Aspiring to the Immortal Path
chapter-462

In the early morning, when Zhao Hui and the others entered the Water Moon Paradise, they realized to their shock that Tang Jie was seated at the terrace at 150 meters.

His body was still stained with sweat, signaling that he had gotten there not too long ago.

"Brother Tang, you…" Zhao Hui pointed at Tang Jie and stammered.

Tang Jie indifferently said, "Within the paradise, I was unable to get any sleep from the joy I was feeling, so I decided to throw my courage and remaining strength into the climb toward the summit."

Although he spoke about excess joy, his face was solemn and devoid of happiness.

Zhao Hui saw his state and knew that Tang Jie was thinking of something else. As it wasn't right to talk about it, he simply brought his hands together and bowed. "The seniors in the sect designed the climb up the mountain in such a way as to emphasize testing one's limits and improving oneself. Thus, one must strike a balance between work and rest, or one will lack the strength to continue. Junior Brother, if you have enough time, you should not try to rush things."

"Senior Brother, thank you for the advice. Tang Jie will keep it in mind."

After exchanging pleasantries, Zhao Hui and the other Agriculture Hall disciples left to tend to the spirit fields.

The terrace fields in the faint light presented quite a picturesque view.

Starting from today, Tang Jie began his painful contest with the mountain.

As he got higher and higher, the power obstructing his ascent grew stronger and stronger.

From 150 meters to 200 meters, Tang Jie sensed that he was clearly straining himself. Almost every step used basically all the power he had, and he would have to sit and rest for a while before continuing.

Once his feet touched the ground, all of the downward force would be stopped by the ground, but when his feet were in the air, it felt like ten-thousand-ton weights were tied to them.

For this reason, even raising his feet was an arduous task on this mountain. Walking on these stone steps felt like his feet were welded to the ground. Only getting to the next terrace could get him away from this terrifying power.

It took Tang Jie a day and a night to get 50 meters, three-hundred-some steps.

When Zhao Hui came again the next day and saw Tang Jie standing on the 200-meter terrace, he was stunned.

Even among elite disciples, it was very rare to get here within two days.

But Zhao Hui still advised, "Junior Brother Tang, that you could get this far shows that you have a tenacious will, but ascending the mountain is not wholly dependent on one's willpower, but also on using the environment to improve oneself. Junior Brother Tang, you must not lose yourself in climbing the mountain and forget about the root, your goal in entering the Water Moon Paradise."

Tang Jie simply smiled and nodded.

Zhao Hui said, "Since you have already reached 200 meters, I will go and get you some Fragrant Store Grass."

But to his surprise, Tang Jie shook his head. "No. Senior Brother, I don't want Fragrant Store Grass. I want Ginseng Essence."

"What?" Zhao Hui was stunned. "Ginseng Essence is a life-saving plant. What do you need that for… Could it be…"

Zhao Hui paled.

He suddenly thought of something. While the power of Water Moon Peak primarily worked on the feet, as one climbed higher and higher, this power would eventually creep upward to affect the entire body, bringing the entire person down. At that time, with the heavy weight continuing to linger, the mountain climber would find it increasingly difficult to recover their strength.

The only means of resisting this power was to strengthen oneself.

If one didn't improve oneself, then as one climbed higher and the weight increased, it could even begin to threaten one's life.

For Tang Jie to give up on the Fragrant Store Grass and ask for Ginseng Essence made his intent clear.

He was gambling with his life to climb!

Zhao Hui looked at Tang Jie in disbelief, mumbling, "Ha, this is only climbing a mountain. Do you really need to risk your life?"

"A day of great scarcity is a moment for great restoration. Senior Brother, I presume you have heard of Tempered Will," Tang Jie indifferently said.

Hearing this, Zhao Hui realized, "So Junior Brother Tang wants to enter the Tempered Will state?"

"Tempered Will" referred to the state that Tang Jie had entered after his fight in the Student Forest years ago. At the time, Li Yu had saved him and given him many powerful restoratives, which had caused his strength to soar.

The Tempered Will state was actually a manifestation of the Spirit Will, but as he had not opened the Sea of Cognition yet, he didn't understand anything, not even how it had occurred.

But he was certain that this state was extremely beneficial to creating the Sea of Cognition. If he could perform Cognitive Creation while in the Tempered Will state, he would definitely be able to save a lot of time and effort.

In truth, Tang Jie hadn't invented this method. It had been thought of a long, long time ago, but it was a rather risky method. After all, Tempered Will was a state of extreme deficiency. Not doing things properly could result in death of both body and soul.

