When he emerged from the cultivation Secret Realm, his cultivation was already at the peak of the Ninth Tribulation of Dust Immortal. This was primarily due to the effects of the Heavenly Cloud Fruit, which had propelled his cultivation forward by leaps and bounds.
Having crossed a major realm, the energy within the first Heavenly Stele challenge had already stabilized the cultivation base within his body. The power of this second Heavenly Stele gave him a sensation of an impending breakthrough, though he suppressed it with all his might.
After all, successive breakthroughs would have a considerable impact on one's foundation.
Chapter 861