A month passed on the stairway.
The first group had progressed significantly. Most were already past the 65th step. The Spirit Soul cultivator and the lightning qilin were tied at the 69th step—climbing in tandem, neither willing to fall behind.
A second group of seven had also begun climbing. They'd started ten days ago, and some were already at the 30th step. Among them was the Peak Mana Heart cultivator Kael had seen at the Lightning Lake—the man who had been using the lightning to temper his body and soul, radiating a sliver of lightning rule power.
Kael sat cross-legged on the 47th step.
His soul circulated—hummm—absorbing the lightning-infused mana pressure. Each breath drew in compressed electrical energy that washed through his soul core, vibrating it, refining it. The pressure was relentless—constant—pushing against his body and soul simultaneously.
Then it happened.
WHUUUM!
