They All Came

The group chatted and laughed, and soon arrived at the stone steps of the Mountain Gate.

They looked at the stone steps and couldn't help but exchange glances.

"Let's go up and see what's going on!"

Ning Qi took the lead and stepped forward.

"Whoosh!"

With each step he took, a chilling pressure, like countless cold blades, attacked him.

"Huh? Isn't it the same?"

Ning Qi let out a soft exclamation, immediately sensing that this was different from the oppressive aura of If Water Three Thousand.

The pressure here is not the kind of all-encompassing pressure.

Instead, it transforms this pressure into swords, relentlessly attacking the person's entire body.

This attack was continuous, and it shared similarities with the oppressive aura of If Water Three Thousand.

I'll give it a try!

Hearing his words, Xu Qingqiu stepped forward as well.

When she stepped onto the stone steps, she also felt a sense of unease.

"How about that? It's different, isn't it!"

Ning Qi observed the change in her expression and said in a deep voice, "However, there are also similarities."

"That's true. Trying to tough it out might not be enough."

"I was hoping to reach the summit, but now it seems a bit unlikely!"

Xu Qingqiu sighed softly and turned to Ning Qi as well, "Are you confident?"

"I don't know, let's find out when we get up there!"

Ning Qi shook his head.

If unexpected circumstances arise, then things might not be so certain.

However, we should at least give it a try. Otherwise, after going through so many trials and tribulations, giving up here would be a waste of time.

"Okay, I'll go with you!"

"Perfect, let me see the differences between them, maybe I'll make some new discoveries!"

Xu Qingqiu nodded and decided to go up with Ning Qi.

"And what about us?"

Seeing that the two were about to go up, Medicine Spirit quickly asked.

"You? You guys shouldn't go."

"Just wait here for us to come down the mountain. Things have changed; your comprehension abilities aren't as high as ours!"

It's very likely that the injury is on there.

Xu Qingqiu immediately reminded Medicine Spirit and the Nine-Tailed Cat.

And what about you?

The Nine-Tailed Cat is worried about its owner.

He asked hurriedly.

"Me? Isn't that written on the inscription?"

"Is it possible to exit within one hundred stages?"

"I can't take it anymore!"

Xu Qingqiu thought for a moment, then smiled and said.

"Then I'll go up and give it a try, and come down when I reach stage ninety-nine!"

The Nine-Tailed Cat didn't want to leave its owner.

"Then I'll go too!"

"If everyone else goes up and I'm the only one not going, it'll make me look disloyal!"

Seeing this, Medicine Spirit decided to give it a try as well.

"Alright, just treat it as fun. It's good to gain some insights!"

Ning Qi didn't stop them; since they had one more chance to come down, he figured he might as well let them do as they pleased.

After he agreed, the group of people stepped onto the stone steps one after another.

"Set off!"

Medicine Spirit was the first to ascend to the second level.

"Call!"

As soon as I went up, I was flattened on the stone steps.

"Ah!"

Immediately following was a scream from Medicine Spirit.

"Smack!"

Ning Qi quickly picked up the Medicine Spirit and unleashed a burst of Immortal Power at it.

Then he threw it outside. "You'd better wait downstairs."

"Then I'll go down too!"

Seeing Medicine Spirit's miserable state, the Nine-Tailed Cat finally gave up.

"Let's go!"

Xu Qingqiu snapped out of her daze and gave Lin Fan a serious look.

"Walk!"

Ning Qi nodded and continued upstairs.

"Call!"

After he took a step, he felt the Sword Qi- like pressure increase exponentially.

The pressure caused tiny drops of blood to seep from his muscles.

"So strong!"

Xu Qingqiu's pretty face immediately turned red.

Clearly, this kind of pressure was unbearable for her.

"Shall we continue?"

Seeing how distressed she was, Ning Qi couldn't help but ask.

"Keep going, I want to see where my limits are!"

Xu Qingqiu shook her head, gritted her teeth, and continued forward.

"Okay! Keep it up!"

Ning Qi didn't ask any more questions and continued to follow.

One step, two steps, three steps.

Every step that followed was exceptionally difficult.

The oppressive force of each step increases exponentially.

His "If Water Three Thousand" is completely different.

The Formation of If Water Three Thousand remains consistent throughout.

There were no fluctuations whatsoever.

