The Dao Seeking Ladder

The two of them passed through a sea of clouds, and the scene before them seemed to be split apart by an invisible giant hand.

Beyond the sea of clouds, the outline of a sky-reaching staircase appeared before them.

The staircase was paved with white jade. It rose from the mountaintop and disappeared into the clouds above, with no end in sight.

It stood there in silence, as if connecting the earth and the sky.

There was nothing on either side of it, only clouds that swirled endlessly, making the path seem especially lonely and remote.

The might it radiated made Su Ling'er feel laughably insignificant.

The pressure bore down on her like a boulder, yet it was not oppressive.

"Junior Sister Su, this is the Dao Seeking Ladder," Senior Disciple Brother said from beside her.

The Dao Seeking Ladder.

According to legend, only the most powerful cultivation sects on the continent possessed such a marvel, used to test the Dao hearts of their disciples or clansmen.

They said the Dao Seeking Ladder contained a "Path of Heart-Questioning" with one thousand and eight steps. Each step brought the pressure of the Great Dao and illusions born of inner demons.

It did not judge cultivation or spiritual roots. It judged only the most fundamental thing in a cultivator—their Dao heart.

But this was Gui Xi Sect.

A demonic sect.

A bunch of fiends who took pleasure in killing people—did they need Dao hearts, too?

Did they not cultivate the inhuman ways of demonic cultivation?

Why would they need a Dao heart?

There was something inexplicably strange about this.

Perhaps, like Elder Qian and the Myriad Transformations Return to Origin True Manual, this Dao Seeking Ladder had also been stolen from some renowned sect of the Righteous Path?

But if that was true, it also meant that Gui Xi Sect was powerful enough to rival the most powerful sects in the world.

Though these thoughts crossed her mind, it was as if her eyes were stuck to the ladder. She could not look away from the staircase leading into the boundless heavens.

After all, Qing Xu Temple had nothing like this.

Forget a Dao Seeking Ladder—even a small Mind-Calming Stone was reserved for the Sect Master, the elders, and the personal disciples.

A sour feeling rose from her heart, along with a subtle, uncontrollable yearning.

She wanted to try climbing it, too. She wanted to find out how far her heart could carry her!

Even if this was the Demonic Sect's Dao Seeking Ladder, she wanted to give it a try!

Just then, a figure appeared at the entrance to the heavenly staircase, blocking the way.

His face was still expressionless, his eyes unfocused.

It was still Qian Buyu.

Elder Qian held out his hand, palm up.

Su Ling'er looked confused. What did that mean?

Lin Qingfeng reminded her from beside them, "Junior Sister, you need to pay ten low-grade spirit stones to climb the Dao Seeking Ladder.

"The spirit stones you got from the Monster Locking Tower last time should be just enough for you."

Back when they built this sect wonder, it had cost a fortune. Now this game was actually charging the guild leader to use it!

Ten spirit stones each time!

I'd spent a fortune unlocking this sect building!

Why are you charging me?

Fine, charge the other disciples, but charging me, the guild leader? That's just crooked!

Shouldn't the money go straight into my own pocket?

What a rip-off!

Su Ling'er's mind went buzz.

A fee?

Ten low-grade spirit stones?

They wanted the ten spirit stones she had just been rewarded?

Was she really about to lose the spirit stones she had only just gotten?

Wait.

I see!

She understood it all in an instant. This was a trap!

First, they had worn down her resolve with the threat of death. Then, they had saved her with that astonishing sword technique. Finally, they had used the ten spirit stones she had fought so hard to earn as bait, luring her into this trial!

And she had walked right into the trap he had set, step by step!

He had planned every move!

Senior Disciple Brother was terrifying!!!

A chill spread through Su Ling'er's body from her spine.

She glanced at Lin Qingfeng's profile, feeling that some unknown monster lurked beneath that face.

With no choice, she pulled out the cloth pouch she had barely had time to warm against her body and placed all ten spirit stones she had just earned into Qian Buyu's hand.

Qian Buyu took the spirit stones and expressionlessly stepped aside.

The path to the clouds was open.

Su Ling'er took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, and looked up.

A few solitary figures were slowly making their way up the ladder.

Some of the disciples were acting so strangely that Su Ling'er grew apprehensive again.

