Before the Heart-Questioning Stairway

As the spirit root testing came to an end, news that the Ling Family had produced two heavenly prodigies spread throughout Bai Xuan City.

Ordinary folk did not understand Heavenly Spirit Roots or supreme-grade spirit roots, but judging from that spectacular sight, the Ling Family was clearly about to produce great figures.

To celebrate, the Ling Family held a grand feast for three days. As for Ling Tianwei and the others, Liu Lingming and Su Qingnuan took them away immediately after the testing.

They had originally planned to celebrate in Bai Xuan City for a few days as well, but at the thought of a Heavenly Spirit Root, they could only hurry toward Lingxu Sacred Land, lest delays breed unforeseen trouble.

At this moment, Lingxu Sacred Land was busy arranging matters concerning the disciples it had recruited over the past few days. Inside the Outer Sect Elders' Hall—

An elderly man with crane-white hair and a youthful face, clad in a yin-yang Daoist robe, sat cross-legged upon a meditation cushion.

Just then, a voice sounded from outside.

"Elder Xu, Elder Xu."

Hearing the repeated calls outside, Xu Yuanwen lightly furrowed his brow. He slowly rose to his feet and waved a hand toward the doors.

"Come in!"

The doors opened on their own without any wind, and the man outside hurried in at once.

"Elder Xu."

Xu Yuanwen looked at the unfamiliar disciple before him with a stern expression and asked,

"What is it?"

But as soon as the words left his mouth, the disciple's anxious expression instantly calmed. At the same time, a strange smile curled across his lips, while his pupils turned blood-red.

Seeing the sudden change in the disciple's expression and those familiar eyes, Xu Yuanwen knew that person had arrived.

Xu Yuanwen immediately came to his senses, hurriedly rose, and dropped to one knee, his tone exceptionally respectful.

"Greetings, Vice Cult Master Hun Yuan."

"I thought you had forgotten me."

Hun Yuan gave a cold laugh, then walked to the seat of honor and looked down at Xu Yuanwen.

"How could this disciple dare forget the Vice Cult Master's kindness? May I ask what orders have brought the Vice Cult Master here? This disciple will surely carry them out."

Xu Yuanwen knelt prostrate on the ground. Who would have thought that a Nascent Soul elder of Lingxu Sacred Land could be so humble at this moment?

"I have come this time under the Cult Master's orders. You have lurked within Lingxu Sacred Land for many years, and we know well what you have given. Once this plan is complete, you may return to the cult. The Dharma Protector position reserved for you may not be beyond your reach."

Hun Yuan spoke with a smile.

After hearing Hun Yuan's words, a trace of delight appeared on Xu Yuanwen's face.

"May I ask what plan the Cult Master needs me to cooperate with this time? I will brave boiling water and tread upon fire without hesitation."

"This matter is simple. The cult has arranged for a disciple to enter the sect. This disciple is somewhat special—he possesses a Pseudo-Spirit Root. However, under my arrangements, he will enter Lingxu Sacred Land as one with a Heavenly Spirit Root."

"What you need to do is give him this pill and have him take it before he passes the stairway to heaven. Then his spirit root will be completely stabilized. Even those old fellows at the Deity Transformation stage will be unable to discover the problem with his spirit root. He will become a true Heavenly Spirit Root."

Hun Yuan took out a pill and handed it to Xu Yuanwen.

"With the aptitude of a Heavenly Spirit Root, he will surely receive the Sacred Land's focused cultivation, and they will pour vast resources into him. I have other arrangements for what comes next."

Xu Yuanwen accepted the pill Hun Yuan gave him and nodded deeply.

"This disciple will never fail the Cult Master's trust."

"Vice Cult Master, why not have one of the cult's Heavenly Spirit Root disciples infiltrate this place and let these ox-nosed Daoists help us raise a disciple?"

After putting away the pill, Xu Yuanwen asked with some confusion.

"Have you read too many mortal-world storybooks? Let a Heavenly Spirit Root serve as an undercover agent? Do you think they grow like cabbages?"

"Remember to give it to him."

Xu Yuanwen emphasized the words heavily.

After the words fell, Xu Yuanwen watched as the crimson in the man's eyes gradually faded.

"Ah... Elder."

The man, having regained consciousness, looked at Xu Yuanwen in confusion, but immediately came back to his senses.

"Elder Xu..."

"You may leave first. I already know what happened."

Xu Yuanwen looked sternly at the man before him.

