Wang Feng surged up the Golden Stairway, his body a blur of speed and focused intent. In less than ten hours, he had ascended over three thousand steps, each one heavier, more saturated, more challenging than the last.
But Wang Feng didn't slow down—
He thrived—
The Qi within the steps wasn't constant. It changed every five hundred steps—alternating between Pure Yang Qi and Pure Yin Qi.
From steps 1–500, Blazing heat surged from the stairs—Pure Yang Qi, radiating fire and vigor. From steps 501–1000, that warmth vanished, replaced by a cold, flowing Pure Yin Qi—icy, silent, and sharp.
Then from steps 1001–1500, the Yang Qi returned—hotter, denser than before, and so it continued, alternating and intensifying with every section.
By the time he crossed the 3000th step, Wang Feng realized that the density of Qi was now over five times what it had been at the start.
For most cultivators, such changes were dangerous. Absorbing opposing energies would throw their meridians into disarray—Yin and Yang clashing, damaging their foundation.
But Wang Feng was different.
Unlike others limited to only one Qi polarity, he had no such restriction. His body, constitution, and cultivation method allowed him to devour Yin and Yang alike—harmonizing both in perfect balance.
So while others cautiously navigated the stairway, he consumed everything.
Every breath brought more power. Every step pushed his Realm higher. Every shift in Qi only accelerated his growth.
Wang Feng halted at the 3,500th step.
A subtle shift stirred within him — his Qi reserves, already brimming, were now pressing against an invisible threshold.
But… it wasn't enough.
He stood still, breathing slowly as the golden mist curled around him. His eyes flicked open, sharp and cold. Then, with a thought, he summoned his inventory panel and raised one hand.
With a soft pop, a jade bottle materialized in his palm — smooth, lustrous, etched with faint runes.
He slid the lid aside and tilted the bottle.
A single, marble-sized pill rolled into his waiting hand — pale blue, with a gentle glow that pulsed like a heartbeat. Around it, the ambient world energy subtly swirled.
Wang Feng stared at it in silence. An instinct stirred in his soul — a yearning, a pull — like this pill was made for him.
It was the Foundation Pill — gifted by the system.
A smile tugged at his lips.
Without hesitation, he placed the pill in his mouth.
The instant it touched his tongue, it melted like mist, releasing a violent surge of energy that thundered through his meridians and poured straight into his Dantian.
His cultivation technique was still running, and the moment the pill dissolved, it roared to life like a hungry beast, devouring the torrent and refining it into pure Qi.
Wang Feng trembled, his body flashing with light as streams of energy coursed through him like divine fire.
A low chuckle escaped his throat.
"Now, that's more like it."
With power pulsing through every fiber of his being, Wang Feng's figure blurred—he shot forward like an arrow, his steps striking the Golden Stairway with renewed force.
The climb resumed.
This time, Wang Feng's speed dropped to half of what it was before.
He was now doing three things at once — climbing the steps, refining the Foundation Pill's energy, and guiding the Qi from the stairs into his meridians. The triple-layered effort slowed him considerably.
Step by step, he ascended — until he reached the 6,899th step.
At that moment, the energy from the first Foundation Pill faded, leaving only the dense Qi from the stairway flowing into his body. He could clearly feel it now — he had reached the limit of the 2nd Stage Foundation Realm.
But, even though he had reached the absolute limit, he still hadn't broken through.
He checked the time with a glance at the sky and after some calculation, he concluded, "Twenty-two hours..." he muttered.
22 hours had passed since the appearance of the Golden Stairs — Not even a full day. But he had already reached the current height.
He considered his options.
If he simply focused on refining another pill, it would take around ten more hours to reach the top.
But if he consumed a pill — no, two — while climbing and used the constant pressure of motion to force the Qi into solidifying his breakthrough...
Without hesitation, he retrieved the jade bottle again and popped two Foundation Pills into his mouth.
The result was instant and violent.
A tidal wave of Qi erupted in his body, almost tearing through his meridians, rushing through his Pulses like a flood crashing through ancient gates. His Dantian swelled with power, trembling under the weight of the incoming energy.
Sweat poured down his back. Each step now took more than two seconds — every motion calculated, deliberate.
Still, he pressed forward.
When his foot landed on the 8,000th step, a sudden burst of Qi exploded outward from his body, creating a shockwave that distorted the air.
The stairs below trembled slightly, and in that instant, the surrounding Heaven and Earth Qi stirred. Qi from the pills, the stairs, the void, and even faint threads from the realm itself surged toward him — as if the world had recognized his breakthrough.
Like moths to a flame, the Qi converged towards him, entering his Dantian and consolidating his foundation.
Wang Feng stood still, eyes closed, as the chaotic energy settled, all the remaining energy from the Pills helped stabilizing his breakthrough within moments.
His Foundation was now complete. Solidified. Tempered. Having reached the 3rd Stage.
He slowly exhaled — a long, misty breath that emerged like white steam, curling through the air like a silent dragon.
