Chapter 51: The Mysterious Genius Who Ascended the Seventeen Steps

Lin Xuan turned a deaf ear to these words and returned directly to the private booth, leaving the battlefield to the younger generation.

"Hehe, a genius from Huaqing Prefecture? I shall come and witness it myself!"

At that moment, a young man and woman following behind Ba Li suddenly leaped onto the combat stage.

Both were extremely young, yet their cultivation bases were quite extraordinary.

Lin Xuan focused his gaze slightly; these two were indeed not simple, even by the standards of Huaqing Prefecture.

"Hahaha, as expected of Elder Ba's top disciples. It seems their talent is truly remarkable!"

Looking at the pair, Cui Yongzhou complimented them with a chuckle.

The other families also offered their praises one after another.

Hearing the crowd's flattery, the two on the stage held their heads high, their faces filled with pride.

They were indeed insignificant within the Spirit Martial Sect and could not make a name for themselves there, but in a small place like Huaqing Prefecture, they naturally basked in glory.

"Hehe, these two disciples of mine—the male is named Yin Jun. He is nearly eighteen, yet he has already reached the sixth level of the Kaiyuan Realm. As for the female, her name is Yang Hong; she is just over seventeen and is at the fifth level of the Kaiyuan Realm."

Ba Li stroked his beard with a smile, appearing somewhat smug.

He had reason to be smug; looking across the entire venue, the cultivation of these two was enough to rival the best of the crowd.

However, in Lin Xuan's eyes, Jian Shiyi and Shangguan Chan were far stronger than these two.

"Truly worthy of being the Elder's disciples. They are indeed impressive!"

"With this kind of talent, they are truly at the pinnacle here in Huaqing Prefecture!"

"As expected of the Spirit Martial Sect. Is the foundation of the Spirit Martial Sect composed entirely of such geniuses?"

"Miss Bai is the truly impressive one, being directly designated as a core disciple by the Spirit Martial Sect. Simply amazing!"

"It seems the Bai family is indeed destined to rise!"

As the crowd spoke, they inevitably mentioned the Bai family, which led them to think of Lin Fan of the Lin family, subsequently mocking Lin Fan for his overambition.

"Now, the grand competition begins. The competition for those under eighteen is divided into three rounds. The first round is the Test of Perseverance!"

Xia Yi stood with one hand behind her back and the other in front, appearing poised and solemn.

"Do you see the ladder ahead of you? It has eighteen levels, known as the Eighteen Steps. The higher you climb, the higher your ranking!"

Xia Yi's words drew nods from everyone.

This was because, at times, competitions between geniuses were measured by perseverance, talent, and bone structure.

If they only competed in martial combat, it would not only lose some of the fun but also be somewhat limited in scope.

"Little Prince, didn't you climb to the thirteenth step last time?"

Da Biao leaned in and whispered into Hou Mingyu's ear.

"Mhm, the thirteenth step. Even with only thirteen steps, my father claimed I possessed the potential for Spiritual Connection. As for Divine Connection, it is possible, but the prospects are slim," Hou Mingyu said indifferently, as if it were a trivial matter.

Da Biao nodded slightly and said with a smile, "Hehe, looking at this Huaqing Prefecture, I doubt anyone can even reach the tenth step."

"Hehe, don't be too absolute. I think there are still geniuses among them. Besides, climbing the Heavenly Ladder is primarily related to perseverance," Hou Mingyu said with a chuckle, appearing somewhat lazy and nonchalant. Clearly, although Hou Mingyu spoke this way, he was extremely confident that no one in Huaqing Prefecture could surpass him.

"Begin the climb!"

Seeing the group of youths and maidens fidgeting and rubbing their hands in anticipation before the Heavenly Ladder, Xia Yi uttered a few words.

As soon as she finished speaking, the group of youths rushed toward the ladder.

This type of Heavenly Ladder in Huaqing Prefecture was only suitable for cultivators below the Yuan Dan Realm. It was a testing tool created by the Great Desolation Imperial Family and was used throughout the entire Great Desolation.

