The battlefield had become a wasteland of bone and ash. Five thousand corpses lay drained of all life force. Their qi had been absorbed completely into Wei Liang's cultivation base. The Iron Blood Manual's fourth stage burned through his meridians like liquid fire.
But something unexpected was happening. The massive influx of power was destabilizing his physical form. His body could not contain this much absorbed life force. Cracks appeared along his skin, leaking crimson light.
Wei Liang realized what was occurring. The fourth stage breakthrough was forcing another realm ascension. His soul was being pulled upward to the upper worlds where such power levels were normal.
The air around him began to shimmer and twist. Reality bent like heated metal. The Crimson Realm started fading away as dimensional barriers dissolved.
"Finally," Wei Liang whispered. His voice echoed across multiple planes of existence.
The ascension process was more violent this time. Instead of a gentle pulling sensation, he felt like he was being torn apart and reconstructed. The energy of five thousand deaths was reshaping his very essence.
Colors that had no names swirled around him. Sounds from impossible instruments filled his ears. He traveled through the void between worlds at speeds that defied comprehension.
Then solid ground formed beneath his feet once again. Wei Liang found himself standing on a platform of crystallized starlight. Above him stretched a sky of pure gold. In the distance, cities floated among the clouds like jeweled islands.
This was Celestial Realm, one of the ten upper worlds. Here dwelt beings whose casual thoughts could reshape reality. The weakest inhabitants possessed power that could destroy entire middle realms.
But the Iron Blood Manual had prepared Wei Liang for this ascension. His enhanced soul could withstand the oppressive qi pressure that would crush normal middle realm cultivators. He belonged here now.
A figure approached across the crystal platform. It appeared humanoid but clearly was not human. Its skin was made of flowing silver liquid. Its eyes were miniature galaxies swirling with stardust. When it spoke, the words appeared directly in Wei Liang's mind.
"Another ascended one from the middle realms. How tedious. I am Sentinel Astrix, guardian of this gateway. State your purpose in the Celestial Realm."
Wei Liang studied the being's power level. Astrix possessed strength equivalent to a small god. In the lower worlds, such a creature would be worshipped by billions. Here it was apparently just a border guard.
"I seek to cultivate and grow stronger," Wei Liang replied honestly.
"How refreshingly direct. Most ascended ones babble about justice or enlightenment. You at least admit your hunger for power."
Sentinel Astrix gestured toward the floating cities. "The Celestial Realm has room for ambitious souls. But be warned - the strong devour the weak here more literally than in lesser worlds. You will need allies to survive."
"Where can I find them?"
"The Academy of Eternal Storms accepts new students once per century. Registration begins tomorrow. Survive the entrance trials and you will learn techniques that make your middle realm methods look like children's games."
The Sentinel provided Wei Liang with a jade token that would grant passage to the Academy. Then Astrix vanished in a swirl of silver light, leaving Wei Liang alone on the crystal platform.
Wei Liang activated the token. It projected a beam of light that formed into a flying carpet of condensed qi. He stepped aboard and commanded it toward the nearest floating city.
The journey gave him time to observe this new realm. Everything here operated on a scale that dwarfed the middle worlds. A single building might house millions of inhabitants. Gardens contained forests larger than entire planets.
The Academy of Eternal Storms occupied its own floating island. Massive spires twisted up through layers of clouds. Lightning crackled constantly between the towers, but it was lightning made of pure qi rather than mere electricity.
Thousands of prospective students had gathered at the Academy gates. They came from all ten upper worlds seeking admission to the most prestigious cultivation school in existence. Most looked humanoid, but Wei Liang spotted creatures with multiple heads, beings made of living crystal, and entities that existed partially in other dimensions.
All of them possessed power that would make them gods in the lower realms. Yet here they were students hoping to learn from even mightier masters.
An elderly man appeared before the assembled crowd. He wore robes that seemed to contain entire star systems. His beard was made of flowing cosmic dust. This was clearly one of the Academy elders.
"Welcome, aspirants," the elder announced. His voice reached every ear despite the immense crowd. "I am Elder Voidwalker. The entrance trials begin now."
The crystal platform beneath their feet suddenly vanished. Everyone found themselves falling through empty space toward a world far below. This was the first test - survive the landing and reach the Academy's true entrance.
Wei Liang spread his qi into wing-like formations. The technique came from the Iron Blood Manual's flight abilities. He glided downward with perfect control while other students crashed around him.
The world below was a nightmare landscape. Volcanoes erupted with liquid time instead of lava. Gravity shifted directions randomly. Predators that fed on spiritual energy prowled between twisted trees.
This was a trial world created specifically to test Academy applicants. Everything here was designed to kill or corrupt the unwary. Only the strongest and smartest would survive to reach the Academy proper.
Wei Liang landed gracefully near a forest of metallic trees. Their leaves chimed like bells in the strange wind. He could sense spiritual beasts watching him from the shadows. Powerful creatures that viewed ascended cultivators as prey.
A pack of Void Wolves emerged from behind the metal trees. These beasts stood twelve feet tall at the shoulder. Their fur was made of crystallized darkness. Their howls could shatter dimensional barriers.
In the middle worlds, a single Void Wolf could terrorize entire cities. Here was a pack of twenty hunting together. They circled Wei Liang with predatory intelligence gleaming in their eyes.
The pack leader leaped first. Its claws could slice through space itself. But Wei Liang's spear was already in motion. The iron point, enhanced by countless deaths, pierced the wolf's skull before its attack could land.
The remaining wolves attacked in coordinated waves. Wei Liang's spear work had evolved beyond mere technique into pure artistry. Each strike was perfectly placed and timed. Each movement flowed into the next with supernatural grace.
Within minutes, all twenty Void Wolves lay dead. Their crystalline blood pooled around Wei Liang's feet. He quickly absorbed their life force using the Iron Blood Manual. Even here in the upper realms, the technique remained devastatingly effective.
Other Academy applicants were not faring as well. Wei Liang could see them struggling against various threats across the trial world. Many had already died. Their souls were consumed by the hostile environment.
Good. Fewer survivors meant less competition for admission spots.
Wei Liang continued through the trial world, systematically hunting every spiritual beast he encountered. His kill count climbed steadily. Dragon-birds that breathed liquid space. Stone giants that commanded meteor swarms. Phantom tigers that existed in seven dimensions simultaneously.
Each death added to his power. The upper realm creatures contained far more life force than anything from the middle worlds. His cultivation advanced rapidly as he harvested their essence.
By the trial's end, Wei Liang had killed over three hundred upper realm beasts. Of the thousands who began the test, only fifty students remained alive. They gathered at a teleportation circle that would return them to the Academy.
Elder Voidwalker examined the survivors with interest. His ancient eyes paused on Wei Liang for several seconds. Something about this particular student intrigued him.
"Congratulations," the elder announced. "You have proven worthy of Academy training. But remember - survival here required only basic competence. True cultivation mastery lies ahead."
They were teleported back to the Academy's main campus. The floating spires were even more magnificent up close. Each tower contained libraries, laboratories, and training halls beyond mortal comprehension.
Wei Liang was assigned quarters in the Crimson Tower. His room was a pocket dimension larger inside than outside. It contained everything needed for advanced cultivation practice.
But Wei Liang had no intention of remaining a student for long. The Academy's masters possessed knowledge and power that could fuel his advancement to unimaginable heights. They were his real targets.
He began studying his fellow students and the Academy's structure. Soon he would identify the weakest master to eliminate first. The Iron Blood Manual's fifth stage required the death of someone who had achieved minor divinity.
An Academy master would provide exactly that sacrifice.