At a depth of seven kilometers.
Li Xuan felt his entire body trembling. The terrifying pressure of the water was aggressively compressing his physical body. In less than a hundred breaths, Li Xuan found his bones cracking. Even with the constant repair from Lingxi, the speed was still insufficient.
"Holy crap, kid, you're not going to kill yourself, are you?" The voice of the Heavenly Dao Brush sounded.
"You broken brush, do you wish for your master to die?" The Cang Ling Tower also spoke. Following that, waves of abundant spiritual energy surged out from Li Xuan's Zhenyu Ring and flowed into Li Xuan's body for repair. Under the dual repair of Lingxi and the spiritual energy, Li Xuan's body had reached a delicate balance.
His physical body was still being destroyed, yet it was being repaired at an insane rate. Intense pain coursed through him. If Li Xuan's soul strength had not reached the You Shen realm, he would have long fainted from the agony.
"His body seems unable to withstand it!" The purple-robed man and the others, who had been closely watching Li Xuan, naturally noticed his abnormality.
Zhu Xu nodded upon hearing this and said, "The water pressure there is likely five times that of our current location. Although his physical body is powerful, it will be difficult for him to endure. It would be a shame if he were eliminated like this."
"Who told him to push himself? If he had stayed here, passing the trial would have been effortless," someone commented.
"The path of cultivation is inherently a struggle against the current. This person has not settled for the status quo and dares to break through his limits. How can such a person be described as merely pushing himself? If he only sought to pass the trial for the sake of it, how far could he go in the future?" someone immediately retorted.
As time passed, five minutes went by. Li Xuan's body had reached the verge of collapse. Even so, Li Xuan continued to persevere. Unbeknownst to Li Xuan, with this continuous process of destruction and recovery, the newly formed skin and bones were now capable of withstanding the immense water pressure.
"He's still holding on," someone exclaimed in disbelief.
"I am not as resilient as him," someone lamented.
"I wonder what family he comes from to possess such tenacity," someone mused.
The crowd at the five-kilometer depth turned their attention to him. The previous doubts had vanished. After all, this was at a depth of seven kilometers, where the water pressure was several times greater than where they were. Although Li Xuan's physical body was on the brink of collapse, he was still enduring.
As more flesh and blood grew, Li Xuan felt the oppressive force of the water pressure lessen slightly. At this moment, Li Xuan could not spare any thought for his body's changes; his sole focus was to endure.
Five minutes passed, and Li Xuan continued.
A quarter of an hour passed, and Li Xuan still stood firm.
Twenty minutes passed, and Li Xuan's body had been completely replaced and regenerated.
Buzz!
With a buzzing sound, a dazzling spiritual light shot straight into the sky. In an instant, it pierced through the Tianyuan Pool and reached the firmament.
"Divine Power Realm physique!"
Upon seeing this spiritual light, even Yang Wenlin subtly turned his head, his eyes filled with shock.
"This brat managed to temper his physique to the Divine Power Realm through his own efforts. This is quite rare even within our Body Sect," an elder remarked with emotion.
Yang Wenlin nodded slightly and said, "The Divine Power Realm follows the Golden Bone Realm. It is truly not easy for this young fellow to reach this stage on his own. Our Body Sect has found a worthy successor in him."
"Heaven blesses our Body Sect!" Everyone present nodded in agreement.
"What... what is happening?" Zhu Xu and the others looked at each other in a daze, clearly bewildered by Li Xuan's transformation.
The purple-robed man pondered for a moment, and then a glint of light flashed in his eyes. "I've heard that there are several realms beyond the Golden Bone Realm, namely the Divine Power Realm, Divine Courage Realm, Thousand Mountains Realm, Bedrock Realm, Transcendent Realm, and Myriad Forms Realm. This person has likely elevated his physique to the Divine Power Realm!"
"Divine Power Realm!"
Someone exclaimed upon hearing this, their eyes filled with astonishment. It was important to note that none of those present had even reached the Golden Bone Realm. Yet, Li Xuan had achieved this through his own efforts. This gap was almost unbearable.
"It truly is disheartening to compare people. He is so outstanding and still works so hard; what right do I have to just wait here until the assessment ends?"
The crowd fell silent for a moment, and then a man spoke with emotion. In the next instant, he dispelled the barrier around his body. With a flash of silver light, the man, enduring the water pressure, began to temper his physique.
Silver Bone Realm physique.
Everyone immediately recognized the man's physical strength, but what shocked them more was his action.
Soon, the spiritual lights dissipated. Then, others, emulating the man's actions, began to temper their physiques at the five-kilometer depth.
"Shame can spur one to greater efforts. These youngsters are not bad," Yang Wenlin and the others observed the changes in the Tianyuan Pool with approval.
"Overall, this disciple selection is more outstanding than any previous one. Whether it's Li Xuan or these participants who have essentially completed the assessment, their overall strength is considerably higher," an elder stated.
"Indeed. Talent emerges in waves, with the new generation surpassing the old. Only through this can our Body Sect continue to flourish and endure for ten thousand years. This time, the Peak Lords will surely be scrambling for them," another elder said with a smile.
"Each disciple is exceptional; they cannot help but compete for them," Yang Wenlin smiled in response. Within the Body Sect, there were seven peaks. Aside from the main peak, the disciples of the other six peaks differed. These new disciples would undoubtedly become targets of their competition, with the most outstanding ones becoming coveted prizes.
"What realm is this?" Li Xuan had already noticed that his current physique was several times stronger than the Golden Bone Realm. Even without activating his physical power, Li Xuan no longer feared the water pressure of the Tianyuan Pool. Although he could still feel it, his body could fully withstand it.
"Kid, this is the Divine Power Realm," the voice of the Heavenly Dao Brush echoed in Li Xuan's mind.
"Divine Power Realm? Little Brush, tell me about it in detail," Li Xuan immediately asked.
Soon, with the explanation from the Heavenly Dao Brush, Li Xuan gained a general understanding of the Divine Power Realm. He also had a rough grasp of the other realms. What surprised Li Xuan was the sheer number of realms for physical cultivation.
A moment later, Li Xuan mused, "The path of cultivation truly has no end."