Chapter 559: Steady Upgrade Speed, the Tianshan Test

The main peak of the Tianshan Mountains, towering and magnificent, pierces the clouds, reaching tens of thousands of meters.

From the Mountain Foot to the mid‑mountain, it is a long and arduous journey.

When professionals pass the Mountain Foot and reach about a hundred meters into the mid‑mountain, the gale begins to rage.

It seems a powerful magician is continuously casting Wind Spell, the gale howls, sweeping the sky with wind and snow.

Those slightly weaker, if careless even a little, will be blown to the brink of collapse, even facing life‑threatening danger.

Advancing here, vision is severely blocked by wind and snow, and visibility is extremely low.

Under normal circumstances, few are willing to set foot in this dangerous place.

Those who dare to challenge and press toward the deep mid‑mountain are elite professionals who have passed the Mountain Foot trial.

Jiang Chen moves unusually lightly through the wind and snow; more precisely, he is flying.

Behind him, a pair of Nether Spirit Wings flickering with electric light gently flap, carrying him at low altitude through the wind and snow.

The ground snow is deep enough to cover the knees, and walking through it consumes great stamina.

With the aid of the Nether Spirit Wings, Jiang Chen not only saves effort but also moves at great speed.

In the wind and snow, faint voices of other professionals can be heard, struggling forward while excitedly chatting.

"I'm truly grateful I passed the test before Level 60; otherwise I wouldn't even have the qualification to step into the mid‑mountain Middle Stage Dungeon."

"That was just luck; even if you get into the Middle Stage Dungeon, you might not pass the test."

"That could be the case; even if it's not possible now, when I reach Level 70 and complete the level Third Transfer, I don't believe I can't pass."

"That would take ages; from Level 60 to Level 70, even if you level up one per year, it would still take ten years."

"One level per year? Stop dreaming. At our speed, gaining a level every two or three years is already good."

Along the way, Jiang Chen heard many similar conversations.

Starting from Level 60, the leveling speed of professionals drops dramatically again.

For most professionals, gaining a level within a year is already extremely difficult.

Many people can quickly rise to Level 25 within a year after a Job Change.

Then, spending another two years, they strive to climb to th Level.

At this stage, diligence and perseverance are more important than strength.

Some people, undaunted by hardship, forge ahead, leveling far faster than ordinary folk, reaching th Level in about a year.

However, from th Level to Level 40, the leveling speed slows relatively.

The Experience Value requirement becomes higher, suitable leveling Instances become scarce, and more time must be invested in cultivating Skills.

However, once the Second Transcendence at Level 40 is completed, with stronger Skills and more suitable Instances, the leveling speed actually rises again.

Generally, professionals need only one year to smoothly reach Level 45.

Yet, as the level rises, the difficulty of leveling gradually increases.

From Level 45 to Level 50 often requires about two years to accumulate enough experience.

And once Level 50 is reached, the leveling speed dramatically slows; gaining a level in half a year to a year becomes difficult.

For most ordinary professionals, from the Initial Stage to training up to Level 50, it takes five to seven years overall.

Those born into great families, with abundant resources and relentless personal effort, can often shorten this time to about three years.

However, once past Level 50, the leveling speed slows again, and gaining a level each year becomes almost the norm.

Therefore, professionals who can reach Level 60 are usually already 35 years old, or even in their forties, as middle‑aged people.

After all, not all professionals can devote all their time and energy to leveling.

They also need to handle other affairs in life.

And once past Level 60, the leveling speed becomes daunting; a level every two years is considered normal.

Thus, the level Third Transfer Level 70 top‑tier professionals Jiang Chen has seen are mostly in their fifties, nearing sixty.

A professional's age is often hard to discern from appearance, because as the level rises, their bodies undergo changes that make them appear younger.

Only those wholly devoted to cultivation and backed by huge resources from great families can possibly reach Level 70 in their thirties and complete the Third Transcendence.

These professionals have lofty goals; they hope to go further on the professional path, even becoming the legendary Divine-level Strongman.

Listening to these professionals' chatter, Jiang Chen couldn't help but lift the corner of his mouth, showing a faint smile.

In less than two short years, he has already reached Level 60, accomplishing a feat that many need over a decade to achieve.

And his sister Jiang Ruo is even more astonishing; now her level is probably at an unimaginable height.

"I wonder where sister is now," Jiang Chen thought to himself.

"Why does Senior Fan Emperor rush sister's cultivation, even giving a sense of forcing growth?" he wondered.

Jiang Ruo's cultivation speed, though astonishingly fast, makes Jiang Chen feel it's a bit too hasty.

Fan Emperor's urgency seems to foreshadow some important event about to happen.

This feeling makes Jiang Chen a little uneasy, yet he can't pinpoint why.

At that moment, the wind and snow suddenly intensified, and an invisible force seemed to press on everyone, causing Jiang Chen's body to involuntarily sink a bit.

This is the first test of the Tianshan Mountains for outsiders; if they cannot endure even this pressure, they have no right to proceed deeper into the mid‑mountain.

