"Ying, ying, ying!"
The Nine-tailed Celestial Fox seemed completely unaffected by the pressure. It pounced straight at Xiao Yao, rubbing its fluffy head against his left cheek.
Xiao Yao narrowed his eyes and enjoyed the moment, just happening to notice Dai Tianwei standing there in a daze.
He wrapped his right arm around the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox and gently patted Dai Tianwei's tender shoulder with his left hand.
Dai Tianwei's delicate body shuddered. She whipped around to look at Xiao Yao, and after a brief pause, asked in a trembling voice, "Brother Xiao Yao, why did you pat my shoulder?"
"I saw you spacing out," Xiao Yao replied.
Dai Tianwei wanted to ask Xiao Yao about it, but she was afraid that asking too many questions would annoy him, making their relationship grow more distant.
Just then, Xiao Yao's hearty voice rang in her ear. "If you have something to say, just say it. Keep it bottled up, and sooner or later you'll suffocate yourself!"
Encouraged, Dai Tianwei finally mustered her courage. She raised her head and looked at Xiao Yao, her gaze burning bright.
"Brother Xiao Yao, you're not Tai Chi Pavilion's Divine Son, so why do you have that treasure?"
"So that's what this is about!" Xiao Yao exclaimed in sudden realization. Then he smiled faintly. "Pavilion Master Li gave it to me."
Dai Tianwei immediately gave him a look of disbelief.
Pavilion Master Li of Tai Chi Pavilion was a Saint Realm expert. How could he possibly give a Saint-tier treasure to a Sea Opening Realm cultivator?
It made no sense no matter how she looked at it!
"It's normal that you don't believe me. Ask your master when we get out. He was there too, and he also gave me something no less valuable than that treasure."
Xiao Yao had no intention of persuading Dai Tianwei. It would take time and effort, and might not even work.
Dai Tianwei believed him a tiny bit now—but only a tiny bit.
After all, neither her master Sun Weihao nor Pavilion Master Li had any reason to give Brother Xiao Yao such a precious gift.
Just then, exclamations rose all around them.
"It hasn't even been five minutes, and Tai Chi Pavilion's Divine Son has already climbed to the 100th step. Amazing!"
"Of course a cultivator who can become Tai Chi Pavilion's Divine Son isn't some worthless nobody."
What an exciting start. I can't wait to see what happens next!
Ten minutes later, Miao Feihong stepped onto the 200th step. He was already breathing lightly and had lost the speed he'd shown earlier.
That showed just how immense the pressure on the steps was beyond the 200th.
"Look! Someone else has reached the 100th step!"
"Wow! That's a gorgeous, curvy big sister. I like her!"
"Go, Sister Xueyu!"
Sister Xueyu?
Xiao Yao's gaze fell on the 100th step. Sure enough, it was Xiao Xueyu, dressed in a pale-blue gown. Her cultivation had actually reached the fifth level of the Sea Opening Realm.
She looked quite relaxed, clearly having come across a stroke of good fortune after they parted.
Not bad!
Xiao Yao had barely thought this when a familiar voice rang in his ear. "I found your Young Clan Leader!"
He looked toward the voice and saw Zhuo Dongxuan, a young woman who was both pure and alluring.
Beside her were Xiao Yang, Xiao Juan, cultivators from the Mysterious Moon Society, and members of the Xiao Clan.
In the blink of an eye, Zhuo Dongxuan led the group over to Xiao Yao.
"Xiao Yao, did you just get here?"
Xiao Yao shook his head lightly. "No, I've been here a while."
"Then why haven't you started climbing?" Zhuo Dongxuan asked, baffled.
There was, of course, one highly unlikely possibility: Xiao Yao had climbed, but given up after reaching the point where he couldn't go any farther!
Xiao Yao rolled his eyes and replied irritably, "You only get one chance, so you have to be fully prepared."
"True." Zhuo Dongxuan nodded in agreement. With a quick glance, she noticed Dai Tianwei beside Xiao Yao and asked in confusion, "Why is Shocking Heaven Tower's Divine Maiden with you?"
Xiao Yao immediately realized Zhuo Dongxuan knew Dai Tianwei.
So he calmly explained, "We met at Sword Mark Peak. Why?"
"Nothing!" Zhuo Dongxuan pouted unhappily.
In her mind, Dai Tianwei was no pushover. She needed to keep an eye on her.
Just then, Xiao Juan asked, "Young Clan Leader, how many steps do you think Sister Xueyu can climb?"
Xiao Yao didn't answer right away. Instead, he looked at Xiao Xueyu, who had reached the 110th step. She still looked quite relaxed, without even a trace of labored breathing.
Based on what he'd observed earlier, if the pattern continued like this, Xiao Xueyu could reach the 450th step. Beyond that, he couldn't say.
"At least the 450th step!"
His words made the people around them turn to look at Xiao Yao.