To risk one's life in a charge at Cognitive Creation just wasn't worth it, so few employed this method.

But Tang Jie, who cared more about hope than his own life, was perfectly happy with this.

Realizing what Tang Jie was thinking, Zhao Hui croaked out, "Junior Brother Tang, please, reconsider. You're putting your life on the line. Moreover, it is not easy to enter the Tempered Will state. Not even a state of near-death guarantees that you can enter Tempered Will."

Tang Jie coolly replied, "I've already entered this state twice."

Zhao Hui was silenced.

Tang Jie wasn't lying. He truly had entered this state twice.

The first was in the Student Forest, and the second was in one of his bitter battles in his ten years of traveling.

For this reason, Tang Jie was very familiar with Tempered Will.

In truth, the key to Tempered Will wasn't to be on the brink of death, but to have the body squeezed dry of energy. This sort of thorough wringing was very difficult to accomplish alone, and many people fought until death without accomplishing it. What it required was for someone of tenacious willpower to send their will throughout their entire body. This was the reason it was called Tempered Will. Its purpose was to condense and temper the will.

It was said that in ancient times, cultivators regarded Tempered Will as the prelude to Cognitive Creation, firmly believing that only by first experiencing Tempered Will could one perform Cognitive Creation. But as Tempered Will wasn't actually required to reach Cognitive Creation, as time passed, this custom was gradually lost in the flow of history. In the present age, very few people did something as stupid as risking their lives, even if it meant tempering a more pure Spirit Will.

The Water Moon Peak provided sufficient pressure, and Tang Jie's willpower was strong, so for him, entering Tempered Will really wasn't that difficult.

This was also why he had chosen the Ginseng Essence. Only this plant could provide the greatest support to his emptied-out body. As for the Reaping Wind Snakes… he would think about that later.

Zhao Hui quickly delivered a large thousand-year Ginseng Essence of excellent quality. After getting the Ginseng Essence, Tang Jie continued his climb.

For the next 50 meters, the difficulty increased again.

Tang Jie felt like his feet were tied to mountains, and he had to drag them with each step. Not only that, as he hadn't gotten any stronger, Tang Jie could feel the pressure creeping up his legs to the rest of his body.

This spreading power no longer disappeared when he stopped, and its lingering made his breaks much less effective. It felt like altitude sickness, and even breathing started to become a challenge.

But Tang Jie didn't stop. He knew that this little pressure still wasn't enough to wring him dry.

His goal was 300 meters!

At 300 meters, he could get another spirit plant, and with those three spirit plants and his own stockpile of spirit herbs, he would begin his charge at Cognitive Creation!

Looking up at the sky, Tang Jie clenched his teeth and continued forward.

This time, he took two days and two nights.

Comparing his past time, it seemed like every 50 meters took twice the time of the previous 50 meters.

If this continued, 250 to 300 meters would take around 4 days, and then 8 days, 16 days, 32 days, then 64 days.

If there were no change or strengthening, he would need 127 days to reach the Terrace of Heroes at 500 meters.

But reality wasn't a number, and rarely did things go as calculated.

When the obstruction reached a certain level, it became a chasm that could not be crossed.

If one step took several hours to make, then it wouldn't even matter if he were given several years.

This was exactly why, unless they improved themselves, going from 250 to 300 meters was a chasm for the vast majority of people.

This was also why it was impossible to reach the summit unless one made progress, as one third of the way up would be one's limit. One could not rely entirely on willpower to reach the end.

Standing on the stone step leading to the 300-meter terrace, Tang Jie took in a deep breath, his eyes brimming with resolve.

Zhao Hui worriedly glanced at him. "Junior Brother Tang, are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure!"

He took the first step forward.

This one step was like thousands of tons.

Tang Jie felt the terrifying power of that pull, like countless hands pulling back on his body and refusing to let him leave.

This power was everpresent, having long since broken free of his feet and affected every part of his body. Even his organs were affected, as if there was some force crazily sucking away at his butt, giving Tang Jie the misapprehension that his organs would exit from there.

His heart began to madly thump as it beat faster and faster, gradually building up to a great rumble. His blood crazily surged like a roaring river. His brain buzzed as if a thousand drums were pounding away next to his ear.

Tang Jie's entire body swayed.

The worst of all was that this awful sensation didn't stop when his foot hit the ground.

From the moment he put his foot on the step, the pull's effect on his body would remain, continuing to weaken him until he reached the 300-meter terrace.

For this reason, Tang Jie could not stop.

He took in a deep breath and made another step.

From the moment he took that first step, each step was fated to be difficult.

