Chapter 7: The Stairway to Immortality

After the three elders and the inner sect disciples finished their business in Qingmu City, they led the immortal seedlings from the other side of the immortal city to hike up the mountain.

"This path is called the Path to Immortality. It has nine hundred and ninety-nine steps. Every disciple who wishes to join our Qingmu Immortal Sect must walk the Path to Immortality in person. This is a rule passed down by our founder."

"These nine hundred and ninety-nine steps are a test of your physical strength, endurance, and even your willpower. If you lack the determination to reach the summit and give up halfway, our Qingmu Immortal Sect will not accept you."

"The top ten who reach the summit first will be honored as the 'First-Ascending Talents,' and the sect will provide rewards."

"The first place will be rewarded with one bottle each of Peiyuan Pills, Yijin Pills, Xisui Pills, and Yangqi Pills."

"The top three will be rewarded with one bottle each of Peiyuan Pills, Yijin Pills, and Xisui Pills."

"The top ten will receive one bottle each of Peiyuan Pills and Yijin Pills."

"These four types of pills will allow you to quickly complete the four stages of Fetal Breath cultivation. Being one step ahead on the path of cultivation means staying ahead in every aspect."

"Go! Immortal seedlings! Compete for these top ten spots. This is the simplest test on your path of cultivation. In the future, there will be many more times when you must fight to be first."

After Inner Sect Elder Ma Bao finished speaking, he ascended into the high sky, watching the group of immortal seedlings rush to climb the steps.

The other two elders remarked, "The number of immortal seedlings this time is much higher than in previous years, but many have inferior aptitude. The Grand Elder's words have instead become an opportunity for them."

Female Elder Qian Yu said, "If the Grand Elder obtains the Golden Core opportunity and breaks through to the Golden Core stage, it will be a blessing from heaven for our Qingmu Sect. What does it matter if we take in more disciples with grade-four or grade-five inferior spiritual roots?"

"Before that blessed land space could land, it disintegrated into hundreds of fragments... The opportunities, both large and small, have scattered. We don't know who obtained them, so we must gather all the suitable immortal seedlings in the vicinity to ensure these opportunities do not fall into the hands of outsiders."

"In any case, these are just outer sect disciple quotas. In three to five years, we can screen them again. If any of them possess an opportunity, their cultivation will surely rise abruptly, making them as different from other disciples as the bright moon is from fireflies."

"If these disciples have no such opportunity, I fear they won't even be able to break through to the third level of Qi Refining. They won't consume many resources, and before we recruit the next batch of seedlings, we can just send them off to do some chores."

Elder Xu Wen said, "It’s just that making such a big fuss has alerted the Red Flame Sect and the Taiyuan Bai family. They have sent many spies to search for the opportunity as well..."

"After all, it fell within the territory of our Qingmu Sect. Once the Grand Elder comes out of seclusion, he will naturally have time to settle scores with them."

"I heard there is a Golden Core opportunity within that blessed land! For one thousand two hundred years, our Qingmu Sect has never been closer to the Golden Core stage. As long as the Grand Elder can achieve the Golden Core, then whether it is the Red Flame Sect or the Taiyuan Bai family, they will all have to bow down to our Qingmu Sect! We will be the number one sect in this vast territory!"

"Once we have the first Golden Core, it won't be difficult to have a second... By then, our Qingmu Sect might not be called the Qingmu Sect anymore; it will have to be called the Piaomiao Sect."

"It's just... we all know this is a Golden Core opportunity... isn't it a bit too far-fetched? Or is the Grand Elder stirring up these muddy waters?"

...

The nine hundred and ninety-nine steps of the Path to Immortality.

Lin Donglai looked up, feeling as if there were no end in sight.

These stairs were extremely tricky. Ordinary mountain stairs usually wound around the mountain with many twists and turns, but this staircase was a straight line leading directly to the summit.

At its steepest point, it was no different from a wall; it was incredibly precipitous.

Further up, one could even see ethereal clouds.

There were strange rocks and sheer cliffs; there were hardly even a few blades of grass rooted in the precipice.

This Path to Immortality tested whether one had the courage to reach the summit!

Lin Donglai took a deep breath, said nothing, and began to climb.

Each step was a symbol of proving oneself on the path to immortality.

He would climb to the peak of the immortal path, one step at a time!

Immortal Dao!

I am coming!

Although this Path to Immortality had no illusions, it seemed to consume an extraordinary amount of physical strength.

Lin Donglai had previously followed Lin Meng up the mountain to hunt pheasants and rabbits, and walking on high slopes was usually no problem for him.

But after climbing only four hundred steps, he was already panting, his lungs felt burning hot, and his legs felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead.

Not to mention that ahead, there was an even more treacherous section of the path.

It was a staircase almost entirely on a stone cliff, with only an iron chain hanging down. One had to grab the chain to climb up; a single moment of distraction could lead to a fall.

"Do you think the Immortal Masters will protect us if we fall?" Ding Zhen had also climbed to this point, her voice trembling.

Lin Donglai said, "Hard to say. I see those immortals as high and mighty, dividing people's aptitude into various grades. For people like us with grade-five inferior spiritual roots, I fear that if we fall to our deaths, it will just be considered normal attrition."

Ding Zhen shivered, "It's so high! If we fall, we'll surely be smashed to pieces!"

"Then we have no choice but to keep climbing!" Lin Donglai said, "We have to climb even if it's high. Do you want to give up? The Immortal Master just said that giving up halfway means having no fate with the immortal sect."

"Our spiritual root aptitude is already poor! If we give up lightly, there will be no hope left!"

Lin Donglai analyzed, "I observed for a while just now. There are already quite a few immortal seedlings with prospects for the inner sect who climbed up very easily, such as Xue Hong and Sang Qiao."

"Even if they are stronger than us, the inner sect disciples have secretly given them pointers, but in just three days, they aren't that much better than us. This staircase looks steep, but as long as your feet can find a hold, you can borrow force and climb a hundred steps or so while holding the iron chain."

"After a hundred steps, there is a small platform where we can rest. Once rested, we can continue climbing."

These words were meant to persuade both Ding Zhen and himself.

After speaking, Lin Donglai began to breathe and meditate, using the "Peiyuan Breathing Technique." This breathing method could quickly restore physical strength, and it could also drive the mysterious seed in his mind to breathe along with him, making it even more efficient.

Seeing this, Ding Zhen also began to meditate.

The spiritual energy in the Piaomiao Mountains was twenty or thirty times denser than in the mortal world. By meditating like this, even if the spiritual energy didn't stay in the body, it could greatly alleviate the soreness.

Feeling that his strength had recovered enough, Lin Donglai climbed the steep stone steps directly. While climbing, he continued to breathe and meditate, emptying his mind and trying to look only upward, not downward.

The peak of the Immortal Dao—this was not even the first threshold!

When Lin Donglai first started climbing, his body was a bit stiff, but later his mind was filled only with how to find leverage and how to climb up step by step.

It took nearly three-quarters of an hour to climb those hundred steps to the first small platform.

After a brief rest, Lin Donglai continued to climb... he thought to himself, "It really was just difficult to look at. In reality, as long as you are willing to take the first step, the rest isn't that hard! That strange force that consumed so much physical strength has also disappeared."

(End of chapter)