I am a high-level martial arts master.

But after walking only a few miles, the group suddenly felt a heaviness all over their bodies.

The entire world seemed to be bearing down on them with boundless and terrifying pressure, crushing the group of martial artists who were walking through the air to the ground, and even slowing down the circulation of their true energy.

"What's going on?!"

"I...I can't move!"

"My inner energy... is being suppressed!" Exclamations rose and fell.

Some martial artists felt the gravity in the air. This pressure seemed to have a life of its own. The stronger the power you unleashed, the more exponentially the suppressive force it would return would increase!

The powerful protective aura fluctuated violently, groaning under the strain, and even the circulation of internal energy became incredibly sluggish and viscous. Among the assembled prodigies, even those with exceptionally strong physical bodies found it difficult to advance.

Following behind the group of martial artists, Ye Li could feel the intense pressure all around him, which increased the closer he got to the palace. However, although the pressure was strong, it was manageable for Ye Li, not as difficult as it was for the other martial artists.

Ye Li scanned his surroundings and noticed that different people were behaving differently.

For example, Wei Wanxi, who was wearing a mask, moved the most relaxed among the group. Although her face was not visible, her steps were unhurried. Next was a woman in a black robe and the girl who had explained the reverse-aging process before. Finally, it was her turn.

Obviously, the amount and intensity of stress vary from person to person.

"Could it be innate talent?"

A thought suddenly occurred to Ye Li.

Those exceptionally gifted individuals, like Wei Wanxi wearing a mask, took relatively steady steps and moved much faster than others.

On the other hand, some people with slightly inferior aptitude, even if their cultivation level is not low, are now as if they are stuck in a quagmire.

Their protective aura fluctuated violently under the invisible pressure. Each leg lift felt like carrying the heavens and earth on their shoulders; the harder they tried, the heavier the burden became. Veins bulged on their foreheads, and the suffocating feeling from the sluggish flow of their true energy quickly turned their faces pale.

"It really is related to one's physical constitution!"

Shen Fuyao's clear voice rang out, carrying a hint of understanding:

"The stronger one's innate constitution, the better they adapt to the rules of this space, and the less pressure they can withstand. Conversely, those with weak innate constitutions will find it difficult to move an inch here!"

Her words were like a cold verdict, making the faces of those struggling high-achieving individuals even more unpleasant.

"Damn it!" A prodigy from Yunshui Kingdom roared, desperately trying to change his cultivation technique, his body surging with azure blue energy in an attempt to resist the omnipresent pressure.

However, as his true energy surged forth, an invisible, immense force acted upon him in proportion to the instant.

He groaned, his entire body was slammed to the ground, blood gushing from his mouth and nose, unable to move even a finger, and could only watch helplessly as the others struggled but persevered forward.

One after another, martial artists with insufficient innate talent were crushed to the ground, completely losing their ability to move forward.

Resentment and despair were evident in their eyes. The grandmaster's legacy was so close, yet they didn't even have the right to approach it.

The pressure increases exponentially as one gets closer to the palace.

Ye Li felt the increasingly heavy burden on his body and understood:

"My physical constitution has been enhanced by the Yi Sui Jing and is currently at the top-grade level, almost reaching its limit. I can open a bone acupoint in three days, which is unmatched by the geniuses present."

"But what's the deal with these three?"

Ye Li looked at Wei Wanxi, Shen Fuyao, and the masked man with a strange expression.

It's one thing that Wei Wanxi comes from Ji State, but why are these two guys' innate talents better than his?

"But so be it." Ye Li felt the burden on his body; it was still within an acceptable range, and he should be able to reach the palace. They walked in silence, no one spoke. Wei Wanxi was afraid of being recognized, and the others had no will to speak, all focused on resisting gravity. When they were still several miles from the palace, the pressure had become suffocating.

The air seemed to freeze, as if one were in the deepest ocean, every breath of air felt incredibly heavy, and true energy was almost completely locked within the meridians, leaving one to rely solely on one's fundamental physical constitution to withstand the attack.

At this moment, only eight figures remained standing!

Wei Wanxi and Shen Fuyao were in the lead, almost neck and neck, their expressions calm as if they were taking a stroll.

Following closely behind was the masked man, whose expression was obscured by his black robe.

Ye Li, relying on his marrow-cleansing bone structure, steadily followed in fourth place, each step he took producing a dull rumble.

A little further behind them, two more people were struggling to hold on: one was a tall martial artist from the Chuyuan Kingdom, with exceptional physical attributes and covered in heavy black iron armor.

The other was Shuiyue, the surviving sister from the Yunshui Kingdom. Her face was as pale as paper, and blood was trickling from the corner of her mouth. She had clearly reached her limit and was only holding on by sheer willpower.

When the towering metal palace came into view, its ancient and majestic aura overwhelming, the final test was about to begin.

Within a hundred feet in front of the palace, the pressure suddenly increased several times over!

Almost simultaneously, Shuiyue of Yunshui Kingdom finally couldn't hold on any longer. Her protective water aura shattered completely, and her delicate body swayed as she collapsed softly to the ground, completely unconscious. So far, after crossing hundreds of miles of pressure zone, only six people have truly arrived at the massive metal gate of the palace, which is as big as a mountain: Wei Wanxi, Shen Fuyao, the masked man in black robes, Ye Li, the Cangwu Dragon Guard, and the Chuyuan Kingdom warrior who squeezed in last.