It was like someone was pressing his feet to the ground. No matter how Tang Jie tried, he couldn't lift his feet up.

"Awoooo!" Tang Jie threw his head back and howled.

All of his power was utilized to the maximum.

He finally raised his foot.

Little by little, he moved his foot through the air. Just when it was finally about to land on the next step, Tang Jie suddenly ran out of strength, and pah! His foot landed.

Failure!

Tang Jie exhaled.

He said nothing, enduring the thunder in his brain as he began to rest and recover. Just now, he had squeezed almost every bit of power out of his body.

After resting for a while, Tang Jie once more attempted to go up the next step. This time, he was much more cautious, deliberately mobilizing all the energy in his body before unleashing all of it at once.

He succeeded.

His right foot landed on the stone step.

And then, his feet on separate steps, Tang Jie took a break.

A few moments later, he started again, attempting to bring his left foot onto the step.

But he failed.

After taking another break, he still failed.

It took a third attempt to finally bring his left foot onto the step.

The first step was complete.

This single step had taken Tang Jie an entire hour.

Sure enough, reality wasn't math. At this speed, Tang Jie couldn't possibly reach 300 meters in four days.

Fortunately, time wasn't a problem. He just needed to make it there!

From this moment forward, Tang Jie began to use up all his time on getting to this terrace.

The enormous pull made every step he took this difficult, requiring him to use up all his strength and unleash it all at once. And even then, he would sometimes fail.

Each failure was a waste of strength and a waste of time.

Tang Jie had to carefully calculate and mobilize his strength. He gradually grasped the principle that rushing things would not get him anywhere. He stopped trying to force things, only making his move once he had fully recovered and was sure of success.

But as he moved higher and higher, the pull grew stronger and stronger.

Tang Jie also had to factor the increasing pull into his calculations.

This meant he needed more time, more preparation.

The first day, excluding the time he had wasted on the first step due to his lack of experience, was actually the day of fastest progress. In 24 hours, he had ascended 12 meters. This day was also when his strength was most abundant.

On the second day, Tang Jie only made it 8 meters.

On the third day, Tang Jie made it a pitiful 4 meters.

He knew that trouble was coming.

As he got higher and higher, the pull grew stronger and stronger. He had used three whole days and only made it halfway.

Standing at the midway point, Tang Jie panted for breath, his chest heaving like bellows.

There were still 20 meters left, a hundred-some steps, but it felt like a yawning chasm, impossible to cross no matter how hard he tried.

Yes, Tang Jie knew that he was getting closer and closer to the threshold.

Once he reached the threshold, then unless he got stronger, he would not be able to make a single step of progress.

But was this place really his limit?

"No!" Tang Jie roared.

He looked at the path like a crazed bull, burning with unwillingness.

The Agriculture Hall disciples saw all this, and all of them shook their heads and sighed.

As people who had worked here for months and years, they all understood how difficult this segment was if one didn't get any stronger.

The worst of all was that the pull was now constantly affecting Tang Jie. Although the force wouldn't be great as while he was raising his feet, the prolonged effects would have a huge effect on his recovery, and it would prevent him from cultivating on the steps.

It was like he had been held fast at the midway point.

Zhao Hui couldn't help but shout, "Tang Jie, stop going higher! Listen to me! Go back to a lower platform and then break into Cognitive Creation! And then you can continue your climb!"

Although going back also wasn't easy, at least it would be easier than going up.

Tang Jie shook his head. "I still haven't lost."

He stood there, focusing his mind as he rested.

A focused mind, a will like iron!

Tang Jie squeezed himself to the utmost and then took another step forward.

As he took that step, the rumbling thunder faded and the surging blood calmed down. Tang Jie suddenly felt like his body was bursting with strength, as if a god was assisting him. He easily made it to the next step.

Tempered Will!

Tang Jie knew that this was the Tempered Will state.

After repeated struggle, Tang Jie had finally entered the Tempered Will state.

But he hadn't expected that it would appear midway rather than when he reached the 300-meter terrace.

So it was true that being too confident was a bad thing?

The Tempered Will state was achieved by using one's will to forcefully squeeze one's body dry of all its strength. This was why he had easily gotten to the next step.

But he now needed powerful restoratives, yet Tang Jie couldn't provide them.

This was because he hadn't reached the end of this section, and with his entire body affected by the pull, even cultivating was difficult. Moreover, he only had the South Prosper Seed and the Ginseng Essence. With these resources and his condition, how exactly was he going to revitalize his body?

This surprise made Tang Jie very anxious. If this continued, not only would he have wasted the Tempered Will State, it could even do great damage to him.

