"Pakkk! Boom!" A massive palm struck down Xiaorong-14, 15, and 16 in rapid succession. "Thwack!" "Thwack!" "Ah!" Hengsheng grunted as Xiaorong-17 and 18 managed to slip through his defenses, stabbing him in the back. Blood sprayed from his mouth as pain surged through him.
"Haa!" Hengsheng roared, forcing his Qi to surge through his body. Activating Pure Qi Rebound Technique, he gathered the accumulated energy from the attacks he had endured. "Hummmm... BOOOOM!" The explosive release of Qi sent Xiaorong-17 and 18 flying back. Without hesitation, Hengsheng yanked the two swords from his back, gritting his teeth as blood gushed out. He immediately circulated his Qi to stem the bleeding.
His chest heaved as exhaustion began to take its toll. Fighting against a large group of peak Qi Gathering cultivators, even simulated ones, was far more taxing than he had anticipated. If this had been a mortal-level battle, all he would have needed was to avoid being surrounded. But now, every move demanded precision and calculation. "Even with my Qi reserves," Hengsheng thought grimly, "I'm just a gun with 100 bullets fighting 10 guns with one bullet each. I’m not fast enough. Not yet."
Xiaorong-17 and 18 recovered swiftly, positioning themselves to attack Hengsheng from opposite directions. Hengsheng divided his Spirit Body into three parts—one to focus on each attacker, and one to remain on guard for Xiaorong-19 and 20, who were lurking, ready to strike.
Green Qi auras flared around Xiaorong-17 and 18, their speed surging as they dashed forward. Hengsheng retaliated by launching a barrage of Qi marbles. "Boom! Boom! Boom!" The explosions tore through the air, but to his shock, the two attackers didn’t dodge. They barreled through the attack, unfazed.
Hengsheng attempted to retreat with the Horizon Shift Technique. "Hummmmmmmm..." His Spirit Body strained to hold its positions, but before he could act, his lower body was suddenly grabbed. Half-dead but relentless, Xiaorong-17 and 18 had managed to cling to him.
Hengsheng’s face turned pale. He struggled to free himself, but it was too late. Xiaorong-19 and 20, who had been lying in wait, dashed forward at lightning speed, flanking him from the left and right.
Their swords slashed clean through his neck, severing his head. Blood sprayed as his head spun through the air.
[Scenario Lan Hengsheng vs. 20x Super Lan Xiaorong has Failed.]
Hengsheng’s simulated body disintegrated, leaving him back in his training chamber, drenched in sweat. "Damn it," he muttered, shaking his head. "I'm not fast enough. I need to be sharper, stronger." His fists clenched. "Run it again." just like that another round of battle began…
A while later, Hengsheng was forced out of the Simulator, his mind throbbing with exhaustion. It was only now that he realized he had a mental limit when using the system, having unknowingly spent three full days training his techniques and refining his movements. The results were acceptable by the standards of this world—he had become far stronger within his own realm. But it still didn’t meet the lofty image he held of himself as invincible.
Hengsheng wanted more. He wanted to fight across cultivation realms like the geniuses he’d read about in historical records or cultivation novels from his past life. Frowning deeply, he mulled over the problem. “What am I lacking?” he muttered to himself. “Is it Dao? But Qi Gathering with a Dao seed is a myth. Or is it my technique? No, I’m sure my techniques are top-tier. They might even compare to those crafted by True Immortals. Or… maybe it’s because I don’t have some mysterious master in a ring teaching me?”
His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. “Young Master, we’re about to arrive in Golden City in two hours,” Lan Ju’s voice came from the other side.
“Come in,” Hengsheng called out, shaking himself from his musings. Lan Ju entered, her eyes immediately scanning the mess in his room. Dust from shattered spirit stones covered the floor, scraps of cloth dirty with impurities lay scattered about, and in the center of it all was a mountain of low-rank spirit stones encircling the metal-type spirit beast egg. Her brow furrowed at the sight.
Hengsheng waved her off casually. “Clean this up and keep an eye on the egg for me. Don’t touch it directly. If the spirit stones are all used up, replace them with the ones in this pouch.” He handed her a space pouch filled with spirit stones.
Lan Ju bit her lip, clearly displeased by what she saw as his wasteful use of resources, but she replied respectfully, “Yes, Master.”
Hengsheng nodded, ignoring her reaction. “I’ll head out to the deck for some fresh air.”