The six people stood before the majestic palace gates, feeling as insignificant as dust.

The massive gate was tightly shut, exuding the aura of time and an invisible pressure. Then, a line of large characters was written in ancient divine script at the gate:

[Master the martial arts, and the gates of divinity will open]

No translation is needed; the moment their eyes fell upon the words, their meaning was immediately imprinted in the hearts of the six people.

Only Wei Wanxi frowned slightly. She had seen similar handwriting before in the Ji Kingdom:

"These characters... bear a striking resemblance to some of the 'dragon script' fragments I've seen before?"

"Martial arts? What does 'learning martial arts' mean?" the heavily armored warrior from Chuyuan Kingdom asked in a deep, panting voice.

Before the words were finished, a torrent of countless characters, shimmering with profound light, appeared out of thin air and hovered before the six people! Each character seemed to contain the true meaning of the Great Dao:

The Vast Divine Canon, The Heavenly Heart's Intention Technique, The Dragon Essence Divine Method...

Countless names of cultivation techniques and martial arts skills appeared before the five people's eyes.

At a glance, several people could sense the true meaning behind it.

These are all techniques and supernatural abilities that the cave's owner acquired and possessed in the past. Everyone must learn one of them and reach a certain level before they can have the possibility of entering the cave.

If the first test is about one's Dao heart, the second test is about one's innate talent, then the third test is about one's comprehension!

The Secret of Heavenly Mind and One's Own Will: By aligning one's own mind with the mind of Heaven, one can connect with the will of Heaven and avoid disasters and calamities!

"The Flowing Wind Body of the Great Void": A secret innate technique that, once learned, can break free from spatial constraints and allow one to vanish into the void like the wind!

"The Blade of Karma": A single blade that cuts through everything to unleash the ultimate karmic consequences.

Looking at the dense array of cultivation techniques before him, Ye Li felt that each one possessed an absurdly powerful effect.

Ye Li's expression was filled with regret: "Can I only learn one?"

Beside him, Wei Wanxi's eyes lit up when she saw the "Heavenly Heart and Self-Intention Technique".

She had browsed this technique on the exchange board when she was in Ji Kingdom, and the amount of merit points required to exchange for it was astronomical. Now she could get it for free.

If one were to cultivate this technique, even if there were any omissions or hidden secrets, one could return to Ji Kingdom and use a small amount of merit to make up for them, which seemed to be the safest approach. Without any hesitation, Wei Wanxi quickly focused her mind on the "Heavenly Heart and Self-Intention Technique".

Meanwhile, everyone else focused their attention on choosing the right cultivation method for themselves.

As everyone browsed, Ye Li paused slightly, noticing an unusual technique mixed in: the Azure Dragon Crossing Calamity Technique! This discovery caused him to frown slightly.

He recalled what Zheng Tong had said when he received the Dharma transmission from him:

"The Azure Dragon Gang is named after the Azure Dragon because its first leader truly received the teachings of a dragon!"

"Is this universe so small? Or are there only a few types of cultivation methods that these grandmasters can practice?"

Ye Li looked at the familiar characters mixed in with the various cultivation techniques before him, and a strange feeling welled up in his heart:

The first leader of the Azure Dragon Gang seems to have lived only a hundred years ago? That master-level true dragon from a hundred years ago... could it be this one? "However, I have now learned the Azure Dragon Crossing Tribulation Method, and I may not even need to cultivate other techniques to enter it?" With Ye Li's thoughts.

Deep within the magnificent hall, a wisp of a soul slowly awakens from its slumber.

A beautiful woman with a special horn on her head opened her eyes.

In her bright eyes, there was no trace of the vicissitudes of time, only pure curiosity:

"This is the grotto-heaven... how many times has it been reincarnated?"

As the master of this grotto, in order to preserve his life...

Its soul also followed the cave heaven and was subjected to the reverse flow of the original sand of age.

Each time the cave heaven reincarnates, even the reversing-age original sand itself will reappear time and time again, not to mention the cave master himself.

In the woman's sensory memory, she only felt that after setting up the formation, she simply fell asleep for a while, and not even a day had passed. But she knew that, given the current state of damage to the cave formation, it had definitely undergone hundreds of cycles of reincarnation, bringing about the destruction of countless people who wanted to obtain the inheritance.

However, none of the previous "day after tomorrow" conditions were met, so the entire cave was repeatedly put into reincarnation.

Driven by curiosity, the woman's gaze pierced through the layers of barriers and peered out.

But then they saw six men and women standing at the palace gate.

She was very clear about the first two challenges she had set for herself.

In those remote little countries where she set up her own lineage, it was one thing if two or three people in a generation passed the test, but this time there were six? With curiosity, she used her supernatural powers to see more clearly.

But what she saw immediately made her brows furrow, a strange glint flashing in her eyes:

"Is this reincarnation really that lucky? Three epic attributes? And one of them is my 'Azure Dragon Crossing the Calamity Method'!"

The dragon girl's eyes held a strange look; she absolutely did not believe there could be any coincidence.

Even if it were fate, there's no reason to be so exaggerated.

Of the six qualified candidates this time, four of them actually possess extraordinary skills?

"But... this is just in time, I finally have a chance to get out!"

(6000 words, hehe, Fu Rui, my Fu Rui!)

(By the way, the bonus chapter for monthly pass readers involves the God King, so there is some content that has been cut. Please watch it in conjunction with the illustrations in the comments.)