Daily Evolution from Mastering Tai Chi-Chapter 232 - 212: Apex of the World

After hanging up the phone.

Wang Ye took a half-hour nap in the tent.

Then practiced Innate Skill for another half hour.

At half-past eleven, he left the tent, ready to continue climbing upward.

But this time Wang Ye did not take out the camera to start live broadcasting.

This wireless camera's battery can support 3-4 hours of live streaming.

And Wang Ye only carried 2 batteries, supporting him for 10 hours of live streaming.

So to save power for the final ascent.

Wang Ye decided not to live stream on the section from C3 Camp to South Ridge Camp.

He planned to start the live stream again at one in the morning when preparing to summit at South Ridge Camp.

After leaving the camp.

Wang Ye began climbing the Luozi Peak ice wall at full speed, heading towards the South Ridge Camp.

Occasionally, he encountered a few foreigners climbing as well.

Compared to their stumbling and exhausted appearance.

Wang Ye's lizard-like speed climbing a tree was simply astonishing to them.

But in this seven-thousand-meter death zone, they had no extra energy to sneer.

Most foreign climbers passing by only gave a surprised sidelong glance at Wang Ye before lowering their heads again, ice axes in hand, continuing to climb the ice wall.

It's not their cold attitude.

In such harsh environments, most people's brains are already delirious.

Cerebral edema symptoms can cause neurological dysfunction, severely affecting thinking ability, leaving them indifferent to anything except the Mount Everest in front of them.

Some even suffer from severe "snow blindness" during climbing. Snow blindness is an inflammation caused by UV radiation reflection from the snow damaging the cornea or conjunctival epithelium. Those with snow blindness may have difficulty opening their eyes or blurred vision, while severe cases can lead to permanent blindness.

On Mount Everest, every pain is infinitely magnified. This pain gradually leads to a loss of sanity, and in extreme oxygen deprivation, some might even kill for an oxygen tank. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Yet the only thing that can outweigh the pain is the passion for their hobby and the obsession with reaching the summit. To conquer this snowy peak, they can endure in such hellish conditions for months.

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During the climb,

Wang Ye even witnessed a fresh corpse.

The face of the corpse was somewhat grim, appearing to be a Sherpa Guide who had just died not long ago, lying with a twisted head-down posture against the rocks, an ice axe stabbed into his lower abdomen, with dried blood nearby.

Just by observing the posture, one could determine that he must have fallen while fixing an Ice Cone, resulting in death, and the ice axe accidentally pierced his artery, causing rapid blood loss and shock, beyond recovery.

The appearance of this corpse added a sense of horror to the dead, desolate snowy peak.

Nearly driving Wang Ye, who maintained a stable mental state, to collapse.

Even though his physical fitness had surpassed human limits.

He had actually never seen a fresh dead body before.

The first time witnessing it, inevitably birthed intense disgust and terror.

It's like a medical student's first time dissecting a corpse. No matter how excellent a person's psychological quality, the first time doing this thing will bring strong fear.

Wang Ye endured the revulsion in his heart, avoided his gaze, and quickly left that place.

At about half-past one in the afternoon.

Wang Ye finally reached the South Ridge Camp.

The camp closest to the summit of Everest, and also the last camp in the entire climbing journey.

"South Ridge" sounds hard to imagine, but the so-called "South Ridge" is actually a saddle-shaped flat formed where the southern ridge of Mount Everest and Luozi Peak connect at an altitude of 7,950 meters. "South Ridge" is like another world, the last resting station before the final summit push, also could be called a naturally formed "rocket launch pad," where all climbers prepare to set off before driving towards the peak during nighttime.

Many come to the South Ridge and begin truly using oxygen tanks to breathe because the oxygen here has thinned to its utmost.

If the oxygen in the first three camps was thin enough to cause discomfort, then the oxygen at the final South Ridge Camp is thin enough to suffocate a person alive.

It's no exaggeration to say that without an oxygen tank, a person can lose consciousness in just a few minutes here. The oxygen levels here are almost similar to those in water.

Additionally, the South Ridge Camp has level 10 wind conditions for 300 days a year, with ice shards slicing across faces like knives, causing immense pain. Although the scenery is spectacular, almost feeling like looking down from atop the mountains, no one here has the mood to care about the scenery.

After settling at the South Ridge Camp, Wang Ye took a glance at the surrounding environment.

The site is cluttered with tents and ropes, along with mountains of garbage. It's said that 40-50 tons of trash have piled up in the South Ridge Camp, requiring years for complete cleaning. This is because too many climbers discard the used oxygen tanks here.

Using microscopic vision to look carefully, one can see a few American climbers preparing for the summit sitting at the tent edge not far away, waiting for nightfall.

Regardless of their actions or expressions, they all seemed exhausted.