Ignorance Is No Sin

The gray wind immediately swallowed Hao Nhien's figure.

But he only took one step outside before stopping.

Beyond the door, the wind roared like a savage beast that had been imprisoned for far too long.

Spiraling currents slammed against the stone walls, producing sharp, icy whistles that made the scalp go numb.

The pressure from the staircase ahead was far heavier than the path he had just crossed.

Even standing at the doorway, Hao Nhien could already feel the weight pressing down on both shoulders.

He did not continue immediately.

After recovering in the seventh stone chamber, his body had clearly changed.

His flesh had just gone through another round of tempering.

His meridians had become more stable after the breakthrough.

His soul power, nourished by the Soul Nourishing Qi, also felt slightly purer.

But precisely because of that, Hao Nhien was even less willing to rush forward recklessly.

The path from the sixth chamber to the seventh had already pushed him close to his limit.

The road to the eighth chamber would only be harder.

Hao Nhien looked at the stone steps disappearing into the gray mist.

His thoughts moved quickly.

The fifth chamber had helped him break through to the sixth layer of Qi Condensation.

From the sixth chamber onward, the Soul Nourishing Qi had begun to appear clearly.

By the seventh, both the body tempering and soul nourishing effects had grown stronger.

If he could reach the eighth chamber...

The opportunity there might be even greater.

Hao Nhien narrowed his eyes slightly.

But first, he had to reach it.

He lowered his gaze to his hands.

His old wounds had nearly disappeared.

The newly healed skin was still somewhat sensitive, but when he clenched his fists, the muscles beneath felt firmer and more flexible than before.

A thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

Hao Nhien looked down the staircase behind him.

"The rule only said to go up."

He thought for a moment.

"It never said I couldn't go back down."

The corner of his mouth slowly lifted.

A very faint smile.

Very innocent.

"If it isn't forbidden..."

"Trying it once shouldn't count as breaking the rules."

Hao Nhien turned around.

He did not go up.

Instead, he slowly stepped down one stair.

The wind from above immediately swept down.

Compared with when he had first reached the seventh chamber, it was still extremely strong.

Hao Nhien's body tilted to the side.

His left shoulder immediately shifted away from his center of balance.

He quickly planted his other foot.

Just in time to stabilize himself.

Boom!

Another spiral of wind slammed directly into him.

Hao Nhien was pushed backward several more steps.

His back struck the stone wall.

A dull thud sounded.

The skin on his shoulder was torn open.

Blood seeped out.

The meridians in his arm also trembled from the sudden pulling force.

But that was all.

He was not swept away.

He did not tumble down.

He did not lose control.

Hao Nhien immediately lowered his center of gravity.

His feet gripped the stone steps firmly.

His body quickly stabilized again.

He felt the scrape on his shoulder.

Then the section of meridian that had just been stretched.

The curve of his lips deepened.

"Good."

Compared with the first time he had crossed this section, his endurance had clearly improved.

If he used these very steps to pressure his body again.

Then returned to the seventh chamber to recover.

Break.

Then rebuild.

Wasn't that perfect?

Hao Nhien immediately turned back.

He began climbing the steps he had just descended.

Still difficult.

But clearly far easier than the first time.

Because of that, Hao Nhien deliberately slowed down.

Not to torture himself pointlessly.

But to feel more carefully where the wind struck.

When the gravity changed.

Which muscles lost stability first.

Where his true qi needed to circulate in order to stabilize his body without wasting it.

Eventually, he returned to the door of the seventh stone chamber.

The door opened.

Hao Nhien stepped inside.

Dense spiritual qi immediately surrounded him.

He sat down to regulate his breathing.

True qi circulated through his left shoulder.

Vitality followed it, nourishing the newly injured flesh.

The bleeding gradually stopped.

The tension in his arm slowly eased.

In less than half the time it took an incense stick to burn.

Hao Nhien opened his eyes.

His shoulder felt lighter.

His meridians had stabilized again.

He stood.

And went back outside.

The second time.

Hao Nhien descended two steps.

The wind was stronger.

His body was immediately pulled sharply to one side.

This time, he did not rush to resist it completely.

He allowed the wind to push him off line for a short distance.

