Chapter 9

In the heavy silence, amidst the darkness, the first light of dawn began to appear slowly, like a faintly burning candle, bringing life back to everything.

A murmur broke the silence, and strength gradually spread throughout his body, awakening his consciousness.

"Where am I..." Lifting his eyelids, he saw a warm room. It was called warm because it was indeed very hot.

"So hot..." The sensation of heat on his skin transmitted to his brain, and Gu Xuyao realized that his whole body was burning as if on fire.

He wanted to escape but found himself tied to the bed with four leather straps, unable to move even an inch!

"Who! Who tied me here, let me go! I'm going to be burned to death!" Forced by the heat, Gu Xuyao shouted.

The door was pushed open, and a fragrant aroma wafted into the room. A graceful woman in a green robe slowly entered, gently closing the door behind her and smiling.

"Little boy, are you calling for someone?" She had red lips, white teeth, a melon-seed-shaped face, and long, slender eyebrows—undoubtedly a beauty. Seeing this, Gu Xuyao, looking at the leather straps on his body, felt somewhat at a loss.

"That... I... I'm so hot... Could you please untie these straps? I would be extremely grateful..." Large beads of sweat rolled down his face, whether from the heat or something else.

The woman did not move but continued to speak softly.

"Little boy, you say you're hot, but I don't feel it. Or perhaps, seeing me has made you feel hot?" As she spoke, she put on a pouting expression, leaving Gu Xuyao at a loss.

Fortunately, the door was pushed open again, and a child of about thirteen or fourteen, dressed as a Taoist, entered with a childish face.

"Tsk, tsk, for someone your size, this is for your own good. I don't know why Uncle picked you up, covered in injuries, barely alive. If it weren't for the Primordial Fire Candles healing you, you would have died long ago! And you, always thinking of playing tricks on others, focus on your cultivation, you're annoying!" The young Taoist, though young, was not one to hold back his words. After a series of grumbles, he unwillingly walked to Gu Xuyao's side.

At this moment, Gu Xuyao noticed that the bed he was lying on had no mattress. Supporting his body were several horizontal wooden beams of unknown material, and below them were three large candles, their orange-yellow flames flickering.

"Little brother, I'm sorry, it's really too hot. Could you please hurry up..." From the young Taoist's words, Gu Xuyao realized he was not in hell or being punished with boiling oil, but had been saved by someone.

The young Taoist rolled his eyes at Gu Xuyao, pulled out a yellow paper from his robe, and threw it onto the candles below. The flames quickly burned the paper to ashes, and the leather straps on Gu Xuyao's body immediately loosened.

"Thank you, little brother. I am Gu Xuyao. May I ask your name?" Gu Xuyao climbed off the "torture bed" and bowed in gratitude.

The young Taoist glanced at Gu Xuyao, pouting, and with a dismissive attitude, said, "I don't know. Everyone calls me Xiao Hu, you can call me that too." With that, the young Taoist turned and left.

Gu Xuyao felt his attitude was not bad, but he was puzzled by the other's behavior and wanted to ask the woman beside him. Instead, the woman approached him.

"Little boy, you have a great physique. Though your face is a bit plain, I love men with scars..." The woman's breath was like a fragrant breeze, and Gu Xuyao, who had never experienced such a situation in Leishi Village, was at a loss for words.

"Hehehe, but I don't like young men. You need to grow up quickly." The woman gently touched Gu Xuyao's face and vanished like a breeze, reappearing at the door. "By the way, little brother, Master instructed that if you wake up, you should go to his study."

"Study..." Gu Xuyao murmured.

"Go quickly. Master must know you're awake. Keeping him waiting is not a good thing." With that, the green-robed beauty was about to leave.

"Wait, you haven't told me where your Master's study is. How can I find it?" But before he could finish speaking, the woman had already disappeared.

Gu Xuyao sighed in frustration, shook his head, and walked out of the room.

However, the small step out of the room completely stunned Gu Xuyao in the next second.

As the saying goes, "sitting at the bottom of a well and looking up at the sky." Gu Xuyao had thought that the serene forest and clear spring water in the Red Clay Forest were the ultimate beauty. Little did he know that the scene before him was many times more beautiful.

Row after row of houses, neat and clean, not luxurious but exuding a divine aura. In the distance, a stone staircase with countless steps led straight up into the mist, like a paradise. Several grand buildings were faintly visible, shrouded in a mysterious and divine atmosphere.

