Chapter Twelve: Climbing the Hundred Thousand Steps

Beneath the Heaven-Suppressing Peak!

With the activation of the restrictive formation, a stairway resembling a coiling dragon, winding down from the Heaven-Suppressing Peak, appeared before the crowd. Crafted from blue stone, the steps stretched endlessly into the sky, their end obscured from sight.

The countless trial participants beneath the peak were stirred to excitement. Watching these passionate youths, Luo Hao mused silently, "No wonder this is the premier sect of the Northwest—its prosperity is unrivaled. Just the entrance trial alone has gathered so many martial artists."

Indeed, a sect’s strength is not merely determined by the presence of peerless masters, but by the continuous influx of new disciples. Only then can its glory endure.

"The entrance trial for the Skysea Sect: those who can ascend all one hundred thousand steps within three days shall become disciples of the Skysea Sect. The assessment begins now."

A sudden voice echoed through the mountains, deep and powerful, its brevity laced with authority. That the voice could carry from the peak, towering tens of thousands of feet above, attested to the speaker's extraordinary strength.

"It's starting—let’s move!"

As the words faded, the air filled with the sound of rushing wind. One figure after another stepped onto the stairway, vanishing swiftly into the mist. Luo Hao glanced up at the endless stone steps, then, without hesitation, let the wind carry him forward, joining the ascent.

"Strange, the spiritual energy here is so dense," Luo Hao realized as he set foot on the stairway. The steps radiated an astonishing concentration of spiritual power, and even the drifting clouds seemed to pulse with energy.

He had thought the mountain’s spiritual energy along the way was already remarkable, but compared to these steps, it paled. Luo Hao shook his head, humbled by his own limited perspective.

"Hey, brother, don’t you feel the pressure increasing?" asked a young martial artist climbing beside him, perplexed.

This youth was likely no stranger to the trial. At his prompting, Luo Hao became aware that with each step, the pressure grew incrementally. He gazed up at the unseen summit and could only smile wryly. "So, these hundred thousand steps are not as simple as they seem!"

Despite his smile, Luo Hao’s pace did not slacken. Time was tight—three days was precious, and the pressure would only intensify.

In just half an hour, Luo Hao had crossed five thousand steps. Standing there, he exhaled deeply; the pressure at this point posed no challenge to him.

As he ascended further, the strain became more pronounced. Two hours later, upon reaching ten thousand steps, his brow furrowed. A faint golden aura—dragon force—rose around him, and the mounting pressure could no longer impede him.

"From here, it’s time to accelerate!" Cloaked in golden dragon force, Luo Hao surged upward like a luminous, rampaging dragon, leaving competitors in his wake.

Watching Luo Hao’s silhouette fade into the mist, the other trial-takers glanced at him and shook their heads. "Charging ahead like that—if he makes it into the Skysea Sect, I’ll take his surname."

In another half-hour, Luo Hao, a streak of golden light, reached the twenty-thousandth step. Here, he saw others absorbing spiritual energy to recover their strength, but his cultivation drew on dragon force, whose quality and abundance far surpassed the spiritual power of those at his level.

He spared no time for rest, his mind fixed on the summit. The golden dragon force surged like waves, threatening to engulf the sky.

Behind him, those who witnessed the overwhelming golden tide were stunned. "Impossible! How could a martial artist at the fifth stage of Spirit Qi possess such vast energy?" Shocked, they watched Luo Hao vanish into the clouds.

Empowered by the golden dragon force, Luo Hao pressed onward. To those on the steps, he was but a streak of gold, impossible to discern within the light.

Another half-hour passed, and Luo Hao’s figure appeared at the thirty-thousandth step. The instant he stepped there, his body seemed suddenly crushed by an immense weight, bending his waist involuntarily.

"Open!"

With a roar like a dragon, the golden force rose, as if a colossal hand lifted the pressure away. Breathing heavily, eyes blazing, Luo Hao resumed his climb, though his pace noticeably slowed. Thirty thousand steps marked a watershed; below this, sheer physical strength sufficed, but above, the pressure increased tenfold.

Luo Hao battled the rising strain as he climbed, mindful that only three days remained. Reaching forty thousand steps in one breath, he panted like an ox, his dragon force nearly depleted, the embryonic spirit within his dantian dimming.

"I must quickly restore my dragon force, or it’ll be impossible to reach the summit within three days," he thought, and immediately sat cross-legged at the forty-thousandth step.