Letting his muscles.

His flesh.

His meridians.

Truly bear the force.

Only when he was about to lose balance did he turn his hips.

His right foot pressed down.

His body immediately pulled itself back.

A fresh cut opened across his right shoulder.

His left calf throbbed with pain.

But it was still within his control.

Hao Nhien returned to the seventh chamber.

Sat down again.

Resumed breathing cultivation.

Spiritual qi moved together with his true qi.

The Soul Nourishing Qi also slowly soothed the tension in his mind.

Three people were still recovering inside the chamber.

At first, all three had their eyes closed.

No one had the mood to pay attention to anyone else.

But Hao Nhien went out and came back.

Went back out again.

Once.

Twice.

By the third time, one young man with dried blood all over his face finally could not help opening his eyes.

He looked at Hao Nhien as though looking at something very difficult to understand.

"You..."

"What are you doing?"

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Hao Nhien rubbed his shoulder and answered calmly.

"Getting used to the wind."

The three people in the room fell silent at the same time.

Getting used to the wind?

That thing outside could send someone tumbling dozens of steps down.

And he called it getting used to the wind?

The corner of one man's mouth twitched.

Then he closed his eyes again.

Hao Nhien did not explain.

He continued with the third round.

This time, he did not merely let the wind pull at his shoulders and back.

He began actively practicing his footwork under the pressure of changing currents.

A spiral pressed sideways.

Short retreat.

Gravity suddenly increased.

Lower the shoulders.

Center of gravity shifted.

Turn the hips.

The wall approached.

Touch it lightly with the elbow, borrow a point of force, and pull the body back toward the steps.

None of the movements were large.

But each became slightly more precise.

After the third round, he sat inside the stone chamber and recovered once more.

His physical strength had not increased by much.

But his ability to adapt to the wind and gravity had clearly improved.

More importantly, Hao Nhien had begun to notice something.

The wind was not completely chaotic.

It had a rhythm.

Only that rhythm constantly shifted and was extremely difficult to catch.

The other three people gradually stood.

One by one, they staggered outside.

No one asked Hao Nhien anything else.

Before long, he was the only person left in the seventh chamber.

Hao Nhien checked his body once more.

Then slowly breathed out.

"Cheating like this really is effective."

He opened his eyes.

Looked at the stone door.

"But enough."

"Time to try the path to the eighth chamber."

Hao Nhien stood.

Pushed open the door.

The moment the wind poured in, two miserable screams suddenly came from above.

"Aaaa!"

"No!"

Immediately afterward came a series of impacts against the stone walls.

Hao Nhien looked upward.

The gray mist ahead was thick.

A bend in the passage blocked most of the staircase above.

He could not clearly see what had happened.

Most likely, two more people had been eliminated.

Hao Nhien did not pause for long.

But just as he was about to climb, the corner of his eye caught a figure below.

Only a few steps away.

Someone was struggling upward.

His robe was torn to pieces.

His hair was a mess.

Dried blood covered his face.

Both trembling hands gripped the stone steps.

Only three steps remained before the seventh chamber.

Quan Lam.

Hao Nhien's gaze shifted slightly.

At this moment, Quan Lam had completely lost his usual easygoing appearance.

No casual smile.

No relaxed bearing.

Each step looked as though it required every last bit of strength he had.

A spiral of wind swept down.

Quan Lam's body immediately tilted hard to one side.

He was almost swept away.

Three steps.

Normally, they meant nothing.

But for Quan Lam now.

They were like three mountains.

Hao Nhien did not hesitate.

He immediately rushed down from the entrance of the seventh chamber.

The wind slammed into him.

Hao Nhien lowered his body.

Then positioned himself diagonally above Quan Lam.

He could not truly block the wind created by the formation.

But his body being there still caused part of the spiral current to shift for an instant.

Only a little.

But for Quan Lam at his limit, that little bit was enough.

Quan Lam immediately raised his head.

Through disheveled hair and dried blood.

He saw Hao Nhien.

"Hao..."

"Don't talk."

Hao Nhien gritted his teeth.

"Move."

Quan Lam wasted no more strength.

He let out a low growl.