At this moment, suddenly, a mysterious power entered his body.

Tang Jie felt all his exhaustion being swept away and his strength restored, as if he had eaten some powerful divine restorative.

"Raaa!" Tang Jie raised his head and roared.

This time, he felt like he was brimming with energy.

He raised his feet, easily stepping onto that step that once seemed impassable.

And then, the Agriculture Hall disciples saw something that left them utterly stunned.

Just like that, Tang Jie walked up toward the 300-meter terrace.

"How is this possible?" Everyone was dumbfounded, their jaws dropping.

"He broke through! He must have broken through!" Zhao Hui muttered.

Only a breakthrough could explain all this.

"But… how did he break through? He clearly wasn't cultivating!" a disciple said in confusion.

Barring special circumstances, there was no such thing in the Rosecloud Domain as suddenly breaking through. After all, cultivation wasn't leveling up. Each cultivation realm signified a qualitative change in some aspect, or even a transformation. These changes and transformations required days of accumulation and couldn't be broken through after a single battle.

But Tang Jie had clearly broken this rule. He had clearly experienced some breakthrough, but he also clearly wasn't at Cognitive Creation, so what sort of breakthrough had he experienced?

The situation had the Agriculture Hall disciples going crazy.

They had no way of explaining this phenomenon.

But whether they understood or not, Tang Jie was ascending.

He had already climbed more than 20 meters and was only a few steps away from the 300-meter terrace.

But after crossing so many steps in one go, Tang Jie's speed finally began to drop.

His strength ran out once more, the several steps becoming as difficult as ascending to heaven.

But Tang Jie didn't give up.

Only he knew where this strength had come from: the White Tiger's essence blood!

That latent power had been hidden in the depths of his body. Borrowing the empty state of Tempered Will, it was finally unleashed!

It was by borrowing this immense power that Tang Jie had been able to go so far so quickly.

But if he stopped now, as the White Tiger's power seeped into his body and faded, then reaching that terrace would become impossible until he reached Cognitive Creation.

No matter what, he couldn't stop!

He clenched his teeth and pressed forward, step by step!

Blood seeped out from his skin. That pull was already beginning to influence the insides of his body, even damaging it, the pull drawing out the blood from his pores.

This turned Tang Jie into a human made of blood, a mist of blood forming around him.

But Tang Jie didn't stop, growling like a man-eating beast, his eyes turning crimson.

Everyone trembled in fear at the sight.

They had seen numerous people climb up the mountain, but after seeing such a gruesome ascent, they couldn't help but look away.

And this was only 300 meters, still far away from the peak of 888 meters.

Tang Jie was blind to his surroundings, continuing to press forward.

For him, this was the summit. Once he got through here, the rest would be smooth sailing.

The strength in his body was rapidly fading, and Tang Jie knew he couldn't last for long.

He gathered up all his strength and pushed, finally making one more step.

He was now standing on the last step. Just one step more would get him to the terrace!

Forward!

Tang Jie mentally roared, unleashing all his strength.

Little by little, his right foot rose up. Tang Jie's eyeballs were almost popping out of their sockets.

Finally!

Tang Jie's right foot landed on the 300-meter terrace.

"Wow!" The tense Agriculture Hall disciples all cheered.

They were happy for Tang Jie and were cheering on his efforts.

At that moment, half of Tang Jie's body was lying on the terrace, his entire body emptied of strength.

Tempered Will!

He had entered the Tempered Will state again.

After entering Tempered Will midway and being empowered by the White Tiger's essence blood, Tang Jie had immediately entered Tempered Will again, once more wringing his body dry.

This was a chance granted by the heavens.

Taking in numerous medicines under Tempered Will and charging at Cognitive Creation would be of enormous assistance to Tang Jie's growth. From a certain perspective, it could be considered another instance of unlocking his potential.

But there was a problem.

Tang Jie hadn't reached the terrace yet.

There was still one foot on a step, and he no longer had the strength to raise it.

"A pity…" Zhao Hui couldn't help but sigh at this sight.

"A chance from the heavens, but it's all for naught!" Everyone silently shook their heads.

Only Tang Jie was smiling.

"Is that so? But I don't think so," he said.

He reached into his Mustard Seed Bag and slowly pulled something out.

It was a golden dagger.

Everyone was startled when they saw Tang Jie take out a dagger, and then they realized what was happening and shouted in unison, "Don't!"

Tang Jie's eyes flashed with resolve. "The Immortal path is difficult to walk, and only the brave can reach the summit!"

He swung down!