My Crazy Upgrade System

Yi Tianyun and the others stepped into the passage, and the great doors immediately slammed shut behind them. Ahead lay a wide corridor with no discernible end.

Ming Chen and the others, however, sped up and rushed forward, trying to shake Yi Tianyun off. But no matter how fast they moved, Yi Tianyun matched their pace perfectly, staying right on their heels and not letting them pull away by even an inch.

In the end, Ming Chen and his group realized that not only had they failed to lose Yi Tianyun, but they had also left their own companions far behind.

’This kid actually has some skills!’ Ming Chen and the others were shocked. They never expected Yi Tianyun’s speed to be so incredible. ’Looks like there’s more to him than meets the eye.’

Soon, they passed through the corridor and entered an open area. What greeted them was, once again, a flight of stairs! This time, however, there didn’t seem to be as many steps. Each one, though, was incredibly high, like a small mountain cliff, soaring over a hundred feet into the air.

There were not many steps before them—only ten in total. But with each one being over a hundred feet high, the total ascent was over a thousand feet. It was a truly staggering height.

"Welcome to the second trial: A Single Step to Ascend the Heavens!"

The deep voice once again resounded in their minds, making their hearts tremble. Ming Chen and the others, however, showed no signs of surprise. They had obviously been here before, so this was nothing new to them.

"This is the final trial. Let’s get to the top and finish him!" Ming Chen and the others nodded to one another and immediately charged forth, beginning their ascent up the towering steps.

Unlike before, which was just walking, this required them to scale the towering steps. The surface of the steps was pocked with countless holds they could use to climb. If they were able to fly here, they would have just flown straight to the top instead of this slow, tedious climb. It was far too slow.

For them, however, this was also a trial—a trial to temper and refine themselves!

’A Single Step to Ascend the Heavens? A little interesting.’

Yi Tianyun followed, rushing forward and grabbing the face of the massive step to begin his climb. The moment his hands touched the stone, a stream of energy surged into them. However, unlike before, where Spiritual Power had poured into him, this energy tried to draw Spiritual Power out of his body through his palms!

What was once given was now being taken away!

He could let go easily enough; it didn’t suck him fast to the surface to drain his Spiritual Power until he was dead. But letting go meant falling, and falling meant starting all over again.

Of course, Yi Tianyun wasn’t worried about that. He was more interested in seeing if there was any information about Martial Arts to be gained. As he climbed, however, he quickly realized that no information was being transmitted at all. It was purely and simply draining his Spiritual Power, nothing more.

’Looks like there’s nothing here...’ Yi Tianyun had thought he might be able to absorb some Martial Arts techniques, but it seemed this was just a simple climb.

"Hey, kid! If you’ve got the balls, then try and catch up to me now! Just like you did before! Last one’s a grandson!" Ming Chen couldn’t resist shouting back, goading Yi Tianyun to close the distance as effortlessly as he had earlier.

He was filled with pent-up rage and could only vent it by hurling insults.

"Grandson, that’s not a bad idea," Yi Tianyun replied with a brilliant smile. While his opponent was still stunned by the retort, he burst forward like a ferocious dragon, scrambling madly up the rock face. In an instant, he overtook numerous Cultivators who had started before him, closing in rapidly on Ming Chen.

"Who are you calling grandson!" Ming Chen roared, but his hands didn’t slow in the slightest as he continued to scale the wall.

Overall, however, Yi Tianyun’s speed was superior. He practically flew up the massive step. Just as Ming Chen had hauled himself onto the top of the first step, Yi Tianyun swiftly caught up and landed on the platform right beside him.

The moment he found his footing, Yi Tianyun felt a surge of energy rise from the soles of his feet and begin to strengthen his Physique and cultivation base.

"Ding! Gained five million experience points!"

Upon successfully completing the climb, a surge of energy provided him with five million experience points—a rather substantial amount. At the same time, he felt his body grow a bit stronger, but only by a little. His Physique was already so powerful that there wasn’t much room for significant enhancement.

Given the circumstances, it was no wonder Ba Long and the others came here as well. For them, it offered a slight improvement, which was better than being cooped up in a cultivation room.

In addition to that, the most critical reward was a fragment of a Martial Arts technique that flowed into his mind, continuing to piece together the remaining parts of the whole.

’So it seems I have to successfully climb each step to receive the reward...’ Yi Tianyun’s eyes lit up. He had just been wondering if he should use Instant Teleportation to get directly to the highest level.

Now it looked like that wouldn’t be necessary. He would have to climb step-by-step to claim the rewards. Using Instant Teleportation to ignore the rules and reach the summit directly would be a heaven-defying act.

Of course, he wasn’t going to do that. It was all for the rewards, so he had to climb honestly. This was just like his climb at the Netherworld Sect. If it hadn’t been for the experience points, he would have used Instant Teleportation to get to the top without bothering to climb at all.

Ming Chen and the others were also meditating on the Spiritual Power they had received. Their original goal was to come here for this very trial, so how could they not be furious that Yi Tianyun had triggered it prematurely?

"Let’s continue!"

After absorbing the energy, Yi Tianyun immediately started climbing again. Ming Chen, who had just finished his own absorption, hurriedly chased after him.

"Grandson, you’re a little too slow, don’t you think?" Yi Tianyun laughed as he accelerated, continuing his climb.

His speed was astounding. Even with Ming Chen climbing as if his life depended on it, he was still a step slower. The same went for Ba Long and the others. They couldn’t keep pace. Despite climbing desperately with all their strength, none of them could catch Yi Tianyun.

’Why is he so fast? Is he not affected by the trial’s conditions at all?’ Ming Chen and the others’ faces were grim. They had thought they could catch up, but they found the distance between them only growing wider. They were simply not in the same league.

’Could he be hiding his true strength?’ they wondered, shocked. If he was, just how powerful was he really? While this climb couldn’t reveal one’s full power, it certainly offered some clues.

Yi Tianyun ignored their suspicions and simply continued to climb rapidly. His only goal was to get the rewards as quickly as possible, unlike his previous slow and steady ascents.

This climb was incredibly difficult for the others. The main challenge was that the higher they went, the stronger the draining suction became. It felt like trying to climb with their hands covered in a viscous slime, requiring immense effort for every upward pull.

For him, however, it was simple. A contest of suction? He simply generated a countersuction of his own. Once the two forces reached a perfect equilibrium, it was as if he were walking on flat ground, allowing him to ascend with ease.