[You have entered the Fallen Emperor's Tomb]
The first thing Atlas noticed upon his entrance wasn't the blackness around him, nor was it the system window and its indication of the tomb's identity.
Instead, it was the lack of people. The crowd that surrounded him upon entry was no longer present, most likely separated into multiple pocket spaces that existed within the tomb.
'The person who built this tomb is undeniably an expert. Even at the peak of World Core Realm, this kind of spatial control is impossible.'
As Atlas thought to himself, he drifted through the blackness in search of his objective.
Now that they'd been separated, Atlas was sure of it. This was a Legacy Tomb to its core. The purpose behind its construction was solely to find an heir to the expert resting within.
'Hmm, the legacy of a Behemoth is not a laughing matter, yet, I am unsure of how beneficial it will be for humans.'
Regardless, the only thing Atlas could do was continue forward. He came for treasures and he'd surely receive them before leaving.
After a few hours of aimless walking, he finally came upon something different. A large boulder stood alone, the sole illuminated area within the blackness.
At the same time Atlas spotted the boulder, the Tower System sent him a message as well.
[The Fallen Emperor's First Test: Strength]
[The Fallen Emperor was a member of a mythical race. These beings lorded over Heaven, embodying the domineering might that all cultivators crave.]
[To pass the Emperor's trial, shatter this stone into pieces using only physical force. Any usage of qi or treasures will be restricted.]
Reading the notification, Atlas attempted to arouse his qi. As expected, it didn't respond to him at all.
His inventory was closed as well, everything on his body aside from his clothes being transferred into it when the notification sounded.
'Even my light armor is gone. How troublesome.'
Body Cultivation wasn't a forgotten path, but it was one only cultivated out of necessity when the Heavenly Emperor still lived.
Because it was an era of war, cultivators were forced to strengthen their bodies for protection. If they didn't have this incentive, not a single one of them would've chosen to partake in Body Cultivation.
The benefits of Energy Cultivation were simply too tempting. The ability to control the elements with a thought, the power to use the energy of the world as a vessel, these dreams propelled people into prioritizing energy over body.
Besides, just as Energy Cultivation used Spiritual Energy, Body Cultivation used Astral Energy. Not many people wanted to bother with learning how to control this entirely new form of energy.
But Atlas never fell into the stereotype. In his past life, he was able to freely wield both Spiritual and Astral energies at his fingertips. It was part of what built his fearful image as the Heavenly Emperor.
Still, his past achievements had no impact on his current life. He had not yet gone through any sort of body cultivation. He had, at most, used the past 6 months to build his body to the minimum standard.
'I have been moving too fast…'
He realized it himself, but he wasn't of the mind to slow down quite yet. According to the Tower, there were Neutral Zones every 10 floors. Since he already skipped the 10th Floor Neutral Zone, his only option was to wait until he reached the 20th Floor to focus on hard training.
Until then, his superficial strength was more than enough to put him ahead of his peers. Not to mention, that damn treasure was strengthening his body passively as he broke through the realms of Energy Cultivation.
Once he put his mind to it, legitimate Body Cultivation would come easily.
Nevertheless, Atlas didn't need Body Cultivation for the current task. His newly tempered flesh and base strength should be more than enough to shatter a boulder.
After all, the ability to do so was an indication that one reached the peak of the Warrior Realms.
Atlas moved forward with confidence, arriving in front of the boulder and drawing his fist back…
Bang!
A dull sound rang out as the two surfaces collided, but unlike Atlas's expectation, the boulder was unscathed.
Atlas smiled wryly. 'If it was so simple, it would not even count as a trial, right? Old friend, your people are truly a troublesome bunch.'
His wry smile curved into a grin. Even if he couldn't break the boulder, wasn't this simply another form of training?
Repetitive movements would adapt his body with his strength, allowing him more precise control. This trial was just a heightened version of the exact same exercise he'd completely familiarized himself with.
Then, wasn't this the perfect opportunity to consolidate his power?
Even if he was fine with his cultivation remaining superficial for a small period, a shaky foundation was never acceptable.
Energy Cultivation without the support of Body Cultivation was like a river constrained by land. Even though the land was present, the river would still flow perfectly fine.
What Body Cultivation did for its energy-based counterpart was cleave away at the land, giving the river more and more space to flow.
On the other hand, if one didn't stabilize one's foundations within the Energy Cultivation system alone, one's power would dwindle with time, and further breakthroughs would become difficult.
Atlas already broke through the Warrior Realms with insane speed. Now that he was stuck at the peak of Core Formation, consolidation was his main priority.
And with that in mind, he put his everything into the boulder in front of him.
His entire mind was focused on a single point, a rain of punches landed on that point with every passing second.
Atlas's fists began to bleed not even a minute after he began his masochistic training. His skin peeled and his flesh ripped open, exposing the bones they hid beneath.
But Atlas didn't stop punching. In his mind, he was pondering the damage being done to his fists.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
'Although that damn treasure is indeed strengthening my body, strengthening is not its main purpose. Instead, it is creating a physique within me. The strength increases I receive are merely additional benefits from that process.'
In essence, he couldn't rely on passive strengthening to enhance his body to the standards he desired.
In the end, diligent cultivation was the only way forward.
But that didn't faze Atlas at all. His fists continued to pummel the boulder, being turned into mangled messes in the process.
Superior Regeneration went to work, but even it couldn't keep up with Atlas's speed. He was breaking himself faster than he could regenerate.
After almost an hour of this hellish exercise, Atlas finally stopped and allowed his fists to heal. He sat down in a meditative posture and calmed his mind.
Looking at the boulder, he was able to make out the incomplete fist imprints that were spreading across its surface. This sign clearly indicated his progress.
'It should not take more than another half an hour for me to complete this task. I should use the time I have to recuperate so I am not overwhelmed by the next task afterward.'
With this thought, Atlas took another hour to rest. He wasn't worried in the slightest about the others who entered the tomb with him.
He didn't know how the current era functioned too much, but he didn't think his knowledge was so outdated that it became useless.
Just as he was stuck, they would be in similar situations.
The final winner had yet to be decided.