Translator: CinderTL
In the next moment, Jiang Ye's consciousness plunged into darkness.
Whoosh~
Amidst endless swirling mists, Jiang Ye opened his eyes.
He rose and began climbing the magnificent white-gold Heavenly Ladder.
When Jiang Ye was at the first breakthrough peak, he had attempted to climb the ten steps of the fourth level.
Back then, he could only reach the fifth step before being completely halted.
But this time?
Fifth step.
Sixth step.
Seventh step.
Jiang Ye ascended effortlessly.
After breaking through to the second breakthrough, Jiang Ye thought to himself, my strength has increased at least three to four times. The difficulty here poses no challenge to me now.
In reality, the gap between the second breakthrough and the first breakthrough was far greater than just three or four times.
This was merely because he hadn't cultivated advanced cultivation methods.
If he had practiced such methods, his strength would have increased at least tenfold, making the ascent even easier.
Thud~
Finally, Jiang Ye reached the grand platform of the fourth level.
The oppressive pressure vanished like a breeze.
[You have ascended to the fourth level of the Martial Dao Heavenly Ladder.]
[Would you like to immediately initiate the fourth level assessment?]
Initiate! Jiang Ye mentally commanded.
In the next instant, his consciousness plunged into absolute darkness.
This time, Jiang Ye seemed to experience an immeasurably long period, his consciousness sinking into a profound slumber.
He knew neither who he was nor where he was.
And so, an unknown amount of time passed.
Whoosh~
Jiang Ye's eyes snapped open.
He stood in a courtyard, gripping a nine-foot-long spear.
Jiang Ye surveyed his surroundings, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.
Who am I? Where am I?
Boom! Suddenly, an overwhelming flood of information surged through his mind.
Jiang Ye, Martial Dao Great Grandmaster of his generation.
Spear Dao Legend.
Creator of the world-renowned Great Sun Spear Technique. Founder of the Great Sun Martial Hall. His spear was invincible, drawing countless disciples to his banner.
Now standing at the pinnacle of the Spear Dao, he seeks to transcend his limits, searching for a breakthrough opportunity.
Countless fragments of information flashed through Jiang Ye's mind.
He gazed at the nine-foot spear in his hand, the confusion in his eyes gradually fading, replaced by an unwavering resolve.
He would find a way to advance further in the Spear Dao!
As the Spear Dao Legend of this world, he had already reached its zenith.
Yet Jiang Ye knew deep down that higher realms existed beyond his current mastery.
Despite his relentless pursuit, he had never found what he sought.
How can the Great Sun Spear Technique be taken to the next level?
Lost in thought, Jiang Ye unconsciously began to practice his spearmanship.
Swish!
Swish! Swish! Jiang Ye wielded the spear, its gleaming tip flashing as he flawlessly executed every move of the Great Sun Spear Technique.
He had practiced this technique for decades in this world, mastering it to perfection.
Yet today, as he practiced, a strange sense of unfamiliarity lingered.
Jiang Ye shook his head, banishing distracting thoughts.
He immersed himself in spear practice, his speed increasing relentlessly.
"Great Sun Spear Technique," he murmured.
"Fierce and domineering, like the Great Sun itself," Jiang Ye mused as he practiced. "My spear has already reached the pinnacle of ferocity."
"But this isn't the apex of the Spear Dao. I want to see the scenery from even higher."
Though he was a Martial Dao Great Grandmaster of his generation, Jiang Ye knew that above him stood the Martial Dao Titans.
To reach that realm, his spearmanship needed to ascend to another level.
But how to break through? This question had long plagued him.
"I need to make a change."
"How can the Great Sun Spear Technique be improved?" The thought flashed through Jiang Ye's mind.
He would refine this cultivation technique!
Only by doing so could he possibly advance further.
Time flowed onward.
Jiang Ye became completely absorbed in refining his spearmanship, unable to extricate himself.
Refining spearmanship sounded simple, but breaking through that barrier required a higher level of insight and power.