Soft hums from others kept echoing in the ears, clearly they also felt the sudden pressure.

Someone said, "This is the Tianshan Mountains' test; only those who can withstand this pressure are qualified to continue forward."

"It is said this oppressive pressure exists to filter out the weak who rely on others to pass the Initial Stage Dungeon."

"Exactly, those cheaters cannot even stand here."

This pressure is not without purpose; it targets every person entering the Tianshan Mountains.

Those truly lacking strength, who barely pass the Initial Stage Dungeon only with others' help, will have their true nature exposed under this pressure.

Jiang Chen smiled faintly, knowing the truth here is far from that.

In the royal Secret Treasury, he had once deeply studied the data concerning the Tianshan Mountains and learned the true source of this pressure.

The whole Tianshan Mountains is, in fact, a huge natural formation, bearing astonishing pressure.

Once you surpass a thousand meters in altitude, this pressure begins to manifest and grows stronger as the height increases.

The Middle Stage Tianshan God Palace Dungeon lies at the mountain's mid‑section, at an elevation above five thousand meters, where the pressure is truly terrifying.

Any weakling who relies on others to pass the trial will have nowhere to hide under that pressure.

Those lacking strength won't even be able to keep moving; they'll likely collapse into unconsciousness.

Jiang Chen could clearly feel that this pressure, formed by the natural formation, acted directly upon the soul.

Because his soul is unusually strong, this pressure to him is like a gentle breeze brushing his face.

But for others, the situation is entirely different.

Amid the wind and snow, he heard an increasing number of heavy gasps. Many people found it harder to walk, their pace gradually slowing.

In the end, some could not bear the pressure and had to give up, stopping in their tracks.

One of them was the practitioner who had only barely passed the Initial Stage Dungeon at Level 60.

He could only reach an altitude of two thousand meters before he could no longer continue.

Such cases are not uncommon; clearing the Initial Stage Dungeon does not guarantee a smooth reach to the mountain's mid‑section.

The existence of this natural formation conducts a second screening of entrants.

Only truly capable practitioners can press on and challenge higher peaks.

And once you actually reach the instance Entrance, there is a third screening: forming a party.

The Difficulty of the Middle Stage Dungeon far exceeds that of the Initial Stage; usually a full party of 24 is needed for a chance to clear it.

Solo players without a fixed team find it hard to locate suitable teammates.

Even if they find a team, without good Compatibility and tactics, they will likely fail.

Therefore, teams that can clear the Middle Stage Tianshan God Palace are often those long‑honed, organized, disciplined fixed parties.

Not only must each member's individual strength be sufficiently strong, but they also need fine equipment and tacit Compatibility.

Although Jiang Chen has never personally entered the Middle Stage Dungeon, he already understands its difficulty.

Unlike the easy passage of the Initial Stage Dungeon, the Middle Stage Dungeon is filled with challenges and trials.

However, challenges and risks are often accompanied by huge rewards. The Experience Value of the Middle Stage Dungeon is extremely high, making it an unrivaled spot for practitioners who wish to quickly raise their level.

Even more enticing is that the instance may drop top‑tier Platinum Equipment.

When Mythic-level Equipment is rare and Quasi-Mythic-grade Equipment is also extremely scarce, Platinum Equipment is undoubtedly the top gear most practitioners dream of.

Several major guilds within the Empire have dispatched teams to station here year‑round, repeatedly clearing the instance to obtain more resources and gear.

They are not as lavish as Jiang Chen, able to use Cooldown Talisman at will.

For a guild, even a mid‑level Cooldown Talisman is a highly valuable resource; they must calculate carefully and wait for the instance's cooldown to end naturally.

The Tianshan God Palace Dungeon's cooldown is 24 hours, allowing only one run per day. Yet this is sufficient for a guild; the 24‑hour interval gives them time to rest and discuss tactics.

After all, each run consumes about ten hours, with fierce and exhausting battles; they cannot continuously grind like Jiang Chen.

As altitude rises, the pressure from the soul grows stronger, and more members fall behind. Yet, pleasingly, the wind and snow gradually weaken unnoticed.

Especially after surpassing four thousand meters, the wind and snow almost cease entirely, and visibility opens up.

Jiang Chen paused here, admiring the magnificent snowy scenery. The endless mountains were blanketed in white, dressed in silver, snow dancing like silver serpents, the view both grand and enchanting.

He couldn't help but exclaim, "Compared with those unknown Abyss, the scenery of my Human World is truly breathtakingly beautiful."

However, his praise drew a snort of laughter from a practitioner in his thirties beside him. The mage wore an exquisite Mage Robe, which rustled in the wind.

His cuffs bore a special emblem, clearly marking him as a member of some guild. As for which guild, Jiang Chen didn't care; it wasn't the Blue Leaf or Imperial Guild he knew.

The mage looked at Jiang Chen, a hint of sarcasm in his eyes, and said, "As if you've really been to the Abyss."

Jiang Chen gave him a faint glance, ignoring his provocation. He has always been too lazy to bother with such a boring person.