Xu Xiaoshou leaped tirelessly across the sky.
The Tianxuan Gate was a massive place, and only ten people were allowed to enter at a time. Each person could amass a terrifying amount of resources from a single entry.
Since everyone had gone their separate ways, he hadn't come across a single person since he'd started traveling across the Tianxuan Gate via leaps and bounds.
Silence reigned between Heaven and Earth. Save the spiritual energy that was constantly rushing into his body, nothing seemed amiss.
It was then that he heard a faint sputtering sound.
His expression changed.
Was the Black Cliff nearby?
After another few leaps, Xu Xiaoshou came across what he thought to be the light at the end of the tunnel. He landed firmly on his feet and was promptly blown away by the sight before him.
He felt as if he were standing at the bottom of a vast chasm. When he looked up, all he could see was a black waterfall that rose into the clouds. He couldn't tell where the waterfall started, only that it came pouring down from the heavens.
The waterfall was black, with white wisps of sword energy woven into its streaming waters. It rumbled as it poured, a resounding thunder that resembled the sound of boulders crashing into the earth repeatedly and unceasingly.
"Heavens. I'm going to be swept into the waterfall if I try to pass through it. The sheer pressure of the water's going to kill me!"
Xu Xiaoshou was terrified. He'd seen a small waterfall at Rao Yinyin's residence. But comparing the both was like…
…comparing a sandcastle baked in p*ss to the Ancient Heavenly Courts. They were worlds apart.
He knew it. Elder Sang would never recommend him someplace that was comfortable or easy.
The waterfall cascaded into a huge pond, and in the middle of the pond stood numerous huge rocks that formed a path. It seemed to have been built specifically as a spot for cultivation.
In the distance was a slab of stone. Xu Xiaoshou approached it.
At the top of the slab of stone was the character "ba," and below it was a list of names. There were a dozen or so names, and he was familiar with the one at the very end of the list.
"Su Qianqian."
So she'd been here before.
That meant…
His eyes shifted to the top of the stele. The character "ba" probably was a name too!
"Bazhun'an?"
He must be going crazy, jumping to conclusions just because of the character "ba."
There was no way the Eighth Sword Deity had ever been here before, as that would mean he'd once been a disciple of the Spirit Palace. If the Spirit Palace had indeed been graced with such a disciple, then the past deans of the Tiansang Spirit Palace would've been eternally rejoicing in Heaven.
Besides, weren't Sword Deities supposed to gain enlightenment and mastery over their [Sword Will] with a single glance?
Xu Xiaoshou stared at the stele for a very long time, but to no avail. He failed to enter the legendary realm of the mysterious and profound. The Epitaph of City Snow would've been more useful than this!
"Hmm…"
After some thought, he decided that he shall mislead those who came after him. He unsheathed Hiding Pain and craved "no Orochi" behind what would now read as "Yamata."
Perfect!
"Next…should I leave my name?"
Xu Xiaoshou was a civilized man.
He didn't have the bad habit of leaving comments like "I was here," but everyone seemed to be doing it…
He left the name "Xu the Beast" at the top of the stele.
"That sounds awesome and fearsome. It fits my character perfectly!"
Xu Xiaoshou nodded satisfactorily.
He turned and stared at the black waterfall. The thunderous roar of its waters deafened him and made his eyelids twitch violently.
"So be it. Death is just a step away from the living world anyway. I have to give it a shot!"
His thirteen layers of clothing wouldn't afford him any protection at all, so he stripped himself down to his underpants and stepped on the huge rock in the pond with the awareness that he might not survive the journey.
Through his [Sense], he could discern a cultivation platform at the end of the stone path, hidden behind the waterfall. The torrents tirelessly streaming onto the platform had turned the latter smooth and shining.
He steeled himself and plunged through the black waterfall like a leaping salmon.
Smack!
The rushing waters sent him crashing into the cultivation platform as soon as he dove through the waterfall, and he smacked hard into the stone like a dead fish on a hard board.
"What the…"
The impact sent blood spewing from his mouth.
Xu Xiaoshou's eyes were full of incredulity. He'd heard Elder Sang speak of the extraordinary heaviness that the water from the black waterfall possessed, but he hadn't expected the force of the black waters to penetrate and harm his [Innate Level Physique].
That impact of that last blow nearly broke all the bones in his body.
Boom.
Water gushed downwards while the pressure of the waterfall came rushing in from all sides. It squeezed whatever pleasure Xu Xiaoshou had been feeling out of his body and left him with only overwhelming pain.
He struggled and barely managed to activate a barrier with his spiritual source, giving himself a moment's reprieve.
