Chapter 73

As the ghost festival's ghost king event was underway, the monthly votes drawn today were about to reach two hundred! First, he would finish the two guaranteed chapters...

Although the new disciples who had entered the fifth level of the Heavenly Ladder were all the cream of the crop, from the fifth level onwards, each step of the green stone Heavenly Ladder was a difficult and long process to take.

With each step, the consumption of qi and blood was enormous, and they often had to stop every three to five steps, rest for a long time, and take medicine to recover their qi and blood.

Chen Xun no longer watched Gu Jianfeng and Qianlan as they continued to climb the steps with great difficulty. He sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, visualizing the Nine Nether Savage Soul, carefully experiencing the aura seeping through the mountain and the无形 pressure weighing down on him, as if it were a ten-thousand-pound weight...

Su Tang had said that the Dragon Binding Mountain was the central hub of Canglan City, operated by the Su family for a thousand years, and the profound secrets within were not to be underestimated. Carefully comprehending them, whether it was to temper the body to new extremes or to further cultivate the Dragon Binding Art, there were immense benefits.

After an unknown amount of time, hearing a wave of incredulous exclamations from those around him, Chen Xun reined in his thoughts and suddenly opened his eyes.

At this moment, there were still over ten new disciples sitting cross-legged on either side of him and Qingxuan. Looking up, he saw that Gu Jianfeng and the seven others had stopped halfway up the fifth level of the Heavenly Ladder, with no strength left to continue climbing.

Only Qianlan and five others had not stopped.

However, Qianlan was far behind, having just reached the middle of the fifth level of the Heavenly Ladder, but she was still struggling, not giving up.

The other five new disciples who had reached the peak of the fifth level of the Heavenly Ladder had unfamiliar faces, likely recommended by other prefectures.

Their armor and clothing were all emitting a brilliant light. Chen Xun knew that they were actually using the mystic talisman armor or other magical treasures they wore to resist the dual pressure released by the mountain. Therefore, it was not surprising that they had walked about seventy to eighty steps more than Qianlan.

Even so, each step they took upwards was extremely difficult, as if they were using all their strength, yet it seemed that their bones could be crushed at any moment.

Chen Xun was secretly alarmed: These seven people were all at the eighth level of the Bone Washing stage and were using all their strength to activate the magical treasures they carried, yet they were still finding it so difficult!

Chen Xun knew that after entering the fifth level of the Heavenly Ladder, the trials would increase with each step, but he had not expected them to be so severe!

He realized he had underestimated the central array of the Dragon Binding Mountain.

Initially, Chen Xun had extorted seven talisman weapons and three Nine Yuan Nourishing Cavity Pills from the Gui Xi tribe, and he let each tribe choose one.

Gu Jianfeng chose a Vajra Mystic Armor; Zuoqiu, representing the Zuo Ji tribe, chose a Nine Yuan Nourishing Cavity Pill for Qianlan.

Without any mystic talisman or magical treasure to help her resist the pressure, Qianlan emitted a clear and radiant light around her body, forming an invisible light shield, like a bright moon rising in the middle of the mountain...

Seeing the shock still evident in the eyes of those around him, Chen Xun thought: Could Qianlan have just broken through the sixth level of the Witch Savage stage at the last moment?

Chen Xun could see with his naked eye that the edge of the spiritual light protecting Qianlan was slightly distorted, indicating that the soul sea anomaly she was born with, the Spirit Sword Heart, was now at its peak, helping her resist the immense pressure from the mountain.

Qianlan, within the protective spiritual light, had beads of sweat on her beautiful face, which were actually fresh blood. However, her eyes showed a sense of relief, indicating that she had just passed the most difficult part.

Seeing Qianlan break through at a critical moment, Chen Xun felt greatly comforted. He silently estimated that the protective ability generated by Qianlan's Spirit Sword Heart had likely increased tenfold or more!