And used everything he had left.

One step.

Two steps.

At the final step.

The gray wind suddenly intensified.

Hao Nhien was pushed sideways.

His shoulder slammed into the stone wall.

But he still dug in his feet.

Held his position for half a breath longer.

Only half a breath.

But enough.

Quan Lam lunged forward.

His entire body crashed into the seventh stone chamber.

He rolled once across the floor.

Then lay flat on his back.

Gasping like a fish stranded on land.

Seeing that he had made it inside, Hao Nhien felt slightly relieved.

He could have gone back in to check on him.

But after a moment of thought.

It was enough that Quan Lam had made it inside.

The rest was up to him to recover.

Besides, Hao Nhien had already gone in and out of this chamber several times.

If he kept doing it in front of Quan Lam, questions would probably follow.

Hao Nhien remained outside the door.

"Rest."

"Don't rush upward."

Quan Lam lay on the floor.

He forced his head to turn toward Hao Nhien.

"You..."

"You're not coming in?"

"I'll try going up first."

"See you above."

Quan Lam opened his mouth.

He seemed to want to say something.

But in the end, he had no strength left.

He only raised a thumb.

Then his hand fell back to the floor.

Hao Nhien gave a quiet laugh.

The door to the seventh chamber slowly closed.

Hao Nhien turned around.

And looked up at the staircase ahead.

From here, the gray mist concealed most of the path.

He could only see around ten steps in front of him.

Everything farther ahead disappeared into the fog.

Hao Nhien took a deep breath.

Then stepped upward.

The first step.

Boom.

Pressure slammed down.

It did not increase gradually like before.

It felt as though an entire mountain had been placed directly on his shoulders.

Hao Nhien's legs immediately sank.

The wind blew down from above.

No longer like a steel whip.

More like an invisible wall trying to force him backward.

Hao Nhien gritted his teeth.

Kept his back straight.

The second step.

The third.

The fourth.

Thanks to the three rounds of "getting used to the wind" below, the opening steps were difficult but still within his control.

Hao Nhien did not move quickly.

Each step pressed firmly into the stone.

He did not allow his body to drift too far off line.

At the fifth step.

The wind grew sharper.

At the eighth.

Several new cuts appeared across the back of his hand.

Hao Nhien was still standing.

He raised his head.

For a brief instant, the wind tore the mist apart.

His gaze froze.

There were still more steps above.

Not just a few.

More than ten remained.

Hao Nhien was silent for a breath.

"..."

"So I've only made it halfway."

There was no time to complain.

When he stepped onto the eleventh step.

Everything changed immediately.

The wind above seemed to transform into a gigantic hammer.

Crashing straight down.

At the same time, the gravity beneath his feet surged.

Boom!

Hao Nhien nearly dropped to his knees.

The bones in his legs gave faint cracks.

His calves burned with pain.

His spine felt as though it were being stretched beneath a crushing weight.

His breath immediately caught.

His chest felt as though a stone slab had been placed across it.

"Damn..."

Hao Nhien gritted his teeth.

"It increases this much?"

He could no longer remain standing straight.

From the eleventh to the thirteenth step, he had to gradually lower his body.

One hand pressed against the stone.

The other maintained balance.

Both hands and feet had to work together.

Each time he lifted a leg, it felt like dragging a boulder out of deep mud.

At the fourteenth step, a spiral of wind slammed sideways into him.

Hao Nhien could no longer maintain his half standing, half kneeling posture.

He immediately flattened himself lower.

His stomach nearly touched the stone.

Both hands gripped the edge of the step.

His nails scraped across the cold surface.

His fingertips burned with pain.

The wind tore across his back.

Ripping several more long lines through his robe.

Thin streaks of blood appeared on the skin beneath.

From the fourteenth to the sixteenth step.

Hao Nhien was practically crawling.

No need for bearing.

No need for dignity.

He only needed to keep moving.

A quiet laugh escaped his throat.

The wind immediately tore it apart.

"What kind of immortal cultivation has me crawling through a door like a dog..."

His mouth complained.

His hands did not stop.

A little farther.

Then a little more.

The seventeenth step.

His legs had nearly lost all clear sensation.