Stepping out of his room after two months of isolation, Hengsheng made his way toward the deck. Behind him, a few other servants followed at a respectful distance, though he paid them no mind, not bothering to remember their names.
As he reached the deck, he was struck by the dazzling sight of the floor seemingly glowing with a golden hue, as if the sunlight itself had turned gold. Frowning in confusion, he turned to look at the source.
His eyes widened in awe, and his jaw dropped. Before him stood a colossal golden mountain, its surface reflecting the sunlight with such brilliance that it bathed the surrounding skyship and landscape in golden light. The mountain towered into the heavens, piercing through layers of clouds, its peak entirely obscured. Even from this distance—two hours away at the skyship’s incredible speed—it dominated the horizon like a celestial monument.
“That… that’s can not be a natural mountain,” Hengsheng murmured, struggling to process the scale of what he was seeing. “Is this why this continent is called the Golden Pillar Continent?”
The sight reminded him of the breathtaking grandeur he’d seen in a black hole scene from a Noran movie in his past life. It was otherworldly, defying the boundaries of what should exist in reality.
Recovering from his amazement, Hengsheng glanced around. The other young cultivators on the deck were similarly awestruck, their faces filled with a mix of wonder and disbelief. Like him, most of them had never stepped outside the Lan Clan’s territory before. It was clear this was their first glimpse of the legendary Golden Pillar, and their reactions mirrored his own.
He chuckled softly to himself, shaking his head. “This world really never ceases to amaze me.”
“This was also my reaction when I first saw it,” a voice came from behind him. Hengsheng turned to see First Elder Lan Mingzhi stepping onto the deck. Quickly, Hengsheng bowed. “Greetings, First Elder.”
Lan Mingzhi gestured lightly, acknowledging the greeting. “Do you know the name of this realm?” the elder asked, his tone calm but expectant.
Hengsheng frowned and shook his head. Despite his extensive reading in the Lan Clan’s library, which included knowledge about there are five continents in this realm, there had been no mention of its name.
Lan Mingzhi nodded knowingly and said, “This realm is called the Five Pillar Realm. Each continent has something —massive, towering pillars that represent the five elements. Isn't it remarkable?”
Hengsheng’s eyes widened slightly, and he nodded. “Yes, it’s incredible. But it doesn’t seem natural. Do you know its history, First Elder?”
Lan Mingzhi shook his head. “Not entirely. What is known is that the five pillars represent the five elements: Red Fire, Black Water, Yellow Earth, Golden Metal, and Green Wood. Each pillar has been under the possession of the five overlords of this realm since its inception. The overlords’ ownership has never changed, even after countless eras.”
Hengsheng’s brow furrowed. “The pillars are treasures, then? They must hold incredible value.”
Lan Mingzhi smiled faintly. “They are more than treasures. Each pillar is said to be the greatest trove of elemental resources in this realm. They shape the power structure of the Five Pillar Realm, ensuring their overlords’ dominance.”
Lan Mingzhi continued, his tone turning more serious. “The secret land you will soon enter is called the Land of Pillar Foundation. It lies deep underground, connected to the Golden Pillar itself. It is said to be a world of unparalleled opportunities and dangers, of course, the overlord will open its entrance once every hundred years to everyone and of course, other cultivators that not be part of the Golden Sword sect can only be allowed to roam around the outer rim of the land the inner circle is a private area of the overload So don't provoke them by trying to cross the barrier they have set.
Hengsheng nodded solemnly, his curiosity and resolve both deepening. “I understand, First Elder. I’ll proceed with caution and make the most of this chance.”
Hengsheng spoke with the elder for a while before the First Elder left, leaving Hengsheng alone on the deck. He remained standing, gazing at the breathtaking view of the world from above. The skyship sailed smoothly through the clouds, the horizon painted in golden hues by the reflection of the towering Golden Pillar.
An hour passed, and Hengsheng’s sharp eyes began to pick out the outline of a vast city below. As the skyship descended slightly, the city’s full grandeur revealed itself. It wasn’t just big—it was massive, sprawling endlessly in every direction. Streets and buildings stretched as far as the eye could see, merging seamlessly into the distant landscape.
Hengsheng marveled at the architecture. The city was a perfect blend of elegance and strength, its structures harmonizing with the towering Golden Pillar behind it. The buildings shimmered with golden accents, their rooftops glinting under the sunlight.
This was the Golden City—the major capital of the Golden Pillar Continent.