Kael took the fourth step.
WHUUUM!
The pressure intensified. His Early Tier 5 body groaned under the strain, his muscles tightening reflexively.
Fifth step.
WHUUUM!
The air itself felt like it weighed tons.
Sixth step.
CRACK.
Kael coughed—cough—and blood spattered from his lips.
Hhhh... hhhh...
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. His vision blurred momentarily before clearing.
"There better be something good on this damn ninth floor," he murmured through gritted teeth.
He stopped as he closed his eyes.
The stairs resist mana. They resist soul power. But do they resist aura?
He began circulating his aura—drawing the body cultivation energy from his marrow, pushing it through his blood, radiating it outward through his pores. The shimmering layer of distorted air around his body thickened—hummm—solidifying into a proper skin-tight barrier.
WHUUUM.
The pressure hit his aura and was reduced to a managable level.
Kael opened his eyes.
