Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou crouched on the ground, using a dagger to dig a hole and bury the ladder underneath. They stomped on the ground to pack it down. Lu Yang kicked the ladder, and it didn’t budge at all; instead, it made his right foot tingle.
“Not bad, it’s very sturdy. I’ll go first, and if I succeed, you can follow,” Lu Yang said.
“No problem,” Meng Jingzhou nodded.
Lu Yang rubbed his hands together, took three quick steps, and climbed up the ladder smoothly. When he reached the corner of the ladder, which was level with the fiftieth step, he thought to himself, oh no.
He forced himself to look straight ahead and not down, moving forward like a caterpillar.
The people on the steps looked up at Lu Yang as he approached the fiftieth step, their mouths agape in shock.
What did they see? A huge ladder stood upright, bent at a ninety-degree angle, leading straight to the end—the fiftieth step.
They had seen Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou setting up the ladder below, but didn’t think much of it.
After all the effort to reach the fortieth step, they were worried about what the two were up to. If they found out the two were just acting crazy, they wouldn’t have the energy to return to the fortieth step, and that would mean total failure.
Man Gu was the fastest among them, having reached the forty-ninth step. But the fiftieth step felt like an insurmountable barrier, as if he were carrying a mountain on his back, ready to crush him.
Then he watched as Lu Yang crawled past him and reached the fiftieth step.
Lu Yang made it without any danger, successfully passing the challenge.
Meng Jingzhou followed closely behind and also succeeded.
The first and second places were decided.
...
Meanwhile, outside Wenxin Mountain, the disciples of the Wenda Sect were in chaos.
“Don’t stop me! I’m going to teach those two a lesson today. I promise I won’t kill them!” Dai Bufan’s muscles bulged with anger, like a bear that had its honey stolen.
His junior brothers and sisters rushed forward to stop him:
“Brother Dai, don’t do it!”
“Brother Dai, you need to calm down.”
“If something happens to the ones taking the test, our Wenda Sect’s reputation will be ruined!”
“Bullying the weak will look bad, Brother Dai!”
“Don’t forget, the third challenge tests the heart of seeking the Dao. You mustn’t get angry!”
When Dai Bufan heard the last line, he calmed down.
Right, the third challenge was about testing them, not him!
“...Wait, the third challenge is to test them, not me!”
The disciples of the Wenda Sect were thrown into chaos again.
Seeing this, He Ling felt more balanced and retreated back into the river, no longer bothering the two.
...
Perhaps the successful teamwork of Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou inspired everyone. The disciples taking the test began shouting and finally rushed to the fiftieth step.
Man Gu was the first, followed by people Lu Yang didn’t recognize, all of whom were behind him. He had no idea what made them special. Finally, a few with dual spiritual roots, whom Lu Yang had seen before, made it.
The rest kept trying but couldn’t take a single step. They wanted to go down and use the ladder made by Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou to reach the fiftieth step, but going down also meant facing immense pressure. Their bodies couldn’t handle moving up or down another step.
“The third challenge is over. Anyone left on the mountain loses their qualification,” Yun Zhi announced coldly, instructing Dai Bufan to bring everyone down.
Wenxin Mountain forced people to a level that ordinary folks couldn’t remove. Even Dai Bufan couldn’t just go up and rescue anyone; he had to climb step by step under the mountain’s pressure.
Dai Bufan shot a fierce glare at Lu Yang before starting to climb Wenxin Mountain.
He appeared calm and quickly reached the fiftieth step.
The disciples who had just passed the third challenge saw how easily Dai Bufan climbed and felt a huge gap compared to their own struggles to reach the fiftieth step.
“There’s nothing hard to understand. You’re only fourteen or fifteen years old. Even if you have family support and started learning about cultivation early, it’s all just an illusion without real experience. You can’t truly understand what the Dao and immortality are.”
“Cultivating is also about cultivating the heart. Once you achieve success in your practice, climbing Wenxin Mountain won’t be hard anymore.”
At the end of his explanation, Yun Zhi seemed to remember something and added, “Congratulations on becoming disciples of the Wenda Sect.”
With a wave of her hand, the bell on her wrist jingled, and mist rose to form clouds, lifting everyone up.
Lu Yang stood on the clouds, watching as the ground got farther away. He swallowed hard, his heart racing.
Wow, cultivating is really thrilling.
Yun Zhi stood on the clouds and addressed the junior brothers and sisters finishing up below, “Thank you for your hard work today. After you’re done cleaning up, you can go back to your own tasks.”
The junior brothers and sisters replied in unison, “Yes,” and then started shouting as they dismantled and moved the ladder made by Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou.
What’s the point of having a ladder on Wenxin Mountain?
Lu Yang didn’t dare to open his eyes on the cloud, but he could hear others excitedly talking and admiring the scenery. Unable to contain his curiosity, he opened his eyes and was immediately stunned by the sight before him.
A towering mountain stood in the middle of a sea of mountains, rising straight into the sky, with steep cliffs on all sides. It looked like a sword forged through a hundred trials, majestic and grand. Eight mountains with mysterious auras surrounded the central peak, and beyond them were layers of rolling hills, encircling these nine core mountains.
The mountains stacked upon each other looked like a blooming lotus flower, captivating everyone’s hearts!
A hazy mist covered the nine peaks, adding a touch of mystery.
Yun Zhi said lightly, “The core of the Wenda Sect has nine peaks. The central peak is where the sect leader resides, called Tianmen Peak. The other eight peaks belong to the eight elders, each with their own strengths, and correspondingly, each peak serves a different purpose.”
“Besides these peaks, some are trial grounds for the sect, some are extensions of the elders’ peaks, some are places for Wenda Sect disciples to practice, and there are also dangerous areas where insufficient cultivation can lead to death... It’s too much to explain in a few words; you’ll gradually explore it in the future.”
“Cultivation is all about fate. In the next month, you can freely move around the Wenda Sect, visit the peaks, go to the scripture hall, or ask senior brothers and elders for guidance.”
“After a month, you’ll need to choose an elder as your master, of course, provided the elder agrees to take you as a disciple.”
Man Gu asked, “Can we only choose elders? Can we choose the sect leader?”
“You can, but the sect leader doesn’t usually like to teach disciples, so your chances are very slim.”
Even so, many still wanted to learn under the sect leader.
The Wenda Sect is one of the five great sects of the Central Continent, with a leader who stands out and unmatched in strength, making it rare to find a rival in the cultivation world. Being able to study under such a master has countless obvious and hidden benefits!
“Someone will take you to your respective caves shortly.”
“Lu Yang, Meng Jingzhou, you two stay behind.”
(End of Chapter)