She cheered herself on in her heart: Don't be afraid, it's just an illusion. You can do this, Gu Ningyun. It's fine, don't be afraid.
Gu Ningyun steeled her resolve and charged forward blindly.
Her breath hitched.
The great snake lunged and passed through her body, dissipating like foam.
Gu Ningyun let out a sigh of relief.
Step by step, tier by tier. The sounds of beasts gradually faded, but the pressure on each step grew heavier.
At the same time, the environment seemed to heat up, and the white jade steps turned a fiery red.
Tongues of fire seemed to lick at her body. Gu Ningyun's skin turned red from the heat, the stinging pain becoming unbearable.
Dripping sweat blurred her vision, making her eyes sting. She squeezed her eyes shut to force the sweat out, only for more to take its place.
She was already soaked through. Blisters formed on her feet, only to burst under her as she climbed.
The fiery red steps were stained with crimson.
Gu Ningyun moved her legs mechanically. Only one thought remained in her mind: as long as she wasn't dead, she would not stop moving forward.
...
Meanwhile, at the Xiaoyao Immortal Sect, on Governing Peak.
An immortal with a handsome face and eyes as cool as the moon drifted out on the wind. "Senior Brother, this year's recruitment has finally yielded a disciple with a top-grade wind spirit root. I won't be helping you with sect matters today."
"Junior Brother, do not forget the sect rules. You must not take a disciple early; it will interfere with their foundation building."
A refined voice faded into the wind. "Don't worry, I'm just going to place a mark, lest someone else tries to snatch them away."
"Before Master ascended, she entrusted me with the duty that the successor of the Spirit-Attuning Peak Master must possess a top-grade wind spirit root."
"Wind spirit roots are rare, and top-grade ones are even harder to find."
"Now that one has finally appeared, I naturally won't act recklessly."
...
On the Stairway to Immortality, Gu Ningyun's feet were already covered in blood.
The heavy pressure made her tremble with every step, yet she never paused for a moment.
Until her next step forward, when a cold wind blew over her feet, instantly freezing the fresh red blood.
With that single step, the high temperature transformed into bone-chilling cold. The red faded from the stairs, replaced by a thick layer of solid ice.
The sweat on her body turned to ice instantly, and her soaked clothes hung stiffly on her frame.
When her feet touched the ice, the blood caused her soles to stick firmly to the surface. Every step she took tore the flesh of her feet anew, a piercing, bone-deep agony.
A trail of bright red bloody footprints was left on the steps.
The pressure on her body grew even heavier, causing her bones to creak and groan under the strain.
Gu Ningyun began to crawl on the steps, using both hands and feet to climb upward.
Her breathing was heavy, yet she struggled to keep it steady. Her eyes were clouded with frost from her sweat, but her gaze remained as firm as ever.
Her conviction remained the same: as long as she wasn't dead, she would keep climbing. She would not stop.
The staircase seemed endless. She didn't know how long she had been crawling or how high she had climbed.
Just as her limbs grew stiff and her entire body was pinned down by the crushing pressure, unable to move, she saw the end.
In that moment, an infinite surge of courage and strength seemed to well up within her. Dragging her creaking body, she moved forward once more.
Eight steps left... seven... six...
...
Finally, the last step.
As she dragged her last numb leg onto the platform, a halo of light flashed. Gu Ningyun felt a weight lift from her body. All her injuries and pain vanished, and even her clothes were restored to a pristine state.
Simultaneously, a jade-white light screen appeared before her eyes. At the top of the screen were the words: Summit Climbers of the Thousand-Year Path to Immortality.
Under this heading, there were only two names: Pei Jin'an and her own.
Gu Ningyun was shocked. Had only two people reached the summit in a thousand years?!
Who was this Pei Jin'an? Which senior of the Xiaoyao Immortal Sect was he?
As the light screen vanished, a drop of clear dew appeared out of thin air and merged into Gu Ningyun's forehead.
A voice that seemed to come from ancient times echoed in her ears, "You... are excellent."
That drop of dew was likely a reward. Gu Ningyun didn't know its purpose yet; she would have to investigate it after she began her cultivation.
Before she could search for the source of that ancient voice, her vision blurred, and she found herself in a pleasant pavilion with a gentle breeze.
Across from her sat an immortal. He wore clothes as white as snow, his dark hair swaying lightly, and his face was as handsome as carved jade.
Seeing her dazed expression, the immortal smiled warmly. He raised his hand, and her green jade token flew into his palm.
His gaze fell upon the jade token, and a flicker of surprise crossed his face. "You reached the summit? Not bad."
He tapped the jade token a few times before handing it back to her. "Do not mention your experience after reaching the summit to anyone. Go now."
Before she could reply, the immortal waved his hand and teleported her away.
When she landed on a flying boat, Gu Ningyun recalled the encounter with the immortal, and it felt like a dream.
“Whoa—”
The awe-filled cry of a child snapped Gu Ningyun back to her senses.
She was now on a flying boat. Across from her sat an immortal dressed in white with a blue sash, sitting cross-legged.
Beside her were four other children leaning over the edge of the boat, looking down. The exclamation had come from them.
Following their gaze, Gu Ningyun saw the man-sized Cloud Mirror on the high platform in the center of Yushui City slowly shrink, finally turning into a streak of light and vanishing into the sleeve of the immortal standing beside it.
Two immortals ascended on flying swords, one after the other, moving like swift streaks of light. In an instant, they arrived before the boat.
The immortal in white with a green sash—the one who had given Gu Ningyun her jade token—trailed behind. He bowed to the blue-sashed immortal before heading to the side.
Only then did Gu Ningyun notice another flying boat slightly behind and below theirs. On that boat sat another immortal in white with a green sash, also cross-legged in meditation.
There were about a hundred children on that boat. Gu Ningyun remembered a few of them; during the spirit root testing, their stones had shown at least three colors, and some as many as five.
The two immortals on flying swords had already boarded their respective boats. Gu Ningyun withdrew her gaze.
The immortal who had returned on his sword made several hand signs that Gu Ningyun didn't understand. The flying boat turned and began to fly forward smoothly.
Yushui City receded rapidly from their sight. The children nearby seemed to understand the significance, and they all watched the city in silence.
With this departure and their entry into the immortal sect, the worlds of immortals and mortals were now separated. Who knew when they would see their homes again?
Gu Ningyun had no family here. At this moment, her heart was filled more with anticipation for the future, for the Xiaoyao Immortal Sect, and most of all, for herself.
Once Yushui City had completely vanished from view, the immortal who had been sitting cross-legged on the boat walked over to them. His tone held a hint of teasing. "Let me see, which child is crying?"
The five children present were all strong-willed individuals who had passed the trial of the Path to Immortality; they wouldn't cry so easily.
Two children who looked about the same age as Gu Ningyun only had slightly red eyes. Hearing the immortal's teasing, they quickly composed themselves.
Once the five children were standing properly, the immortal said, "You have all passed the assessment and are now outer sect disciples of the Xiaoyao Immortal Sect. My name is Yang Churan. You may call me Martial Aunt Yang."
She then pointed to the immortal who had finished adjusting the flying boat and was walking toward them. "His name is Lu Heyun. You can just call him Martial Uncle Lu. Until you become inner sect disciples, the two of us will be in charge of your cultivation."
One of the children asked, "Martial Aunt Yang, how can we become inner sect disciples?"
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