Jiang Ye tried countless times, each attempt ending in failure.
He refused to give up, relentlessly experimenting, striving to infuse his lifelong Spear Dao philosophy into this spearmanship technique.
Time slipped by like sand through an hourglass.
Years passed like shuttles weaving through the loom of eternity.
From that day forward, Jiang Ye, the Spear Dao Legend, vanished from the public eye, never again appearing in the sight of ordinary people.
Only those who knew him well understood the truth:
Jiang Ye remained trapped by an obsession, unable to break free.
Atop a solitary peak, he greeted the dawn with spear practice and bid farewell to the setting sun with contemplation. Between flashes of cold light, his spear tip shattered countless layers of cloud shadows.
He scoured famous mountains and great rivers, searching for ancient texts and fragmented scrolls, hoping to find that elusive breakthrough.
Yet as seasons turned and his black hair turned to snow, the spear in Jiang Ye's hand retained its sharpness but could never pierce that invisible barrier.
A century later.
The vast Heaven and Earth remained unchanged, the mountains and rivers enduring.
Jiang Ye sat by the lake, his hair now completely white, his body withered like a dried branch.
"After a lifetime of pursuit, I still can't break through that final barrier..." he murmured softly, his cloudy eyes filled with melancholy and lingering ambition.
Cough, cough, cough~
He coughed weakly, like a candle flickering in the wind, his life nearing its end.
Whoosh~ Heavy snow swirled through the air, blanketing the world in a silvery-white expanse.
Jiang Ye half-opened his parched eyes, his vision blurred. Through the haze, he seemed to see a graceful figure in a white dress dancing by the distant lakeside.
"That's..." Jiang Ye squinted.
He had never seen this figure before.
Yet, for some inexplicable reason, a strange sense of familiarity rose within him.
This familiarity was hazy, perplexing, and elusive, as if the person before him belonged to a past life rather than this one.
"A hallucination?"
Jiang Ye knew that those nearing death often saw illusions.
Whoosh~
Clang!
The graceful figure, clad in a pristine white gown, possessed jade-like bones and icy-clear skin, her slender frame radiating elegance. She wielded a silver spear, her movements flashing across the lakeside.
Her spearmanship was utterly different from Jiang Ye's.
If Jiang Ye's spearmanship had reached the pinnacle of raw power and ferocity, this woman's technique was like bone-chilling ice.
Beneath the swirling snow, that chilling intent reached its zenith.
"This spearmanship?" Jiang Ye squinted, momentarily lost in awe.
Having devoted most of his life to mastering spearmanship, Jiang Ye possessed a profound understanding of the Spear Dao.
In a mere instant, he recognized that the woman's spearmanship had reached the pinnacle of perfection.
However, she had walked a different path.
Boom! Suddenly, a thunderclap seemed to erupt in Jiang Ye's mind, shaking his heart, which had been shrouded in dust for most of his life.
The lifelong puzzle that had tormented him finally revealed a glimmer of insight.
Whoosh!
Jiang Ye snapped back to reality, his eyes flying open.
But when he focused his gaze, the lakeside remained pristine white, devoid of any human presence.
The ethereal figure in the white dress, like a fleeting ray of moonlight, seemed to have never existed—merely an illusion.
"I understand now." Jiang Ye had no time to ponder this. He seized the fleeting insight that had flashed through his mind.
He picked up the rusty black spear that lay beside him.
Tap, tap, tap
Jiang Ye, spear in hand, walked shakily toward the lake.
His aged body exuded the stench of decay, yet his eyes remained pure and unwavering.
Whoosh!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Jiang Ye moved once more, slowly executing the Great Sun Spear Technique he had practiced his entire life.
But this time, he subtly infused his spearmanship with a unique Divine essence.
Whoosh! A Great Sun materialized.
This Great Sun carried both the explosive heat of the scorching sun and the piercing cold of glacial ice.
Two diametrically opposed realms of intent had fused into a single spear technique.
