Relax!

"Ha ha ha! Keep putting on an act, then! Go on, keep acting!"

Laughter rang through the camp, joining into one.

All the new students stared at the Wandering Monk, mocking him wildly.

The Wandering Monk's mouth twitched as he forced out a smile.

"You benefactors are too impatient. It has only been the third... fourth step."

His smile could no longer hold. The Wandering Monk's pupils suddenly shrank as he stared fixedly at the young man standing on the fourth step, his eyes closed once more. His heart shook violently.

How was this possible!

Back when he had cultivated under the Cold Moon Believers, he had been unable to endure the bitter cultivation. He could never even climb the first step and had been forced to give up.

It was only after meeting a follower of the Lust Demon God and discovering a shortcut that he had managed to reach the thirtieth step.

Yet this young man before him had climbed step after step, enduring year after year of withered meditation without even needing to rest?

Was he really just a young man?

However, the shock had only just begun.

On the Moon Ascent Stairway, Li Qingshan opened his eyes again and stepped forward.

Inside the bridge,

All the teachers widened their eyes, staring at the figure on the screen in disbelief.

Though they had repeatedly raised their expectations, Li Qingshan had still surpassed them.

The Moon Ascent Stairway tested not talent, but one's state of mind!

Li Qingshan climbed one step after another without the slightest hesitation.

"My junior... is kind of monstrous!"

Lu Qing muttered, her expression strange.

She had watched very carefully.

Every time Li Qingshan opened his eyes, there was none of the hardship one should have felt after sitting in bitter meditation for a year. Instead, they revealed...

Ease and comfort?

Even after thinking of those two words, Lu Qing still found them hard to believe. She rubbed her eyes and stared at the screen again.

Li Qingshan opened his eyes once more and stepped forward.

This time, Lu Qing finally confirmed it.

No matter how unbelievable it was,

the truth was just that.

Amid the teachers' repeated exclamations, a smile blossomed across Lu Yan's lips.

"With such a state of mind, Li Qingshan will surely set foot in the Azure Dragon Star System someday!"

Ye Yukong, who had remained composed all along, stopped rolling the iron balls in his hand and quietly watched the figure on the screen.

Inside the camp, all the new students were stunned by Li Qingshan's actions as well.

"Li Qingshan is way too fierce, isn't he?"

"One year per step, and he doesn't even pause?"

"Do you think this 'bitter cultivation' might not be as difficult as we imagined?"

"Let's try it first! Since the teachers sent us the message, they must want us to give it a try too!"

Everyone was eager to try, charging toward the Moon Ascent Stairway. The new students from Hundred Stars were especially enthusiastic.

They could no longer compare to martial arts school disciples in talent or cultivation, but when it came to their state of mind, they could still fight for superiority!

Sun Mengzhu, Yue Mingxuan, and the others refused to be outdone and stepped onto the stairs as well.

However, the Moon Ascent Stairway was like a heavenly chasm.

After only a few seconds, the vast majority turned pale and hurriedly backed away, still shaken by the experience.

Only a scant few reached the second step.

Mou Yu, Zhou Yunze, Sun Mengzhu, another disciple from a martial arts school, and three new students from Hundred Stars.

Inside the Starship, many teachers nodded.

"Reaching the second step is already quite good. One's state of mind needs tempering, after all. They are still young."

In the camp, beneath the gazes of countless classmates,

the others on the second step exchanged glances, then shook their heads and backed away, choosing to give up.

While Mou Yu and Sun Mengzhu were still hesitating, the cold-faced Zhou Yunze had already stepped onto the third step.

"This kid isn't bad!" Lu Qing raised a brow in surprise.

"The only one among these new students who didn't follow the extreme path and break his limits, yet reached Transformation Rainbow?"

Lu Yan seemed to remember Zhou Yunze as well. He nodded and said,

"With such a state of mind, he may well become another Wan Keshan in the future."