Meanwhile, Hun Yuan, who had withdrawn from Lingxu Sacred Land and returned to his true body, slowly opened his eyes.

But at that moment, a figure hurried in from outside.

"Vice Cult Master, Vice Cult Master, something has happened! The soul lamp of the disciple we arranged earlier has gone out."

Hun Yuan's expression changed upon hearing the news.

"Who did it? Who dared ruin our Sacred Cult's plans?"

"It was the Blood Nightmare Sect. They intercepted the Flying Ship recruiting disciples for Lingxu Sacred Land and killed them all."

Hun Yuan's face darkened when he heard this. He had originally intended to use this false Heavenly Spirit Root to swindle a batch of Lingxu Sacred Land's resources, while using the appearance of one more Heavenly Spirit Root to disrupt the balance among the three great Sacred Lands.

That fake Heavenly Spirit Root pill had only just been refined after consuming an enormous amount of resources. To save trouble and test Xu Yuanwen at the same time, he had handed it over to him.

Now that this had happened, the entire plan had fallen into chaos.

"Blood Nightmare Sect..."

Hun Yuan said through gritted teeth, then vanished in a flash.

After more than ten days of traveling day and night under Liu Lingming's lead, they finally returned to Lingxu Sacred Land with this batch of disciples.

Besides the group from Bai Xuan City whose spirit roots had been detected, there were also several groups of disciples tested in other cities afterward aboard the Ink Ruler.

Upon seeing the magnificent scenery of Lingxu Sacred Land, the people atop the Ink Ruler could not help raising their heads and staring ahead in shock.

Mountain peaks towered into the sky, white cranes soared through the air, and pavilions and towers stood atop perilous summits. From time to time, cultivators could even be seen streaking out on beams of escaping light.

Most eye-catching of all was the stairway standing before the Sacred Land's gate and stretching all the way to the mountaintop. Nearly a thousand steps lay wreathed in clouds and mist, as though ascending to heaven.

Outside Lingxu Sacred Land, dozens of Flying Ships and various flying magical artifacts had returned with newly recruited disciples alongside Liu Lingming.

Yet these Flying Ships and disciples did not directly swarm into Lingxu Sacred Land. Instead, they stopped beside the stairway to heaven.

Liu Lingming had long grown accustomed to the stunned expressions of those atop the Ink Ruler as they gazed at Lingxu Sacred Land. He himself had been no different when he first entered it.

At that thought, Liu Lingming could not help looking toward Li Tianwei. He saw that Li Tianwei still stood with his hands behind his back, neither sorrowful nor joyful. His gaze remained sharp, and he showed not the slightest loss of composure because of Lingxu Sacred Land's scenery.

"As expected of a Heavenly Spirit Root."

Liu Lingming could not help sighing.

Then Liu Lingming stepped to the front of the Ink Ruler and pointed toward the stone steps rising toward heaven.

"Having a spirit root detected is only the first step. It does not mean that you are disciples of Lingxu Sacred Land."

"You must also pass this Heart-Questioning Stairway."

"Cultivation talent is certainly important, but the path of cultivation is one of seizing the creation of heaven and earth and battling against heaven and earth. One's temperament and will are likewise vital factors in determining whether you can ascend and become immortal."

"Therefore, to enter Lingxu Sacred Land, you must first climb this Heart-Questioning Stairway."

"Climb one hundred steps and you may enter the Outer Sect. Three hundred steps grant entry to the Inner Sect. Five hundred steps make you a core disciple. Eight hundred steps qualify you as a Personal Disciple. The highest is one thousand steps. To this day, only two people have reached it, and both have already ascended."

As Liu Lingming spoke, his words carried a soaring grandeur.

Stirred by his words, the disciples atop the Ink Ruler looked toward the Heart-Questioning Stairway with determined expressions, as though victory were already within their grasp, as though they themselves would be the ones to climb a thousand steps and ascend.

Looking at the resolute gazes of the disciples around him, had he not once been the same?

But the Heart-Questioning Stairway tested more than temperament. Aptitude was also exceedingly important. Yet among those with poor aptitude, how many could rely on sheer strength of character to reach the summit?

Just as a great ascended cultivator had once said, "Ascension relies on ninety-nine percent sweat and one percent aptitude. Sweat is certainly important, but without that one percent aptitude, reaching the summit is still difficult."

At that thought, Liu Lingming looked once more at Li Tianwei. A Heavenly Spirit Root was destined to possess the bearing of an immortal.