He smiled and felt his Qi Essence and felt the increase in his strength. "Hmm, I should be stronger than an average 4th - 5th Stage True Element Realm Cultivator. If I went all out, maybe even peak True Element Realm might not be too much of a trouble."
He looked ahead and blinked, "huh?..", he looked at the slightly dim steps in front of him — the dim which only appeared after he should have walked through the step and absorbed the Qi, like the previous steps.
"Did I absorb that all during my breakthrough?", that was the only conclusion.
He sighed and shook his head before he stepped forward —
And just as he had expected, no more Qi flowed out of the steps.
Although a little disappointed, Wang Feng simply stomped on the stair and flashed forward.
The next 1000 steps were all devoided of Qi. But as he reached 9001st step, the Qi returned. Wang Feng's expressions lightened again as he absorbed the Qi from the stairs again, stabilizing his breakthrough again.
After an hour or two, Wang Feng finally reached the top of the 10,000 steps — overcoming the Golden Staircase.
He looked behind him, seeing the endless golden path he had just climbed and felt relied and anticipation.
He turned back towards the Grand Palace — seeing 100 more steps leading towards the enterance of the palace, but unlike the previous gold ones, these steps were made of white jade.
Wang Feng smiled and stepped forward. Just a single step on the 1st Jade Stair made him aware of the vast difference between the two.
His body was instantly invaded by a scorching, burning Yang Qi making his face flush as he controlled the energy.
IF, the energy from the Golden Steps was categorized as the purest Yuan Qi, then this Qi from the Jade Steps was equivalent to Purest of True Qi.
Which, even for Wang Feng was a little bit hard to spontaneous absorb.
With a slightly serious face, he slowly climbed the steps. As he reached the 99th step, he saw a thick layer of Ice in front of him, made of pure Yin Qi — the quality was equal to the quality of the Yang Qi in the Jade Steps.
He hummed, 'looks like this is the only way..', he thought after a moment of just observing the wall of Ice in front of him.
He had previously wanted to completely absorb both Yang and Yin Qis from these Jade steps. But now, it looks like he was thinking too much. Even now, he wasn't able to absorb the Yang Qi from the Jade Steps like before.
So he simply took a stance and gathered all the excess Yang Qi in his fist — the heat causing it to steam and come ablaze — before punching towards the Ice wall.
As the punch connected... Cracks started appearing on the entire wall before it broke down into small shards of Ice.
Wang Feng felt the burning sensation in his body disappear once the excessive Tang Qi left his system. He sighed and looked ahead, seeing the massive Golden Gates of the Palace.
"Finally reached it...", he mumbled to himself, stepping forward.
He placed his hands on either gate and pushed. The push was light, but it was enough to open the massive gates.
Wang Feng watched them open, allowing him to view the interior of the Palace. He slowly stepped inside, his eyes trailing from the high ceilings that had Dragon and Phoenix patterns swimming around, to the Jade white walls that excluded a sense of purity, the Golden and Blue pillars that seemed to be holding the entire structure up, before his eyes trailed to the other side of the palace.
In the air, two —bright, glowing, otherworldly — orbs floated. An incredible sense of power, majesty and mystery excluding from the two.
Just beneath those two orbs, lay a red soft looking carpet and two cultivating mats. And on one of those two mats, sat a figure which slowly turned to look towards him—
Long flowing Black Hair. Icy Blue Eyes. Small Cute Nose. Cherry Lips. Heart Shaped Face. A Slander Figure.
It was obviously Su Yan, who was looking back at him with a hesitant, knowing and curious look, along with a fleeting sense fo mystery dancing in those Icy eyes.
"I knew you would be here by now.", Wang Feng spoke with a smirk as he continued walking and stopped behind the other cultivation map, looking up at the two orbs with his arms crossed behind him.
Su Yan's eyes flashed as she looked at his face for a moment before she looked at the two orbs as well, "...are you going to tell me the entire truth about this inheritance now.", her voice still carried it's natural coldness, but it was slightly lower than her usual voice.
Even though she herself had a few hunches about this inheritance by now, she still wanted to hear what Wang Feng had to say.
Wang Feng kept looking at the two orbs, having a certain... feeling arise in his heart before he shook his head.
He looked at Su Yan and started, "do you remember the Dragon and Phoenix phantom that soared into the sky outside...", he spoke in an inquiring tone.
Su Yan's eyes narrowed as she nodded ehr head.
Wang Feng continued, "This inheritance is related to those two phantoms...", he looked at the orbs and asked again, "what do you know about Cultivation? About the Peak of Martial Arts?"
Su Yan's eyes narrowed nearly into slits as she sharply turned her head towards Wang Feng, but looking at his yearning look, she gulped and spoke, "Cultivation is the act of defying the laws of Heaven and Earth. Cultivators like us cultivate to reach the highest level achievable, trying to strive for longitivity —"
Wang Feng calmly listened to her words as she spoke a little more on her view. He then looked at her with a smile, "then... What do you think is the peak of cultivation~?"
His tone was teasing, but his eyes were serious and probing. Making Su Yan feel a shiver in her heart, 'just what is it that you know Wang Feng...', she thought to herself as her eyes trembled.