Translator: CinderTL
After a long while, Jiang Ye calmed his mind, setting aside the joy of his breakthrough.
"Merely the fifth breakthrough is not enough to let my guard down," he reminded himself, his eyes hardening with determination. "The Great Stellar War is only three months away."
"I need to reach the mid-stage of the fifth breakthrough as soon as possible."
With that thought, Jiang Ye suddenly remembered something.
"The Martial Dao Heavenly Ladder should be ready for examination now." With a mental command, his consciousness instantly plunged into the depths of his mind.
Whoosh!
When he opened his eyes again, Jiang Ye found himself in that mysterious, mist-shrouded space.
Before him, a magnificent, golden Heavenly Ladder stretched skyward, its steps shimmering against the clouds.
Swoosh! Jiang Ye flashed forward, rapidly ascending the ladder.
In the blink of an eye, he had already reached the sixth level.
"Seventh level," Jiang Ye continued climbing. Between the sixth and seventh levels lay ten steps.
During his fifth breakthrough in life level, Jiang Ye had attempted the Martial Dao Heavenly Ladder, but he had been forced to stop at the third step.
Now?
Whoosh! Jiang Ye effortlessly cleared the first three steps and then strode through the remaining seven without breaking a sweat.
Finally, he reached the seventh-level platform.
It was remarkably easy.
"After the fifth breakthrough in the True Divine Manual, my strength far exceeds the requirements of the Heavenly Ladder," Jiang Ye realized. "The Martial Dao Heavenly Ladder seems to be calibrated according to standard cultivation methods."
This was good news.
It further demonstrated the immense power of the True Divine Manual.
You have reached the seventh level of the Martial Dao Heavenly Ladder. Commence the examination immediately?
A notification appeared.
"Yes!" Jiang Ye replied firmly.
Warning: You are about to enter a divine-tier assessment. The assessment's time flow matches real-world time. Proceed when ready.
Another notification appeared.
"Divine-tier assessment?" Jiang Ye was momentarily stunned.
Then:
"The assessment's time flow matches real-world time?" Jiang Ye was slightly alarmed, relieved he hadn't rushed in.
Otherwise, missing the Great Stellar War would have been disastrous.
In previous examinations, Jiang Ye had often spent years, even decades, within the trials.
If this seventh-layer assessment followed suit, he needed to prepare accordingly.
"It seems I'll have to wait until after the Great Stellar War to return," Jiang Ye thought to himself.
He wasn't in a hurry.
The examination could be taken anytime.
But missing the Great Stellar War meant waiting another three years.
The Great Stellar War was an unparalleled opportunity for Jiang Ye to enhance his innate aptitude, one he couldn't afford to miss.
"I wonder..."
"What form will this divine-tier assessment take?" A hint of anticipation stirred in Jiang Ye's heart.
The rule that time flowed identically to reality was unprecedented.
This unique aspect, combined with the "divine-grade" designation, hinted at the extraordinary nature of the trial.
The rewards would undoubtedly be unimaginably extravagant!
Soon after, Jiang Ye returned to reality and sat cross-legged.
He pondered his next steps in cultivation.
"Fifth breakthrough: refining the five viscera."
"First, the heart," Jiang Ye recalled. "Complete transcendence of the heart marks the mid-stage of the fifth breakthrough."
Qiu Cang and Zhu Honglie had both mentioned these details, so Jiang Ye was already familiar with them.
"Next, I'll focus on advancing to the mid-stage of the fifth breakthrough," Jiang Ye resolved.
Suddenly, a thought struck him.
"Now that I've achieved the fifth breakthrough, I can try refining that primordial treasure."
As he pondered this,
Whoosh~
A crimson fruit materialized in his hand, glowing with a translucent, crystalline luster and radiating an irresistibly alluring aura.
"Fire Source Fruit," Jiang Ye murmured.
It was another gift from the Chen Family Patriarch.
According to Bai Gui, this Fire Source Fruit was a primordial treasure, immensely helpful for condensing heart fire during the fifth breakthrough.
Such primordial treasures were even rarer than certain heavenly divine objects, making their value immeasurable.
