Chapter 23
One could only see the 10 or more boulders flying haphazardly throughout the second room, leaving behind very little breathing s.p.a.ce. If one wanted to remain in the room, not being able to dodge the boulders meant that one would be utterly crushed into a meat paste. Xiang Shaoyun was completely unprepared when he first walked in and was struck by numerous loose boulders, leaving him crying out in extreme pain.
"d.a.m.n it, was this boulder formation really prepared for Basic Realm cultivators? How many people can even withstand these things?" Xiang Shaoyun loudly cussed. He felt like he was simultaneously facing several, if not tens, of ninth-stage Basic Realm pract.i.tioners. He had no way of defending against this group attack.
"I must think of a way to hold on!" Xiang Shaoyun was not someone to easily give up. Adjusting his mentality, he began dodging to the left and the right. Luckily, he had already experienced the first room of the Hall of Limits. He was quick as a swallow, able to identify the empty spots he could dodge into.
However, just purely relying on dodging to stay within the room for a whole hour was not a viable solution. At this moment, Mo Buhui, Mei Lianhua, and Lu Xiaoqing entered the second room. The moment they entered, they immediately took out their weapons to defend themselves against the boulder formation.
Clink Clang Clink Clang!
Sparks flew as the boulders came into contact with their various weapons. Xiang Shaoyun was momentarily stunned before coming to a realization, exclaiming, "So you can use weapons to defend yourself!"
Using a weapon to hold off the boulders would make it much easier to cope. However, after considering the situation for a while, he decided to temporarily abstain from using his weapon. He wanted to raise his own combat ability in order to prepare for the future. Hence, he decided to rely on his own two hands to destroy all the boulders inside the room.
Thinking about his home, Xiang Shaoyun's eyes began to dim, and he began to revolve the Heaven Conquering Overlord Manual. Astral energy began to ripple within his body. He concentrated his strength into his two fists and yelled, "Break!"
His voice was like a sudden clap of thunder, his fists as hard as steel.
Peng!
Xiang Shaoyun's full-powered blow thoroughly decimated the oncoming boulder, but he had no time to rejoice. Another boulder was heading swiftly for his back. Startled, he twisted his body in an attempt to dodge, but he soon noticed yet another boulder speeding towards him. With no other choice, he forced out yet another punch.
This time, however, he was unable to gather his strength quickly enough, resulting in his fist bleeding after the impact. Not allowing him to rest for long, boulders from all around started rus.h.i.+ng towards him one after another.
"Come at me! I'll destroy each and every one of you!" Xiang Shaoyun
Pow Pow!
With the revolution of the Heaven Conquering Overlord Manual, along with Xiang Shaoyun's remarkable physique, his fists broke the boulders one after another, giving him much more breathing room.
This did not mean that there were no more issues, however. Xiang Shaoyun's body was covered in several wounds, and he had been knocked to the ground twice by the boulders, making it very hard for him to remain standing.
His body had also been pounded to the point of almost being unrecognizable, his character itself turning into that of a wild beast. Even if he was to face off against three Wu Mingliangs, it would not be as strenuous as right now.
The Hall of Limits, a place to push one to the very limits of possibility. It remained to be seen if he would be able to accomplish it.
Meanwhile, Mo Buhui, Mei Lianhua, and Lu Xiaoqing were not doing too well either. Their physical bodies could not compare to Xiang Shaoyun's, which had been tempered since young with various medicines. After being hit several times, they were finding it very hard to keep persisting.
"I can't hold on any longer; I'm retreating!" Mei Lianhua was the first one to buckle under the pressure, swiftly heading for the exit. Lu Xiaoqing held on a few more moments, but she was also incapable of holding on and ended up leaving as well.
As for Mo Buhui, he was definitely considerably stronger than the two. Gritting his teeth, he repeatedly stabbed out with the spear in his hand, knocking away as many boulders as he could manage. Some of the boulders, however, similarly hit him.
"Looks like I have to retreat too," Mo Buhui muttered quietly before rus.h.i.+ng for the exit. As he left, he sneaked a glance at Xiang Shaoyun and was thoroughly astonished. However, he did not wish to stay in the room a moment longer, so he swiftly exited the second room.
"d.a.m.n it, I couldn't even last for half an hour!" The moment Mo Buhui came out of the room, he did not pay attention to the injuries on his body. He punched the wall in front of him hard, completely unsatisfied with his performance.
"Brother Mo, don't be too harsh on yourself. I believe you'll be able to clear this room once you reach ninth-stage perfection!" Mei Lianhua comforted him, equally beat up.
Mo Buhui shook his head and replied, "No, it'll be difficult to pa.s.s this room unless I train my body to utter perfection. Otherwise, I won't be able to last at all."
"The Basic Realm is for training one's physical strength. If your physical strength is at its peak, one fist will be able to shatter boulders and startle the heavens. How difficult can the second room be then?" the overseer reminded the despondent youths.
"Strength to shatter boulders and startle the heavens with one fist?" The trio pondered his words for a while before coming to a sudden realization.
The overseer was implying that their physical bodies had not yet been honed to perfection; naturally, they could not be pushed to the limits.
"I must train my physical strength even harder!" Lu Xiaoqing muttered to herself while clenching her fists.
Mo Buhui and Mei Lianhua also naturally understood this concept. However, they were even more clear how hard it would be to bridge that one gap. Even with the growth of their strength, they would still choose to condense their energy in their acupoints to awaken the stars within their bodies, raising their strength within the shortest amount of time. Why in the world should they spend time training their physical bodies?
When the half hour mark was reached, Xia Liuhui slowly crawled out from the first room of the Hall of Limits. Such a sight was thoroughly comical.
"Not bad, not bad indeed. You were able to stay in there for half an hour! You should've had some form of benefit from being able to stay in there," the overseer laughed lightly upon seeing Xia Liuhui.
After exiting the first room, Xia Liuhui stumbled and fell onto the floor, muttering, "I-I'm going to die."
"Quickly sit cross-legged and meditate! This is the time when your gains from inside the room are the most fres.h.!.+ Whether you'll be able to break through to eighth-stage Basic Realm will all depend on this moment!" The overseer's admonishment struck Xia Liuhui like a lightning bolt.
Not daring to hesitate, Xia Liuhui immediately began calming his breath and meditating. An hour pa.s.sed within the blink of an eye. Lu Xiaoqing began to worry and asked, "An hour has pa.s.sed. Great overseer, why hasn't Xiang Shaoyun come out yet?"
"Could he be grievously injured inside?" Mei Lianhua asked at the side.
"I believe that Xiang Shaoyun will definitely be able to come out," Mo Buhui said with conviction in his voice.
Lu Xiaoqing and Mei Lianhua both flashed looks of astonishment at Mo Buhui. Neither of them could understand where he got his confidence. Just then, the overseer indifferently said, "That brat's examination time isn't over yet, he still has one more hour."
"One more hour?! Won't he have been in there for two hours then?" Lu Xiaoqing lightly gasped.
"Great overseer, wh-what is going on here? Did he request this himself?" Mei Lianhua found it extremely hard to fathom. Mo Buhui also awaited the overseer's answer, confusion clouding his face.
Speaking as though it were completely normal, the overseer replied, "The time I gave you is the shortest possible time required to pa.s.s the second room. I don't even know if he'll come out at that point."
The moment he finished speaking, the trio's jaws dropped to the ground.