On the nineteenth step, John continued to grit his teeth as mental and physical pain assaulted him. The physical pressure of the steps, combined with the mental pain inflicted by the comprehension portion of the step nearly overwhelmed him.
However, the incredibly durable nature of his body allowed him to focus more on the comprehension portion, and allow his body to bear most of the burden without focusing on it. Like this, John stayed kneeled on the step fighting against its pressure for over an hour.
His flesh slowly began to tear apart, and his mental walls began to weaken as he felt the energy threaten to overwhelm him. Blood began to seep from John's mouth from the force of his gritted teeth.
However, no matter how much he struggled against the comprehension portion of the test, John found himself unable to advance forward anymore.
'What…the..fuck…is this test?' John couldn't help but internally grumble through the pain.
His comprehensions were already considered prodigious, but even he was unable to see through this step in time. The previous trial had drained most of his soulpower, requiring him to need a period to recover before reaching his peak once more.
'I guess I should…have rested on the previous step,' John mused while he felt the urge to laugh at himself.
He had thought with his talent, he would be invincible regardless of the test. Based on the order thus far, the nineteenth step should have been a dantian test, which John would have breezed through with no effort at all. However, the test focused on all three aspects, which was something John had not accounted for.
With the weakened state of his soul power, John's comprehension speed was far below normal. It was like trying to think while having a searing headache. Every time he tried to focus on the energy washing over him, his soul would flare with incredible pain, preventing him from comprehending the energy.
"Something is not right," the Grand Elder suddenly stated as a concerned frown appeared on his face.
"What is it?" Iris asked, concern in her voice.
"As only one other person in history has ever reached this step, no one knew what the step tested. John's soul power and divine sense flared out recently, which is a sign that the nineteenth step does not only test dantian talents, but also tests comprehension talents. However, his soul power is weakening by the second, and I can feel its is nearly on the verge of collapse."
"What?" Iris exclaimed in shock at the Grand Elder's words. Her gaze shifted back to John. "Does that mean….?"
"Yes. While I was wrong at the other steps, this one is for certain," the Grand Elder replied. "Unless John does something to change the tide of things, he will no doubt fail at this rate. However, he has not given up yet, so maybe he has one last trick up his sleeve."
After saying this, the Grand Elder fell back into silence, his eyes not leaving John for a single second. Even if John couldn't reach the twentieth step and reveal himself to be the one that Thunderzen had sought for all these years, his talent was still beyond anything the world had seen before. Regardless of if he completed the last step, John was no doubt the sect's greatest treasure from this day forward.
…
In the palace atop the floating landmass, a pair of eyes gazed intently at a certain direction. The gaze pierced rock and earth as it landed on John, who was struggling against the test. After watching his soul power fade more and more, a soft sigh escaped the lips of the one watching.
However, just as the sigh escaped his lips, his eyes widened slightly, his attention once again grabbed by the one on the steps.
…
John's teeth continued to chatter violently as pain wracked his body, and his soul power waned. Slowly but surely he was losing to the comprehension talent portion of this test, which was the first thing he needed to get through.
John could easily tell that the test worked in three parts. First, one had to comprehend the nature of the energy in order to fully utilize their Qi. With the way the energy surged within his body and clashed against his Qi, comprehending the nature of the energy was the only way to fight against it.
After that, the dantian would surge with its strongest Qi, which the meridians would need to withstand. This powered state would need to be strong enough to push forward to the top step. However, John was unable to get through the first stage of this step, let alone the next two.
'I hate to admit it, but with my previous hastiness, I am unable to pass this test by comprehending this energy.'
John felt a wave of defeat wash over him, as it was the first time since he started cultivating that he truly felt defeated. A self-mocking smile appeared on his face for a moment, as John etched this moment in his mind, making sure he never forgot it.
'I may have heaven-defying talent, but there is always a limit to what I can do. I will not forget this lesson…'
John took a moment to appreciate the sense of pure defeat, before his face suddenly hardened as his eyes snapped open wide.
'This one aspect of the test may have defeated me…but it's still far from being enough to stop me. I didn't want to use it already, but it seems I have no other choice.'
Bloodline Power!
Asura Transformation Art!
John's power, which had been restricted by the formation, suddenly exploded out from his body with heaven shaking force, as the combined might of his bloodline power and Asura Transformation Art shattered through the comprehension barriers. When compared to sheer power, comprehension restrictions were always secondary.
The steps' energy, which had thwarted his Qi from activating his Asura Transformation Art, was pierced through like a piece of paper trying to stop a bullet.
Boom!
John's power exploded out as his aura towered up high into the sky. Those within the sect all felt this incredible power ripple over them in waves, and all could see the aura flaring out high into the sky. While none could identify who the power belonged to, they could all tell that it belonged to something incredibly profound. Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at the aura, and most started to move towards it.
"No one shall move," a booming voice sounded over the sect, stopping everyone in their tracks. They could tell the words were said by the Sect Leader, and none dared disobey his words.
Iris and the Grand Elder, who were the closest to John and felt the full extent of his power, could only watch with stunned expressions as John finally stood up from his kneeled state.
Iris had nearly been overwhelmed by John's aura alone, but the Grand Elder had intervened to shield her, allowing her to stand near John without being blown away by his power.
Her gaze locked onto John in complete awe. His head, which had been bowed towards the step for the longest time, was now held high with powerful pride, like an imperial emperor looking down on his subjects.
However, his kingly aura was also mixed with an absolutely sinister aura, making him look more like a demon emperor, looking down on all of creation. The glowing red runes which had appeared on his body, as well as the two straight horns that had protruded from the top of his head only further strengthened this image of a demon emperor.
John's blood red gaze stared at the twentieth step before him, as he no longer felt the restriction of the step affect him. His gaze shifted to his hands, which he outstretched before him to inspect. This was the first time he had used the combined power of his bloodline ability and Asura Transformation Art, and the result was beyond his wildest imaginations.
John basked in the feeling of absolute power for a brief moment, before his gaze once again shifted to the last step before him. He knew this state of his was only temporary, and that the longer he used it, the worse the damage to his body would be afterwards. In fact, he could feel that his body was nearly unable to contain such power, and it seemed to be tearing at the seams.
Without any further hesitation, John's power surged once more as he took a large step forward.
BOOM!
His foot slammed down with incredible might, shaking the steps and the surrounding land, as loosened boulders began to fall down the nearby mountains, as if an earthquake had struck the land.
BOOM!
Another earth-shattering force shook the land, as John's other foot slammed onto the platform, bringing his body completely onto the top step. For the first time in history, the twentieth step had been reached.