"Let's try it," Jiang Ye said, swallowing the Fire Source Fruit whole.
Glug~
The fruit melted instantly upon entering his mouth, sliding directly into his abdomen.
Immediately afterward, it transformed into a burning liquid that surged upward from Jiang Ye's abdomen, rushing straight toward his heart.
"Hmm?" Jiang Ye's eyes widened abruptly.
In an instant, he felt as if his entire body were enveloped in raging flames, scorched by an eternal, blazing sun.
"So hot..."
"So thirsty..." Jiang Ye felt his mouth and throat parched beyond measure.
The sensation was excruciating, unbearable even for someone with Jiang Ye's exceptional physical resilience.
"Jiang Ye, hold on!" Bai Gui's voice rang out. "This is the essence of the fire dao. If you can absorb it, it will greatly benefit you."
"The essence of the fire dao?" Jiang Ye's heart stirred.
Hearing the word "benefit," he immediately held his breath and forced himself to calm down.
The torment of this heart fire was unbearable for ordinary people.
Fortunately!
Years of enduring the trials of the second layer of the Martial Dao Heavenly Ladder had granted Jiang Ye an exceptionally high pain tolerance.
He quickly stilled his mind.
"Refine!" Jiang Ye thought, and began refining the scorching energy within his body.
"Condense the heart fire."
"Will he succeed?" Bai Gui observed from the sidelines, her curiosity piqued.
Even with a rare treasure like the Fire Source Fruit, condensing heart fire was far from guaranteed.
If it were truly so easy, wouldn't every martial artist in first and second-tier civilizations have already grasped the mysteries of the law?
In reality, besides the treasure itself, the most crucial factor in condensing heart fire was the martial artist's innate affinity for the dao of fire.
With sufficient affinity, one could easily comprehend the mysteries of fire even without external assistance.
Conversely, with insufficient affinity, even the most potent treasures would struggle to ignite the heart fire.
"What is Jiang Ye's affinity for the dao of fire?" Bai Gui wondered, her anticipation growing.
Under Bai Gui's watchful gaze, Jiang Ye continued refining the scorching energy within his body.
Time flowed, and a full day passed in the blink of an eye.
"What a pity," Bai Gui thought, her disappointment growing. After a full day, Jiang Ye had still failed to condense heart fire.
This could only mean one thing:
Jiang Ye's affinity for the dao of fire was extremely low!
With sufficient affinity, condensing heart fire would take mere minutes.
Even with slightly weaker affinity, it could still be achieved within a few hours.
But Jiang Ye? He hadn't condensed his heart fire in a day, making it virtually impossible for him to succeed now.
The energy of the Fire Source Fruit was also nearing depletion.
"What a pity," Bai Gui thought to herself. "If he could condense his heart fire, it would greatly enhance his combat power."
Just then—
Whoosh!
A powerful surge erupted from Jiang Ye's body. Though invisible, the energy burned like flames, instantly raising the surrounding air temperature by dozens of degrees.
The entire room transformed into a scorching steam bath!
"Hmm?"
"This!" Bai Gui's beautiful eyes widened in shock. "He succeeded?"
At that moment,
Inside Jiang Ye's body, the last trace of energy from the Fire Source Fruit was exhausted.
Within his heart, a colorless flame suddenly materialized. Though intangible, it pulsed with a lifelike rhythm.
"Heart fire, finally achieved!" Jiang Ye's eyes snapped open, brimming with joy.
He had almost given up hope.
Yet at the very last moment, he had succeeded.
But before Jiang Ye could fully savor his triumph,
System notifications abruptly appeared:
Warning! Warning! Energy exceeding Low Martial realm detected. System overload imminent.
(End of the Chapter)
---------------------------
📖 You are reading [691] Chapters behind with [142] Free Chapters available on site.
🔥 Read up to Chapter [1131] now, only on ᴄɪɴᴅᴇʀᴛʟ.ᴄᴏᴍ.
📚 Read upto [14,100+] Chapters on Site with [10,900+] Free Chapters!
---------------------------