285: Surpass everyone

Lin Jingyu was indifferent to their reactions; his goal had never been to compete with his peers.

He returned Bai Susu’s smile.

His gaze turned to the higher reaches of the ascending immortal ladder, shrouded in mist and seemingly reaching the heavens, even… to its legendary peak.

He was very curious: what exactly lay at the end of this ascending immortal ladder? And where was his own limit?

Under the gaze of countless eyes below, which gradually turned to shock, doubt, and disbelief, Lin Jingyu’s figure moved like a discordant symbol.

With an almost constant, astonishingly stable pace, he rapidly approached Wang Ling and Bai Susu, who were in the first echelon, heading straight for the thirtieth step!

High above, in the clouds, the gazes of several Qinglan Sect Elders for the first time truly fell upon this seemingly ordinary, yet unexpectedly outstanding, young man in green.

On the ascending immortal ladder, the competition grew fiercer.

After passing the twentieth step, the pressure and mental impact doubled with each subsequent step.

Above the twenty-fifth step, it was already a true watershed.

The Cultivators who reached this point were all top performers in this trial, but even so, their expressions were solemn, their aura fluctuated, and they needed to expend a great deal of mental effort to stabilize themselves and move forward slowly.

Golden light flickered around Wang Ling, clearly indicating he was using the power of his Gold-elemental special Spiritual Root, with a sharp aura attempting to tear through the invisible pressure around him.

Although his steps were heavier than before, he still carried an indomitable sharpness, striving upward, and had already stepped onto the thirty-first step.

Bai Susu, on the other hand, seemed to merge with the surrounding water vapor and mist, her movements agile, using softness to overcome hardness, skillfully dissolving the pressure, and steadily stood on the thirtieth step.

One firm, one gentle, the two temporarily held the lead.

However, the most eye-catching figure was the green silhouette behind them—Lin Jingyu.

He still maintained his initial speed, unhurried, one step at a time.

When he stepped onto the twenty-fifth step, the pressure that would make an ordinary Late Stage Qi Refining Cultivator’s spiritual power sluggish merely caused his robes to flutter slightly.

The Divine Soul impact, strong enough to trigger Heart Demon illusions, struck the mental barrier he had constructed with the Spirit Refining Art, failing to even create a ripple.

Thus, amidst countless astonished gazes, he effortlessly crossed the thirtieth step, and then… surpassed Bai Susu, who was previously ahead of him.

As Lin Jingyu brushed past Bai Susu, her clear, cold eyes were filled with disbelief.

She could sense that the spiritual power fluctuations around him were not particularly turbulent, but his composure, that nonchalance as if viewing the ascending immortal ladder’s pressure as nothing, deeply shocked her.

What kind of profound Foundation and strong will would this require?

Lin Jingyu nodded slightly to her as a greeting, but his steps did not pause in the slightest as he continued upward.

The next moment, he caught up to Wang Ling ahead.

Wang Ling was fully circulating his Cultivation Technique, resisting the terrifying pressure of the thirty-first step, sweat already beading on his forehead. Feeling someone approaching from behind, he suddenly turned his head, just in time to see Lin Jingyu’s calm face.

“You!” A fierce look and defiance flashed in Wang Ling’s eyes.

He prided himself as a Genius; how could he tolerate being surpassed by an unknown person? He let out a low growl, his spiritual power bursting forth wildly, the golden light intensifying, forcibly accelerating to try and shake off Lin Jingyu.

However, Lin Jingyu merely glanced at him indifferently, his pace remaining unchanged.

Wang Ling’s burst of speed seemed futile and laughable in front of Lin Jingyu’s steady pace.

Lin Jingyu, as if taking a leisurely stroll, took one step and had already ascended to the thirty-second step, surpassing him.

“This is impossible!”

Wang Ling watched Lin Jingyu surpass him, his heart filled with shock and anger, his aura uncontrollably disrupted, and the golden light around him instantly dimmed a few shades.

The immense pressure immediately seized the opportunity, causing him to let out a muffled groan and almost fall off the steps. He quickly stabilized himself, no longer daring to be distracted.

But the look in his eyes as he watched Lin Jingyu’s retreating figure was filled with horror and unwillingness.

Below in the plaza, there was already an uproar!

“He surpassed them! He surpassed Wang Ling and Bai Susu!”

“Who is he? Which Family or Sect is he from? How have I never heard of him?”

“Too terrifying! From the twentieth to the thirty-first step, his speed hasn’t changed at all! Is this… is this even human?”

“Did he hide his cultivation? But the ascending immortal ladder’s suppression on Foundation Establishment Cultivators is even stronger!”

Below, Feng Xixi watched Lin Jingyu’s infuriatingly stable performance, her beautiful eyes shimmering with brilliance, a smile gracing her lips.

Lin Jingyu climbing to the fortieth step will definitely be no problem!

High above, the Qinglan Sect Elders were finally moved.

“This child… is quite interesting.”

An Elder with a gaunt face but eyes as sharp as an eagle slowly spoke.

“His Physical Body Foundation is exceptionally solid, far surpassing his peers, even comparable to some Foundation Establishment Disciples who specialize in Body Refining techniques. What’s more rare is his condensed Divine Soul and firm will; the illusionary pressure has almost no effect on him.”

Another old woman with white hair and a youthful face nodded, “Indeed. Judging by his bone age, he’s only seventeen or eighteen. To achieve such accomplishments, he cannot have been nurtured by an ordinary force. Xuan Yun, do you recognize this child?”

Elder Xuan Yunzi, who was presiding over the trial, frowned slightly and shook his head:

“He looks unfamiliar. The registration roster lists him as ‘Lin Jingyu,’ from the Lin Family, a small Family in Southeast Market Town. I’ve never heard of this Family having anything special.”

“The Lin Family?” The Elders exchanged glances, their confusion deepening. A small, unknown Family could produce such a figure?

“Let’s see how far he can go. After the thirty-fifth step, that’s the real test.” The eagle-eyed Elder gazed deeply at the higher reaches of the immortal ladder.

At this moment, Lin Jingyu had already stepped onto the thirty-fifth step!

The instant his foot landed, the surrounding scenery abruptly changed!

It was no longer white jade steps and onlookers, but as if he was in an boundless sea of fire, scorching heat waves rushing towards him, threatening to melt his flesh and bones.

At the same time, piercing screams and seductive whispers filled his ears, as if countless Heart Demons were pulling at his Divine Soul.

“True Illusion?”

Lin Jingyu raised an eyebrow slightly. The test at the thirty-fifth step had indeed escalated; it was no longer just simple pressure and mental impact, but began to create realistic illusions, directly targeting the deepest fears and desires within one’s heart.

However, for Lin Jingyu, who had already experienced Divine Soul tempering in the Sea of Thunder and whose Dao Heart had been refined, this kind of illusion was still not enough.

As the Spirit Refining Art circulated, his Sea of Consciousness was clear as a mirror; the raging sea of fire was merely distorted light and shadows in his eyes, and the demonic whispers were just illusory noise.

His steps did not falter in the slightest, as if passing through a thin curtain of water, he directly stepped onto the thirty-sixth step.

The illusion instantly shattered, transforming into a world of extreme cold with ten thousand miles of ice… but no matter how the environment changed, Lin Jingyu’s pace remained steady, his speed consistent.

Thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine…