Eternal Life: I Can Control My Essence Qi-Chapter 287 - 209: Ancient Times 7

"Change it to another one."

Zhang Yao immediately gave up on the large stone he couldn't move, scanning the surroundings for a smaller target.

Eventually, he chose a black stone about the size of two fists, estimating it to be the heaviest stone he could manage.

"Huh!"

Stepping forward, he let out a low shout, exerting all his strength to gradually lift the black stone.

Holding the black stone aloft, Zhang Yao's blood nearly boiled, supplying him with an endless stream of powerful energy, allowing him to carry the stone toward the finish line.

Luckily, he was already quite close to the second stage's ancient green jade gate, so after struggling to walk a few steps, the gravity field around him vanished, making it suddenly much easier.

"Phew..."

Zhang Yao exhaled deeply, and the black stone, as heavy as a mountain, suddenly felt "light as a feather."

Of course, this was merely an illusion; the stone's true weight was still over ten thousand pounds, with an incredibly high density.

"I wonder if this can be consumed..."

Zhang Yao examined the black stone in his hand, even trying to toss it and catching it steadily again:

"Such Heaven and Earth Treasures, if used for devouring and refining to strengthen the Treasure Body, would certainly boost the body's strength tremendously."

Thinking of this, he carefully stored the black stone in his Storage Bag.

"I can't believe someone can actually carry this stone!"

The Three Evils Daoist, Elder Yuanxu, and others behind saw Zhang Yao's actions and looked at each other in disbelief.

They had also suspected that the black stones in this second stage might be treasures, but they were barely making it through the second stage themselves, let alone carrying them.

Only someone like Zhang Yao, whose physique was at an absolute advantage among the same level, could withstand the terrifying pressure of the gravity field and still have the strength to carry these Heaven and Earth Treasures.

"Let me give it a try too!"

Man Tian Sheng's eyes lit up, eager to attempt it.

Soon, he also arrived a few steps before the ancient green jade gate and chose a smaller black stone to carry.

He struggled to move the stone to the finish line, and once the pressure on his body suddenly eased, he happily stored the stone away.

Aside from them:

The remaining Golden Core Cultivators, the fastest being the silent young swordsman, were still only a third of the way through, far behind Zhang Yao and Man Tian Sheng.

"Hmm..."

Zhang Yao glanced at the leaderboard beside him, still displaying unfamiliar golden text.

"Were the cultivators of ancient times so physically strong?"

Feeling puzzled, he grew increasingly curious about the force behind the creation of the Jade Divine Palace.

What kind of powerful force could gather the Immortal Dao Pride from all corners of the world, creating such incredible achievements?

After patiently waiting for half an hour:

The other seven Golden Core Cultivators finally completed the second stage one after another, arriving at the second ancient green jade gate.

"Buzz!"

The ancient green jade gate emitted a bright glow once more, this time releasing four amber-colored, truffle-like drops of liquid.

Having learned from the previous experience, Zhang Yao and a few others stood still, allowing the amber droplets to fly to them, merging into their bodies from their foreheads.

"Phew..."

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Yao felt a slight tingle and itch all over, accompanied by a warm current continuously flowing throughout.

Once the sensation faded, his physical strength indeed increased greatly, though not comparable to an enhancement of the Divine Soul, it was still a rare occurrence.

"The rewards here are indeed very good."

Zhang Yao, Man Tian Sheng, and Fairy Feiyin smiled in satisfaction.

Soon, the ancient green jade gate opened with a rumble, and everyone entered the third hall of the Jade Divine Palace. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

The third hall's structure was largely similar to the previous two, but it was the smallest, divided into left and right sections by a strange metallic instrument.

On the left, there were irregular light green metal ores lined up from small to large, the smallest being only as big as a pinky, and the largest nearly half as big as a table.

The ores appeared irregular and uncrafted, but there seemed to be a fixed volumetric difference between each ore.

On the right, there was only the strange metallic instrument, covered in dense, complex runes, with dozens of identical diameter metal tubes facing the ores on the left.

"Is this the Quantitative Instrument?"

Zhang Yao curiously examined the strange metallic instrument.

The third stage tested Magical Power;

This creation of Ancient Immortal Dao was specifically designed to measure and quantify Magical Power, utilizing ancient rune techniques and artifact refining skills, entirely different from the style of current Magical Treasures, named 'Quantitative Instrument' by Three Evils Daoist, Haihe Ancestor, and others.

In fact, this instrument merely looked novel; the current era's Spirit Pattern technology was more mature and complete, achieving the same effect easier, and ordinary Second level Artifact Refiners could create one independently.

Ancient Immortal Dao held the advantage only in certain aspects, not superior in everything compared to the current Immortal Dao, often representing backwardness.

"Let's start."

Three Evils Daoist signaled, stepping forward first to press a hand on a flat surface of the instrument, skillfully channeling in Magical Power.

Instantly:

The thick Magical Power he infused into the Quantitative Instrument transformed mysteriously through the rune array into a thin white gaseous thread flying from the pipe on the left side.