"Here, this must be a cultivator sect. I'm out, I'm out!" With excitement, Gu Xuyao felt as if he could hear celestial music in his ears. The fulfillment of his long-held wish was a feeling not everyone could understand.

But there was no time for celebration. A feeling he couldn't describe rose in his heart, without words or a clear purpose, guiding him in a certain direction.

"Could it be that the 'Master' they mentioned is calling me?" Gu Xuyao quickly calmed down. Although he was in the Mortal Zone, he had studied cultivators extensively. Every time a cultivator came to the village for testing, Gu Xuyao would watch and remember their temperaments.

"I must hurry. Cultivators don't do meaningless things. Saving me from the Mortal Zone and bringing me here must mean they are interested in me. Although I have left the Mortal Zone, whether I can stay in this sect and survive in the perilous cultivation world is still uncertain." Gu Xuyao quickly steadied his emotions, knowing that overthinking was futile. The most important thing was to do his best.

Following that feeling, Gu Xuyao knew his destination. Although he had never seen or been there, he knew his destination was in one of the buildings on the countless steps.

With a clear direction, the former hunter immediately took action. He walked forward, passing through rows of simple and elegant houses. The walkway was wide enough for four people, but no one was walking on it. He knew this was because most people were in their rooms cultivating. Even without experience in cultivation, Gu Xuyao could guess these details.

As he approached the staircase, Gu Xuyao felt increasingly cold, perhaps due to his weakened body, even though it was summer.

"What is this?" Finally reaching the base of the stone steps, he saw a large array about half a li in size, with incomprehensible patterns. Gu Xuyao stepped on it, but there was no reaction.

"So high..." Compared to the incomprehensible patterns, the staircase was what truly worried Gu Xuyao. Looking up, he realized that from a distance, it didn't seem so tall, but now, standing at its base, the staircase seemed to have no end, shrouded in mist. Though it was mesmerizing, it also made climbers hesitant.

"Phew..." Gu Xuyao took a deep breath, rubbed his hands, and, as a young hunter who had just escaped the Mortal Zone, he would not back down from such a challenge.

"Thud!" The first step, Gu Xuyao firmly planted his foot on the stone step.

He began climbing!

Starting at nine years old with Zhang the Blacksmith, learning hunting knowledge and basic physical training at ten, and becoming a full-fledged hunter at eighteen, Gu Xuyao had become the best hunter in Leishi Village in just two years. He was very confident in his physical abilities, and the strange candle flames had completely healed his previous injuries. For this purely physical test, Gu Xuyao was not afraid.

However, soon, Gu Xuyao realized the difference between mortals and cultivators. Although cultivators were not immortals, they were certainly closer to them than mortals. What he thought was just a test of willpower and endurance changed as he climbed countless steps.

"So cold..." Gu Xuyao's pores contracted, and every cold breeze made him shiver.

Reconfirming that it was summer, Gu Xuyao felt this place was very strange.

As he climbed higher, the air became colder. This was not the main issue. After climbing for about fifteen minutes, Gu Xuyao found it increasingly difficult to breathe.

There was no snow or wind, but Gu Xuyao felt as if crazy snowflakes were slapping his face, sticking to his nose and eyes. This was not all; the staircase, which seemed not so steep from below, became steeper the higher he climbed. If he fainted halfway, the consequences would be dire.

"I can't give up..." Gu Xuyao repeatedly told himself in his heart. "I've come so far, and I finally have a chance to find the answers I seek. I can't, I can't give up..." Clenching his teeth, despite the cold that had stiffened his body and the blurring vision, Gu Xuyao refused to give up.

"Thud!" He stepped on the step again, but this time, not with the same confidence. To continue climbing, Gu Xuyao now used his hands and feet, as using all four limbs was faster than just his feet.

The divine aura still surrounded him, and time passed slowly. Gu Xuyao's pace slowed, and he lost his grip and fell off the steps many times. Fortunately, he managed to catch the steps in time, or he would have fallen all the way down to the underworld.

"Persist..." Gu Xuyao silently told himself not to give up, but the physical exhaustion was too severe. Mental toughness alone could not sustain him.

In the thick mist, Gu Xuyao, who had just woken up, felt his heavy eyelids about to close again.

The top of the stairs was not far, perhaps about two hundred steps away, but unfortunately, Gu Xuyao's battered body could no longer support him.

"Can't... end... like this..." This was Gu Xuyao's last thought, but unfortunately, within three breaths, his vision turned black.

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**End of Chapter**