Chapter 34: The Death Layer

Lin Xiaoyu took a deep breath and nodded firmly.

“Yes!”

*

Chen Ping waved his hand, and the surrounding formation slowly dissipated.

He swept the remaining thirty percent of the resources into his storage ring.

Then, he turned around and looked at Lin Xiaoyu.

“Are you ready?”

Lin Xiaoyu gripped the Qingfeng Sword in her hand, her eyes resolute.

“I am ready.”

Chen Ping nodded.

In the next instant,

his aura surged abruptly!

It was no longer the gentle presence he had held to the sixth layer of Qi Refining, but a completely unreserved release!

The ninth layer of Qi Refining of the 《Grand Dao Divine Scripture》!

Yet that pressure was even more terrifying than that of a typical peak Nascent Soul cultivator!

Lin Xiaoyu felt an invisible force crash over her, nearly suffocating her.

Gritting her teeth, she advanced instead of retreating.

The Qingfeng Sword unsheathed, and she thrust it forward!

The sword light flashed like a rainbow, aimed straight at Chen Ping’s throat!

Chen Ping did not even lift an eyelid, merely waving his hand casually.

Boom!

An invisible force rippled outward, sending Lin Xiaoyu and her sword flying backward to crash heavily onto the barren ground ten zhang away.

“Cough, cough…”

She pushed herself up with her sword, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of her mouth.

Yet her eyes remained bright and unyielding.

“Again,” she whispered, then charged forward once more.

*

This battle lasted for a full six hours.

Lin Xiaoyu was knocked back countless times.

Every single time, she crawled back up and charged again.

Each time, she poured every ounce of her strength into trying to leave even a single scratch on Chen Ping.

But she did not succeed even once.

Chen Ping was like a towering mountain; no matter how she clashed against him, he remained completely unmoved.

Chen Ping frowned.

He called a halt.

“Stop.”

Lin Xiaoyu was about to charge again, but she forced her body to a halt at his word. The Qingfeng Sword traced an arc through the air before stabbing into the sand beside her.

She panted heavily, drenched in sweat, her clothes tattered, and her body covered in bruises and cuts.

Yet those eyes of hers were still bright.

“Master, what is it?”

Chen Ping did not speak.

He looked at her, his brow furrowed.

This battle had lasted for six hours.

Lin Xiaoyu had been knocked back over a thousand times, yet every single time she had climbed back up and charged again.

She worked hard.

Extremely hard.

But…

something was wrong.

Chen Ping knew exactly where the problem lay.

Although he had struck with full force and Lin Xiaoyu had given it her all, there was absolutely no sense of a life-and-death struggle.

Why?

Because he could never truly deal a lethal blow to his disciple.

And deep down, Lin Xiaoyu knew her master would not, either.

Though it was intense, though she was covered in wounds, and though every clash was a real fight…

it was still missing that crucial element.

That element was life and death.

Chen Ping spoke slowly.

“Xiaoyu, do you know why you have fought for six hours and yet show no signs of a breakthrough?”

Lin Xiaoyu was taken aback, then lowered her head.

She had actually sensed it, faintly.

Her master’s strikes were heavy, each blow injuring her and causing her pain.

But even as her master struck, he was also controlling his power.

Controlling it so he would not damage her foundation, and controlling it so she would not truly face death.

And what about her?

With every charge, she knew in her heart—

her master would not kill her.

No matter how hard she pushed herself, her master would ultimately save her.

This subconscious sense of security kept her from ever truly reaching the brink of life and death.

“This disciple… this disciple knows,” she said softly.

“I know Master will not truly kill me, so… so in the depths of my heart, there has always been a… a way out.”

Chen Ping nodded.

“Exactly. That is the problem.”

He paused, looked at Lin Xiaoyu, and said solemnly,

“The second step of Heavenly Dao Qi Refining requires you to integrate the energy stored in your body under extreme pressure to break through the Heavenly Dao barrier.”

“This extreme pressure is not something ordinary injuries can compare to.

It must be a true line between life and death, a genuine near-death experience.”

“Only in such a desperate situation will the potential of the Heavenly Dao Divine Physique be fully unleashed.

Only then will the Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Acupoints truly merge into one, and the limit of the ninth layer of Qi Refining be shattered.”

Lin Xiaoyu fell silent.

She knew her master was right.

But…

“Master, what should I do?”

Chen Ping did not answer immediately.

He remained silent for a moment, then suddenly asked,

“Xiaoyu, do you trust me?”

Lin Xiaoyu was startled, then nodded without the slightest hesitation.

“I do!”

