Limitless Ascension: Strength Amid Adversity – Chapter 511

Within the Secret Realm.

Everyone found themselves in a grand Immortal Palace, with white clouds swirling around like waves. The sun, moon, and stars hung from the palace’s roof, the scene appearing unreal like a dream.

“Where is this place? Where’s the Immortal Emperor Artifact?”

“Yeah, how come we haven’t seen a single one?”

“Wait! I can’t seem to draw on my Immortal Power! Is anyone else experiencing this?”

“Hiss, me too!”

“Oh no, oh no, what are we supposed to do without our Immortal Power?”

A wave of panic rippled through the crowd.

After all, they had all come from far and wide, specifically for the various Immortal Emperor Artifacts within the Secret Realm.

Yet, upon entering this cursed place, they not only failed to find the desired artifacts but also lost control over their Immortal Power, as if it had sunk like a stone in the ocean with no trace left.

“This place is strange; even I can’t channel my own Immortal Power here,” said Chi Xiao Immortal Sovereign, secretly alarmed.

He was at the peak of Immortal Sovereign, just a step away from becoming an Immortal Emperor, and yet here he was, unable to draw upon his own Immortal Power—this made him feel a creeping fear.

“Amitabha Buddha, since we’re here, we might as well settle in,” Maitreya Immortal Sovereign said, bringing his palms together and reciting the Buddha chant, appearing calm while his heart was tightly strung.

Losing control over one’s Immortal Power would make anyone panic.

After all, regardless of what level of Immortal you were, your Immortal Power was your lifeline, a crutch for all sorts of means.

Now, with that crutch gone, it was like a tiger with its fangs pulled out, the strength significantly diminished.

“What the hell is this place?” Ye Junlin frowned.

In his mind, the system’s prompt sounded, “Ding! Congratulations, host, on successfully signing in. Reward: Cangyuan Sword upgraded to top-tier Immortal Emperor Artifact!”

Ye Junlin was speechless.

The reward came at the right time, but honestly, it was useless.

Because, without being able to harness his Immortal Power, what good was a top-tier Immortal Emperor Artifact?

He couldn’t unleash even one billionth of its power!

Just then.

A voice, as imposing as a temple bell, echoed within the Immortal Palace, reverberating in everyone’s hearts.

“Welcome, testers, to the Soul Sky Secret Realm!”

“The rules are as follows: The trial is divided into three stages. Rankings will determine your reward, and the highest rank in each stage can earn you 200 chances to open treasure boxes. After passing all three stages, there will be a total of 1,000 treasure boxes, hiding five Immortal Emperor Artifacts, which can only be obtained by the testers themselves.”

Upon hearing that.

Everyone’s eyes lit up, and their breaths quickened.

So, they would compete for rankings in the three stages to earn corresponding chances to open boxes, and after the three stages, it would be the thrilling box-opening phase to see if they could get an Immortal Emperor Artifact.

Of course, the more chances they had to open boxes, the greater the odds of getting an Immortal Emperor Artifact!

“Five Immortal Emperor Artifacts! That’s five Immortal Emperor Artifacts!” Someone was already so excited they began to leap with joy, seeming to fantasize about claiming all five artifacts.

“I’ve got to get that Immortal Emperor Artifact!” Chi Xiao Immortal Sovereign cast a discreet glance at Ye Junlin, secretly vowing to himself.

As long as he had the Immortal Emperor Artifact, he could reclaim his position and wipe away his past humiliation!

Just as everyone was filled with ambition, an odd occurrence surged forth.

Boom!

A thousand steps rose before them, each step appearing to be crafted from celestial gold, resplendent and luxurious, emanating an incredibly mysterious aura.

“What is this…?” The crowd wondered as that imposing voice echoed again in the Immortal Palace,

“This is the Qualification Platform. The stronger your qualifications, the higher the steps you can reach. Based on your ranking, you will receive chances to open boxes—those at the top can earn up to 200 chances, and so on!”

