第7章 你耗我蓝条?我血条无限!

The Immortal-Asking Stairs consisted of nine hundred and ninety-nine steps.

Each stone step was carved with gravity-inducing array patterns; the higher one climbed, the greater the pressure exerted upon the body. Those with superior spiritual roots could typically traverse five hundred steps, while those with inferior roots were considered qualified to enter the outer sect if they could reach the three-hundredth step.

Li Sanshun handed his pack to Shi Xiaohu.

Shi Xiaohu clutched the pack and whispered a reminder, "Brother Li, someone with dual spiritual roots just collapsed after reaching the two-hundreds. Don't rush; walk steadily."

Zhao Yuanqing passed by and, hearing this, came to a halt.

"The Immortal-Asking Stairs test one's spiritual roots, physique, and mental cultivation. Those with five-element mixed spiritual roots cannot absorb enough spiritual energy; no matter how fast you start, you will exhaust your strength before long."

Li Sanshun tightened the identity tag at his waist.

"I've noted your record of five hundred and sixty-seven steps. Let's talk after I get up there, so you can stop saying I'm just bragging."

Zhao Yuanqing ignored him, turning to stand beside the control platform where Han Zhao was stationed.

Yan Song ordered his men to replace the spirit stones and activate the Immortal-Asking Stairs.

"Candidate Li Sanshun, you may enter the Heart-Refining Gate upon reaching the three-hundredth step. If you fail to reach three hundred, the test ends."

Li Sanshun stepped onto the first stair.

Pressure descended upon his shoulders, though the weight was not significant.

He climbed fifty steps in one breath, his pace showing no signs of slowing. Beyond the hundredth step, the array's pressure increased several times over, and the spiritual energy in the air grew much denser.

[You have ingested a mouthful of Five Elements array energy.]

[Air quality: Excellent.]

[Life energy increased by 1 point.]

[Immortal art energy recovered by 0.1 points.]

[Cultivation progress increased by 0.01 points.]

[Note: Homologous array energy is being repeatedly ingested; subsequent gains will begin to diminish.]

The energy Li Sanshun had expended was replenished, though his cultivation growth remained limited.

He was not disappointed.

The Five Elements array energy on the Immortal-Asking Stairs was far purer than that of the outside world. As long as he maintained his breathing, he could recover a portion of his stamina. While others grew more exhausted with every step, he could keep his depletion within a manageable range.

In less than half an incense stick's time, he had crossed the two-hundredth step.

The mocking laughter in the plaza gradually faded.

Yan Song stroked his beard, his gaze fixed on the identity tag at Li Sanshun's waist.

While five-element mixed spiritual roots resulted in slow cultivation, it did not necessarily mean the physique was poor. Li Sanshun had consumed marrow-cleansing pills, so reaching the two-hundredth step was not entirely unreasonable.

What was truly strange was his gait.

Throughout the first two hundred steps, the pressure Li Sanshun endured had consistently been higher than that of a normal candidate. Every few dozen steps, the array patterns on his identity tag would flare, and the surrounding array would intensify accordingly.

Yan Song did not make a scene, instead ordering a disciple to fetch a recording stone.

Seeing this, cold sweat broke out on Han Zhao's back.

The spirit-suppressing identity tag was already linked to the Immortal-Asking Stairs. If he stopped channeling it, Li Sanshun would return to normal. However, once Yan Song checked the array logs, he would be able to see the fluctuations in pressure.

Stopping now would expose him.

Continuing, however, still offered a chance to make Li Sanshun collapse before the three-hundredth step.

Han Zhao pressed an array talisman into the edge of the control platform, triggering the final spirit-suppressing seal.

As Li Sanshun stepped onto the two-hundred and eightieth stair, the wooden tag at his waist suddenly grew hot. The immortal energy in his meridians surged toward the tag, and the array patterns beneath his feet were pulled along with it.

Crushing pressure descended from above.

Li Sanshun's feet sank into the stone steps, his knees nearly striking the ground.

Gasps erupted from the crowd.

Zhao Yuanqing wore a smile once more.

The five-element mixed spiritual root had finally reached its limit.

He had already cleared five hundred and sixty-seven steps; if Li Sanshun collapsed at two hundred and eighty, he wouldn't even be qualified to be compared with him.

Li Sanshun braced his hands against his knees and took a deep breath of array energy.

[The identity tag is draining your immortal art energy.]

[Do you wish to use life energy to replenish the current consumption?]

"Replenish."

[Life energy decreased by 5 points.]

[Immortal art energy recovered by 5 points.]

As the wooden tag continued to drain him, he continued to replenish.

The spirit-suppressing seal could restrict an ordinary Qi-refining cultivator, but it could not stop the conversion of life energy. Han Zhao's attempt to drain his immortal energy via the identity tag was destined for disappointment.

Li Sanshun lifted his foot and stepped onto the two-hundred and eighty-first stair.

One step.

Then another.

Every time the identity tag drained his immortal energy, his life energy filled the gap. The spiritual energy within the Immortal-Asking Stairs also entered his body with each breath, mitigating a portion of the consumption.