But here, each floor doubles the amount.

"Call!"

The two of them gradually climbed to the eighty-odd steps.

Xu Qingqiu was already covered in sweat.

Blood was already seeping from his forehead.

"How about it?"

Ning Qi asked with concern.

He felt that Xu Qingqiu was approaching her limit.

"Call!"

"Call!"

Xu Qingqiu let out a long sigh and shook her head helplessly, "Too strong. I'll rest here for a while, then I'll go down!"

"I'll give it a try and see if I can grasp anything!"

"The rest of the journey is up to you."

"Okay! Wait for me to come down!"

Ning Qi nodded and waved to Xu Qingqiu.

Then they continued forward.

He knew perfectly well that Xu Qingqiu had come up here just to accompany him.

Actually, she had already reached her limit when she reached around the seventy-stage level.

However, thanks to his talent and understanding of Formation, he managed to persevere for more than ten more levels.

Ning Qi had a strange feeling about her behavior.

However, he didn't ask.

I just kept it silently in my heart.

Then continue walking uphill.

After meditating and recuperating there for a while, Xu Qingqiu descended the mountain.

After she arrived at the foot of the mountain, the Nine-Tailed Cat approached her.

"Master, are you alright?"

He asked with concern.

"Fine!"

"However, I've done my best; the pressure from these stone steps is immense!"

Xu Qingqiu shook his head, a solemn expression on his face. "The Inheritance of this Mountain Gate must be very powerful."

"These trials alone, plus the final test here, are already incredibly difficult!"

"Yes, I hope Young Master Ning can make it up!"

The Nine-Tailed Cat looked up at the mountain.

Ning Qi was resting on a stone step at that moment.

Clearly, the oppressive atmosphere here was taking its toll on him.

"Master, if you can't hold on any longer, get off!"

Seeing this, Medicine Spirit shouted towards the mountain.

He has no chance to turn back.

"We're halfway through the next stage!"

"If he doesn't come down this time, it's either up to the mountaintop, or..."

Xu Qingqiu's words came to an abrupt end here.

They didn't continue.

However, everyone knew very well what it would mean if they gave up both opportunities.

"Master, you must persevere!"

Medicine Spirit started cheering Ning Qi on.

"Look, someone's coming!"

It was at this moment that the nine-tailed fox looked behind her.

Many people have already emerged from the different canyons that have been tested.

There seem to be dozens of people, but this is just the beginning.

As one group of people came out, another group followed closely behind.

"Oh no! So many people! Master has a rival!"

Looking at these people, Medicine Spirit couldn't help but speak.

"Master!"

Xu Qingqiu's eyes suddenly lit up as she saw several familiar figures.

It was her master, Wang Zhengqian.

And there's my uncle-master, Wang Zhengxiong.

At the very back was a young man, her senior brother Gao Yunze.

Several people in the distance also spotted her.

So, he hurriedly arrived here with a group of disciples behind him.

If Ning Qi were here at this moment, he would definitely be able to recognize several people immediately.

Among them was his martial uncle, with whom he had previously clashed.

The other few people were his fellow disciples whom he had met once before.

These people gradually arrived as well.

"Master!"

When Xu Qingqiu saw Wang Zhengqian approaching, she respectfully stepped forward to greet him.

"How did you end up here? We've been looking for you everywhere!"

Wang Zhengqian looked at her and couldn't help but ask.

"Master, I came here beforehand to scout the area and found this continent."

"Then, I discovered this Trial Land and came here!"

Xu Qingqiu kept it brief, summarizing her experiences over the past few days to her master in just a few sentences.

What's going on here?

Looking ahead, Wang Zhengxiong couldn't help but ask, "What are those people on the mountain doing?"

"Uncle-Master, this is an introductory trial!"

"This stone staircase is the final hurdle!"

"Once you reach the summit, you can become a direct disciple of this sect!"

Xu Qingqiu looked at the group and continued, "We've already tried. I can only go up to the seventy or eightyth step; I can't go any higher."

"Oh? Becoming a direct disciple means I can obtain the Inheritance here?"

Upon hearing her words, Wang Zhengxiong's eyes lit up.

"Let me see how this is described!"

Wang Zhengqian nodded, then walked over to the inscription. "Tsk tsk, it's ancient script, but I still recognize it!"

