I Tame Beasts by Feeding

At the three-thousandth step, Yu Changsheng stood quietly, feeling the surging vitality within him. His furrowed brow relaxed, his expression growing serene.

’My Cultivation hasn’t increased much, but my Physical Strength has taken a qualitative leap. Is this Physical Foundation Establishment?’

He clenched his fist and threw a sudden punch. The air in front of him exploded, sending out rings of ripples. A sound burst echoed through the void, a clear display of the punch’s terrifying power.

Yu Changsheng had a feeling that if he were to fight Lei Jingtong now, it wouldn’t take long to defeat him, and with little effort at that.

Previously, while Yu Changsheng’s body was already comparable to that of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, it was only on par with an *ordinary* one’s.

But now, Yu Changsheng could clearly feel that his Foundation Establishment Body was on par with that of a true Body Cultivator—one who specialized in tempering their physique. The difference between the two went without saying.

Body Cultivation was known as the most difficult and painful path. Body Cultivators possessed unparalleled physiques; their very bodies were the most powerful Magical Treasures. Those who reached Great Success could sanctify their flesh, shatter the void, and attain immortality with nothing but their bare fists. Their destructive power could even surpass that of Sword Cultivators.

Unfortunately, this path was exceedingly difficult, and specialists were few and far between.

For Yu Changsheng to have stumbled into such a state was already shocking enough.

’My Divine Sense has also become more refined. It hasn’t broken through to the next level, but it has grown considerably.’

Carefully sensing every change throughout his body, Yu Changsheng broke into a smile, a sense of clarity washing over him.

’Now, all that’s left is my Cultivation. Once I break through to Foundation Establishment, with my Physical Strength and my Divine Sense combined... advancing on all three fronts, I could even fight someone in the Late-stage Foundation Establishment. And that’s not even counting my Beast Taming abilities.’

With his thoughts clear and unhindered, Yu Changsheng felt a rush of exhilaration. He had gained much from this fight.

The Red Refining Snake and the Golden-Winged Eagle seemed to sense Yu Changsheng’s joy, and they affectionately nudged against him.

Glancing at the other Trial Disciples who were watching him with awe, Yu Changsheng paid them no mind and continued his ascent.

This time, however, his pace was faster, his steps lighter.

Only when Yu Changsheng was far in the distance did the disciples erupt into a flurry of discussion.

"What is happening to the world? A disciple from Beast Taming Peak who doesn’t even use his beasts is more ferocious than someone from Overlord Blade Peak. He just straight-up flattened Lei Jingtong, the second-strongest in the Outer Sect!"

"You’ve got to be kidding. Beast Taming Peak is about to soar! I bet only Huang Suyu and Gu Zhen could keep him in check now."

......

Yu Changsheng couldn’t hear their chatter, and even if he could, he wouldn’t have cared. He moved quickly. With no one to block his path, he crossed nearly a thousand steps in the time it takes half an incense stick to burn.

’Now that my body has reached the Foundation Establishment level, the pressure on this Celestial Ladder has almost no effect on me. It will only get challenging once I’m much higher up.’

Yu Changsheng murmured to himself, stepping onto the four-thousandth step. His expression remained unchanged as he continued his ascent.

This part of the climb hadn’t been difficult for him even before his breakthrough, let alone now.

The injuries he had sustained were all healed during his physical breakthrough. It was safe to say that at this moment, Yu Changsheng’s body, mind, and spirit were at their absolute peak.

The four-thousandth step was behind him in a flash. As Yu Changsheng deliberately picked up his pace, the five-thousandth step came into view.

The five-thousandth step was the watershed moment for this trial. As long as a disciple reached it—no matter how many steps beyond five thousand they took—they would pass this stage.

And now, on the four-thousand-nine-hundred-and-ninety-ninth step, just below the five-thousandth, numerous disciples sat cross-legged, resisting the ambient pressure as they attempted to take that final step.

These were all elites from the various peaks. A quick scan by Yu Changsheng revealed that most were from Sword Control Peak and Overlord Blade Peak; disciples from Beast Taming Peak were few and far between. Miao Wenlun and Sun Shihan weren’t among them, which meant they had clearly already ascended.

’That makes sense. With his Second-stage Spirit Beast, the five-thousandth step wouldn’t have been difficult for Miao Wenlun. The handful of people at the very front might have even reached the seven-thousandth step by now.’

Yu Changsheng’s arrival naturally drew the attention of the disciples there. Seeing him in the robes of Beast Taming Peak, looking so at ease, they were surprised but said nothing.

There would be no gate-blocking on this step. Everyone was focused on struggling up one more level to pass the trial; they paid little mind to anything else.

Bypassing the crowd, Yu Changsheng didn’t hesitate. He stepped directly onto the five-thousandth step. His shoulders felt a sudden weight, but after a brief surge of his vitality, the feeling passed. He continued onto the five-thousand-and-first step without slowing down.

"What? So easily? Beast Taming Peak has another monster besides Miao Wenlun?"

Some of the disciples who had been waiting to see him make a fool of himself stared wide-eyed, watching Yu Changsheng’s receding figure in utter disbelief.

Only the few disciples from Beast Taming Peak, watching Yu Changsheng climb higher and higher, were amazed but not truly surprised.

"As expected of Senior Brother Changsheng... If even Miao Wenlun could make it to the five-thousandth step, it should be even easier for him."

As the Beast Taming Peak disciples thought this, they glanced around at the others. A sense of pride welled up within them, and they redoubled their own efforts to ascend.

One step separates heaven from earth; one step determines a different destiny.

......

Past the five-thousandth step, one had to walk for a long time before occasionally encountering another person.

Most people who reached the five-thousandth step would take a few more paces until they hit their limit, at which point they would be teleported away. Only the top few disciples from each peak were still climbing, driven by a competitive spirit.

’According to Lei Jingtong, starting from the five-thousandth step, there’s a gift every thousand steps. It could be Elixirs, Magical Treasures, Spirit Grass, or Magic techniques...’

’I’ve definitely missed the gift at the six-thousandth step, but there might still be hope for the seven-thousandth. Or... if I hurry, maybe I can even try for the eight-thousandth...’

As Yu Changsheng thought this, his pace quickened. Anything deemed worthy of being a gift on the Celestial Ladder was certainly no common trinket; each one had to be astonishingly valuable.

’I wonder what kind of gift awaits at the summit... the nine-thousandth step...’

Yu Changsheng couldn’t help but let his imagination wander, though he knew it was just a fleeting thought, not a wild fantasy.

In the entire history of the Wanxiang Sect, from its founding to the present day, only one person had ever reached the nine-thousandth step of the Celestial Ladder. Aside from that legendary figure, even among all the past Sect Leaders, only four had ever reached the eight-thousandth step.

And that sole person to reach the nine-thousandth step was none other than Cao Jinxian—the genius Elder Wei had told him about, who was so brilliant that even the Holy Lands extended an olive branch...

He was, in fact, a grandmaster from Yu Changsheng’s own Beast Taming Peak. He had cultivated for over fifty years and was on the verge of reaching Divinity Transformation.

’I can’t possibly compare myself to a genius like that,’ Yu Changsheng admitted to himself.