Hearing this.

Everyone’s expressions shifted.

They hadn’t expected the first challenge to be based on qualifications!

Every being had their own qualifications, but with varying strengths.

On the path of cultivation, qualifications were crucial!

Cultivators with poor qualifications either lived dull, unnoticed lives or ended up trampled underfoot, beaten or killed.

Meanwhile, those with strong qualifications, like heroes favored by heaven, could progress through their cultivation as easily as eating or drinking, destined to stand at the pinnacle.

“We can achieve the Immortal Sovereign realm; our qualifications must not be low,” said Eternal Ancestor, his gaze flickering.

He too was eager to see how far he could go on the Qualification Platform.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

At this moment, many powerful individuals raced toward the steps, climbing them eagerly.

Ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty…

They easily crossed the first three hundred steps, boosting everyone’s confidence as they continued ascending.

However, once they reached the four hundredth step, people began to drop out one by one.

Each step felt like a mountain, their feet heavy, until they could go no further, lingering in frustration.

By the time they hit five hundred steps, the number of stalemate challengers surged dramatically.

“Five hundred ninety, five hundred ninety-one, five hundred ninety-two…” The Giant Spirit Immortal Sovereign, who had been acquainted with Eternal Ancestor, gritted his teeth, feeling increasingly anxious, sensing he was nearing his limit.

Soon, upon reaching the six hundredth step, the Giant Spirit Immortal Sovereign simply could not take another step, as if an invisible force was blocking him.

“Ah…”

He sighed helplessly, and when he turned back, he was quite astonished.

Because he realized that ninety-nine percent of the strong beings were behind him!

His position was already among the top!

“Haha, it seems my qualifications are still quite strong!” The Giant Spirit Immortal Sovereign’s face lit up with joy, and he felt a great sense of satisfaction.

At this moment, he noticed the middle-aged man who was standing still, waving him over, “Eternal Dao Friend, what are you dawdling for? Come and give it a try!”

“Giant Spirit Dao Friend, I’m coming right now.” Eternal Ancestor chuckled and dashed toward the steps.

Then, under everyone’s watchful eyes, he effortlessly soared up five hundred steps, charging towards the six hundredth step.

“Eternal Dao Friend, you’re closing in on me,” the Giant Spirit Immortal Sovereign laughed heartily, thinking they were about on the same level.

But then.

Eternal Ancestor brushed past him as if he were a gust of wind and went straight up the steps.

“Hmm???” The Giant Spirit Immortal Sovereign was stunned, eyes wide as saucers, watching the middle-aged figure fade into the distance…

What is happening here?

You can actually climb higher?

Eternal Ancestor sped ahead, leaving everyone far behind, reaching the seven hundredth step.

By the time he hit the seven hundred fifty steps, he began to feel the pressure mounting, his speed slowing drastically, each step feeling like a ton of weight.

“Oh no, am I reaching my limit…?”

Eternal Ancestor gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead.

Finally.

He was forced to stop on the seven hundred ninety step, looking up at the remaining steps with deep despair in his eyes.

“That’s the Eternal Sovereign from the Azure Sky Region; I can’t believe his qualifications are so strong.”

“I heard he once battled Void Truth Immortal Sovereign and managed to overpower him!”

“Hmm? Is that so?”

“Indeed, this one is no ordinary character!”

The murmurs from behind grew louder.

Many were surprised by Eternal Ancestor’s impressive qualifications.

Perhaps he even had the potential to become an Immortal Emperor!

“Amitabha Buddha, I dare to test this so-called Qualification Platform, to see if it’s accurate or not.”

Maitreya Immortal Sovereign put his hands together, stating solemnly.

The crowd looked on with disdain.

This old bald man would praise the platform if he climbed many steps; if he didn’t, he’d declare it inaccurate.

Surely a master of the art of navigating both extremes!