While a breakthrough in cultivation level usually did not result in such a dramatic increase in strength, Qianlan's situation was different.

For ordinary Witch Savages, breaking through to the peak of the True Yang stage sixth level only slightly increased their physical strength and surrounding qi. The biggest difference was that after reaching the seventh level, the divine soul would generate spiritual awareness with various uses.

The protective spiritual light generated by Qianlan's Spirit Sword Heart might require a large amount of spiritual awareness to maintain.

Chen Xun turned to look down the mountain and saw Zuoqiu, Zong Ya, and others standing in the crowd, their expressions extremely excited.

Although they were confident that the Gui Xi tribe would not openly violate the rules set by the Su family and attack them in Canglan City, the Gui Xi tribe, with several Rebirth Realm experts and over a thousand elite warriors, remained a constant threat.

To摆脱 this threat, they could not rely on the protection of the Su family. Only by increasing their own strength and having their own Heaven Savage experts in the North Mountain could they deter the Gui Xi tribe.

The Zuo Ji tribe had sacrificed so many of their young to ensure that Qianlan could enter the Canglan Academy. Seeing Qianlan standing on the Heavenly Ladder, shining brightly, how could Zuoqiu and the others not be excited?

After breaking through the sixth level of the Witch Savage stage with the help of the Nine Yuan Nourishing Cavity Pill, Qianlan's subsequent steps were clearly much easier, quickly closing the gap with the five people in front of her.

Qingxuan, seeing Qianlan's strength and potential, was also secretly alarmed. What alarmed her even more was Chen Xun's calm expression:

Chen Xun had spent most of the day sitting cross-legged, eyes closed, clearly not concerned with what was happening outside. If it weren't for Qianlan's breakthrough, which caused a frenzy of excitement, Chen Xun might not have even opened his eyes to see their ascent.

Did he not care at all whether any of the new disciples could directly pass the fifth level of the Heavenly Ladder and enter the Inner Academy?

Qingxuan reined in her thoughts and looked up the mountain:

Qianlan was climbing the steps and quickly caught up with the five people in front of her, just ten steps away from passing the fifth level of the Heavenly Ladder.

However, the closer she got to the platform of the fifth level of the Heavenly Ladder, the more difficult her steps became. She was drenched in sweat, and the protective spiritual light generated by her Spirit Sword Heart flickered like a candle in the wind, showing that it was nearing its limit and could break at any moment.

Qianlan was still gritting her teeth and persisting.

At this point, everyone could see that the five people in front of her, who seemed to be closer to the peak of the fifth level of the Heavenly Ladder, had exhausted their potential and could not climb any higher.

Whether any of the new disciples could directly pass the fifth level of the Heavenly Ladder and become a Purple Robe Disciple now depended on this small, seemingly weak girl.

Qianlan's every step captured the hearts of the tens of thousands of spectators. Each step she took was met with cheers from the crowd below.

Whether it was the new Green Robe Disciples or the Purple Robe Disciples who had come to watch the excitement, their eyes were fixed on Qianlan's frail figure with intense heat.

Even the Purple Robe Disciples, who were usually focused on cultivation and rarely seen in Canglan City, had a dozen or so run over to stand on the platform of the fifth level of the Heavenly Ladder, seemingly calmly watching the small girl who was just a step away from them, but their eyes were filled with a complex mix of anticipation and envy.

For the Purple Robe Disciples, what was there to see at the entrance ceremony for new disciples?

What they were more concerned about was whether there were one or two particularly outstanding new disciples who could pass the fifth level of the Heavenly Ladder and directly enter the Inner Academy.

If a new disciple could immediately surpass the Inner Academy's selection criteria, they had a 99% chance of breaking through the physical barrier and entering the Rebirth Realm, and even a great chance of entering the Heaven Yuan Realm, becoming a supreme expert who could dominate Yunzhou.

Thinking about the possibility of a future Heaven Yuan Realm expert shining right before their eyes, who could truly suppress their emotions and remain calm?