Chen Ping looked at her, a flicker of complex emotion passing through his eyes.

“Very well.”

He took a deep breath and made his decision.

“Previously, you fought on the Extreme Life-and-Death Floor of the Cultivation Tower, but that was only the Life Layer.

There was still a sliver of hope for survival there.

But now, where you must go is…

the Death Layer.”

Chen Ping’s voice was very soft, yet it pressed down on Lin Xiaoyu’s heart like a massive boulder.

The Death Layer.

The true taboo of the Cultivation Tower.

The Life Layer pitted you against opponents one major realm higher plus three times the number of puppets, which was dangerous enough.

But the Cultivation Tower would activate a protection mechanism at the final moment, teleporting the near-death disciple out.

The Death Layer, however—

that was a true life-and-death struggle.

There was no protection.

There was no way out.

If you died, you were truly dead.

Lin Xiaoyu naturally understood what this meant.

She fell silent for a moment, then raised her head.

“Alright.”

There was no hesitation, no fear.

Just a single word.

Chen Ping said nothing more. He turned and walked outside.

Lin Xiaoyu gripped the Qingfeng Sword tightly and followed behind him.

Without any hesitation, master and disciple descended Luoxia Peak and headed toward the Cultivation Tower.

Along the way, they encountered more and more disciples.

“Look, it’s Peak Master Chen and Senior Sister Lin!”

“Are they headed to the Cultivation Tower?”

“Probably. Senior Sister Lin became famous overnight after her battle there last time. She must be going back to set another record!”

“What level do you think Senior Sister Lin can reach this time?”

“I bet she can fight five third-tier Golden Core puppets! Last time, she crossed two major realms to slay five first-tier Golden Core ones!”

Chatter rose and fell all around them.

In the cultivation world, strength was respected above all else.

Before, Lin Xiaoyu had possessed the Heaven-Detested Physique and was regarded as trash, avoided by everyone.

But ever since she had shocked everyone in the Cultivation Tower, using her ninth-layer Qi Refining cultivation to cross two major realms and slay five first-tier Golden Core puppets—

the name of Lin Xiaoyu had resounded throughout the Qingyun Sect.

Many disciples had begun calling her Senior Sister Lin.

Some even whispered in private that Lin Xiaoyu’s talent made her the number one genius of the Qingyun Sect in ten thousand years.

Chen Ping listened to these discussions with a calm expression.

Lin Xiaoyu kept her head down, not saying a word.

She knew that all of this praise had come from her master.

Without her master, she would still be that Heaven-Detested Physique despised by everyone, unable to even begin cultivating.

“We are here.”

Chen Ping stopped.

*

Before the Cultivation Tower, a sea of people had gathered.

The news had already spread—Lin Xiaoyu had returned to the Cultivation Tower, preparing to challenge a higher level.

Countless disciples had rushed over upon hearing the news, wanting to witness a miracle with their own eyes.

Even some inner sect disciples who rarely showed themselves in public appeared in the crowd.

“Look, Senior Sister Lin is here!”

“Is that Peak Master Chen beside her? He does not look like anything special…”

“Shh! Keep your voice down! Peak Master Chen’s cultivation might not be high, but he taught a disciple like Senior Sister Lin!”

“True… Peak Master Chen really has a knack for teaching.”

Amidst the chatter, Chen Ping led Lin Xiaoyu through the crowd to the entrance of the Cultivation Tower.

The tower-guarding elder saw Lin Xiaoyu, a strange look flickering in his eyes.

“Lin Xiaoyu, what level do you wish to challenge this time?”

Lin Xiaoyu took a deep breath.

“The Extreme Life-and-Death Floor. The Death Layer!”

*

As soon as the words were spoken, the surroundings fell into utter silence.

Then, the crowd erupted!

“The Death Layer?!”

“Senior Sister Lin wants to challenge the Death Layer?!”

“That is a true life-and-death struggle! There is no protection mechanism!”

“Crazy, this is crazy! What is Senior Sister Lin trying to do?”

The tower-guarding elder was also stunned.

He thought he had misheard.

“You… what did you say?”

“The Death Layer,” Lin Xiaoyu repeated.

“I want to challenge the Death Layer.”

The tower-guarding elder fell silent for a moment, then looked at Chen Ping.

“Peak Master Chen, do you agree to this?”

Chen Ping’s expression was calm.

“It is the path she chose. She will walk it herself.”

The tower-guarding elder furrowed his brow.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end only let out a sigh.

“Very well. Since you have made your decision, then go.”

He stepped aside to make way.

Lin Xiaoyu stepped forward, toward the gates of the Cultivation Tower.