With a single step, Li Yun planted his foot firmly on the first rung of the Martial Dao Ladder.
A roar filled his ears. The Heaven-and-Earth Dao Resonance, like ancient bronze bells ringing one after another, poured straight into them, shaking his soul and making his whole body tremble.
The morning sun, the valley, the stream—every ordinary sight before him vanished without warning.
In their place, he saw himself standing on an invisible staircase, with empty space beneath his feet and the sky above his head.
Gray haze surrounded him. Only the staircase ran straight upward, stretching into endless clouds.
The Martial Dao Ladder!
A road that seemed to lead to heaven!
He had long known it existed and had prepared himself, but the moment he actually stood on it, Li Yun was still shaken to his core.
Not because it was so magnificent, but because it was so real—real enough for him to feel the texture of the step beneath his feet, the ancient presence moving through the air around him, and his own feet resting on the true veins of Blue Star.
Li Yun realized at once that he had underestimated the Martial Dao Ladder.
This was nothing so simple as climbing it, enduring the pressure of heaven and earth, receiving the Heaven-and-Earth Baptism, and awakening his own will.
Before he could think further—
Boom!
A boundless pressure descended from above, as though the entire sky had collapsed onto Li Yun.
It was not the pressure of True Qi or the crushing force of will. It was the pressure of heaven and earth itself—the world's trial for those who dared to climb.
Li Yun grunted and swayed slightly, but soon steadied himself.
"So this is the pressure of heaven and earth..."
He drew a deep breath and steadied