"Senior Wan?" Lu Qing's eyes shifted as she asked curiously, "Teacher Lu, was Senior Wan very strong back then?"

"Whether he was strong or not is hard to say."

Lu Yan smiled and shook his head, sighing.

"But his courage was certainly enormous!"

"You've said enough."

Ye Yukong spoke calmly, cutting off Lu Yan's words and extinguishing Lu Qing's desire to keep asking.

On the Moon Ascent Stairway, Mou Yu and Sun Mengzhu refused to be outdone and stepped onto the third step at the same time.

A few seconds later, the two opened their eyes and stepped onto the third step.

But one of Zhou Yunze's feet had already landed on the fourth step.

Mou Yu took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to force herself onward, and did not take another step.

After a brief hesitation, Sun Mengzhu also frowned and stopped.

"Damn! How is this Zhou Yunze so strong too?"

"Nonsense. If his state of mind weren't strong, could he be 'ordinary' in such an extraordinary way?"

As those words fell, the new students who knew Zhou Yunze's circumstances all wore complicated expressions.

Compared with the paths they had taken, Zhou Yunze's path was indeed wildly unconventional.

But Zhou Yunze's talent was no worse than any of theirs.

And now, his state of mind far surpassed everyone else's!

As everyone spoke, Zhou Yunze stepped forward once more and reached the fifth step.

"Uh... doesn't he want to catch up to Li Qingshan?"

"Impossible. Li Qingshan is already above the tenth step, and he's still climbing."

"He stopped. The fifth step! Zhou Yunze stopped at the fifth step."

On the fifth step,

Zhou Yunze halted, his gaze calm as he looked upward.

The tall, straight back ahead was still climbing, each step taken without a trace of hesitation.

It was not just him.

As Zhou Yunze stopped, the gazes of over a thousand students below the stairway, martial arts school disciples, and every teacher aboard the Starship all converged upon the Moon Ascent Stairway.

Moonlight was hazy, and the long stairway reached the heavens.

The young man's expression was calm as he climbed the steps one by one.

The fifteenth step,

the eighteenth step,

the twenty-third step,

On the thirtieth step,

the Wandering Monk's eyes widened as he watched the young man draw ever closer, cold sweat streaming down his forehead.

His cultivation was mediocre, and the Moon Ascent Stairway had always been his divine technique for fending off enemies.

Now, he was caught between advancing and retreating.

"How is this possible... how is this possible!"

"Even those old fellows can't ignore the exhaustion after bitter cultivation. Why can he do it?!"

But no matter how unwilling he was to believe it, the young man's steps did not stop.

The fear in the Wandering Monk's eyes grew ever stronger, and none of his previous composure remained.

A few breaths later,

Li Qingshan stood on the twenty-ninth step. He smiled faintly at the Wandering Monk and stepped forward.

The Wandering Monk's face instantly turned white, his legs going weak.

Thud!

He dropped to his knees, tears and snot streaming down his face.

"My lord, spare me! The ones doing evil were those star pirates. I merely borrowed this place to cultivate!"

"Not going to keep acting?"

Li Qingshan opened his eyes and looked down at the Wandering Monk.

With his emotions surging, mist-like qi and blood drifted from around him.

"Only the Gathering Mist Realm?" Li Qingshan frowned slightly and shook his head. "Your state of mind disappoints me. Your cultivation disappoints me even more!"

The fear in the Wandering Monk's eyes deepened. He repeatedly kowtowed.

"My lord, spare me! My lord, spare me!"

Suddenly, a palm rested atop his head.

"Still, I have to thank you for letting me sleep well a few times and relax a little."

The calm words drifted into his ears, and the Wandering Monk froze.

Sleep? Relax?

Before he could make sense of it,

Bang!

His shining bald head sank into his chest cavity.

Li Qingshan withdrew his hand. Looking at the flickering panel notification, a smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

Monster killed. Martial Dao Space experience +1030. Available time increased by 1030 years.