After that, everyone led Ling Tian slowly out of the Great Hall and toward the middle of the plaza.
A moment later, they reached the center of the plaza. It was vast, yet completely empty. The disciples were probably training elsewhere. Or perhaps, knowing that senior experts generally disliked crowds, Green Cloud Master had sent everyone away because Lingyun was visiting today.
When they came before a statue, they bowed deeply, then walked to one side. A moment later, they arrived at a certain place.
Before them stood a sheer cliff. In its middle was a flight of eighty-one steps, paved with jade. Every nine steps were a different color: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple, black, and white.
Though time had flown and the years had passed, the jade remained luminous and undamaged, faintly glowing with a soft, gentle light.
"Heavenly Road." Those two characters were carved into the cliff beside the steps. Each was about a zhang tall, written in Ancient Seal Script and deeply engraved into the stone. Their strokes were as sharp as iron paintings and silver hooks, steeped in a grand, sweeping aura and the ancient sorrow of time.
The ancients often spoke of "ascending the Heavenly Road, treading the path while singing." This must be the so-called "Heavenly Road."
"Tian'er, this is the Heavenly Road. In a moment, just walk up it. You can only take one step at a time. Do your utmost to get as far as you can, but don't force yourself. If you feel you can't bear it, come back down at once." Green Cloud Master carefully instructed Ling Tian.
"Mm, I understand, Uncle Qingyun," Ling Tian replied calmly, then slowly walked toward the steps.
Each step was about half a chi high, so Ling Tian could climb them with ease. He moved lightly, stepping onto the first step. At once, the red jade gleamed, a rosy glow appeared, and flecks of scarlet light shimmered.
Ling Tian looked quite relaxed, almost as if he were out for a leisurely stroll.
"Those with dull aptitude can't even get close to the steps. Judging by how easily this child is moving, he'll probably reach the yellow steps. That would make him a genius," Yuan Ming said leisurely, stroking his beard.
"Heh, with Elder Yuan's aptitude, you only barely reached the ninth orange step back then. So Ling Tian must be much better than you," Gu Yuan teased with a smile. He seemed to have a good relationship with Yuan Ming.
"Little fellow, back then you only made it to the eighth orange step. Ling Tian's aptitude is definitely above both yours and mine. What difficulty would he have reaching the yellow steps?" Yuan Ming's face showed a trace of pride. Though Ling Tian's aptitude surpassed his own, he felt no shame at all.
That was understandable. Reaching the ninth orange step meant one was already very close to being a genius. A cultivation genius appeared only once in a hundred or even a thousand years. Yuan Ming's aptitude was already outstanding.
"Reaching the yellow steps probably won't be difficult. I just wonder how far he'll get. Heh, what a shame, you little brat." Ye Feidie was clearly still resentful that the little fellow hadn't joined her Qingdie Peak.
"True enough. Even geniuses have their differences. A first-step genius and a ninth-step genius are worlds apart," Xiong Xiong rumbled, making the surrounding air tremble.
"Old Xiong, could you speak a little more softly? You've nearly deafened me," Huang Se said unhappily, gently rubbing his ears.
"Then seal your ears," Xiong Xiong replied, his face dark.
"Quiet. Have you gone so long without a taste of my methods that you're itching for a beating?" Wu Yun said coldly, her expression stern.
"Uh..." Xiong Xiong scratched his head and chuckled sheepishly, not daring to argue. He must have suffered at Wu Yun's hands plenty of times.
"Good, good. He really has reached the yellow steps. The little fellow's aptitude is indeed excellent." Green Cloud Master stood with his hands behind his back, delighted.
This child was going to join the Qingyun Vein, so the higher his aptitude, the better. Though he hadn't competed for the child at the time, he had already known Ling Tian wanted to join his branch when Lingyun told him. He'd refrained from arguing with the others because he was confident of the outcome. It also helped keep everyone's feelings balanced. Why not?
"Eh? He's on the seventh yellow step?" Yuan Ming said, unable to believe it.
"Heh, he still looks so relaxed. That's a real blow to my pride!" Huang Se said, looking deeply uncomfortable. Back then, he'd barely managed to reach the eighth orange step.
"Could he reach the green steps too?" Gu Yuan watched Ling Tian take two more steps, his mouth hanging open and his body trembling slightly, his palms slick with sweat.
"Uh... he really made it up there! Why couldn't I talk the little fellow into joining my Qingdie Peak? What a loss, what a loss. Sigh." Ye Feidie looked deeply regretful.
"Sigh, what a blow." Yuan Ming no longer felt so pleased with himself.
Most of Green Cloud Master's group had only reached the seventh or eighth orange step, and at most the ninth. Watching Ling Tian reach the green steps without the slightest difficulty left them reeling, their sense of defeat rising of its own accord.
Green. Even among geniuses, someone who reached that level appeared once in a hundred years—or no, once in a thousand.
"I can't bear to watch anymore. It's humiliating!" Xiong Xiong was the first to give in to the shock and lowered his head. The others either looked up at the sky or down at the ground, no longer watching Ling Tian.
Leaving the group to wallow in their shock, the scene shifted to Ling Tian.
Ling Tian had no idea what they were thinking. The moment he stepped onto the first red stair, he'd been puzzled. They were just steps. What was so difficult about that? When he was five or six, he'd run all over the mountains for fun.
With that thought, he kept walking upward. He quickly passed all nine red steps. The orange steps posed no difficulty either, so he simply walked right across them.