By the time he reached the two-hundred and ninetieth step, the wooden tag had become scorching hot.

The concealment seal inside could not withstand the impact of the spiritual energy, and cracks appeared along its edges.

Han Zhao gripped the array talisman, his arm beginning to tremble.

Why hadn't he fallen yet?

How much immortal energy could a first-level Qi-refining cultivator possibly hide in his body?

Zhao Yuanqing stared at Li Sanshun's feet, forgetting even to open his folding fan.

Two hundred and ninety-five.

Two hundred and ninety-six.

Li Sanshun's clothes were soaked with sweat, yet his breathing remained steady. The spirit-suppressing seal within the identity tag had reached its limit, causing the ten surrounding stone steps to vibrate.

Yan Song raised a hand to stop the array disciples from approaching.

"Do not shut down the array. Continue recording."

Hearing this, Han Zhao finally panicked.

He released the array talisman, hoping to sever the connection between the identity tag and the Immortal-Asking Stairs. But the Five Elements spiritual energy within the array had already flooded the wooden tag; it was impossible to stop.

Li Sanshun stepped onto the two-hundred and ninety-ninth stair.

The cracks on the wooden tag spread to the center.

The three-hundredth step!

Li Sanshun stood firm.

The wooden tag at his waist emitted a crisp snap. The outer layer of array patterns fell away, revealing the black spirit-suppressing seal hidden within. The broken wooden shards flew toward the control platform, landing at Yan Song's feet.

Yan Song picked up a shard, identified the array within, and looked up at Han Zhao.

"A spirit-suppressing seal."

Han Zhao turned to flee, but two law-enforcement disciples had already blocked his path.

Yan Song placed the wooden shard beside the recording stone. The stone soon displayed the array logs of the Immortal-Asking Stairs.

From the very first step, the pressure Li Sanshun endured had been higher than the standard value. By the two-hundred and eightieth step, the pressure had approached that of the seven-hundredth step under normal conditions.

The plaza descended into an uproar.

Zhao Yuanqing took two steps back, and the Zhao family steward lowered his head, hoping to slip away in the chaos.

"Seal the plaza."

Following Yan Song's order, the law-enforcement disciples guarded every exit.

"Han Zhao, you tampered with an identity tag and interfered with the sect's recruitment test. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Cold sweat beaded on Han Zhao's face.

"Elder, the identity tag was not made by this disciple. I was only responsible for distributing them; the spirit-suppressing seal inside has nothing to do with me!"

Li Sanshun removed the broken cord from the Immortal-Asking Stairs.

"You handed me the wooden tag yourself when I entered the mountain gate. Just now, every few steps I took, you touched the control platform. Now that the tag has shattered, you claim it has nothing to do with you?"

Yan Song handed the spirit-suppressing shard to the law-enforcement disciples.

"Check the spiritual energy imprint. The one who made the tag, the one who hid the seal, and the one who triggered the array talisman—none of those involved will escape."

Han Zhao's legs went weak.

The concealment seal on the wooden tag had come from Steward Zhao, and the array talisman had passed through the hands of the Zhao family steward. As long as the Law Enforcement Hall investigated, the Zhao family would not be able to distance themselves.

Zhao Yuanqing gritted his teeth and forced himself to speak, "Elder Yan, the Zhao family only came to participate in the test. Whatever Han Zhao did has nothing to do with us."

Yan Song ignored him.

"Take them away."

Two law-enforcement disciples seized Han Zhao and intercepted the Zhao family steward. Zhao Yuanqing wanted to invoke his uncle, but the words died in his throat.

Li Sanshun crossed the three-hundredth step and walked toward the Heart-Refining Gate behind it.

The Heart-Refining Gate was a stone archway suspended at the three-hundred and thirtieth step. Those who passed through would see the scenes they feared most in their hearts; they only needed to persist for ten breaths to pass.

Li Sanshun stepped into the stone gate, and the scene before his eyes shifted rapidly.

A dark, subterranean sewer appeared beneath his feet.

A foul stench assaulted his nose. Zhang Laosan and his two companions stood at the exit, blocking his path with clubs. Further away, the old rascal stood with his back to him, his figure growing increasingly distant.

Li Sanshun looked at the sewage by his feet.

"Fake is fake; this smell is far worse than the real thing."

He circulated the Primordial Origin Art and took a deep breath.

The Five Elements energy that formed the illusion was sucked into his body. The array eye lost its support, and the sewage on the ground and the figures at the exit dissipated one after another.

In less than five breaths, the Heart-Refining Gate returned to its original state.

In the center of the plaza, the number nine spirit-testing stone was pulled by the energy, and five rays of spiritual light rose simultaneously. The light converged in the heart of the stone, and cracks appeared across its surface.

An elderly man with white hair descended from the main peak, stepping through the air.

He landed before the spirit-testing stone and produced an ancient jade disk covered in five-colored patterns.

"Bring Li Sanshun down."

The white-haired elder brushed his hand across the jade disk, and the Five Elements patterns, dormant for many years, lit up one by one.

"Use the Five Elements Origin-Returning Disk to test him again."