The eighteenth.

His already depleted soul power began to fluctuate unsteadily.

His mind started to sway.

Hao Nhien bit hard into his lip.

The metallic taste of blood immediately filled his mouth.

The pain pulled his awareness back.

"Don't lose control."

"Pain is only pain."

"Wind is wind."

"Gravity is gravity."

"I'm still breathing."

He dragged himself onto the nineteenth step.

The door to the eighth stone chamber finally appeared ahead.

Pale gray light spilled from the gap.

Not bright.

But to Hao Nhien at that moment, it was no different from seeing a path to survival.

One step remained.

Only one.

But that final step was so heavy it was almost enough to make a person despair.

The wind above suddenly twisted together.

All the pressure came crashing down onto his back.

Hao Nhien's body was immediately pressed flat against the stone.

Both hands trembled violently.

Blood seeped from his fingertips.

His elbows throbbed with pain.

If he let go.

He would be swept down.

If he forced himself harder.

The bones in his arms might truly be injured.

Hao Nhien closed his eyes for half a breath.

Within his meridians.

The pale blue Spirit Sword trembled in response to his intent.

He did not call it out.

Did not use it to attack.

He only borrowed that familiar sensation as an anchor for his mind.

Hao Nhien opened his eyes.

Both hands gripped the edge of the step.

His hips turned slightly.

His right foot searched for a tiny point where he could borrow strength.

Then pressed down.

His entire body slowly dragged itself upward like a wounded beast.

One inch.

Two inches.

Half his body crossed the final step.

Hao Nhien reached out.

And slammed his palm against the stone door.

It opened.

Using the last of his strength.

He rolled inside.

Boom.

The door shut.

The wind vanished.

Hao Nhien lay face down on the cold stone floor.

For the first few breaths, he could barely move.

His body felt as though it had been ground apart.

His back was covered in tears.

His fingertips were bloody.

The soles of his feet, only recently recovered, burned again.

His meridians trembled violently.

His soul power was almost exhausted.

But he was still here.

He had reached the eighth chamber.

Spiritual qi so dense it was almost mist surrounded him.

Hao Nhien inhaled.

His entire body trembled slightly.

The spiritual qi here was completely different from the seventh chamber.

Not only denser.

The vitality hidden within it was also much clearer.

Hao Nhien forced himself to turn over.

Then slowly sat up.

Every movement dragged pain through his body.

But he still did it.

The bottle of medicinal liquid Tieu Lan had given him remained inside his ring.

Hao Nhien did not touch it.

The rule had not changed.

External items were still forbidden.

He closed his eyes.

And began breathing cultivation.

Spiritual qi entered his body with each breath.

His true qi immediately began to circulate.

Vitality within his qi and blood moved with it.

The bleeding from the wounds on his skin gradually slowed.

Their edges slowly tightened.

The burning pain gradually eased.

The muscle fibers that had been stretched too far began to relax.

His tendons and bones gave several faint cracks.

The deep ache within his joints also slowly diminished.

The sections of his meridians that had only recently stabilized after his breakthrough to the sixth layer were tempered once again.

True qi flowed through them.

Nourishing.

Stabilizing.

Hao Nhien did not let the circulation move too quickly.

Little by little.

Little by little.

No greed.

His foundation had only just stabilized.

If he forced his meridians to expand too much for a little short term gain, the loss would outweigh the benefit.

Only one other person was inside the eighth stone chamber.

A young man sat not far away.

His robe was torn as well.

Dried blood covered his face.

His aura was clearly stronger than Hao Nhien's.

But with both of them exhausted, Hao Nhien did not rush to judge his exact realm.

The young man opened his eyes.

Looked at Hao Nhien once.

A trace of surprise flashed through them.

Then he only nodded slightly.

No questions.

Hao Nhien nodded in return.

Then closed his eyes again.

Words were unnecessary here.

Anyone who could reach the eighth chamber had paid a heavy price.

There was no need to ask how much it hurt.

One look was enough.

The spiritual qi continued to circulate.

Only after his body began to stabilize did Hao Nhien gradually focus on the Soul Nourishing Qi.

This time.

It no longer felt like fine rain.