"Let me see what's going on!"

"Here I come!"

"..."

While he went to assess the situation, people gradually arrived.

"Uncle-Master, how did you get here so quickly?"

Xu Qingqiu looked at the group with some confusion and said, "Don't you still have a large area to explore?"

"It's already half a month out of date; we've already finished exploring it!"

Gao Yunze came over, looked at her, and said, "We noticed a lot of people had come here, so we followed them!"

What trials did you encounter when you came in?

Xu Qingqiu looked at him and asked curiously.

She wanted to see if they were all encountering the same thing.

"We encountered a fiery mountain and a swamp!"

"And glaciers!"

Hearing her question, Gao Yunze looked at her curiously and asked, "Junior sister, what happened to you?"

"It really is different. We encountered man-eating trees and some moving dense forests!"

After listening to his words, Xu Qingqiu said seriously, "I think the different canyons we visited will lead to different results!"

"That's right!"

After agreeing, Wang Zhengxiong looked at the stone steps ahead. "However, the final result will be the same."

"We will all eventually come here to face the trials!"

"Master, shall we give it a try?"

Gao Yunze became curious, his eyes fixed on the stone steps above, already eager to try.

"You don't need to go up; these stone steps are dangerous."

"You only have one chance to get down. If you want to get down again, you'll have to go halfway down!"

"Junior brother, let's go up and give it a try!"

"We'll be halfway there when we enter the inner sect. Let's see what rewards we can find!"

"The rewards from a sect of this caliber must be incredibly generous!"

At this moment, Wang Zhengqian returned and looked at Wang Zhengxiong, saying...

"Okay! Let's go upstairs then, you guys wait for us here!"

Wang Zhengxiong nodded in agreement, then turned towards the stone steps. "I want to go up and see what treasures are up there."

"Uncle-Master, you must be careful! I won't even last a hundred!"

Seeing that they were about to go up and try, Xu Qingqiu quickly reminded them.

"It just shows you're not good enough!"

Wang Zhengqian glanced at her. "However, I will be careful. You two just wait here for us to come down!"

"Good!"

After Xu Qingqiu agreed, she watched the two of them go upstairs.

After they went up, more and more people arrived one after another.

After learning about the situation, some people then went up with them.

Gradually, more and more people appeared on the stone steps.

Some people gave up after climbing more than ten stone steps.

Some were supported by dozens of stone steps.

Those experts at the ninth rank of True Immortal, or even the level of Heavenly Immortal, continued to ascend.

Ning Qi had already climbed about two hundred steps.

He turned around and looked down again.

He noticed that quite a few people had already followed him up.

However, some of them were much slower, while others were faster.

But compared to him, it's still very slow.

"They are all unaware of the Dao Resonance behind 'If Water Three Thousand' and 'Water Runes '."

"If you want to catch up with me, you'd have to be someone whose strength surpasses that of Golden Immortal."

"Currently, there are no experts with that level of skill here."

Ning Qi was very confident that they would not catch up with him.

If I fail, then let them do what they want.

However, it's safer to be far ahead when you have the ability to go up.

With that in mind, Ning Qi continued walking upwards.

"Call!"

"Buzz!"

Next, he walked up more than twenty stone steps in one go.

He finally collapsed on the stone steps, panting heavily.

By this time, his clothes were completely soaked.

It wasn't just sweat; it was mixed with blood.

His clothes stuck to his body while he rested.

It made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

However, there were too many people below, and he was too embarrassed to take off his clothes.

"My bones are about to break! If it weren't for my previous experience fighting against If Water Three Thousand's Formation."

"I'm afraid they can't hold on any longer."

Ning Qi took a breath, then sat cross-legged and began to sense the changes in the surrounding pressure.

Once we arrived here, the landscape was completely different from that at the foot of the mountain.

At this stage, the pressure is no longer from the Sword-Ray's edge, but from the heavy hammer.

Each time, it felt like being hammered hard by countless heavy hammers.

It made his bones creak and crack.

However, even so, Ning Qi still refused to admit defeat.

They've persevered until now.

He did not offer no resistance; as he ascended, he also activated his Water Runes Dao Resonance.

Resist the oppressive attacks here.

The resistance and penetration of the Water Runes greatly reduced the oppressive atmosphere here.

Otherwise, his bones would have been crushed long ago.