The next place Wang Li Tian went after visiting his teacher, was to find Elder Phoenix. The Origin beast did not contact him once during his period of training. As expected, Elder Phoenix could tell that Wang Li Tian was doing his closed-door cultivation.
The familiar steps that lead up to Elder Phoenix's cavern was in front of Wang Li Tian. Placing his foot on the first step, the 13 year old was engulfed in a strong pressure, just like the first day they met. The voice from Elder Phoenix echoed in his head, "Climb the stairs to find me."
"Hehe, okay." Of course, Wang Li Tian would not say no to a challenge. He loved testing his own limits. The youth could tell immediately that just relying on his fleshly body, he would definitely not make it all the way to the top. Elder Phoenix probably wants him to use his greatest strength to ascend the mountain.
A cultivator that learns the Braveheart Manual would be able to convert his spiritual energy into Braveheart aura. The benefit to doing this was that the Braveheart aura is far more compact than spiritual energy. 1 part of Braveheart aura is equivalent to 3 parts spiritual energy. This meant that Wang Li TIan was able to store up triple the amount of spiritual energy than those martial cultivators in the same realm as him.
The Brave Heart Embodiment Form makes use of the Braveheart aura. To embody something was to give a tangible or visible form to it. The brave heart embodiment aura would cover up the cultivator's entire body with Braveheart aura. The aura would be able to protect the user from any incoming damage. In addition, the aura could be extended outwards like refined spiritual energy and used in Wang Li Tian's sword techniques.
Wang Li TIan activates his Brave Heart Embodiment Form, the way his master, Mu Zhi Xuan taught him in the past. It has been a very long time since he went all in. Back when he was doing the selection test, there was no need for him to activate the embodiment form as they were far to weak to compete against his fleshly body. Today, Elder Phoenix clearly wanted to test out his maximum capacity.
Within seconds of releasing the seal on his Braveheart aura, the blood red aura seeps out of his pores on his skin and envelopes his entire body. There was a light pulsation in the embodying aura, as if it were alive and one with Wang Li Tian. Raising his head, the youth tightened his lower body muscles. A burst of strength released from within. Wang Li Tian leaped up the steps, his arms swinging around by his side in a rhythmic pace.
Elder Phoenix was caught off guard by the young boy. This little one… His hidden strength is stronger than I thought. With a flick of a switch, Elder Phoenix released more of his aura. The newly added spiritual pressure was finally able to curb the youth's fast climb. Wang Li Tian slowed down his pace, sweat formed on his forehead gradually.
The climb was getting increasingly tough as he neared the top. The brave heart embodiment form was circulating Wang Li TIan's body at maximum capacity. The amount of brave heart aura was depleting at a rapid pace. I have to take a risk, Wang Li Tian thought inwardly.
Slowing down his steps, the youth thinned out the protection of the Braveheart aura from his upper body. Just barely, the Braveheart aura was protecting his organs from spiritual damage. The unused aura was moved to his legs. The reddish aura soon became denser.
"Rarrghhhh!!!" With a roar, Wang Li Tian contracted his leg muscles, blasting himself upwards, instantly bypassing all of his remaining steps. The Braveheart was released as it propelled him to the very top. Of course, Elder Phoenix could not stop the youth's sudden movement. The origin beast was very proud and satisfied with what Wang Li Tian had thought of.
Over the past year and a half, he had watched the youth improve all around. He treated the boy as his own student, unlike Drago Firestorm who thought of Li Tian as his close friend. Seeing Wang Li Tian's improvements in strength, it made Elder Phoenix feel pleased in his heart.
Wang Li Tian laid sprawled on the ground, gasping for air. His eyes were closed, simply too exhausted from that climb. Elder Phoenix came out of his cavern to welcome the youth. Bending down, Elder Phoenix took out a pill and placed it in Li Tian's mouth. "Ingest this."
With his 'hand', Elder Phoenix guided the pill into the youth's body. He explained while helping the boy sit up. "This is a spiritual energy pill. It will help you replenish your missing energy in your body. Start converting it into Braveheart aura."
Wang Li Tian did exactly as the Elder said. He started to regulate the newly added spiritual energy into his body. He cultivated on the rocky pavements, facing the sunset over the mountains. Elder Phoenix went back into his cavern to wait for Li Tian to finish.
By the time he was feeling better, the sun had long set over the horizon. Wang Li Tian opened his eyes and went into the cavern to find the elder.
"You do know that I have a competition coming up the day after tomorrow right?" Wang Li Tian felt exhausted from the Elder's test.
"Hahaha! Of course! However, I needed to find out how strong you were now. What better way to do that than putting you through a test?" Elder Phoenix laughed loudly.
"Did I passed your test?"
"Of course! You passed with flying colours!" Wang Li Tian grinned happily. The compliment from Elder Phoenix made his exhaustion go away. Things like what realm was he comparable to was not important to Li Tian. They are unnecessary to the 13 year old.