The leader of the Earth Devil Palace sneered. "Don't be so happy. Once I obtain the inheritance, I will kill all of you."
Without waiting for a reply—and ignoring the threats from Yun Ting's team members—he took the first step onto the staircase. But the moment his foot landed, his body froze like a statue.
Everyone was stunned. Shocked and confused, they exchanged glances, trying to make sense of what had just happened.
Yun Ting's mind raced as he recalled his main body's experience in another secret realm—stepping onto the stone platforms in the river. Hesitantly, he said, "The stairs must be engraved with an illusion. One must pass the test of the illusion before climbing further."
But before anyone could respond, the voice from earlier echoed again.
"It is not an illusion. Every nine steps, you will be given a choice—to learn a technique from the Dead River Sect. Only by mastering nine techniques can you enter the palace and participate in the final inheritance test."
Without hesitation, Yun Ting stepped onto the first stair. In an instant, the world around him shifted. He now stood inside a massive library, its towering shelves packed with countless ancient tomes.
The voice sounded once more. "Choose a technique. Only after comprehending it can you advance to the next step."
Yun Ting took his time, scanning each section of the library. As a warrior, he knew the importance of a strong body, so he gravitated toward the Body Refining section. After browsing through various techniques, he finally selected Corpse Body.
His reasoning was simple—the gray rain and wind were laced with corpse qi, and he had already begun to understand a trace of it. Learning this technique might allow him to harness the corpse qi instead of being harmed by it.
The moment he chose the book, the scene around him changed again. He now found himself standing in a vast corpse pit, the air thick with corpse qi.
The voice spoke once more. "To succeed, you must fully master the technique. It is divided into six realms, reaching up to the quasi-Third Realm of cultivation. The six stages are—White Corpse, Black Corpse, Black Bone Corpse, Black Iron Corpse, Black Steel Corpse, and finally, Living Corpse."
At the final stage, the corpse body would undergo its ultimate transformation, converting corpse qi into pure vitality energy.
With no time to waste, Yun Ting closed his eyes and began his training.
The moment he started practicing the technique, he noticed something strange—his body had reverted to its mortal state. At first, he was startled, but then he realized it was beneficial. His true energy was incompatible with corpse qi, so beginning as a mortal would allow his body to absorb it more naturally.
Time passed within the illusion, and after a week of relentless training, he successfully mastered the first stage—White Corpse. He examined his body and found that it had transformed into a pale, corpse-like state. However, with this change came an unexpected challenge—the corpse qi began to attack his mind.
Violent impulses surged within him. Bloodthirst, irritation, and uncontrollable rage clawed at his consciousness, threatening to consume him. But Yun Ting's spirit was strong. He gritted his teeth and suppressed the maddening urges, focusing his willpower to maintain control.
Without hesitation, he pushed forward, beginning the second stage. Weeks passed, and he eventually mastered Black Corpse. His body darkened, becoming a stronger and more resilient corpse form. However, the mental assault grew even fiercer. The impulse to kill, the hunger for destruction—it was nearly overwhelming. But Yun Ting endured, using his powerful spirit to keep his sanity intact.
Then, a new challenge emerged. As he attempted to move, he found his joints stiff and unresponsive. Every movement felt unnatural and sluggish as if his body were resisting his commands. Actions that required flexibility became difficult, restricting his combat ability.
Realizing he had no choice but to adapt, Yun Ting sat down once again and began training for the third stage—Black Bone Corpse.
His progress in the first two stages had been relatively fast, thanks to the dense corpse qi filling the pit. Unlike normal cultivation, where one had to search for resources, here, the environment provided an endless supply of energy. Additionally, in the illusion, he did not feel the physical needs of hunger, thirst, or exhaustion, allowing him to focus solely on his training.
With his mindset, Yun Ting steeled himself for the next transformation.
After approximately forty days, he successfully mastered the third stage—Black Bone Corpse. He examined his body and, at first glance, it appeared unchanged. However, as he focused, he realized he could now control his bones. Testing his new ability, he extended a sharp bone from his fingertip.
As a corpse monster, he felt no pain when the bone emerged. Curious, he inspected it closely, finding its sharpness and toughness comparable to a quasi-spiritual weapon. Encouraged, he experimented further, forcing bones to extend from various parts of his body, refining his control over the technique.
Without delay, he moved on to the fourth stage—Black Iron Corpse. This stage proved far more difficult. It took him nearly eight months to fully master it. Unlike the previous transformations, there was no significant change in his outward appearance, but his body became much harder to move. His joints felt even stiffer, and every motion required tremendous effort.
However, the benefits were undeniable. His physical strength and defense increased to the level of an intermediate spiritual weapon, while the sharpness and durability of his bones reached that of an initial spiritual weapon. With this level of defense, he was practically invincible against intermediate Second Rank cultivators and warriors, and even capable of withstanding attacks from late Second Rank opponents without doing anything.
After thoroughly examining his body and testing his new limits, Yun Ting wasted no time—he immediately began training for the fifth stage.
It took him more than three years to master the Black Steel Corpse stage. However, unlike the previous transformations, this one restored his flexibility. His once burly, heavy body shrank back into a compact, athletic form, yet his strength and defense had not decreased—in fact, they had increased. His body's durability and power were now equivalent to a late spiritual weapon, and his bones had reached the same level.
Satisfied with his progress, Yun Ting wasted no time and advanced to the sixth and final stage—Living Corpse Body. To his surprise, his previous insights into corpse qi and body refinement proved invaluable, allowing him to progress faster than expected. After only two years, he had fully mastered the technique—a speed far beyond what he had achieved with the previous stage.
But before he could even observe the changes to his body, the illusion shattered. In an instant, he found himself back on the first step of the staircase outside.
Looking around, he noticed that most of the others were still stuck on the first step. Only a few had progressed further—Lu Yan and Liang Ji, along with three cultivators from the Earth Devil Palace, had reached the second step, while the leader of the Earth Devil Palace stood alone on the fourth step.
Yun Ting narrowed his eyes, carefully observing him. A familiar aura radiated from the corpse monster's body, and upon closer inspection, he saw faint white, pale spots appearing on his skin. His expression darkened—he understood immediately. The leader of the Earth Devil Palace had chosen to cultivate the same Corpse Body technique as one of his steps, and now, his transformation into a Living Corpse was underway.
Taking a deep breath, Yun Ting steadied his thoughts. All the changes he had undergone were illusions—his real body had not physically transformed. However, the knowledge and mastery he gained remained with him.
Without hesitation, he stepped onto the second stair.
The world around him shifted once more. He found himself back in the vast library, just as before. This time, he made his way to the Soul Techniques section and selected a technique called Thousand Water Drops.
The technique was divided into four realms—
1. 10 Water Drops
2. 100 Water Drops
3. 1,000 Water Drops
4. Soul Source Liquid Realm
With his choice made, Yun Ting prepared to begin his next challenge.
He chose Thousand Water Drops not for its initial three stages but for the fourth stage—Soul Source Liquid Realm. Upon mastering this stage, he would gain the ability to produce Soul Source Liquid using his soul energy. This liquid would allow him to take over another body, turning the target into his clone.
However, there were restrictions. The target had to be unconscious and unable to resist, and their soul had to be weaker than his.
Yun Ting selected this technique for a specific reason—he was in an immortal cultivation world, but he was a warrior. He had no desire to transform his body into a spiritual body or abandon his warrior path in favor of immortal cultivation. However, with a clone, he could cultivate both paths simultaneously—one body walking the path of a warrior, the other exploring the path of an immortal cultivator.