He sighed with relief.
Looking at his own terrible state, Xu Xiaoshou couldn't imagine the fate that would await someone who heedlessly plunged into the waterfall. Wouldn't that unfortunate soul be instantly torn into shreds?
Probably not…
Someone without an [Innate Level Physique] probably wouldn't do that without taking precautionary measures. They would set up a spiritual source barrier first before attempting to pass through the waterfall.
No one would try to throw themselves through the waterfall like he just did...
How reckless of him!
His Spiritual Source Barrier was being flattened and was gradually caving in.
Xu Xiaoshou decided to deactivate it and brave the crushing weight of the waterfall. It would make for good training. It was then that a sudden white sword energy came slashing down at him.
Rip!
His barrier was effortlessly torn apart, and the sword energy landed squarely on his shoulder and tore through his flesh!
Blood spurted everywhere, and Xu Xiaoshou yowled in pain. He felt terrible. Even though he'd been boosted by a number of [Passive Skills], he'd still managed to sustain such a serious injury…
He knew it! This wasn't a place for [Acquired-Stage Spiritual Cultivators] at all!
Before he could catch his breath, Xu Xiaoshou's [Sense] informed him of the significant number of white sword energies outside the waterfall that were charging at him. They'd been drawn to him like iron pins to magnets as soon as he'd entered the waterfall.
The sword energies were akin to countless bolts of silver lightning snaking down the Heavens while he was the lightning rod that had drawn them to him.
"You must be kidding me!"
Xu Xiaoshou's heart skipped a beat, and his scalp prickled with numbness.
He was going to be cleaved into half if a few of those sword energies struck him right at the top of his head.
He tried to clamber to his feet and leap out of the waterfall, but a few sword energies sneaked up on him and hit him. Pain rippled through his body, and the crushing weight of the waterfall sent him sprawling on the platform once again.
In a blink of an eye…
Rip! Rip! Rip! Rip! Rip!
Xu Xiaoshou barely had enough time to curl into himself and shield his head with his arms before thousands of sword energies charged at him. The downward torrent of black waters colored the black pond red with blood.
[Attacked Passive Points +1]
[Attacked Passive Points +1]
[Attacked Passive Points +1]
"… …"
A dozen notifications instantly filled the Information Bar. One could only imagine the pain that Xu Xiaoshou was going through right now.
"Shit!"
The flurry of attacks made Xu Xiaoshou's face turn pale. He was completely paralyzed and could only rely on [Eternal Vitality] to heal himself. In spite of that, countless wounds continued to appear on his body.
The wounds weren't healing quickly enough!
Luckily, the cultivation platform was extremely smooth and reflective.
Amidst the relentless onslaught, Xu Xiaoshou exploited the aftershocks of the attacks and very slowly and painfully slid off the platform and into the pond, where he was driven further into its watery depths by the fierce cascading waterfall.
He broke the surface of the pond with a gasp.
The sheer joy he felt from escaping from the jaws of death overwhelmed him as he floated, his unmoving body akin to a dead fish drifting on the surface of the pond.
His body was riddled with bleeding gashes!
"That d*mn old geezer! I shouldn't have believed his words. This place is worse than eating that [Infernal Fire Seed] was!"
After five minutes, his injuries began to gradually heal, and Xu Xiaoshou could finally move his limbs again, albeit barely. He stared fearfully at the black waterfall as he struggled to his feet.
If one wanted to be pedantic about it, he wasn't staring at the waterfall but at the white sword energies that had been able to inflict actual physical injury on him.
What happened?
Why had the sword energies attacked him after he'd entered the waterfall?
Had they been trying to kill him?
Without the sword energies, the crushing weight of the waterfall made this place the perfect place for strengthening his foundations.
But he couldn't simply ignore the sword energies and go ahead with training. That would be equivalent to a slow suicide.
What if he failed to slip out of the waterfall?
He might be diced up into pieces.
"Hah! I'm not suited for this sort of training!"
Xu Xiaoshou grimaced. He enjoyed training passively. Elder Sang was right. His foundations were strong. He didn't have to endure such suffering.
It was then that he checked the red screen inside his head.
His Passive Points had shot from 2500 to 2800 from the brief onslaught…
[300 Passive Points]!
It hadn't even taken 300 seconds. In fact, it'd only taken a span of a few breaths, with each breath spanning an average of 1.35 seconds…
"What if I were to do this for a day..."
The young man balled his hands into tight fists, and a look of determination flashed in his eyes.
"Hah! I'm not a masochist at all!"