Instead, it was like a cool layer of mist gently surrounding his awareness.

His nearly exhausted consciousness was immediately soothed.

The Spirit Sword within his meridians gave off a faint blue glow.

Not flaring.

Not stronger.

Only calmer.

Purer.

Hao Nhien kept his mind completely still.

Aware of the Soul Nourishing Qi approaching.

Aware of his exhausted mind.

Aware of that exhaustion slowly easing.

Aware of the Spirit Sword trembling.

Aware of that rhythm gradually becoming steady.

The chaotic fluctuations still lingering in his awareness slowly settled.

His mind gradually became clearer.

Then Hao Nhien noticed something.

What he had just experienced on the staircase began to reappear more clearly in his memory.

The wind.

The gravity.

Each stone step.

The moments when his center of balance shifted.

The times he used too much force.

The moments his hips turned a beat too slowly.

The times his shoulders did not lower enough.

Even the moments when pain made his body unconsciously tense, causing the wind to strike him harder.

Everything seemed clearer.

Hao Nhien thought for a while.

Perhaps his memory had not suddenly become stronger.

It was simply that after the Soul Nourishing Qi soothed his mind, the chaos and fatigue had faded.

And when he looked back.

He could see everything more accurately.

That realization kept Hao Nhien silent for a long time.

Perhaps this was one of the most valuable parts of the trial.

It forced people to bear pressure.

Forced them to make mistakes.

Forced them to touch their limits.

Then gave them enough clarity to look back at those mistakes.

Understand them.

And the next time, they would do better.

Fail to understand them.

Then perhaps all that suffering would remain nothing but pain.

After an unknown amount of time, Hao Nhien's body finally stabilized completely.

He slowly opened his eyes.

A faint gleam flashed through his pupils and vanished.

Hao Nhien lowered his gaze to his hands.

His flesh had mostly recovered.

His tendons and bones were steadier.

His meridians had become slightly more solid after the breakthrough.

His soul power had recovered.

And it seemed a trace purer than before.

Very little.

But enough for him to feel it.

Hao Nhien did not stand immediately.

The path he had just crossed had nearly crushed him.

Charging onward now would not be courage.

It would be stupidity.

He remained seated.

Regulated his breathing.

And digested what he had just experienced.

After a while, the young man sitting nearby also opened his eyes.

He looked at Hao Nhien for a long time.

Finally, he asked hoarsely:

"You... which branch are you from?"

Hao Nhien turned toward him.

"Dong City."

"Quan Hao Nhien."

The young man paused slightly.

"Dong City?"

His gaze remained on Hao Nhien for several more breaths.

Then he said:

"I am Quan Mac."

"Western branch."

"Peak seventh layer Qi Condensation."

Hao Nhien nodded slightly.

"Greetings, Brother Mac."

Quan Mac looked at him.

Then at the blood stains on the floor that had not yet completely dried.

Finally, his gaze stopped on Hao Nhien's sixth layer Qi Condensation aura, which still carried faint traces of instability.

"You only broke through to the sixth layer recently?"

Hao Nhien did not deny it.

"Mm."

Quan Mac fell silent.

For a long time.

The way he looked at Hao Nhien changed several times.

Finally, he let out a breath.

"You're really tough."

Hao Nhien looked at him.

His expression was very serious.

"I think so too."

Quan Mac froze.

Then let out a hoarse laugh.

The laughter was not loud.

But it lightened the tense atmosphere inside the chamber slightly.

After a while, Quan Mac closed his eyes again.

And continued regulating his breathing.

Hao Nhien said nothing more.

He looked toward the stone door ahead.

Then lowered his gaze to his newly recovered hands.

A thought slowly appeared.

The eighth chamber was stronger than the seventh.

The path he had just crossed had also been far stronger.

And he...

Still had not fully adapted to it.

The corner of Hao Nhien's mouth slowly curved upward.

"Ignorance is no sin."

He stood.

Walked to the stone door.

And pushed it open.

Boom!

The gray wind immediately poured in.

His torn robe snapped violently backward.

Hao Nhien looked upward.

Then looked down.

He did not continue forward.

Instead, he turned around.

And stepped down one stair.