Martial Ascent to Divinity

An Tian knew: "Did you watch the previous technique sharing? If you had been there from the start, you would definitely have topped the first place, with a complete ascension evaluation through the Minor Achievement Ninth Heaven. However, your gains from the cosmic trial are even greater."

...

The Martial Saints outwardly pretended it was unimportant, but they were very clear in their hearts.

The value of this layer of the Ascension Divinity Ladder exceeds the previous layers combined.

Because the final reward is extremely generous.

A Demigod King of the Giant Dragon Race had a stroke of luck, obtaining a golden crystal, which gave the entire dragon race a new and excellent divine technique, directly boosting their strength by a small margin.

Before the Celestial Tier Trial had even been completed, the reward of a golden crystal appeared, something unprecedented in previous trials.

Despite the human Martial Saints’ utmost efforts, they still couldn’t obtain the golden crystal.

Ultimately, humanity’s Martial Saints have too shallow a foundation; even with just a fifty-year growth period, a large number of Martial Saints would stand at the forefront.

The news of Zhou Leng’s return quickly spread across the internet, with major media outlets reporting on it.

The reaction of all netizens was unanimous.

What a pity.

Only a few days left for the Fourth Layer of the Ascension Divinity Ladder.

As light landed, Zhou Leng saw himself standing on a silver-gray metal platform, suspended in the void.

Ahead, a mysterious black metal gate was tightly closed.

On the gate, a three-dimensional divine text was slowly rotating.

Minor Achievement Ninth Heaven.

Zhou Leng was just about to step inside, when he stopped, opened Martial Faith, and first browsed the Minor Achievement Ninth Heaven instructions and experiences sent by the Martial Saints.

The first three layers tested three abilities: combat, comprehension, and will.

The middle three and last three layers tested similar content, but the difficulty far exceeded the previous layers.

He glanced at Zhu Shiji’s message again.

Zhu had said a lot before, analyzing things very thoroughly.

He believed that for Zhou Leng, neither combat ability nor willpower was an issue.

The problem was the ability to comprehend.

All the Martial Saints and alien demigods spent the longest time in the comprehension trial.

Because this aspect simply couldn’t be completed in a short time; it required painstaking effort.

Zhou Leng understood immediately that his Minor Achievement Ninth Heaven ought to fall through.

However, since he was here, he would try his best to complete it.

Success or failure was not important; what mattered was that he could grow, even just a little bit, and that would suffice.

He stepped forward and placed his hand on the gate.

The gate opened from the middle, releasing a rich white light.

Zhou Leng walked through the gate.

A gender-neutral mechanical divine text voice rang out.

"Trial Taker, please prepare yourself. This trial is the Fierce Beast Trial, where you will face alone a middle-rank demigod realm metallic lion. The Celestial Ladder will evaluate based on your performance..."

Since it was Zhou Leng’s first time entering, the mechanical voice explained for quite a while.

Zhou Leng slowly adjusted his breathing, regulating his physical state.

A fierce beast opponent was one of the most troublesome foes for demigods of the Ten Realms.

The metallic lion was a well-known demigod group within the Fierce Beast Realm, comparable in strength to the Eight-toothed Mammoth.

It had been a long time since he’d sparred or fought with a fierce beast, so he wasn’t sure of the strength of a middle-rank demigod-level fierce beast.

He could only give it his all.

"Begin."

The moment the mechanical voice sounded, Zhou Leng took a deep breath, his chest and abdomen cycling like sun and moon.

Behind his head, a faintly visible large stone appeared.

Identical to Ceres.

The largest asteroid in the asteroid belt of the Solar System.

Although it wasn’t a planet, nor a star, and looked somewhat ordinary, it exuded the might of a celestial body.

Far away, Ceres in the asteroid belt trembled slightly, its starlight flickered and then calmed.

In an instant, a strange power from Ceres emitted, traversing the stars, directly reaching the Ceres phantom behind Zhou Leng’s head.

The godly star hung in the air, the deity’s position mildly emerged.

Zhou Leng’s entire skin radiated a cool pale silver glow, as if bathed in full moonlight.

