'There!' Tang Lin thought.
Hidden in the dense qi around him were green lights. There was a much smaller amount of them than the qi, yet they shined far brighter. These were the law fragments of the Law of Life.
Starting to circulate his qi throughout his body, a small, intangible whirlpool started to form that was invisible to the naked eye. This was connected to his principle qi to absorb and cultivate.
Slowly, the law fragments were pulled in along with the heaven and earth qi. This was like fish being pulled down in a current.
Finally, Tang Lin managed to absorb the first law fragment.
*Fwoosh*
Although that was just a small fragment of the Law of Life, Tang Lin felt a soothing energy rejuvenate his mind and body. The feeling was intoxicating as he felt all his pain and fatigue significantly lessen. Not only that, but his comprehension of the Law of Life had also noticeably increased as if he had a small breakthrough in his knowledge.
"This is amazing. I even feel like I can understand the creature and life below better. Even my perception of the Law of Life has increased", Tang Lin moaned in pleasure.
Now, he could even sense the miniscule fragments of the Law of Life within the trees, water and animals.
As he absorbed more and more law fragments, his understanding and insight of the Law of Life increased correspondingly.
*Half an hour later.*
'That should be enough', he thought.
After sensing that he had reached another bottleneck in understanding the Law of Life, Tang Lin decided to stop and continue climbing up the staircase.
Even though he had absorbed most of the law fragments, most of it was stored in his principle qi to be slowly digested. After all, this was a massive amount of energy that would definitely make him have a breakthrough.
However, Tang Lin knew that it wouldn't be wise to rush increasing his cultivation stage.
"Stay calm. Refine the basics and compress the qi. A strong foundation is the start of a good future", Tang Lin reminded himself as he kept walking up.
'The 60th step', he counted in his mind.
The stage was changing once again as Tang Lin curiously looked around.
"What happened?" asked Tang Lin in surprise.
Unlike usual, the stage didn't become even more dazzling, but instead became quieter and more lifeless.
Like the Autumn season, the trees and bushes started to wilt. Animals also prepared for hibernation and Winter, while the ocean grew still.
'Even the Law of Life has disappeared', Tang Lin thought with a bit of disappointment.
Something felt amiss, but Tang Lin couldn't tell what it was as he continued to walk up the staircase.
*Heavy breathing.*
Even after using qi enhancement and being supported by energy from the Law of Life, Tang Lin still felt stressed and tired. Overexerting himself not only put a heavy toll on his body, but also his mind, which had to continuously concentrate.
As he reached the 70th step, a massive change occurred.
"Urgh…" groaned Tang Lin in pain.
Unlike the other milestone steps, the pressure on the 60th and 70th step was incomparable.
This was akin to holding a boulder and then all of a sudden, having to hold a mountain on one's back.
*Crack, crack.*
Tang Lin's qi defences were slowly waning against the relentless pressure.
At this point, Tang Lin didn't even have time to observe the changes of the stage. Now, he could only desperately hold on and make sure he wouldn't fall off the staircase.
'It looks like I need to use the powers of the crimson bloodline again', he thought as he grit his teeth.
A red aura soon engulfed Tang Lin's figure, which quickly started reinforcing and healing the cracks in his qi defences.
*Cough, cough.*
Finally being able to take a breather, Tang Lin struggled to breathe as he managed to stay standing with trembling legs.
'Looking at my condition, my qi recovery is too slow compared to my rate of consumption', he thought.
'15 minutes. That's how long I have left before I'm completely drained', Tang Lin estimated.
While continuing to walk up the stairs steadily, yet hastily, Tang Lin took a quick glance at the stage.
"SHIT! This must've been that bad feeling I had earlier", he said.
The stage on the 70th step, which was brewing destruction, had a black mist starting to form.
Now, the stage had transformed again and it looked like the start of the apocalypse.
"The Law of Death!?!" Tang Lin yelled in shock.
To be able to discover even one law in one's life was already rare, but to experience two laws was extraordinary.
However, this time it was definitely not a blessing in disguise, but a matter of life and death!
Unlike the time the Law of Life appeared, Tang Lin didn't need to meditate to sense the Law of Death. The law fragments were so dense that they were twice the size of the law fragments from the Law of Life previously.
This time, Tang Lin didn't get a chance to comprehend the Law of Death for it to become beneficial.
The Law of Death had distinctively opposite characteristics compared to the Law of Life. So, blindly confronting it would be foolish, yet he had no choice.
'13 minutes left. It's now or never!' Tang Lin thought as he stared at the black mist covering the path ahead of him.
*Gulp.*
Tang Lin looked back behind him, which was also a path. If he took that path, he would be safe and stay alive by being obedient, but then he would never be able to avenge his mother, question his father nor make use of his talents.
Looking back in front of him, the Law of Death continued to obstruct his path ominously. This was a thorny path full of pain, hardships and sorrow that might not even bear any results or even take his life.
*Nervous breathing.*
"In order to face the unknown, I must first face myself", he said solemnly as he took a step forward.
Natural disasters like tornadoes, tsunamis, earthquakes, fires and thunderstorms were also on the verge of forming as he climbed closer to the 90th stage.