If an ordinary master of the Spear Dao attempted this, they would almost certainly fail.
Worse, the conflicting intents could cause the spear's momentum to self-destruct, injuring the user or even driving them mad.
But Jiang Ye had dedicated most of his life to mastering the Spear Dao.
In his hands, these contradictory intents not only avoided mutual annihilation but gradually merged, each nourishing the other.
Whoosh...
Whoosh! Whoosh! The Great Sun's power grew increasingly vast, its momentum surging higher and higher.
It resembled the rising sun, gradually ascending into the sky.
By the time it reached its zenith at noon, its power had reached its peak, transforming into a true, scorching sun.
Boom! A terrifying force erupted outward.
This power far surpassed anything he had achieved before, reaching an entirely new peak.
Jiang Ye had finally broken through that barrier, his Spear Dao entering a higher domain!
"Hahaha!"
"I did it! I finally did it!" Jiang Ye roared with laughter, completely disregarding his rapidly dwindling life force.
Tears streamed down his aged face.
He never imagined that after a lifetime of relentless pursuit, a mere illusion would illuminate his path in his final moments.
Should he rejoice or lament?
Jiang Ye no longer cared.
All that mattered was that he had truly succeeded, creating an entirely new Great Sun Spear Technique.
He had taken an unprecedented step forward!
"I'll call it the Cold Sun Spear Technique," Jiang Ye thought, the nascent form of the new technique already taking shape in his mind.
It would embody both the fiery intensity of the Great Sun and the glacial chill of ice and snow.
This was the Cold Sun Spear Technique, the unprecedented step he had taken!
But before Jiang Ye could savor his triumph, a wave of exhaustion washed over him. His body began to decay rapidly, his life force nearing complete depletion.
"What a pity... there's no one to inherit it," Jiang Ye murmured as he slowly collapsed by the lakeside, his heart filled with complex, indescribable emotions.
He sensed that his life had reached its end.
Having just unleashed his spearmanship, Jiang Ye had exhausted every last bit of his remaining Essence, Qi, and Spirit.
But to have perfected it before his final breath...
It was worth it.
"No regrets in death," Jiang Ye murmured, slowly closing his eyes as his last breath faded completely, releasing his grip on the mortal realm.
Huff!
As if awakening from a profound dream, Jiang Ye suddenly snapped awake.
He found himself back on the golden, radiant Martial Dao Heavenly Ladder.
Rumble!
A brand-new Martial Dao Heavenly Stele rose majestically from the grand platform, its golden surface gleaming like the rising sun.
Inscribed upon the stele were four bold, vigorous golden characters:
[Martial Dao Titan!]
[Congratulations! You have ascended to the fourth layer of the Martial Dao Heavenly Ladder and obtained the Immortal Monument!]
[Calculating rewards...]
"What was that just now?" Jiang Ye mused, reflecting on the vivid memories.
The century-long experience remained crystal clear in his mind.
It felt as if he had truly lived through it himself!
During those hundred years, "Jiang Ye's" struggles, his unwavering determination, and his final enlightenment had all felt so real.
"So, I was being tested," Jiang Ye finally recalled everything.
A century had passed in an instant.
Though it felt incredibly real, it was merely a dream!
"The Cold Sun Spear Technique?" Jiang Ye's eyes widened in astonishment.
Even now, the embryonic form of this spearmanship technique still echoed in his mind, as if he had truly refined it from the Great Sun Spear Technique.
If Jiang Ye's guess was correct, this technique likely surpassed the profound tier, reaching at least the earth-rank.
"Could I actually cultivate this in reality?" The thought suddenly flashed through Jiang Ye's mind.
But he quickly realized something far more terrifying.
"A century passed during the test."
"Could the same be true in reality?!"
Jiang Ye held his breath. If that were the case, he would be in serious trouble.
Before he could delve deeper into this, subtitles reappeared:
[Through a century of innovation in your Spear Dao, you have perfected its flaws, revitalized ancient techniques, and become a Pinnacle of the Spear Dao!]