A massive metallic lion with a fierce face emerged from the gate ahead, let out a low growl, and charged toward him.

The battle hall spanned approximately a thousand meters.

The metallic lion arrived in an instant.

Zhou Leng swung a punch, its surging punching power condensed into a tangible starlight waterfall, engulfing the metallic lion.

The metallic lion vanished instantly.

Not even a large fragment remained, its entire body turning into fine dust.

The phantom of the metallic lion ahead trembled slightly and slowly dissipated, like a soul with no place to rest.

"Congratulations, Trial Taker, your evaluation is ascended."

Zhou Leng looked at his fist, wondering if the difficulty of the Celestial Tier Trial had decreased?

Didn’t all those Martial Saints say passing the first hurdle wasn’t hard, but for an ascension evaluation, it required many attempts?

To save time, he took large strides into the Second Layer Heaven.

Ahead, a ten-meter-high Martial Shadow Wall stood.

On the Martial Shadow Wall was a dynamic scene of a giant playing with stars in his hand.

"This ’Giant Star Play Diagram’ contains one hundred and seventy-three starry sky conceptions. Comprehending one can pass, comprehending two is excellent, comprehending five is ascension."

Upon hearing it was a starry sky conception, Zhou Leng finally understood the Martial Saints’ concerns.

No wonder they took so long to comprehend; this level of power would also take him a long time to grasp.

Since he had come to this, he cast aside all distractions, sat cross-legged in front of the Giant Star Play Diagram, and looked up.

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

"Hmm?" Zhou Leng stopped his contemplation.

He stretched out his right hand, mimicking the giant inside, and rotated an invisible sphere.

One, two, three, four...

Soon, he fully deployed seventy-four conceptions.

Because he had previously comprehended them on the Ancient Star Bridge.

"Congratulations, Trial Taker, you have attained an ascension evaluation, you may now enter the Third Layer Heaven."

Zhou Leng advanced with a head full of questions.

Wasn’t it said that even the smartest demigods in the Ten Realms took ten days to comprehend five conceptions?

It’s luck, it must be luck, no room for pride.

The subsequent trials must be extremely difficult.

Third Layer Heaven, Hall of Will.

The trial began with the phantom of a giant octopus with a hundred tentacles suspended mid-air.

Each tentacle was covered with densely packed eyes.

Upon seeing this, Zhou Leng instinctively frowned.

An Evil God phantom.

This was the world’s hardest willpower trial.

Among all demigods in the Ten Realms, without exception, when encountering the Evil God willpower challenge, none could get through.

So they would candidly give up upon encountering it.

Because the cost of not giving up was fainting and only waking up after several days, then remaining dazed for days before fully recovering.

The hundred-tentacled octopus unfurled all its tentacles, like layers of massive flesh flowers.

The myriad purple eyes gleamed, bizarre, frenetic, scorching, twisted...

Rays of multicolored divine light flew from the eyes, filling the hall, transforming it into an illusory nightclub.

Terrifying spiritual power surged into Zhou Leng’s Mountain of Will.

Zhou Leng blinked.

Snap...

The hundred-tentacled octopus phantom suddenly emitted a shrill scream, tentacles flailed, and it exploded.

"Hmm?"

Though Zhou Leng didn’t know the precise identity of the hundred-tentacled octopus, he was certain it was a demigod-level Evil God; such a thing, wherever it was placed, would spell an apocalypse.

"Congratulations, Trial Taker, you have attained an ascension evaluation. Please proceed to the Fourth Layer Heaven."

Zhou Leng walked forward with doubt, beginning to suspect he might be caught in a god-level illusion technique.

The trials of the Ascension Divinity Ladder couldn’t be this simple.

Fourth Layer Heaven, a group of mechanical demigods raised their right hand, flipped it downwards, pressed down, instantly killed.

Ascension.

Fifth Layer Heaven, Stellar Carvings. In five seconds, comprehended.

Ascension.

Sixth Layer Heaven, Star God’s coercion, stood unmoving. After ten minutes, completed.

Ascension.

Upon passing the Sixth Layer Heaven, Zhou Leng’s phantom appeared at the end of the Fourth Layer of the Ascension Divinity Ladder.