They hadn't thought much of it before, but now they were stunned.
Shocking Heaven Tower's Divine Maiden was beside Xiao Yao, while the Mysterious Moon Society's Saintess stood before him, pouting.
"Am I under some kind of illusion? Why are Shocking Heaven Tower's Divine Maiden and the Mysterious Moon Society's Saintess both near that young man?"
"Who knows? But I know we're definitely not under an illusion. Everything feels so real."
Having even one of them nearby would be enough to satisfy us. This young man has both a Divine Maiden and a Saintess. He's incredibly lucky!
Xiao Yao was speechless. He and Dai Tianwei and Zhuo Dongxuan were just ordinary friends.
But he didn't bother explaining. Trying to explain things to people with such dirty minds would only make their imaginations even filthier.
Twenty minutes later.
Xiao Xueyu appeared beside Miao Feihong, who was already kneeling on one knee.
Though she was under tremendous pressure, she still took another step, landing on the 315th step.
In an instant, the rankings on the stone stele began to change.
The entry in 10,000th place changed to Xiao Xueyu [Southern Wilderness Domain], 315th step, Xiao Clan of Xuanzhou City.
"The Xiao Clan of Xuanzhou City has produced a genius!"
"She hasn't joined any sect yet. Once they get out, I bet plenty of sects will visit the Xiao Clan of Xuanzhou City to invite her."
"By comparison, Tai Chi Pavilion's Divine Son looks pretty pathetic. He's not even as fast as Xiao Xueyu, who started climbing later."
Xiao Yao looked at Zhuo Dongxuan and asked curiously, "Saintess, did Xiao Xueyu come across some opportunity afterward?"
"I don't think you could really call it an opportunity. She just took a Dao Fruit in Dao Origin Valley. It refined her meridians and marrow, improved her cultivation aptitude and talent, raised her cultivation, and helped her find her own path of the sword ahead of time."
Zhuo Dongxuan's explanation sounded simple, but it was enough to shock anyone who heard it.
Xiao Juan grinned. "Young Clan Leader, you made this happen. Otherwise, Sister Xueyu wouldn't have had a chance to get the Dao Fruit."
"The Dao Fruit was only a catalyst. The true reason she transformed so dramatically was her own fortune," Xiao Yao said.
He had a very good impression of Xiao Xueyu. She struck him as someone he liked and felt at ease around. Later, he would have the First Elder promote her properly and make her a pillar of the Xiao Clan.
Tap, tap, tap!
After a flurry of hurried footsteps, over a hundred Sea Opening Realm cultivators arrived at the foot of Radiant Peak.
Most of them wore orange robes marked with the words Ximen.
The two in the very center wore black brocade robes and looked extremely distinguished. The Ximen characters on their robes were embroidered in silver-white dragon patterns.
Before Xiao Yao could ask, Zhuo Dongxuan introduced them. "The two in black brocade robes: the one in front is the Ximen Family's second young master, Ximen Zhengxiong. The one behind him is the Ximen Family's eldest young master, Ximen Zhenghao!"
"Ximen Zhengxiong's cultivation aptitude and talent aren't as good as mine. The one you really need to watch out for is Ximen Zhenghao. It's said that he truly possesses an Emperor's Bearing."
Xiao Yao merely gave a casual "oh," as if he didn't care at all.
The Ximen Family, ranked first among the lineages of the Southern Wilderness Domain.
They might have seemed just one place above the Xuanyuan Family, but the gap between them was enormous.
The Ximen Family stood on equal footing with the three great super-sects of the Southern Wilderness Domain. Together, they were known as the Four Hegemons of the Southern Wilderness Domain. They were unquestionably the strongest forces beneath the Emperor Tier.
Zhuo Dongxuan was puzzled, so she quietly asked Xiao Juan, "Why is your Young Clan Leader so calm?"
"Because..." Xiao Juan had just started to answer when Xiao Yang covered her mouth. "Saintess, we can't tell you about this. You'll have to ask the Young Clan Leader."
Xiao Yao had heard her too, but he figured that if he said his master was the Lotus Sword Emperor, they might just take him for a clown.
So he explained, "I'll tell you once we leave the Giant Spirit Secret Realm."
"Okay." Zhuo Dongxuan didn't ask again.
A little while later, Ximen Zhengxiong said disdainfully, "Brother, the ones climbing right now are all small fry!"
"If you want to climb, go ahead. I won't stop you this time."
Ximen Zhenghao kept his gaze fixed on Xiao Yao. He couldn't understand why Shocking Heaven Tower's Divine Maiden and the Mysterious Moon Society's Saintess were both standing near him when he was just a worthless cultivator at the peak of the sixth level of the Sea Opening Realm!
It was the perfect chance to let his younger brother climb and awe the Divine Maiden of Shocking Heaven Tower and the Saintess of the Mysterious Moon Society—let them see who was truly the most dazzling man here!
Before you continue