High-Level Martial Era

And what about Li Yuan? He could only endure!

Endure until death!

"There must be a chance."

"There must be! The inheritance test couldn't possibly be designed to be unpassable."

"It might be a time-limited test. As long as I hold on for a while, I should be able to pass." Another possibility flashed through Li Yuan's mind, giving him even more motivation to persist.

But!!

One minute, two minutes... ten minutes... thirty minutes... This was an excruciatingly long battle.

So long that it made Li Yuan's heart tremble.

He could easily fend off the attacks of the Gatekeepers, but he couldn't completely ignore them... His physical strength and Origin Power were constantly being depleted. Again and again, the battles and close combat were a torment to Li Yuan's spirit.

In the blink of an eye, forty minutes had passed.

"Kill!" The thirty-six Gatekeepers were still roaring, continuously besieging Li Yuan.

"Haven't I met the requirements yet?" Li Yuan was nearly driven mad.

This was definitely the longest battle of his life, even longer than the one in Flying Serpent Valley... At least in that battle, he could see hope.

"Hold on."

"Hang in there until the end." Li Yuan's Origin Power inside him had long been greatly depleted, yet he was still hanging on.

Fortunately, the operation of his four Star Meridians, especially the Perfect Star Vein... allowed the Origin Power within Li Yuan to recover at an astonishing rate.

According to the Divine Palace panel display, the training efficiency was 13, a level many peers with Six Star Pulse couldn't reach.

In an instant.

Another ten minutes passed... Li Yuan's Origin Power inside him was finally exhausted.

Even if the Star Meridians were operating and regenerating, it was still far from enough to compensate for the battle consumption... He could only rely purely on his flesh and blood to forge ahead.

"Pfft!"

"Pffft~" Li Yuan's Spear Technique was extraordinarily sharp, still hitting one Gatekeeper after another.

This was a protracted battle.

A full forty more minutes passed... Li Yuan fought with all his might, his body was to the point of extreme fatigue, and his Spear Technique was a lot slower than at the beginning, purely relying on his high skill to hold on until now.

Suddenly.

"Whoosh~" A Gatekeeper's Long Spear whistled, thrusting straight toward Li Yuan's head!

If it had been before, Li Yuan could have easily dodged.

But now? Li Yuan was simply too exhausted. He could only watch helplessly as the Long Spear thrust toward him.

Without the enhancement of Origin Power in the Battle Garment, this thrust would be enough to severely wound or even kill Li Yuan.

"Is it ending for me?"

"This Earth System Divine Being Inheritance, it's so difficult... I can't believe I'm going to die in the very first test of the inheritance." Li Yuan's heart filled with unwillingness, yet he was completely out of options.

Human strength has limits.

But just when that Guardian roared, and his spear tip touched Li Yuan—an instant.

Whoosh~

A breeze blew through and in an instant, the thirty-six Gatekeepers' bodies crumbled inch by inch into yellow sand and dissipated.

The whole square quieted down all at once.

"I... passed?" Li Yuan was stunned for a moment.

Hum~

An invisible fluctuation instantly transmitted into Li Yuan's mind: "Congratulations, you have passed the first layer of the Earth System Divine Being Inheritance test with a 'Perfect Level' evaluation. Please proceed to the main hall for the second layer test."

"Perfect Level?" Li Yuan vaguely understood that he probably met the test criteria long ago.

But this so-called test was designed to push him to his limits.

In fact, under the pressure of life and death, the nearly two hours of frantic battling greatly honed Li Yuan's spear-fighting skills without him realizing it, improving it to Fifth Stage 45%.

"Phew!"

Li Yuan let out a breath of relief, and his entire body directly collapsed to the ground, closing his eyes.

He was too tired.

His prolonged endurance had been entirely driven by the instinct to survive. Now that the assessment was passed, he let himself relax completely.

"Phew!"

"Phew!" With his eyes closed, Li Yuan's consciousness instantly descended into the 'Mind Spirit Divine Palace.'

He lay on the ground and began to practice the "Observing the Great Sun Starry Sky Scripture."

...

This session of practice lasted two hours, and Li Yuan lay on the square the entire time.

He slowly opened his eyes, which had regained their clarity.

Standing up, all traces of fatigue had vanished.

"The Visualization Method is really miraculous," Li Yuan thought to himself, then turned his gaze towards the distant main hall: "Is the second layer test inside the main hall? My body might have shaken off the fatigue, but having exhausted my Origin Power earlier, only a third has recovered so far."

He sat down cross-legged.

Phew! Li Yuan began running the four Star Meridians, frantically absorbing the Origin Power from the surroundings... After the first layer test, Li Yuan dared not be the slightest bit careless.

He must face the second layer test in his peak condition.

...

Three hours later, Li Yuan had fully recovered and cautiously stepped onto the stairs leading to the main hall.

Fifty-five steps.

From the outside, one couldn't glimpse into the interior of the main hall, but as soon as Li Yuan stepped inside.

Hum~ His vision flashed, and he immediately saw the inside of the hall.

This was an ancient hall, far less towering than it appeared from the outside. At the end of the hall stood a Golden Divine Pillar about ten meters high with a diameter of at least three meters... The surface of the Divine Pillar seemed to be carved with countless mysterious runes, emitting an invisible Spiritual Fluctuation.

"A Pillar of Spirit?" Li Yuan's pupils shrunk slightly, instantly thinking of the copper pillar located at the base of the Vermilion Bird Building in Kunlun Martial University.

The two looked incredibly similar.

The Pillar of Spirit was the treasure of Kunlun Martial University... It just seemed less important because Li Yuan had the Visualization Method.

"Could it be that the second layer test is a test of Willpower and Spiritual Power?" The thought crossed Li Yuan's mind.

The next moment.

Boom! The Golden Divine Pillar at the end of the hall suddenly burst into radiant light, covering the entire hall and enveloping Li Yuan as well.

Waves of intense spiritual pressure enveloped him.

"Is it really a test of Spiritual Power and Willpower?" Li Yuan thought to himself.