"Dual Dragon Sovereign Art!"

A low dragon’s cry issued from his body. Two indistinct dragon heads flashed forth, their mouths gaping, drawing spiritual energy from all directions with overwhelming force, funneling it into Luo Hao.

His body trembled as torrents of energy flooded in, the golden dragon force in his veins roaring anew. Yet soon, Luo Hao sensed something was amiss: the pressure of the steps persisted, draining his dragon force even as he replenished it. It was like pouring water into a cracked jar—impossible to fill.

Standing at the forty-thousandth step, Luo Hao knew that among the countless trial participants, many were hidden talents. Some powerful individuals would never flaunt their strength as openly as Dongfang Ming.

On his way to Skysea Sect, Luo Hao had heard from Zhan Wuji that the first three to reach the summit would earn entrance rewards. Though he didn’t know what they were, his heart was set on them—only because of what weighed on his heart.

Luo Hao lingered at the forty-thousandth step for over four hours. Thanks to the abundant energy and the Dual Dragon Sovereign Art’s dominance, he managed to restore his dragon force to eighty percent of its peak.

"Eighty percent will have to do. Time is short—the first day is nearly over. Before night falls, I must reach fifty thousand steps." With resolute gaze, Luo Hao began his assault on the next milestone.

Boom!

His footfall brought a surge of mountain-crushing pressure that made him stagger. "Damn, the pressure’s increased again. Did I miscalculate? The pressure multiplies at every ten thousand steps. Open!"

A fierce dragon’s roar echoed in his heart, drawing the attention of the trial-takers at fifty thousand steps.

These youths were all at least at the sixth stage of Spirit Qi, most at the seventh. Glancing down, they saw a faint golden glimmer below—someone ascending with great difficulty.

"Gentlemen, shall we place a wager? There are three or four hours till sunset. Let’s bet whether that one below can reach fifty thousand steps before sundown," suggested a youth named Lin Feng. His face was like white jade, his brow bearing an air of heroism; he spoke as though the pressure of fifty thousand steps meant nothing to him.

"Since Brother Lin Feng is so interested, I, Jian Lingyun, will wager with you," replied another youth. True to his name, Jian Lingyun radiated sharp, sword-like energy, yet also a subtle, ethereal aura.

"Count me in."

"And me."

...

All the youths at fifty thousand steps began wagering on whether Luo Hao would make it in time. Lin Feng smiled at the crowd. "In that case, let’s make it interesting with some stakes. I’ll offer this as my wager." He produced an object glowing with dreamy blue light, prompting gasps of amazement.

"Heaven Crystal Blue Essence! That’s really Heaven Crystal Blue Essence!"

It was a rare artifact-forging material, said to be worth its weight in gold even in the tiniest fragment; now Lin Feng displayed a piece as large as a fist, leaving everyone in awe.

"Quite a wager, Brother Lin Feng. I’ll match it," said Jian Lingyun, revealing another item—small as a dragon’s eye, but emanating a rich medicinal aroma that made one feel as though ascending to immortality.

This startled even Lin Feng. "Limitless Origin-Break Pill," he intoned, each word deliberate, silencing the crowd. All eyes fixed on the pill in Jian Lingyun’s hand.

The Limitless Origin-Break Pill could shatter barriers; any martial artist below the Celestial Realm could take it without side effects, instantly advancing one level. Such items disappeared from the market the moment they appeared, snatched up by noble families.

The others offered their own wagers, not as valuable as Lin Feng’s or Jian Lingyun’s, but still impressive, stirring envy and desire. Some items, though less precious, would greatly enhance their abilities.

Meanwhile, Luo Hao, charging toward fifty thousand steps, was oblivious to the high-stakes wager above. If he saw it, he would surely exclaim, "So many wealthy patrons! Wealthy patrons, be my friends!"

Luo Hao’s brow was furrowed in intense concentration, his body trembling, the golden dragon force at his skin growing dim. He clenched his teeth, silently urging himself, "Luo Hao, is this your limit? Is this as far as you go? Have you thought of A Li?"

Though their time together had been brief, and he knew little of her past, the thought of A Li—alone, her whereabouts unknown—made the pain he endured seem trivial compared to his guilt.

With stubborn eyes and blood trickling from his lips, Luo Hao dragged his weary body onward. As dusk approached, his silhouette became eternal upon the steps, solitary and resolute, like a hidden dragon lurking in the abyss, destined one day to reveal its true glory.