As a core elder of the Five Elements Pavilion, Fang Xuanhe held great power in the sect, so it was not difficult for him to apply for Han Xuanji's qualification to go to the Five Elements Altar.
Although the Five Elements Altar is officially declared a forbidden area and not open to outsiders, this rule is rigid, but people are flexible.
The so-called "not open to outsiders" simply means it's not open to ordinary cultivators without background or Wutian.
Han Xuanji was S-Rank Heaven's Chosen exceptionally recruited by the Soul Household. His understanding of the Dao of Principle far surpassed that of his peers. Furthermore, with Hun Qianling having arranged things in advance and made contact with the Five Elements Pavilion, Fang Xuanhe only needed to report to the tower to easily secure Han Xuanji's qualification to challenge the Five Elements Heavenly Stairway and enter the Five Elements Altar.
The two walked one after the other through layers of corridors and around several stone tablets engraved with the Five Elements Dao patterns. Before long, they arrived at the area where the Five Elements Altar was located.
This is a crucial area deep within the Five Elements Pavilion, far from the hustle and bustle. The energy of the Five Elements permeates the air to an extreme degree, with spiritual light intertwining and forming a faint light curtain that envelops the entire area, exuding a solemn and dignified atmosphere.
Looking up, a magnificent heavenly ladder stands in the center of the light screen; it is the Five Elements Heavenly Stairway.
This heavenly ladder is entirely paved with five elements of jade, each step shimmering with a faint spiritual light. The five colors of white, green, blue, red, and yellow alternate and flow, layer upon layer, reaching straight into the clouds. There are a total of 3,650 steps, with no end in sight. Even before getting close, one can feel an invisible pressure and feel awe.
Han Xuanji and Fang Xuanhe's actions quickly attracted the attention of many disciples of the Five Elements Pavilion.
At this moment, there were many core disciples of the Five Elements Pavilion on duty here, as well as some outside cultivators who came to challenge the Heavenly Ladder. All of them were talented disciples from various forces in Thousand Souls City.
Upon seeing Han Xuanji, people immediately began to whisper among themselves.
"Who is that? Who could possibly have Elder Fang personally accompany them to the forbidden area?"
"Judging from his aura, he's no ordinary person!"
Hun Hao quietly followed not far away. Hearing the crowd's discussion, a mocking smile curled at the corner of his lips, and he said:
"What's so special about him? He's just an ordinary person who got lucky and made it to the S-Rank Heaven's Chosen."
"Oh? Then why didn't you get an S-rank, Brother Hun Hao?"
A white-robed monk in the crowd mocked:
"It's their ability to become S-Rank Heaven's Chosen, why do you need to say that?"
" Wang Lin, you!"
Hun Hao looked at the white-robed cultivator and was immediately filled with anger.
"What's wrong with me? Is there something wrong with what I said?"
Wang Lin gave Hun Hao a cold look. He didn't know Han Xuanji and couldn't comment on him, but he just couldn't stand Hun Hao's behavior, which was unbecoming of a member of their prestigious Lineage.
"Just you wait and see. You dare to bet with me?"
Hun Hao was also filled with anger and said indignantly.
"What's there to be afraid of?"
Wang Lin remained unfazed, seemingly unafraid.
The onlookers found it somewhat amusing to watch the two argue.
"Tsk tsk, Wang Lin is quite generous. The Five Elements Heavenly Stairway is incredibly difficult to traverse. Even among the core disciples of our Five Elements Pavilion, few dare to attempt it lightly. How could a prodigy like him, who rose to prominence through connections, possibly not even make it past the first hundred steps?"
"That's right, Brother Wang is so generous! Why don't you join us in this bet?"
Discussions rose and fell, and many Five Elements Pavilion disciples looked at Han Xuanji with a hint of Qi Ingestion.
The Five Elements Heavenly Stairway Ladder is notoriously difficult, and even the elite disciples of the Five Elements Pavilion have few successes. In their eyes, it is undoubtedly overestimating their abilities that an outsider, rumored to have "used connections," dares to attempt it.