[Unlocked Titles:]
[Pinnacle of the Spear Dao]
[Great Accumulation, Sudden Breakthrough]
[Settlement Rewards]
[Pinnacle of the Spear Dao, Myriad Manifestations Spear Soul, Great Accumulation, Sudden Breakthrough]
[Pinnacle of the Spear Dao: When facing martial artists whose Spear Dao cultivation is inferior to yours, your spearmanship damage increases by 50%. Against martial artists who do not cultivate the Spear Dao, your damage increases by an additional 25%.]
[Myriad Manifestations Spear Soul: Increases your comprehension of spearmanship by 100%. When attempting to improve your spearmanship, your comprehension increases by an additional 100%.]
[Great Accumulation, Sudden Breakthrough: If a battle lasts longer than ten minutes, your damage increases by 50%.]
"Pinnacle of the Spear Dao? Myriad Manifestations Spear Soul? Great Accumulation, Sudden Breakthrough?"
The rewards this time were truly extraordinary.
All of them were permanent, with no cooldown restrictions!
Jiang Ye's damage buffs were already substantial.
With these additions?
His combat power defied precise calculation.
However, Jiang Ye was currently indifferent to such matters.
"Let's go back." After the rewards were finalized, he swiftly exited the Martial Dao Heavenly Ladder.
Whoosh!
In the main villa, Jiang Ye's eyes snapped open.
He immediately checked the time.
February 5, 2327.
"Phew~" Jiang Ye exhaled in relief.
Thankfully, time flowed differently within the trial compared to reality.
Centuries had passed within the trial, while only about ten days had elapsed in the real world.
"Even ten days is a long time," Jiang Ye muttered, tapping the holographic projection of his phone beside him.
Hundreds of unread messages flooded the screen.
Most were campus news alerts, along with inquiries from Xu Haoran, Deng Yunfei, Zhao Qingli, and others.
There were also messages from Zhu Honglie.
Jiang Ye replied to each one before initiating a call to Zhu Honglie.
Beep The connection established.
A holographic projection materialized.
"Jiang Ye."
"Finally emerged from your seclusion?" Zhu Honglie greeted him with a smile.
"Teacher," Jiang Ye replied apologetically, "I'm sorry for keeping you waiting."
"Was your seclusion fruitful?" Zhu Honglie asked.
Jiang Ye nodded.
"Alright."
"Come see me tomorrow," Zhu Honglie instructed. "I'll assess your strength."
"If you pass, I'll recommend you for advanced studies at White Dragon University," Zhu Honglie added.
"Yes, sir," Jiang Ye replied with a nod.
Advanced studies at White Dragon University?
He had been looking forward to this for a long time.
Soon, the call ended.
Jiang Ye sat cross-legged, still feeling somewhat unreal.
The memories of his century-long experience in the dream realm continued to echo in his mind.
Compared to that, his current reality felt almost like a dream.
"Does this mean I've lived over a hundred years?" Jiang Ye shook his head with a wry smile.
Suddenly, he remembered the new spearmanship technique he had developed in the dream realm, an improvement upon the Great Sun Spear Technique.
The Cold Sun Spear Technique!
"Can I actually cultivate it?" Jiang Ye murmured to himself.
In that century-long dream, he had indeed mastered the technique, unleashing power far surpassing the Great Sun Spear Technique!
But a dream was just a dream.
Whether he could truly execute it in reality remained uncertain.
"I'll try it after I eat," Jiang Ye decided. He hadn't eaten in over ten days. Fortunately, he had already achieved his second breakthrough; otherwise, he might not have survived.
He quickly ordered food on his phone.
Just ten minutes later, a lavish nutritional meal worth 10,000 federal currency units was delivered to the manor gate by a personal courier.
Half an hour later...
Having eaten his fill, Jiang Ye picked up the Black Dragon Spear and headed to the training room.
"Cold Sun Spear Technique," he murmured.
"Let's see what you've got," Jiang Ye said, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
(End of the Chapter)
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