Chapter 8: Struggle for Life and Death

Just as Lin Donglai felt it was relatively easy and his mind began to relax, two figures plummeted from above, their screams piercing and shrill!

Then came two "thuds," and their breathing ceased.

Lin Donglai dared not look down; he only felt his palms sweating and his mouth growing increasingly parched.

Falling from such a height—it was unlikely they had survived!

He had no choice but to close his eyes, calm his heart, cast aside distracting thoughts, and practice the Peiyuan Breathing Technique to restore his stamina.

Before long, the shadow of having witnessed others fall off the cliff vanished, and he immediately stood up to continue climbing the stairs.

However, this time it did not go smoothly, as several more people fell during the climb.

Each person would let out a cry as they fell, followed by silence, and within a few moments of thought, a dull thud of impact would echo.

This made Lin Donglai’s heart tighten.

"From this height, with a mortal body, they must have been smashed into meat paste!"

"Their brains must have burst out!"

"Hoo!"

"Hah!"

"Hoo!"

"Hah!"

Taking two deep breaths to alleviate some of the pressure, Lin Donglai continued to climb, not daring to linger too long. The longer he stayed, the easier it was to fall; he had to quickly reach the second resting platform.

He did not know how much time had passed when Lin Donglai’s hand finally grasped the edge of the resting platform, and he used his last bit of strength to pull himself up.

Only to see that there was already someone on the platform.

That person looked at Lin Donglai, his gaze scrutinizing.

Lin Donglai became instantly vigilant.

"On the platform above, there are people preventing others from continuing upward!" the man said calmly.

"Why?" Lin Donglai could not fathom it.

"Because they are resting. Only after resting well can they compete for a chance at the top ten. Climbing from the third resting platform upward means heading straight for the summit."

"Until they are certain of being in the top ten, anyone who comes after is a rival."

Lin Donglai watched him warily.

"You go first in a moment," the man said with a smile. "Otherwise, why do you think I didn't step on you or kick you off the edge of the stairs?"

From the lower level, it was difficult to see what the situation was like above. This man wanted Lin Donglai to scout the path; if Lin Donglai fell, he would simply wait a while longer.

Once the top ten were determined, the competition would lose its meaning, and only then would it be safe.

Lin Donglai had wanted to ask, "By what right?"

But now, with his stamina exhausted, if he didn't agree, he might just be pushed off.

Weakness is the original sin; poor aptitude means being inferior to others.

The protagonist in his dream memories had obtained a Dao Seed and was considered a powerhouse, yet wasn't he also killed by others?

Survive, then slowly grow stronger.

Besides, Lin Donglai wasn't competing for the top ten; as long as he wasn't eliminated, that was enough.

"Fine."

"You're sensible!" the youth said with satisfaction. "I ask you, what is your spiritual root aptitude?"

"Five-element spiritual root, low grade," Lin Donglai answered truthfully, wanting to lower the youth's guard.

"Heh." The youth sneered upon hearing this and ignored Lin Donglai further: With such spiritual roots, he was only fit to be a minor character in the future; what did it matter if he made an enemy of him?

Lin Donglai seized the opportunity to practice the Peiyuan Breathing Technique to restore his stamina. Not long after, less than a quarter of an hour later, the man stood up.

Lin Donglai immediately became alert, pressing himself against the wall.

"It’s been a while since anyone fell; that person must already be climbing the fourth section to the summit. You go up first and scout the path."

Lin Donglai hesitated slightly: "I haven't rested enough yet."

"I told you to go, so go!"

The youth sneered and grabbed Lin Donglai by the collar, his strength astonishingly great.

Lin Donglai pondered for a moment and realized he couldn't beat him, so he chose to "follow his heart": *Do not fight for a moment's pride; it won't be too late to settle the score once I have cultivated!*

At the very least, he had memorized the youth's face.

He continued to climb upward, now caught between wolves in front and tigers behind, but his inner resolve was even sharper.

Only one phrase he had heard from storybooks remained in his mind.

"A great man born between heaven and earth, how can he dwell long under others?"

Approaching the third resting platform, Lin Donglai was almost afraid, but staying on the platform might lead to being pushed off, and remaining in this state of neither up nor down meant he would fall sooner or later anyway.

Gritting his teeth, Lin Donglai climbed onto the resting platform.

Fortunately, no one was guarding this platform.

Just as he climbed up, the sound of a bell rang out from above, accompanied by an elder's voice spreading far and wide: "The top ten of the Ascension Ceremony have been decided. The remaining immortal seedlings have only one hour left to climb the stairs. Those who do not finish within one hour will be considered to have failed the Ascension!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Donglai was overjoyed and quickly adjusted his state.

Just as he was thinking, he saw someone vault onto the resting platform—it was the youth from before. He glanced at Lin Donglai and, choosing not to rest, continued climbing the stairs.

Lin Donglai waited until he had been gone for a while before continuing to climb. By the time he reached the summit, there were already nearly a hundred people there.

He was merely average among the entire group of immortal seedling disciples.

Taking a long breath, Lin Donglai searched the crowd but did not see Ding Zhen.

Fortunately, about half a quarter of an hour later, Ding Zhen also climbed to the peak.

The two looked at each other, feeling a sense of relief as if they had survived a disaster.

Not long after, the bell rang again.

"The time has come. The Ascension Ceremony is over. Those who have not reached the summit are considered to have failed!"

At this moment, there were barely two hundred and seventy or eighty people on the peak.

Soon, immortal sect disciples dressed in uniform, moving like spirit apes and cranes, leaped ten or more feet with every step, heading down the mountain to search for the immortal seedlings who hadn't reached the top.

Before long, everyone had been brought up.

However, the number of people was down by more than a dozen.

It seemed that quite a few had fallen off the cliff.

Elder Ma stood in the air, looking down at the disciples who had failed the Ascension: "Although you have spiritual roots, you lack destiny. You were originally eliminated and have no connection to the Immortal Sect."

"However, the Supreme Elder has shown mercy and allows you to become handymen. Although handymen are not disciples and cannot be trained on Immortal Seedling Peak or Lingxi Peak, you will still be issued cultivation techniques and receive a monthly stipend of half a spirit stone."

"Within one year, if you can guide Qi into your body and reach the first level of Qi Refining, you may also directly become an outer sect disciple."

"We are willing to be handymen!" About two-thirds of the people immediately made their choice. They had tested for spiritual root aptitude and originally thought they could directly join the Immortal Sect; they hadn't known there was such a test.

The remaining thirty-plus people were hesitant. At this moment, several outer sect deacons appeared on the side: "If you don't want to be handymen, that's fine too. In the Azure Wood Immortal City, there are many cultivation families founded by disciples of our sect that recruit immortal seedlings with spiritual roots as sons-in-law."

"Becoming an immortal son-in-law also grants cultivation techniques, spirit stone offerings, and the ability to have three wives and four concubines."

Upon hearing this, the eyes of those thirty-plus people lit up, and almost all of them agreed. Even many who had just chosen to become handymen felt regret.

After all, not everyone possessed a heart for the Dao. With poor spiritual root aptitude, being told that one might only reach the early or middle stages of Qi Refining in a lifetime, and with a lifespan only slightly longer than a mortal's, it was far better to have three wives and four concubines.