Qi Ming

Falling Sky River was shrouded in mist, and a massive torrential flow descended from the sky, creating a loud roaring sound. Beneath the vast torrents, Lu Ze executed the Dragon Scale Steps, continuously climbing along the slippery rock walls.

With each climb and fall, every tumble felt like being struck by a massive boulder, shaking his internal organs. However, with each injury, a tremendous force surged within him, cleansing his flesh, washing his bones, and making him stronger with each passing moment.

He seemed like a dragon undergoing the most perilous and arduous transformation, sharpening himself to the extreme. Despite facing the most dangerous and challenging metamorphosis, he maintained a trace of clarity, refining his body step by step.

"Is this guy still human?"

"Is he really an Innate Realm expert?"

"Falling nearly a hundred times in the Falling Sky River, yet he can still get up. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it!"

The surrounding experts by the Falling Sky River, watching him climb and fall nearly a hundred times, were left utterly stunned. They were at a loss for words.

They had all experienced the might of the Falling Sky River's water firsthand. Even just standing under the Falling Sky River was a reason for celebration, let alone attempting to climb against its current.

But Lu Ze had not only exceeded that short time but had also endured the pressure of the torrents over a hundred times and continued to climb.

This feat was something not even a True Profound Realm expert at the ninth stage could accomplish!

"Do you think he will succeed in climbing the Falling Sky River?" Suddenly, a powerful expert looked at Lu Ze, who was still climbing, and asked the others.

The crowd hesitated for a moment, and then someone regained their composure, saying with a serious expression, "Climbing the Falling Sky River? That seems impossible. Even a True Profound Realm expert wouldn't dare to claim they could do it! It's simply impossible."

"I wouldn't be so sure. Have you noticed that each time he falls from the Falling Sky River, his speed increases significantly? Maybe he can actually make it!"

"I don't think so. Throughout history, the weakest experts who managed to climb the Falling Sky River were at the third stage of the True Profound Realm. He's only at the Innate Realm, how could he possibly achieve that?"

"Roar!"

But before they could reach a conclusion, a resounding dragon roar suddenly echoed from the Falling Sky River. Beneath the torrents of the Falling Sky River, an illusory azure dragon coiled around Lu Ze, gradually materializing as he moved.

The azure dragon hovered, its claws and fangs bared, wings fluttering, and its ice-cold eyes overseeing the world with a majestic presence. The massive torrents split apart, as if a celestial maiden had divided a large ribbon in two.

At this moment, Lu Ze had reached a position eight hundred meters into the Falling Sky River. After numerous failures, he had finally mastered the sixth step of the Dragon Scale Steps - the Dragon Transformation.

As the azure dragon manifested, the torrents parted, reducing the pressure around him. However, the water flow ahead remained swift. The spiritual energy in his dantian was nearly depleted, but he gritted his teeth, persevered, and continued forward along the slippery rock wall.

Finally, he arrived at the one-thousand-meter mark of the Falling Sky River. The water pressure increased exponentially, and even the azure dragon circling around him struggled to separate the torrents.

Lu Ze reached the bottleneck of the Dragon Scale Steps, and it was time for the last step.

"True Dragon Body, activate!"

Under the immense water pressure, a sudden flash of inspiration crossed Lu Ze's mind. Though it was fleeting, he caught it vividly.

Steadily, he took the final step forward. Instantly, a violent roar erupted from within him, resembling a dragon's cry. The azure dragon behind him roared as it surged into his body. A clear dragon cry echoed.

Pure spiritual energy surged within him, coursing over his body, nourishing his skin, muscles, veins, and internal organs. His skin became translucent and radiant, even emitting a faint white glow.

Subsequently, pale white scales emerged from his skin, forming a thick armor that covered his entire body, turning him into a war god.

The Dragon Scale Steps were finally perfected.

"Haha, I did it! Haha!"

Lu Ze laughed in excitement, paying no heed to the rushing torrents above him or the thousand-meter drop in front. In midair, he leaped forward like a Divine Dragon, gathering the wind around him as he soared into the distance.

The sixth step of the Dragon Scale Steps has been perfected, allowing short flights in midair. With the seventh step mastered, one can travel through the air like a True Profound Realm expert!

In this way, before the onlookers could regain their senses, Lu Ze had disappeared into the dense jungle along the Falling Sky River.

