After a brief exchange, Tang Sui resumed her climb.
Tang San, having recovered slightly, took a deep breath and gritted his teeth as he took a step forward. Faint blue light, mixed with specks of white, emanated from him. Coupled with the rapid circulation of his Xuan Tian Gong and the unblocked meridians, his body would deplete and then replenish in an instant, cycling endlessly between exhaustion and fullness.
Ning Rongrong and the others, still lingering on the lower steps, watched in astonishment as Tang San's pace actually quickened after he resumed his ascent.
Momentum, once lost, is hard to regain.
Forty-four steps...
Forty-seven steps...
Forty-nine steps, fifty... "BOOM!"
A violent jolt, like an explosion, repelled Tang San's foot, which had been about to step onto the fiftieth stair. The force sent him staggering back two steps, his face deathly pale.
At this point, his severely depleted soul power was far from enough to sustain him. Even the internal energy from his continuously circulating Xuan Tian Gong was on the brink of collapse, unable to provide him with the strength to go further.
Tang San stubbornly tried to ascend two more steps. His Eight Spider Lance spirit bone, digging into the stair's surface, even sparked, indicating he had pushed his strength to its absolute limit, but...
"BZZZT!"
A heavy resonance erupted again. Tang San felt as if he had slammed into an invisible wall. He couldn't even stand steady on the step beneath him. His pale face struggled as he retreated over ten steps, only stopping when the pressure subsided to a level he could bear.
"Brother San, are you alright?"
His wrist was seized tightly, and a voice called from behind.
Tang San turned his head. To his right was Xiao Wu, and behind him was Ma Hongjun, who was still lingering on the eighteenth step.
He himself had retreated to the twenty-second step, level with Xiao Wu.
"Xiao San, are you okay?" Xiao Wu's pink eyes looked at him with concern.
Tang San exhaled, his voice hoarse as he replied, "I think I need to go down and meditate to recover for a while. Don't worry about me, you guys keep trying. When you reach your limit, retreat and meditate to recover..."
Xiao Wu nodded but didn't continue climbing. Instead, she watched Tang San slowly descend the steps leading onto the island. He sat down not far from Dai Mubai and began to meditate before they resumed their climb.
Tang Sui, standing on the fifty-sixth step and witnessing this scene, turned her gaze away and continued her ascent.
Fifty-seven... fifty-eight...
Tang Sui stepped forward with a calm gaze, her demonic power and soul power circulating madly.
As she stepped onto the fifty-ninth stair, a powerful soul pressure descended upon the entire space.
Purple, purple, purple, black, black, red, red.
Seven soul rings, each of a striking color, emerged sequentially from beneath Tang San's feet. Four intricately shaped, jade-white masks floated in the air, obediently accompanying Tang Sui, leaving the path ahead clear.
"Two hundred-thousand-year soul rings?!"
Bo Saixi and the attendant, observing this scene through a crystal ball formed from divine power crystals in front of the Sea God Temple statue, displayed expressions of profound surprise.
"And, Great Enshrined Elder, did you see? Her first soul ring, no, her first *three* soul rings, are all thousand-year soul rings!" the attendant exclaimed incredulously.
Bo Saixi's eyes also gleamed with astonishment. "I saw. She hasn't undergone any divine trials, yet her first soul ring possesses a thousand-year lifespan. No wonder she dared to attempt this path; her starting point alone surpasses many, marking her as a rare and powerful talent."
The attendant sighed, "It seems this young lady must have been very strong even as a child. At the same age as Tang San, she's already reached the Soul Saint realm. Her talent is truly terrifying..."
Unaware of Tang Sui's past, both of them harbored misconceptions about her history.
On the thousand and first steps before the Sea God Temple, Ma Hongjun, already drenched in sweat, collapsed onto the twenty-ninth step. He had reached the threshold of the thirtieth step but lacked the strength to go any further, groaning, "I can't do it anymore! This is my limit. Any further and I'll fly off!"
Oscar, two steps below Ma Hongjun, climbed to the twenty-seventh step, gasping for breath and collapsing onto it, too exhausted to even speak.
Ning Rongrong, only at the twentieth step, stumbled and fell onto the stair. The crystal-clear Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda in her hand clinked against the steps, its brilliant light dimming.
"Rongrong!"
Oscar cried hoarsely and quickly descended the steps to Ning Rongrong's side, helping her to sit up. This was the limit of his current strength.
"Rongrong, are you alright?"
"I... I can't go on either," Ning Rongrong replied weakly, lifting her sweat-soaked face. "My physical condition is weaker than Sui Sui's now. Even with the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda's amplification, I can't improve my resilience. Twenty steps... is my current limit."
As she spoke, she lowered her head bitterly, her chest heaving with rapid breaths.
Oscar looked at the seemingly endless path leading up the island, pursed his lips, and said with difficulty, "It's too disadvantageous for auxiliary system soul masters to climb these steps, especially when you have to climb more steps than most of us."
Zhu Zhuqing, standing on the thirty-second step, looked at her exhausted companions and tried to adjust her breathing rhythm. "Everyone, don't push yourselves too hard. Just reach your current limit. The stairs can be climbed again; don't be too hasty!"
Ma Hongjun, for whom even lifting an arm was incredibly difficult, lay sprawled on the steps like a flattened bird.
Ning Rongrong looked up and, upon spotting the distant figure, her pupils contracted. Her voice was hoarse as she asked, "Speaking of which... how many steps is Sui Sui at now? I feel like she's gone quite far..."
Oscar looked up and estimated a number. "At that position... it seems to be the sixtieth step..."
By the end of his sentence, his face was filled with astonishment.
Ning Rongrong exhaled. "I think Sui Sui should really consider quitting the auxiliary system soul master handbook."
Oscar chuckled immediately. "Although that's true, she *is* an auxiliary system soul master. Ah, Sui Sui has started using soul skills."
As they spoke, Tang Sui's first soul ring rippled, and several black and red beams of amplification fell simultaneously upon Ning Rongrong and the others on the steps.
Xiao Wu, who had been climbing slowly, looked up. Stuck at the forty-third step, she gritted her teeth. Fueled by this sudden surge of energy, she stepped onto the forty-third stair.
At this moment, she was as drenched in sweat as if she had just been pulled from the water.
"So... this staircase allows auxiliary system soul masters to provide support to their teammates?"
Despite their exhaustion, everyone's senses were still sharp.
Xiao Wu's words reached the ears of the others.
Oscar's eyes lit up. He turned back and said, "In that case, Rongrong, next time I can make sausages for you all!" He truly had nothing left to give this time.
Ning Rongrong, whose soul power was also nearing depletion, also showed a look of joy. "Yes! I can also provide support for everyone now!"