Lin Xuan remembered that there was also such a ladder in the Jixia Academy, also consisting of eighteen steps. Lin Xuan had once stood upon the seventeenth step!

Lin Xuan's perseverance was top-tier and his comprehension was top-tier, but unfortunately, his bone structure was as bad as a failed exam.

Many youths felt a very obvious sense of pressure as soon as they stepped onto the first step; some who appeared frivolous even face-planted on the very first step.

"Hehe, these little ones are likely in for some hardship. Do they really think these eighteen steps are easy?" Shangguan Jian stroked his beard, speaking with a hint of schadenfreude.

"Thinking back, I also thought it would be simple, but in the end, I only managed nine steps. It is quite shameful," Cui Yongzhou said with a faint smile, shaking his head.

"Hehe, indeed. I once gave my all and only reached ten steps," Shangguan Jian said with a chuckle, glancing at Cui Yongzhou.

Cui Yongzhou's face darkened. *Damn it, are you trying to show off to me here?!*

"I wonder how many steps Elder Ba Li climbed back then?"

Cui Yongzhou and the others looked toward Ba Li.

Ba Li's eyelid twitched, but he feigned composure. "This old man was lacking in talent; I climbed eleven steps."

"Impressive, impressive. As expected of a Spirit Martial Sect Elder, truly impressive," Cui Yongzhou said with utmost admiration.

"Then, I wonder how many steps the Little Prince climbed?"

Everyone turned their gaze toward Hou Mingyu.

Hou Mingyu raised his eyes slightly, appearing nonchalant. "Thirteen steps."

"Hiss—"

A collective gasp echoed through the venue. Even Bai Yurán had only climbed twelve steps; the Little Prince had actually climbed thirteen!

"Incredible! As expected of the Prince of the Eastern Sky King, truly a tiger does not sire a cat!"

"Indeed, indeed! In the three hundred years of Huaqing Prefecture, there hasn't been a single person to reach the thirteenth step!"

"I think the Little Prince is likely at the very top in the entire Eastern Province."

"Hahaha, with the Little Prince's aptitude, he would be unrivaled even in the Great Desolation!"

The crowd showered Hou Mingyu with a barrage of flattery.

Having heard so much flattery since childhood, Hou Mingyu responded indifferently

"Hehe, in the Eastern Province, there are no fewer than ten people who have climbed thirteen steps. In fact, Mo Qingfeng of the Spirit Martial Sect once climbed fifteen!"

The crowd was once again struck with shock. Fifteen steps—an unimaginable number.

According to rumors, reaching the seventh step offered hope for the Three Connections, the eleventh step offered hope for Spiritual Connection, the thirteenth step offered hope for Divine Connection, and the fifteenth step offered hope for the True Martial Realm!

Though it was mere rumor, it showed how terrifyingly powerful one would be to reach the fifteenth step!

As expected of the number one powerhouse of the Eastern Province, to possess such a genius... compared to this, even if Bai Yurán went to the Spirit Martial Sect, she wouldn't be among the absolute top tier of geniuses.

"Fifteen steps... I fear even the Great Desolation would struggle to find someone who could reach that," the leader of the Dragon Tiger Gang, Hu Ya, said with a chuckle.

Everyone thought so too, but unexpectedly, Hou Mingyu shook his head slightly.

"No. It is said that forty years ago, at the Jixia Academy, the ninth disciple of the current Jixia Academy Wine Master climbed seventeen steps. And it is said he didn't climb the eighteenth step simply because he didn't want to!"

"Hiss—"

The crowd gasped once more. Seventeen steps—wouldn't that be the talent of someone destined for the True Martial God Realm?!

The posture of a Martial God!

"Hehe, but I heard during my travels that while that person was top-tier in all other aspects, his bone structure was extremely poor. It seems he couldn't even reach the Three Connections Divine Realm," Cui Yongzhou said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, everyone was filled with curiosity. What kind of person was that?

Lin Xuan's eyelid twitched, but he remained composed, choosing to simply block out these words.

Gong Ling, however, glanced at Lin Xuan several times, her eyes carrying a smile.

(End of Chapter)