Her gaze settled on one of them.

He was a burly man, currently stopped on the thirty-first step.

She watched him summon all his strength to take another step upward, then... he lay flat on the white jade stair.

Su Ling'er watched, completely baffled.

Then, under her bewildered gaze, the man clasped his hands behind his head and began doing sit-ups, one after another.

"One! Two! Three! Four!"

As he did them, he shouted himself hoarse, and soon sweat had soaked through his clothes.

Yet not a trace of moisture appeared on the white jade stairs.

Su Ling'er was speechless.

What... what was he doing?

Was this some kind of Demonic Sect cultivation technique?

Was he training himself this way while enduring the pressure of the Great Dao, so he could gain a deeper understanding of it?

Lin Qingfeng glanced over, understanding at once.

Players whose willpower was inadequate often did physical training under the pressure of the Dao Seeking Ladder.

The ladder's pressure increased exponentially for players whose willpower and Dao heart were near the threshold required for each step.

If a step required more than a player's attributes could manage in either of those areas, the pressure they faced would increase exponentially. If they forced their way up, they would soon be ejected from the Dao Seeking Ladder.

If their attributes were close to, but did not exceed, the threshold, they could still endure the pressure of the Great Dao within their limits, though they would struggle to move.

The benefits of training under such extreme pressure led some players to work on their physical fitness. That way, they could train their bodies, strength, and other body-refining attributes at the same time.

And if they trained in that environment often, they might even increase their willpower if they were lucky. It was a fairly common practice.

His gaze shifted higher up, to a female disciple.

She was kneeling on the steps, clutching her hair with both hands.

One moment she was sobbing, the next she was snickering. She mumbled incoherently, her eyes unfocused. She looked as though she had gone completely insane.

Behind him, Su Ling'er stared in shock. Could that be... an inner demon possessing her?

Had she... gone mad?

In truth, she had simply fallen into one of the Dao Seeking Ladder's random inner-demon states.

Those whose Dao heart attributes fell short would fall into this state. It would pass after a while.

If they managed to overcome it, they could advance to the next step. If they failed to do so within the allotted time, they would be ejected from the Dao Seeking Ladder, and their inner-demon state would fade after a while.

As they watched, several disciples came down from the Dao Seeking Ladder, preparing to head to the Artifact Refining Pavilion to study the Sword Refining Art.

"Well, Senior Disciple Brother, brought your junior sister to try the Dao Seeking Ladder?"

"Good luck, Junior Sister! The higher you climb, the more rewards the Dao Seeking Ladder will grant you. They're only awarded once for each step you reach, though."

"Right. It's fine if you don't climb very high. You can come back and try again later.

"But if you reach the thirtieth step this time, then reach the thirtieth step again next time, you won't get a reward. You'll have to reach the thirty-first step to get the reward for that step."

"But, Junior Sister, you—"

One of the disciples trailed off, unable to continue. The junior sister's aptitude was simply too poor.

He didn't think she would make it very far.

But that was fine.

The Dao Seeking Ladder wasn't going anywhere. It only cost ten spirit stones to try. If she couldn't climb it now, she could always return when her willpower and Dao heart were strong enough.

After Lin Qingfeng greeted them, he turned to Su Ling'er.

"Go on, Junior Sister."

"The path they take may not be yours. Your path, your Dao, is for you to walk yourself."

"Give it a try. See how far you can go."

Su Ling'er knew she had no choice, and...

She slowly lifted her head and looked at the white jade staircase that disappeared into the distance.

Clouds drifted across the steps. The burly man's shouts and the woman's mad laughter kept ringing in her ears.

Deep in her heart, she wanted to know, too. She, Su Ling'er, with her poor constitution and four-element Pseudo Spiritual Root, had never received any real attention at Qing Xu Temple.

She might have been given this near-suicidal mission because she had been the most diligent worker in the outer sect, always eager to help and never complaining. Even if she died, Qing Xu Temple would only lose a hardworking errand-runner. That might have been why the Sect Master chose her.

But the Dao heart was something that didn't depend on talent or aptitude...

She wanted to know how far her Dao heart could take her, too!

She stopped looking at Lin Qingfeng and ignored everyone else. Resolutely, she stepped onto the first white jade stair.