All too soon, Tang Wulin began to comprehend just what it was that he faced as he ascended to the first mountain peak.
The act of climbing a snowy mountain was an unforgiving test of one's will. Even for a soul master with abundant soul power, it was extremely difficult to go forward without using one's martial soul.
Not only did the exceedingly thick snow on the mountain make walking very difficult, but the terrain was also steep and the temperature was getting lower and lower. The air felt thin at such a high altitude.
Despite his immense physical capabilities, Tang Wulin began to hyperventilate after he had started climbing the first mountain. It would have been utterly impossible for an ordinary person to do so without relying on modern equipment.
Even so, he did not feel put off by any of this as he actually enjoyed the exercise.
He adjusted his body and swallowed a few handfuls of snow he had picked up off the ground. Tang Wulin then leaped over to the other side of the snow-topped peak.
The thick snow was the best cushion. His body rapidly glided along the side of the steep mountain as he slid downward.
He was the only person bold enough to attempt the feat. Anyone else would certainly have been worried about what to do when they slid to the bottom.
Tang Wulin stretched out his limbs and relaxed his muscles to increase the surface area that came into contact with the snow as much as possible to prevent himself from sinking into it. He continued accelerating as icy powder howled past him. He unleashed his spiritual power to sense the possible danger zones farther down and then tried to steer himself accordingly.
He had taken over one hour to climb up the mountain but only a few minutes to go downhill. As he rapidly approached the bottom, Tang Wulin raised his legs. He used his inertia to continue gliding all the way forward until he reached the bottom of the opposite mountain. He even charged upward for dozens of meters before he could stabilize his body. He bent his knees and did a few sit-ups while his entire body sank into the thick snow on the mountain.
It felt amazing! This should have been what skiing was like.
The snow on the mountain was extremely thick. Tang Wulin knew enough about such things to understand that, under the circumstances, he should make as little noise as possible or else he could cause an avalanche very easily. Thus, he held back on his impulse to cheer as he crawled against the wall. Half of his body was buried in the thick snow as he continued the strenuous climb upward.
He did not use his martial soul, but his tough-as-steel palms. He was capable of firmly gripping on to the wall and climbing up without using his Golden Dragon Claws.
Not all the mountains there were so steep. The terrain sloped gently after he climbed past the hazardous portion of the path. He stood up and continued to walk forward. He crossed one peak after another following the positioning system's guidance.
His destination was growing closer and closer, but his whole body had already been completely covered by the snow in this stretch of the mountain.
The mountains before him were higher than the previous ones while the terrain was growing more and more dangerous. Tang Wulin finally felt a little tired as he sat on one of the mountain peaks.
It had already been a full day. He had lost count of how many mountains he had climbed, and he could no longer see the path he had come through anymore.
As the sky gradually darkened, he was still nowhere near his destination. Given his superhuman physique, he could continue to advance, but the temperature on the mountain was far too low that night. He could sense that the surrounding temperature was minus fifty degrees Celsius, and his body heat was depleting too fast.
He had to leave some leeway for himself no matter how confident he was. Otherwise, he would be in deep trouble should anything go wrong.
As for how should he take a rest, that was not an issue for him.
He dug a cave into the snow on the mountain wall and huddled inside it. He retrieved his blanket from his storage ring and used it to shield himself from the surrounding snow and ice. It was not comfortable but at least it was better than being stung by the bitterly cold wind outside.
He thought this was a rather wonderful experience. Tang Wulin pushed the blanket to shove the surrounding snow away and began to retract his aura to reduce his body temperature gradually. The blood essence and soul power vortices in his body circulated in a slower manner now.
There was already a crystal-like object beginning to take shape inside his soul power vortex as his cultivation base was getting ever nearer to rank-60. His soul core seemed to be almost completely condensed. Once the core had condensed, his body would form its spontaneous circulation. He would be capable of replenishing himself even when he could not infuse external origin energy into himself.
