92: Chapter 92 Ascending the Heavenly Ladder

The Qingyun Sect.

It is the hegemon of the Eastern Region of Qingzhou, with the Sect situated above an abyss, where the Thirteen Peaks of Qingyun pierce the clouds, connected by rainbow bridges, possessing a magnificent Aura.

Among them, the highest main peak is named Cloud Peak.

A white jade staircase, with no end in sight, winds up from the foot of the mountain and disappears into the depths of the sea of clouds.

This is the Ascending Heavenly Ladder of the Qingyun Sect.

It is rumored that anyone who can walk the full ten thousand steps of this ladder does not need to undergo any assessment and will be directly accepted as a Personal Disciple.

But for thousands of years, no one has ever succeeded.

Even so, the area beneath the ladder is crowded every day, gathering countless young people who dream of soaring to the sky.

"Look quickly, what is the situation with that old man? He is already at such an age and is still at Qi Refining Stage 6, yet he still comes to join in the fun?"

"Tsk tsk, his hair is already white, and his blood and Qi have decayed to this extent; I fear he will roll down after just two steps."

"He is likely from some small place and has never seen the world, thinking this is some kind of health trail?"

As soon as Jiang Feng landed, a wave of discussion and ridicule erupted around him.

He wore simple green clothes, his hair was silver, and his face carried the weariness of travel, making him completely out of place among the vibrant young people around him.

Jiang Feng ignored the mockery around him.

He raised his head and looked up at the Ascending Heavenly Ladder, which had no visible top, his eyes sharp.

On the way here, he had thought about directly crushing that Golden Core Great Perfection cultivation experience bead and storming the Qingyun Sect.

But he quickly extinguished this thought.

The Qingyun Sect is able to dominate Qingzhou with a profound foundation; he wouldn't be surprised if there were Nascent Soul old monsters sitting in command, let alone Golden Core ones.

Three hours to level a top-tier Sect and save someone?

That is just a fool's dream.

Once the time runs out, he would be at the mercy of others.

Therefore, he cannot force his way in.

He must get inside first!

And this Ascending Heavenly Ladder is the only shortcut.

According to the rules of the Qingyun Sect, stepping over five hundred steps can trigger the Great Dao Bell to ring once, allowing entry into the Outer Sect.

Three bell rings allow entry into the Inner Sect.

If one can trigger nine bell rings, it will alert the higher-ups and result in being directly accepted as a Personal Disciple!

That is the place closest to Lin Yueyao!

Amidst the playful or sympathetic gazes of the crowd, Jiang Feng walked to the Ascending Heavenly Ladder and lifted his foot onto the first step.

Hum!

A massive pressure instantly poured down from above!

The bones in his whole body were groaning, and his internal organs were tightly gripped.

"Heh, he actually dares to go up! How many steps do you guess he can walk?"

"I bet he will roll down within ten steps!"

Jiang Feng did not pay attention to this noise, silently adjusting his breathing, and then took the second step, the third step...

His pace was not fast, but every step was very steady.

Jiang Feng walked up step by step, leaving the crowd dumbfounded, and they all thought there was something wrong with the Ascending Heavenly Ladder today.

For the first one hundred steps, Jiang Feng walked quite easily, with only a light sheen of sweat on his forehead.

Beside him, there were many young people gritting their teeth to persist; the glances they occasionally cast toward Jiang Feng had gradually changed from ridicule to astonishment.

Two hundred steps.

Jiang Feng's breathing began to become heavy, and sweat slid down from his forehead.

Three hundred steps.

His upper garment had already been soaked through with sweat, sticking tightly to his body, outlining a physique that was not strong, but very resilient.

Four hundred steps!

The terrifying pressure was almost going to crush his spine inch by inch! Every time he lifted his foot, it was incredibly heavy, and his muscles ached as if they were splitting.

At this moment, the steps around him were already empty, with only a few people still struggling dozens of steps below him.

Those people looked at Jiang Feng's white-haired but still upright back, and there was no longer any disrespect in their eyes, only shock.

People who can walk to this point might not have great talent, but their Heart-Nature, will, and Physical Body strength are far superior to ordinary people.

For a sixty-year-old man to be able to do this is simply unimaginable!

"Hoo... Hoo..."

Jiang Feng gasped for air, sweat dripping down his chin and leaving little puddles on the white jade steps.

Just at this moment, he suddenly noticed a hint of abnormality.

With the large amount of sweat being expelled, he felt that the circulation of Spiritual Qi in his body seemed to be smoother than before.

He looked down at his palms; in the sweat, there was actually some black, sticky substance mixed in, emitting a faint, fishy odor.

"Is this... marrow cleansing and tendon washing?"

Jiang Feng understood in an instant!

This Ascending Heavenly Ladder is simply not as simple as testing Heart-Nature and will!

This ubiquitous pressure, while constantly squeezing the potential of the climbers, is also, in a brutal way, forcibly squeezing out the Impurities from within their bodies and tempering their Physical Body!

"Good! What a great Ascending Heavenly Ladder!"

A hint of burning heat flashed in the eyes of Jiang Feng.

After all, his body was over sixty years old; although it had been strengthened many times by the System, his foundation was ultimately still a bit lacking.

Unexpectedly, there was such an unexpected joy today!

Since that is the case, he will not be polite!

Thinking of this, Jiang Feng's already slow pace became even slower.

He was no longer in a hurry to climb upward, but instead deliberately controlled his rhythm to keep his body in a state of extreme pressure, fully enjoying this free sauna.

Every time he took a step, he would pause for a long time, carefully feeling the pleasure of the Impurities inside his body being squeezed out bit by bit.

At the foot of the mountain, those who were waiting to see him make a fool of himself could no longer laugh at this moment.

"Five hundred steps... He, he actually really walked to five hundred steps!"

"My god, the Great Dao Bell is about to ring!"

Everyone subconsciously held their breath and looked up at the mist-shrouded mountain peak.

According to custom, anyone who can step onto the five hundredth step of the Ascending Heavenly Ladder will trigger a long ring of the Great Dao Bell, announcing that a Disciple has gained the qualification to enter the Outer Sect of the Qingyun Sect.

However, time passed breath by breath.

One breath...

Two breaths...

The expected bell sound was slow to ring.

"What is going on? Why didn't the bell ring?"

"Could it be that there is a problem with the Ascending Heavenly Ladder?"

"I said so! How could an old man with decayed blood and Qi possibly trigger the Great Dao Bell? Something must have gone wrong somewhere! We got excited for nothing!"

After a brief silence, noisy discussions erupted again at the foot of the mountain; this time, the ridicule was mixed with disappointment.

Even those few young people still struggling on the Ascending Heavenly Ladder showed expressions of schadenfreude.

However, just at this moment, Jiang Feng, who was standing on the five hundred and first step, suddenly exhaled a breath of turbid air!

With this turbid air exhaled, his entire Aura changed abruptly.

Beneath his silver hair, his sixty-year-old face actually revealed a hint of gentle luster, making him look ten years younger!

Jiang Feng did not pay attention to any sounds from the foot of the mountain, not even looking back once.

He just lifted his foot and stepped heavily onto the five hundred and second step!

Dong!!!

The moment his foot landed, an ancient and vast bell sound blasted from the top of Cloud Peak!

The bell sound was vast, spreading throughout the Thirteen Peaks of Qingyun!

"It rang! It really rang!" The crowd at the foot of the mountain instantly boiled over!