Chapter Forty-Four: Fully Equipped

The Kilimanjaro mountain range stretches endlessly, with many peaks towering above the rest, known as the Pillars Reaching the Sky.

At the summit of the range, gazing up at the heavenly platform, the distant oval-shaped “White-Headed” peaks overlap one another like racers striving to outpace each other.

A gentle breeze stirs the lingering mist, creating an ethereal scene as the oval-shaped “Little White-Head” hurriedly hides away.

“Why do I sense a nauseating odor?”

Clearing the mist, a young man cloaked in white stands firm among the peaks, his right hand gripping the hilt of a sheathed sword.

His chest and abdomen rise and fall slowly as he exhales a stream of white carbon-oxygen breath. From afar, his white robe seemingly merges with the surroundings, perfectly harmonious and natural.

“Why do I feel such a foreboding in my heart?” He loosens his grip on the sword and touches his chest with his right hand.

His brows knit as if recalling something. He reaches into his bosom and pulls out a token.

It is an ancient bronze token, rectangular with a diamond-shaped hole at the top, likely for hanging.

The token’s surface emits a faint glow, illuminating intricate patterns that resemble a precious treasure, exquisitely crafted.

Most exquisite are the restrained, vital energy-infused engravings on it. His gaze involuntarily deepens as he holds the token tightly. The characters “Wudang Sect” imprint themselves in his mind.

His heart moves with his thoughts, lips curl slightly, and a beam of light flashes behind him, soaring straight into the heavens!

The final mountain grows steeper and higher. The surrounding air thins, and the cold grows sharper.

His chest feels compressed, making each breath agonizingly difficult. He looks up at the misty sky; the fog thickens, rendering the path ahead invisible even two meters away.

In this biting cold and hunger, with legs heavy as lead, can his body still persevere?

On an endless path, how does one find the strength to continue?

He begins searching for a way, recalling the immense changes his body underwent before.

Now, summoning even a breath is a struggle.

He exhales deeply, circulating a trace of inner energy outside his dantian. Instantly, his heart burns fiercely, blood coursing faster in his veins.

His body temperature gradually rises, and the biting cold recedes slightly.

A glimmer of hope sparks within him. Encouraged, he quickens his steps.

He tries to channel inner energy throughout his body but immediately senses a blockage near his dantian, around his viscera. It feels as though the energy cannot flow freely as before.

He senses that if he can clear this blockage within his organs, his strength might increase dramatically—far surpassing before.

I cannot defeat Hao Po! Nor Ruo Xi’s grandfather! I cannot even master my own body! The indomitable spirit radiates from within.

He clenches his fists, striking fiercely at this barrier. Pain radiates from his heart and lungs! He grits his teeth but refuses to yield, pushing harder with each attempt.

The first shock shakes his heart and lungs, agonizing yet bearable.

The second jolts his heart and spleen, like thousands of ants piercing his heart! Yet he endures.

The third rattles his heart and kidneys, leaving his limbs weak and trembling, pain forcing him to his knees.

If not for the faint awareness of his breath and pain, he might have thought himself on the verge of death.

He presses a hand to his chest, eyes sharp and resolute.

The inner energy lingers around the barrier, unwilling to surrender, waiting for its master to command another assault.

His brows furrow deeply. Clenching his fists once more, he focuses all his will for one final strike—success or death.

The inner energy in his chest seems to understand his resolve and crashes fiercely against the barrier, which bulges violently under the impact!

Immediately, his face changes dramatically. Blood surges upward, spraying from his throat.

Alarmed, he hastily covers his lips. A sticky sensation appears in his palm—bright red blood. His eyes fixate on his still hand.

His heart suddenly beats a few times more, then stops. The world grows eerily silent.

Me?

His gaze flickers as he stares at his palm. The image blurs, his eyelids droop uncontrollably, and he collapses backward over the cliff’s edge.

His body rolls helplessly on the ground, utterly powerless.

“Ah!”

But in the next moment, a piercing scream echoes from below the cliff!

He opens his eyes, brilliance blazing within. His right foot hooks onto the cliff face, his right hand pushes against the rock. He springs into the air, flying horizontally, landing gently on a stone ledge.

His expression shifts as he senses the change within his body. A hearty laugh escapes him, as if blessed with the greatest fortune.

Clenching his right fist, his inner energy effortlessly passes through the once-blocking barrier around his heart and lungs—the barrier has vanished. A strand of inner energy slowly flows through.

It courses through his lungs, spleen, kidneys, and liver, then returns to the dantian! The inner energy changes, thickening significantly—from the size of a hair strand to that of a chopstick.

His journey has only just begun.