Tang Wulin spent the night meditating, and he was refreshed and energetic when he awoke the next day. He was not in a rush to go outside as he had some food in the cave. The dried ration had hardened completely and did not taste good at all, but he would need to replenish his energy anyhow.
His hands parted as he dug himself out of the cave. The icy cold wind blew against his body, immediately leaving him shivering and feeling renewed.
He moved his limbs about, as the blood essence soul ring in his body circulated faster. Suddenly, a scorching hot blood essence fluctuation burst forth from his body. One could see a white mist appearing around him, dissipating into the air while his aura burnt like fire.
Tang Wulin took a few deep breaths and absorbed the nutrition available in the thin atmosphere. He took a look at his positioning system device as he suddenly leaped up to push on with his journey.
The mountain peak in front was becoming steeper and steeper. The mountain was almost ninety degrees, but this was the only path available. The positioning system showed that he would be nearing his destination after crossing this mountain.
However, it was truly too difficult to climb. There was not a lot of snow on the almost vertical mountain wall, yet there were many extremely slippery icicles on the ground. This made it very difficult to climb the mountain bare-handed.
Tang Wulin had developed his indomitable temperament after being confronted by hardship ever since he was young. He pondered for a moment before he came up with an idea.
'I'm not allowed to use my martial soul, right? Even using the Golden Dragon King's strength is considered breaking the rules, so I'll rely purely on my body's strength then.'
He stabilized his body for a moment then he straightened the fingers of his right hand like a knife as he suddenly stabbed into the ice wall in front of him.
"Poof!" His right palm sank into the ice. Though the ice on the mountain was rock-hard, it was nothing when faced with Tang Wulin's terrifying strength.
Tang Wulin had a firm grip as he hung onto the ice wall. He then shoved his other hand in just as he had done with the first. He tested the durability of the ice before contracting the muscles in his arms to fling himself upward. With his incredible strength, he catapulted himself into the air.
He was relying solely on the strength of his arms! He flew up into the air for about ten meters and stuck his hands once again into the ice when his momentum ran out.
He was concerned that the ice would shatter under such immense pressure, which was why he was only pushing himself forward ten meters at a time. Tang Wulin figured he had no choice, but to be cautious.
He leaped into the air over and over again, piercing the ice continuously. His hands were as stable as ice picks. Each time he ascended, he would firmly hold onto the ice before he tossed himself upward. He was like a frog swiftly leaping up the ice wall.
The steep wall was over a kilometer in height, but he reached the mountaintop in only two hours.
He swung his sore and swollen arms and moved his fingers, slightly reddened from the cold. The blood essence in his body circulated for one cycle before he had healed naturally. This was the benefit of having such powerful physical abilities. The strength of Tang Wulin's blood essence had elevated again, especially after he had consumed the Velvet Skyreach Chrysanthemum. He could even feel that it might be possible for him to charge at the tenth Golden Dragon King Seal soon if this continued.
Tang Wulin was both eager and worried about the tenth seal.
Old Tang has been in a deep sleep for a long time, but he once told Tang Wulin that the final nine seals of the Golden Dragon King's Seals were the most difficult to deal with. The Golden Dragon King's energy from the first nine seals would more easily adapt to his body, whereas the final nine were filled with ammensely terrifying energy. He would immediately perish should he fail to absorb it. Thus, he would never act rashly without being fully prepared.
However, being dangerous and difficult meant there was a great opportunity behind this seal. There was no doubt that tenth seal would bestow him with a fifth extremely powerful Golden Dragon King Bloodline skill that far surpassed his first four skills.
The snowy terrain that continued to extend upward sloped gently. This was something that he could not see before. Tang Wulin continued forward and reached the mountaintop. He was astonished to discover that the terrain on the other side of the mountain did not extend downward anymore. Instead, there was a plain located on the mountain's peak, or more accurately, a snow field.
Rows of barracks covered the field densely, and it appeared to be on a rather large scale. There were sentries at the perimeter, but there was no watchtower. He could not tell what the buildings were made of because of the thick snow covering them.
Yet a barracks that occupied an area of at least one square kilometer actually existed!