Could it really be this simple? Green Cloud Master and the others wouldn't be so bored as to make me do this for no reason. Maybe there's something special farther up? Ling Tian wondered silently. He soon became convinced of the idea; by then, he'd already reached the yellow steps.
Maybe the green steps are where things get interesting. Ling Tian took a few more steps, easily reaching the green ones.
Still nothing special. What's going on? Confused, Ling Tian kept moving, one step at a time.
The cyan steps are nothing special either. Could Green Cloud Master and the others just be testing my stamina? He was beginning to doubt his initial guess.
Huh, something feels different now. The blue steps seem to have a little more gravity, but it's barely noticeable—there and gone. Ling Tian wasn't sure.
I'll try the purple steps. Ling Tian slowly walked forward a few more steps and set foot on the purple stairs. The pressure immediately increased, growing heavier the farther up he went.
So it's true. The purple steps have three or four times the pressure of the beginning. But that won't stop me. Watch this. Ling Tian didn't take it to heart and continued climbing.
As soon as Ling Tian stepped onto the black stairs, the gravity suddenly increased sharply. His body trembled under the weight, and even lifting his foot became difficult. Sweat began to bead on his forehead.
If I can't even climb this far, how can I hope to learn alchemy, let alone anything else? Lingyun clenched his teeth and forced himself to endure.
What he didn't know was that reaching the orange steps was already enough to learn alchemy. With enough effort, he could even achieve considerable success in the art.
"Ah..."
The instant Ling Tian stepped onto the white stairs, the immense pressure forced him down onto one knee. Sweat poured from his head, and his body shook violently. He couldn't help but cry out toward the sky, his face contorted with pain. But a moment later, he straightened and continued, only much more slowly.
"What's going on? What happened to Ling Tian?" Hearing his cry of pain, Green Cloud Master and the others stopped looking at the sky or the ground.
Lingyun had entrusted Ling Tian to them. If anything happened to him, no one could say how Lingyun would treat them.
"He actually reached the white steps and is still struggling onward. What kind of aptitude is this? A super-genius? A super-super-genius?" Wu Yun was the first to look up and see Ling Tian. She began speaking incoherently, turning to the others beside her.
"Don't ask me. I don't know either." Yuan Ming was the oldest among them and had cultivated the longest, so naturally he should have known more. But this time, even he had to admit he didn't know.
"I'm stunned. I've really seen it all today." Gu Yuan was drenched in sweat, as though he were the one climbing the Heavenly Road.
The others were no better; they too were covered in sweat. They had probably never suffered such a blow in their lives.
If I can't even climb these steps, how can I become the greatest alchemist? How can I make the best pills for Father? No. I won't accept this. Ling Tian was already on the eighth white step, just one step away from reaching the top of the Heavenly Road.
"Hmph. The Heavenly Road? If Heaven stands in my way, I'll slay Heaven!" A fierce glint flashed in Ling Tian's eyes. Almost feverish with determination, he lifted his foot and took the final step.
Suddenly, dark clouds churned across the heavens, gathering over Qingyun Main Peak in an instant. Wind and thunder rumbled faintly.
That day, the disciples of Qingyun Main Peak felt as if disaster had struck. Heaven and Earth Pressure bore down on them until their souls trembled. One by one, they stood terrified, as if treading on thin ice.
"Could this be a tribulation? Just climbing the Heavenly Road can cause this? It's too shocking," Gu Yuan exclaimed, his face full of astonishment.
"I'm afraid Ling Tian brought it on. Could Heaven itself be jealous of a genius?" Xiong Xiong murmured.
"Heaven is not benevolent; it treats all things as straw dogs. The path of cultivation is like defying Heaven and changing one's fate. If Heaven isn't jealous of a genius, then what is this?" Yuan Ming said, his face weathered with age. He'd cultivated for over a thousand years to reach his current level. The road ahead was even rougher, and he hadn't made any progress in decades. No wonder he felt this way.
The others each sank into their own thoughts.
Back to Ling Tian. As the dark clouds pressed down over the city, flashes of thunder flickered in the distance. The pressure on him increased sharply. Heaven and Earth Pressure made even his soul tremble. The tribulation was about to take shape, and once it came down, Ling Tian would surely lose his life.
Could this be the end of me? Ling Tian's face fell, his heart filled with bitter unwillingness.
Suddenly, the sound of a flute and a zither rose together. A hazy Mysterious Light appeared beside Ling Tian. A comforting warmth washed over him, familiar and tender. Unbeknownst to him, fragments of memory resurfaced in his heart—memories of the Immortal Realm. Images flashed through his mind one after another.
Slowly, tears filled his eyes. Yet, strangely, a faint smile rested on his face. His little mouth moved as he whispered. If anyone could read lips, they would surely know what he was saying:
"Father, Mother, I'll come see you in the Immortal Realm."
A moment later, the thunderclouds seemed to lose their target and vanished without a trace. Sunlight once more shone upon the world.
By then, Ling Tian had reached the top of the white steps.
A fierce glint flashed briefly in Green Cloud Master's eyes before he gazed up at the firmament, deep in thought.
"This, this... what happened?" Huang Se murmured, utterly bewildered, his words faltering.
He wasn't the only one. The others were just as lost.
Ling Tian had already wiped the tears from his cheeks. He gazed up at the sky, deep longing in his eyes. After a quiet sigh, he walked down the steps one by one and returned to the others.
Before you continue