498: Chapter 498 The Heavenly Ladder!

"Open the Heavenly Ladder!"

As the words fell, a massive tremor echoed above the entire plaza!

The entire space was trembling.

Immediately after, a massive Golden Heavenly Ladder appeared out of thin air, slowly unfurling from high in the sky.

The Heavenly Ladder was entirely golden and dazzlingly bright, with every step shimmering with golden light.

It extended all the way down from the high heavens, finally coming to rest above the heads of the crowd in the plaza, suspended in mid-air.

The Heavenly Ladder towered into the clouds, its top invisible at a glance, as if leading to another world.

"The Monthly Exam is divided into two stages. The first stage: Braving the Heavenly Ladder."

"There are 999 levels in total. Only by passing the 500th level will you be qualified to enter the second stage's challenge matches."

"Now—let the competition begin!"

As the voice fell, the area below instantly erupted into a frenzy.

Many Disciples showed expressions of excitement, and with a stomp of their feet, they flew toward the Heavenly Ladder.

Some were confident in themselves, some wanted to try their luck, and some simply didn't want to be left behind.

Figure after figure soared into the sky, landing on the Heavenly Ladder and beginning their ascent.

Qin Yan looked at the Golden Heavenly Ladder towering into the clouds before him, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

"So this is the Heavenly Ladder?"

He had seen an introduction to the Heavenly Ladder in the token's information.

The Heavenly Ladder was a spirit weapon of the Taixuan Holy Land, its grade unknown.

It was said to be a treasure passed down as a Legacy since ancient times in the Holy Land, specifically used for testing Disciples.

It had only one function: to test the challenger's comprehensive ability.

This comprehensive ability included various aspects such as age, Realm, talent, will, Physical Body, and spirit!

It wasn't just a simple look at one's cultivation, but an all-around assessment.

The younger the age, the higher the talent, the firmer the will, the stronger the Physical Body, the more powerful the spirit, and the more overbearing the True Qi—all of these would affect the final level reached.

The higher the level a challenger climbed, the stronger their comprehensive ability was proven to be.

"I wonder how many levels I can climb."

Qin Yan gazed up at the Golden Heavenly Ladder that towered into the clouds, silently pondering in his heart.

"I wonder if the talent granted by a Profound Truth counts as talent?"

To be honest, his martial talent wasn't particularly outstanding.

What did he rely on to achieve his current accomplishments in such a short time?

He relied on the panel, on Profound Truths, and on the Opportunities plundered from his opponents.

Seventeen-ten-thousandths of Spear Dao Profundity, eleven-ten-thousandths of Five Elements Profundity, one-thousandth of Blood Dao Profundity, and that endless Darkness Profundity—these were his true trump cards.

If the talent granted by Profound Truths counted as talent, then his comprehensive ability was definitely not weak.

If it didn't count...

"Then my talent is pretty much non-existent."

Qin Yan gave a bitter smile.

But at this point, thinking about it was useless. He would know once he went up to try.

The three of them stood quietly, in no hurry to step onto the Heavenly Ladder.

There were also many Prodigies around who were similarly not in a rush to act.

They were all silently observing, wanting to see just how difficult this Heavenly Ladder was.

Qin Yan looked over and noticed that many Prodigies who stepped onto the Heavenly Ladder moved as if they were flying at first, as if taking a leisurely stroll in a courtyard.

The steps of the first and second levels were no pressure for them; they could clear several levels in a single stride.

But as the levels stacked up, their speed became slower and slower.

By around the two-hundredth level, many had already begun to pant for breath;

By the three-hundredth level, their steps became noticeably heavy;

By the four-hundredth level, every step upward required a great deal of effort.

This forced those Prodigies to employ various means to continue moving forward.

Some circulated True Qi for protection, some used movement Martial Skills, and some relied on their powerful Physical Bodies, climbing upward with all their might.

Yet their pace was still slow, one step at a time, as if they were moving through a swamp.

And most of the Prodigies who couldn't hold on would fall from the Heavenly Ladder.

Some suddenly lost their strength and fell backward;

Some couldn't withstand the pressure and were directly repelled by an invisible force;

Some even spat out blood and fainted.

Then, they would be entwined by an invisible thread and land safely on the ground.

Those threads were soft and resilient, steadily catching the falling Prodigies and slowly lowering them to the ground to prevent them from being injured.

"Li Hanyi, 315th level, failure!"

"Zhao Lei, 345th level, failure!"

"Duzhe Baobao, 366th level, failure!"

"Wang Teng, 276th level, failure!"

"..."

A series of announcements came from within the Heavenly Ladder, proclaiming the results of the challengers.

Every number was like a heavy hammer, striking the heart of everyone present.

Qin Yan raised an eyebrow as he listened to the announcements from the Heavenly Ladder.

He noticed that the vast majority of challengers were defeated around the 300th level!

A small portion failed at the 200th level; those people's strength was clearly even weaker.

To enter the next stage's challenge matches, one had to pass the 500th level.

These failed challengers were still about 200 levels away from the 500th level!

One must know that the further one went, the greater the difficulty.

The jump from 300 to 400 levels was hard, and from 400 to 500 levels was even harder.

And these challengers weren't just any random nobodies.

They were Prodigies selected by the Taixuan Holy Land from the Ten Thousand Worlds!

Every one of them was a standout in their respective worlds and factions, the cream of the crop among their peers.

And the result?

Their comprehensive ability didn't even cross the basic threshold of the 500th level!

This was the Taixuan Holy Land; this was the foundation of one of the strongest powers in the Ten Thousand Worlds.

Here, being a Genius was just the starting point, and being a Prodigy was merely a passing grade.

While Qin Yan was lost in thought, batch after batch of Prodigies failed and fell from the high sky.

Some were pale, some looked dejected, and some even wept bitterly.

Those who were once the favored children of heaven now stood in the crowd like a group of losers, in a sorry state, subject to the gazes of those around them.

Seeing this, Lin Qingyue and Shen Wanqian's expressions also tightened.

The difficulty of this Heavenly Ladder was quite high!

Shen Wanqian swallowed hard, the smile on his round face freezing.

Lin Qingyue remained silent, but a trace of solemnity flashed in her light blue eyes.

Right then, a clear Phoenix cry suddenly came from below the Heavenly Ladder!

"Skree—!"

The Phoenix cry was crisp and loud, echoing through the entire plaza, carrying an indescribable nobility and majesty.

It caused everyone to look up involuntarily.

(End of update~)