Hun Hao was overjoyed after making the bet with Wang Lin, and his gaze towards Han Xuanji was full of amusement.
Han Xuanji, I'd like to see how you make a fool of yourself today. If you can't even pass the Five Elements Heavenly Stairway, let's see how you maintain your S-Rank Heaven's Chosen image.
At this moment, Fang Xuanhe had already brought Han Xuanji to the foot of the Five Elements Heavenly Stairway Ladder. He turned to look at Han Xuanji and solemnly instructed him:
"Young friend Han, I have already told you the rules of the Five Elements Heavenly Stairway. The stronger your cultivation, the greater the pressure. As you are just entering the Eternal Dao Master, the difficulty may not be too great for you, but remember not to be impatient for quick success. You need to activate your own Dao Principles and merge with the Five Elements Dao rhythm of the Heavenly Ladder to move forward steadily."
If you can't hold on any longer, give up. Don't force yourself to continue, lest you damage your foundation.
Fang Xuanhe genuinely wanted Han Xuanji to thrive and didn't want this promising talent to be wasted.
Many people attempt to ascend the Heavenly Ladder with great confidence, only to end up with a broken heart and a shattered spiritual path.
The more brilliant a genius is, the harder they fall when they stumble.
Han Xuanji nodded slightly, his expression firm. "Thank you for the Elder Fang. I understand."
He has climbed his way up from the lower realms step by step to where he is today. He may not have suffered much hardship, but even if he fails today, it is impossible for him to lose his Dao heart.
This is also the advantage of those Transcendent transcend from the Primal Chaos; compared to the prodigies born on the Eternal Continent, their mental advantage is immense.
Having said that, he looked up at the towering Five Elements Heavenly Stairway, his eyes filled with no fear, only intense anticipation.
The surrounding chatter continued unabated, while Hun Hao kept a close eye on Han Xuanji from the shadows.
Everyone was waiting to see what this supposedly undeserving S-Rank Heaven's Chosen of the Soul Household was really all about.
Upon arriving at the Five Elements Heavenly Stairway, Han Xuanji took a deep breath, slightly circulating the Power of Eternity within his body and mobilizing the Five Elements Dao Principle. He slowly raised his right foot and stepped towards the first step of the Five Elements Heavenly Stairway.
The moment his soles touched the cool Five Elements Jade, Han Xuanji felt an immense pressure bearing down on him.
The power of the five elements enveloped him like a tide, and the scene before him suddenly changed, as if he were in a Chaos. Five colored light bands flowed around him, intertwined and collided, emitting a deep rumble.
This is the first test of the Five Elements Heavenly Stairway. Many people cannot even calm their minds and stand still.
Han Xuanji steadied his mind and did not rush to climb upwards. Instead, he closed his eyes and carefully felt the flow of this Dao essence.
Just then, a cold, mechanical system notification quietly sounded in Han Xuanji's mind:
[Detected the " Five Elements Heavenly Stairway " check-in location. Check in now? (This location can be checked in twelve times in total.)]
Han Xuanji's heart stirred slightly, but his expression remained calm and undisturbed.
The Five Elements Heavenly Stairway has existed here for countless years, witnessed the trials of countless geniuses, and been imbued with the Dao essence of countless cultivators, including many powerful individuals who would later ascend to the realm of Eternal True God. Its profound Dao essence led it to be rated as a nine-star sign-in place, which was within his expectations.
Although the rewards for signing in at the Nine-Star Sign-in Ground are slightly inferior to those for signing in at the Ten-Star Sign-in Purple Soul Grotto-Heaven, they are just right for him now.
What he urgently needs right now is to comprehend the Five Elements Dao Principle and condense the Five Elements Eternal Dao Principle. This Nine-Star Sign-in Place is exactly what he's good at, and it's far more valuable than those irrelevant Ten-Star Sign-in Rewards.