At this moment, there were fewer than a hundred Purple Robe Disciples in the Inner Academy, and fewer than ten had passed the fifth level of the Heavenly Ladder test before the age of sixteen. Whether or not they possessed ancient bloodlines, they were all directly taken by the clan elders to cultivate under their guidance.

Moreover, this girl looked to be less than fourteen years old and was taking the Heavenly Ladder test for the first time.

Everyone found it hard to imagine what kind of sensation it would cause if this girl passed the fifth level of the Heavenly Ladder!

"Ah, I never thought I would actually see someone with ancient bloodlines in my lifetime, and she's just a girl from the remote North Mountain of the Python Tooth Ridge..."

"You're just realizing that there are always people better than you. Those with ancient bloodlines are born with extraordinary phenomena, and their cultivation potential far exceeds that of ordinary people. Even if she doesn't break through to the seventh level of the True Yang stage at this critical moment and is just three steps away from passing the fifth level, the Su family will still take her directly into the Inner Academy..."

"Directly into the Inner Academy? Ha, you still don't understand the significance of ancient bloodlines. Not just the Inner Academy, even the Grand Elders who haven't shown their faces in decades will come out to take this girl as a disciple. With ancient bloodlines, not just in Canglan, but even in Shangyuan, or even the major sects of Yunzhou, they would all vie to take her in and cultivate her as a treasure..."

The surrounding attendants, Purple Robe Disciples, and Black Robe Disciples were all discussing, and Chen Xun also saw the nine people who had descended from the sky and stood at the peak of the mountain, watching the new disciples climb the Heavenly Ladder, now unable to contain themselves, leaning forward, their eyes intensely focused on Qianlan.

These nine people, all at the peak of the Rebirth Realm, were highly respected in Canglan City, yet at this moment, they all wished they could jump down from the peak and give this trembling girl a hand to help her take the last three steps.

Chen Xun, having been with Su Tang for over a month, had developed some discernment.

Qianlan's soul sea anomaly, which gave her the ability to have a Spirit Sword Heart, could now generate a protective spiritual light, truly making her extraordinary.

The Zuo Ji tribe had managed to keep a trial iron token, and Qianlan, with such low cultivation, had managed to endure Lou Shiyi's pursuit and hold out until Chen Xun came to her rescue, mainly due to the abilities and strange steps generated by her soul sea anomaly.

However, Qianlan's Spirit Sword Heart was still a notch below Su Tang's.

Chen Xun thought that Qianlan, with ancient bloodlines, was worth the Su family's investment in resources for cultivation, but even if she succeeded, she would not pose a threat to the Su family's rule in Canglan, which was actually just right.

He, on the other hand, was different.

If the Su family knew that he had a drop of Six-Armed Giant Demon blood in his body and that he could potentially threaten their rule in Canglan, who knew what evil thoughts would arise in the minds of those seemingly righteous people at the peak of the mountain.

Although Su Tang had not directly said it, his serious warning to keep the secret of the ancient bloodlines and to guard against those who might try to steal it suggested that Su Tang might have heard of some of the Su family's actions.

The Su family had stood in Canglan for a thousand years; how could they not have some ruthless means?

Chen Xun also thought that the Gui Xi tribe, willing to go to any lengths and even put aside their tribal dignity to save Lou Shiyi's life, probably meant that Lou Shiyi also had ancient bloodlines?

However, Chen Xun did not see Lou Shiyi among the recommended disciples from other prefectures, which puzzled him. The three conditions he had proposed to the Gui Xi tribe had left a loophole, hadn't they?

Chen Xun had been worried that these Su family clan elders, with their sharp eyes, might see through his true nature, but seeing that the nine people at the peak were all focused on Qianlan and treated the other new disciples as if they did not exist, he felt relieved.

He thought that perhaps in the minds of these nine people, the thousand new disciples climbing the Heavenly Ladder today might not be as important as Qianlan alone.

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