Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension

As they approached the Overweight Room, the silhouette became increasingly clear.

"Big brother is a genius in spellcasting and possesses the extremely rare Dual Spirit Roots. We can't compare with someone of such exceptional talent. It would already be a blessing from our ancestors if we could achieve Foundation Establishment!" said Zhao Yanyong with a somewhat dejected tone.

What he said was not wrong; every year the Zhao Family saw the emergence of the eight strong martial competitors, yet there were less than thirty Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the entire clan.

On average, some years not even one Foundation Establishment would occur.

Moreover, those who could advance to Foundation Establishment were not necessarily from the eight strong martial competitors; other clan members with good luck could also achieve Foundation Establishment.

"Isn't that the truth!"

As they spoke, a chubby old man with a square face and large ears approached the two men, echoing their sentiment with great emotion.

"Old Four, you're different from us. The Yi Character Lineage has accumulated enough points this year, and that Foundation Establishment Pill is undoubtedly yours," he said.

"Perhaps after a while, we'd have to respectfully address you as Elder," Zhao Yanyong said enviously while looking at Old Fourth, Zhao Deqian.

"Heh heh, then I'll take that as your lucky word," the chubby old man replied, unabashedly pleased with the conversation.

Aside, Zhao Yanqi inwardly sneered, beginning to estimate whether the good deeds he had accumulated over the years were enough to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill.

The Zhao Family's Good Deeds Hall stipulated that the exchange price of the Foundation Establishment Pill would fluctuate annually with the market, varying in price but always at least twenty thousand good deeds.

He had only accumulated a total of fourteen thousand good deeds, still lacking by six thousand.

At this rate of accumulation, it would take at least ten years to successfully exchange for one, by which time he would already be over seventy years old, making the probability of Foundation Establishment extremely slim.

"I can't continue wasting time like this. I have to find another way. But six thousand good deeds is not a small number, where can I make up the difference? Is it possible to borrow from an elder of my own lineage?"

As Zhao Yanqi was secretly planning for his Foundation Establishment, the three of them arrived in front of a room with an ancient bronze door.

Outside the door, two people were already waiting.

One had a cold demeanor and a proud bearing, looking like a white-faced scholar around the age of thirty.

The other was a middle-aged black fatty who, at the moment, was trying to ingratiate himself with the scholarly-looking man, albeit without any response. Nonetheless, the black fatty continued to smile as if nothing happened.

"Big brother!" Zhao Yanqi and his two companions immediately greeted the scholarly-looking man as they saw him.

His name was Zhao Qingming, the top ranker in this competition, a standout of the Zhao Family's Qing generation, only thirty-eight years old, and had already reached Qi Refining Perfection, with Foundation Establishment in sight.

"Mmh!" Zhao Qingming, who was arrogant by nature, merely nodded slightly at the three of them, which was considered a greeting.

The three of them knew his personality and did not take offense.

They were, however, rather curious about the middle-aged black fatty.

"De Gang, what are you doing here?" the chubby old man, Zhao Deqian, immediately asked.

"Brother Qian, you ask me, but I've got no clue. I received a command from the elder, and so here I am, all confused," replied the middle-aged black fatty, scratching his head with a sly smile.

The two were of the same generation and from the Yi Character Lineage, very familiar with each other and shared a deep friendship.

Without further ado, the few missing individuals soon arrived at the location.

Now that the eight strong competitors of the martial tournament had all gathered, the middle-aged black fatty and the handsome young man with red lips and white teeth stood out even more.

The handsome young man's real name was Zhao Qinghua, twenty-three years old, with a cultivation level of Qi Refining Third Level, and belonged to the Li Character Lineage just like Zhao Qingming. He usually did not stand out at all in the clan.

For this reason, Zhao Qinghua's presence was even more baffling to everyone present.

"Old Eight, you're from the Shen Character Lineage. This is your territory. Tell us, what's the intention behind the clan ordering us here?"

Zhao Yanqi looked up at the speaker, thick-necked with a burly figure, the runner up in the competition.

He was about to share his own guess.

Just then, the ancient bronze door suddenly creaked open, revealing a gap.

In an instant, billowing white steam burst from the gap in the door, causing everyone's expression to change.

Creak! The ancient bronze door opened inch by inch, and the high-temperature steam quickly dispersed into the corridor.

Their vision cleared, revealing a Dao Field of nearly a hundred zhang in front of them. The Dao Field was very spacious, without any obstructions, and its floor was completely paved with fine iron.

At the center of the Dao Field, a slender figure sat cross-legged with their back to everyone.
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Streams of white steam continuously emanated from this person, lingering around their body, forming dense, high-temperature fog that wouldn't disperse for a long time.

