I, Thanks To My Unlimited Investment, Am Admired By All Races

‘Damn.’

As she stepped onto the white jade stairs, Qin Xueyi’s steps faltered, and she quickly realized her mistake.

She had been careless.

Having been here once before, she already knew the stairs posed no danger, so she’d stepped up without thinking.

But the problem was that she was supposed to be acting like this was her first time here.

Such impulsiveness was clearly out of character.

“When I first learned of this opportunity, I was informed of everything about this hidden realm. These steps, known as the Heart-Testing Stairs, are perfectly safe,” she explained, hoping that Li Xun would believe her.

How much he trusted her now was up to fate.

“Heart-Testing Stairs?” Li Xun murmured, lifting his foot to step onto the white jade steps.

As soon as he did, a surge of overwhelming pressure descended on him from all directions.

This pressure wasn’t aimed at his body but directly at his soul.

“Li Xun, as long as you keep your faith steady and clear away all distractions, the pressure will lessen,” Qin Xueyi advised as she carefully made her way up.

Although she knew the method to pass the stairs, her strength limited her, and each step was extremely taxing.

After all, the last time she’d been here, she’d been at the Profound Elixir Stage.

This time, she was only at the late stage of the Qi Condensation realm.

Even with the aid of a Purple Cloud Pill to strengthen her soul, the pressure remained immense.

“This is a test of willpower,” Li Xun observed. “But for some reason, it doesn’t seem to affect me much.”

Unable to pinpoint the exact reason, he chalked it up to a benefit of being a transmigrator.

His steps were light and effortless as he followed behind Qin Xueyi, neither too close nor too far.

After half an hour, the two of them finally reached the mountaintop.

Li Xun looked relaxed, showing no signs of fatigue.

But Qin Xueyi was another story.

Her slender figure trembled slightly, and her smooth forehead was covered in a sheen of sweat, her face noticeably pale.

Clearly, the Heart-Testing Stairs had taken a toll on her.

Ultimately, it was because, although she retained the memories of her past life, she had lost her past cultivation.

“Li Xun, there are two—watch out!”

Qin Xueyi was about to warn him of the dangers at the summit, but before she could finish, the danger had already arrived.

Boom!

A beam of light shot straight toward Li Xun, moving at such speed that it seemed like a bolt of lightning, splitting the mountaintop’s sky in two with blinding radiance.

“Hm?” Li Xun was alert.

He didn’t move, only reached out with a hand glowing with a golden light, catching the lightning in his palm and crushing it to dust with a clench of his fingers.

After blocking this attack, he and Qin Xueyi turned to see the great white hall’s doors slowly opening not far away.

A tall, imposing figure strode out from within, a man with jet-black hair and an intense, terrifying aura that weighed heavily on them.

His eyes, though, were eerily lifeless, gray like ashes, hollow and devoid of spirit—almost as if he were a mere puppet.

“That’s the hall guardian,” Qin Xueyi quickly explained. “We only need to defeat them to proceed. But usually, there are two guardians, and the other one could be hiding anywhere.” To feign ignorance at this point would be dangerous for them both, given that these hall guardians were all cultivators at or above the Profound Elixir Stage.

“The second one is already here,” Li Xun responded calmly.

He took a step forward, quickly pulling Qin Xueyi into his embrace with one hand while raising a fist with the other, striking out into the air.

Boom!

Their fists collided in midair with a resounding crash, making the entire mountaintop quake.

A terrifying shockwave spread outward, but while Li Xun stood firmly in place, the figure in the sky was forced to retreat more than thirty meters.

Qin Xueyi’s beautiful face was frozen in shock, her mouth slightly open, unable to process what she’d just seen.

She remembered that in her previous life, these guardians—one with unmatched strength, the other with extreme speed—had been incredibly challenging opponents, and she’d barely managed to defeat them after a hard fight.

Yet here was Li Xun, handling both with ease, almost effortlessly.

After the initial shock, she suddenly realized that she was still in Li Xun’s arms.

The masculine scent in her nose made her cheeks flush a faint red.

“Stay back. If you don’t, I might not be able to protect you,” Li Xun said, releasing her.

His tone was firm, given the seriousness of fighting two Profound Elixir Stage opponents, even though they were mere puppets.

“Alright,” Qin Xueyi nodded, stepping out of his embrace, though she felt an odd sense of emptiness as she did.

In her previous life, she had faced everything alone.

Being shielded and protected by someone like this was an entirely new experience, and the feeling lingered, tugging at her heart.

Before she could process this feeling, Li Xun was already moving.

His figure flickered with every step as he advanced, each stride leaving a faint afterimage—a technique close to teleportation.

A hum echoed as he raised his hand, a silver-white spear manifesting in his grasp.

He gave it a slight shake, and the spear radiated a divine light, expanding in an instant to a massive, ten-meter-long, thick and heavy weapon.

Like a manifestation of heaven’s will, he swung it down upon the tall man before him.

“Roar!”

The figure responded with a bestial howl, raising a purple crystal lamp that emitted a fierce light, illuminating the entire mountain.

The light met Li Xun’s descending spear head-on.

Boom!

When the two collided, the purple crystal lamp shattered instantly.

With divine power coursing through him, Li Xun’s strength was terrifying, and even this guardian, though at the Profound Elixir Stage, couldn’t withstand it.

Bang!

The imposing figure was sent flying.

Although his strength was formidable, his sheer physical power was overpowered.

Zing!

A sharp whistling sound cut through the air as the second guardian charged from behind, slashing at the back of Li Xun’s head with a large blade.

The blade hadn’t even landed yet, and its force alone produced an ear-piercing shriek.

Nearby, Qin Xueyi prepared a few spirit stones, intending to set up a formation to aid Li Xun in defeating the guardians.

However, before she could act, Li Xun responded.

Without looking back, he spun his spear, transforming it into a silver dragon that collided head-on with the blade, sending the second guardian flying back hundreds of meters.

Li Xun stomped on the ground, launching himself into the air in a flash to pursue the attacker.

Like an ancient war god brought to life, his wild hair danced in the wind, his gaze sharp and unyielding.

Single-handedly, he pressed down on the two Profound Elixir guardians, leaving them unable to mount a defense.