pressure would become unbearable. Even if a Martial Artist could barely withstand it, their inability to quickly absorb the influx of Spiritual Energy would place an additional strain on their body.

However, this was not an issue for Ye Qingchen. The Fen Tian Earth Fire and the Ancient Jade Spiritual Fire within him not only gave him a physique far more tenacious than that of an ordinary person but also performed a further refinement on the pure Spiritual Energy that entered his body. Furthermore, he was cultivating the Divine Wood Scripture, a divine-level Cultivation Technique. His Spiritual Energy absorption speed was already many times faster than an ordinary person’s, so he had no fear of being overwhelmed by an excess of it.

With this understanding, Ye Qingchen stood up. The pressure on the tenth level was still too weak for him. To rapidly increase his strength, he had to reach higher.

The moment he stood up, all eyes locked onto him, wondering if he would fall in the next instant. Just then, Ye Qingchen moved. He began to ascend with incredible speed, far surpassing that of Qin Zhantian. The spectators were so astonished their jaws dropped. How could someone who had struggled so much on the first ten steps suddenly accelerate like this? They simply couldn’t comprehend it.

Seeing Ye Qingchen finally make his move, a smile touched the corners of Qin Zhantian’s lips. He muttered to himself, ”As expected of the grandson-in-law I, Qin Zhantian, have chosen. He lies low, only to shock the world with a single feat!”

Watched by the entire crowd, Ye Qingchen took only five minutes to reach the fiftieth level, where he finally stopped.

Qin Zhantian shook his head with a smile. He had hoped Ye Qingchen might surpass his own record and climb even higher. Seeing him stop at the fiftieth level, Qin Zhantian felt a sense of acceptance. He himself had reached the fiftieth level on his first attempt only because he was already in the advanced Martial Spirit Realm at the time. Ye Qingchen, however, was merely in the Martial Master Realm. For him to reach the fiftieth level on his first try meant that, in a sense, he had already surpassed Qin Zhantian!

What Qin Zhantian didn’t know was that Ye Qingchen hadn’t stopped because the pressure was unbearable. He had stopped because, after climbing fifty levels, he felt he was on the verge of a breakthrough and needed to pause to achieve it.

Ye Qingchen sat cross-legged, the immense pressure forcing even more Spiritual Energy into his body. At the same time, he frantically circulated the Divine Wood Scripture, refining and absorbing it all. In just ten minutes, the Spiritual Energy within him reached a critical point. With a final push, he broke through to the Ninth Layer of the Martial Master Realm. Afterward, Ye Qingchen continued to absorb Spiritual Energy to consolidate his new cultivation base before standing up and resuming his ascent.

The fifty-first level, the fifty-second level, the fifty-third level...

Ye Qingchen climbed one step at a time. Although his pace was slower than before, each step was firm and steady. He was oblivious to the immense shock his actions were causing among the experts of the Rising Sun Pavilion. Qin Zhantian himself had only reached the fifty-first level, which was the standing record in the pavilion.

What was Qin Zhantian’s realm? He was in the Martial King Realm! Yet Ye Qingchen, who was only in the Martial Master Realm, had broken Qin Zhantian’s record on his very first attempt at the Stepping Heaven Ladder!

But Ye Qingchen’s climb wasn’t over. The same people who had been mocking him were now red-faced with shame, while the rest of the crowd held their breath, their eyes glued to him.

”This... this... This guy’s a monster!” someone couldn’t help but cry out in astonishment when Ye Qingchen reached the sixtieth level.

Yet Ye Qingchen kept climbing. The sixty-first level, the sixty-second... By now, his pace had slowed considerably, taking a minute or two for each level, but no one dared to mock him anymore.

Ye Qingchen continued to shatter the records of the Stepping Heaven Ladder, finally stopping when he reached the seventieth step. At this point, the pressure was nearly tangible. His clothes were soaked with sweat, clinging tightly to his body, and every bone within him groaned under the strain.