"Since you've come, come on in!"

At that moment, a cold voice suddenly rang in everyone's ears.

No sooner had the voice faded than a chill struck everyone's hearts, and Zhao Qingming suddenly sneered, "Zhao Qingyang, so it was you playing tricks!"

Zhao Sheng might have kept a low profile within the Zhao Family, but being dual Spirit Roots just like Zhao Qingming, it would be difficult not to be aware of Zhao Sheng's existence.

At some point, the elder began mentioning the name Zhao Qingyang repeatedly in his ear. At first, it was about his unwillingness to compete, but later it turned into praise, with hints that he himself needed to make more of an effort.

It could be said that Zhao Sheng's reputation outside of the Zhao Family wasn't prominent, but within certain members of his own clan, he was always "someone else's child."

Zhao Sheng was kept so well hidden by the Zhao Family that he rarely appeared in public, making it impossible for Zhao Qingming to challenge him.

Having said his piece, Zhao Qingming stepped into the dojo.

Suddenly, his expression changed, his body sank heavily downward, he staggered, and nearly fell flat on the spot.

Only when a pale blue light shield emerged around his body did he manage to stand up straight again.

At this time, the other nine people also sensed the anomaly of this place and immediately used their abilities to resist the gravity.

The middle-aged, hefty man didn't bother exerting himself; he simply sat down on the ground, while the handsome young Zhao Qinghua stood steadily, showing no signs of discomfort.

"This place… it's actually ten times gravity! Tsk tsk, that kid Qingyang is too… truly formidable!" Zhao Yanqi went pale but then exclaimed with joy on his face.

The Overweight Room they were currently in had been personally set up by Zhao Xuanjing.

There were seven other similar places built in seven other underground sections.

The Gravity Magic Array of the Overweight Room originated from the Ksitigarbha Sect. This array did not create supergravity out of thin air but transformed the weight of the thick topsoil layer into gravity through the array, ranging from one to a hundred times.

This Overweight Room had a maximum limit of thirty times gravity, and normally only Body Refining Practitioners would enter this place for training.

Zhao Sheng had never practiced any Body Refining Techniques; it was purely by virtue of his extraordinary physique that he withstood ten times the gravity.

A few years ago, he had discovered by chance that cultivating under supergravity could increase the speed of Spiritual Energy conversion.

And the greater the gravity, the faster the conversion of Spiritual Energy.

Zhao Sheng had asked others to test this, but to his surprise, he found that only he experienced this effect,

While others slowed down their cultivation speed when training under supergravity.

He pondered and came to suspect that this phenomenon might be due to the Barbaric Ancient Battle Body.

Back to the matter at hand.

In the Supergravity Dojo, Zhao Sheng slowly stood up from the ground, turned around, and looked indifferently at the ten "guests" as he took out a yellowish-brown stone ball from his chest.

He channeled a stream of Spiritual Power into the stone ball, which suddenly flickered a few times and a layer of yellow light halo emerged on the surface, with rune light chains flashing and disappearing in the halo.

Hum!

Following a clear tone, everyone suddenly felt lighter, and they couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief as the glowing spells on their bodies gradually faded.

"I apologize; I was in the midst of cultivating just now and was inadvertently neglectful. Please forgive my inconsideration!" Zhao Sheng said with a contrived expression of apology.

"Hmph, all an act! Why have you brought us here, what do you want?" Zhao Qingming coldly sneered, pressing the question ahead of the others.

Zhao Sheng shook his head, waving his hand to dissipate the fog around him, and then methodically explained, "It wasn't I who invited you here. It was Ancestor Jing's intention."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the middle-aged, hefty Zhao Degang blurted out in disbelief, "What? It's Ancestor's decree?!"

The others were no less shocked.

In their eyes, Zhao Xuanjing, who had secluded himself for years, was the true pillar and rafter of the family.

Everyone in the Zhao Family revered Ancestor Jing immensely, practically deifying him.

Zhao Yanqi instinctively asked, "Qingyang, what is Ancestor Jing's purpose for issuing this decree?"

"Uncle Qi, that's a good question,"

Zhao Sheng complimented, then with an air of indifference, spread his hands and said, "Ancestor thinks I've become arrogant. So, he has brought you here to teach me a lesson. To remind me not to be so full of myself and to disregard others."

"Indeed, there are skies beyond skies and people beyond people! Ancestor truly thinks far ahead," Zhao Yanqi absentmindedly concurred.

At this moment, the others also came to a realization.

Nobody present was foolish, and apart from the two who were there to make up the numbers and Zhao Yanqi who understood his own limitations, the rest immediately grasped the opportunity to stand out.