"He succeeded?"

"In just two hours, he actually managed to perfect the Dragon Scale Steps?"

"What level of freak is this guy?"

The Qiantian Sect enforcement disciples in the shadows, watching Lu Ze leave, exclaimed in disbelief, their faces filled with astonishment. When Lu Ze was practicing, they were not skeptical of his success. On the contrary, they believed he would succeed within three days! However, none of them had expected that he would perfect the Dragon Scale Steps in less than one day!

How terrifying is this guy's potential?

"I'll go report to the elders; you guys continue to keep an eye here!" Realizing the urgency of the situation, one enforcement disciple hastily gave instructions to his colleagues before rushing off to report to the Qiantian Sect.

Others continued to watch the now calming Falling Sky River, waves of shock and disbelief surging in their hearts.

On the other hand, Lu Ze, who had perfected the Dragon Scale Steps, was now dressed in his own clothes, ready to rest a bit before returning to the sect.

The time spent practicing by the Falling Sky River had greatly benefited him. Not only did he break through the Innate Realm and perfect the Dragon Scale Steps, but he also pushed past his physical limits, making his body even stronger. However, he had accumulated some internal injuries, and the spiritual energy in his dantian was almost depleted, so he needed some time to recuperate.

"Senior Brother, Senior Brother!"

"Senior Brother, you are also a disciple of the Qiantian Sect, right?"

At this moment, an excited shout reached Lu Ze's ears. He turned to see a young man, roughly his age, also dressed in the outer disciple uniform of the Qiantian Sect, running towards him.

"You are...?"

Lu Ze looked at him with confusion and asked.

The young man's strength was not weak, with a cultivation level of Postnatal Realm Seventh Stage.

He saw Qi Ming bowing to Lu Ze and said, "Senior Brother, I am an outer disciple of the Qiantian Sect, and my name is Qi Ming!"

"Qi Ming?"

Lu Ze frowned, not recognizing this name. This Qi Ming should be a newcomer to the sect, but it didn't make sense. With his impressive talent, he should have gained some reputation by now. How could Lu Ze not have heard of him?

Looking at Qi Ming, Lu Ze asked, "What do you want from me?"

Scratching his head, Qi Ming smiled awkwardly and said, "Well, the thing is, I'm currently on a mission, but it's quite challenging!"

"Earlier, I saw Senior Brother practicing, and I noticed your extraordinary cultivation. I wanted to ask Senior Brother for some assistance! I wonder if Senior Brother has time?"

Lu Ze looked at Qi Ming and straightforwardly replied, "No!"

"Senior Brother, please. This is the first time I'm undertaking a mission. Can you bear to watch me fail?"

Qi Ming didn't expect Lu Ze to answer this way. He became anxious and pitifully looked at Lu Ze.

"That's your business. What does it have to do with me? Helping you won't bring me any benefits. Why should I waste my energy and time?"

Lu Ze rolled his eyes and heartlessly replied. After three years of suffering humiliations in the Qiantian Sect, he was no longer the inexperienced, passionate youth from before. Moreover, this guy wanted him to help with just a few words. Did he take him for a fool?

"Oh, I see!"

Understanding Lu Ze's meaning, Qi Ming took out a storage ring from his chest and said with a smile, "Senior Brother, of course I won't let you help me for nothing. This is the deposit for you. After the mission is completed, I can also share half of the reward from this task with you!"

"This... is a storage ring? How do you have this?"

Lu Ze looked at the ring in surprise and took it while looking at Qi Ming.

Storage rings were not uncommon in the cultivation world. Even in the Qiantian Sect, only disciples who had completed significant tasks were qualified to possess one. How did this guy have it?

During the conversation, Lu Ze also checked the storage ring with his spiritual sense and found that there were even hundreds of spiritual stones inside. This made Lu Ze more suspicious of Qi Ming's intentions. What was this guy really up to? How could he have both a storage item and so many spiritual stones?

"Hehe, these little things were given to me by my grandfather, the Supreme Elder in charge of alchemy!"

Qi Ming continued scratching his head, politely and without losing embarrassment, smiled and said, "Senior Brother, would you be willing to help me now?"

"Help? Of course, I'll help. I'm always happy to help others! But is your mission urgent? If it's not, shall we set out tomorrow?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Ze no longer hesitated or doubted, directly patting his chest and saying so.