Chapter 370 - 353: Heaven-Ascending Ladder

Chapter 370: Chapter 353: Heaven-Ascending Ladder

"Alright, I’m on my way!"

Zhang Chi replied immediately.

At the same time, he realized he had already been in the Central Immortal City for a full five years.

The time for the trial had finally arrived.

After leaving his Cultivation Quiet Chamber, Zhang Chi saw the Qin Family Siblings. The three of them then quickly flew to the massive plaza in front of the Central Immortal City’s City Lord’s Mansion.

The place was already a sea of people, and nearly everyone present was a Nascent Soul Powerhouse.

Zhang Chi swept his powerful Divine Thought across the area and immediately discovered that there were several million people.

Of course, this was just the number of applicants; a screening process would follow.

After all, not even the Desert Divine Palace could teleport so many people to the Demon Abyss at once.

Even so, Zhang Chi was quite shocked. It was the first time he had ever seen so many Nascent Soul Cultivators gathered in one place.

’It’s really true that Golden Cores are as common as dirt, and Nascent Souls are everywhere!’ Zhang Chi lamented inwardly.

At that moment, these Nascent Soul Cultivators were already beginning to participate in the screening.

The first round was very simple, and most of the applicants could pass. It was to officially confirm their Cultivation, age, and identity.

At the same time, if any Cultivators from the Heaven-defying Alliance had infiltrated the ranks, they would most likely be discovered during this stage.

The Cultivators were divided into several areas, forming long queues to enter the pre-arranged Testing Arrays one by one.

The Array would then display the Cultivator’s Cultivation, age, and Cultivation Technique.

Following that, they would stand in batches on a massive, ancient stone platform and recite an oath prepared by the Desert Divine Palace.

This stone platform was called the Heart-Inquiry Stone. An oath sworn upon it was far more binding than a normal one, so even a Cultivator with an Exotic Treasure couldn’t lie, unless that treasure surpassed or reached the level of a Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure.

Zhang Chi and Qin Yuyan immediately found a line and began to wait.

Qin Yushan didn’t use any special privileges to let them cut in line, as it was completely unnecessary.

Zhang Chi observed the Cultivators ahead and noticed that the Array couldn’t actually test a Cultivator’s specific age; it could only determine if their age met the preset standard.

This made him breathe a slight sigh of relief.

Soon after, he and Qin Yuyan reached the front of the line and, as expected, both passed the Array and Heart-Inquiry Stone tests smoothly.

The Array test showed his Cultivation to be at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage, his age met the standard, and his Cultivation Technique was the Myriad Manifestations Li Fire Scripture.

There were no problems with any of this.

Evidently, his powerful Divine Thought, Treasure Robe, and Divine Concealment Technique were extremely effective; not even the Array could discern his true Cultivation and appearance.

As for the Heart-Inquiry Stone oath, it was trivial for his Jade Pendant to handle.

Besides, he wasn’t a Heaven-defying Alliance Cultivator in the first place and had no ulterior motives for joining the Desert Divine Palace.

However, just because they passed smoothly didn’t mean everyone else did.

With so many people present, it was inevitable that a few wouldn’t meet the standards, with most failing because of their age.

After the first round ended, Zhang Chi and Qin Yuyan proceeded directly to the second round of testing.

This round was the true screening process before entering the Demon Abyss trial.

This stage was called the Heaven-Ascending Ladder. The ladder was a flight of stone steps on the mountain peak in the center of the Immortal City.

The stone steps were divided into three sections. The first tested a Cultivator’s Magical Power, the second tested their physical body, and the third tested their will and Divine Soul.

As long as one passed all three sections, they could directly enter the Inner Sect and gain eligibility for the trial.

"A little interesting!"

At that moment, Zhang Chi’s eyes lit up as he looked at the flight of stone steps before him, a thousand zhang wide and stretching up as far as the eye could see.

He discovered that not only were the stone steps made of an extraordinary material, but they were also inscribed with an extremely profound Tier Five Low Grade Array.

Cultivators could only climb the steps one by one; they could not fly directly up.

Meanwhile, quite a few Cultivators had already set foot on the steps and were climbing relentlessly.

After all, passing the steps wasn’t just about joining the Desert Divine Palace. If one finished in the shortest amount of time, they would surely be highly regarded by the Desert Divine Palace upon entry.

Even some Cultivators who were already members of the Desert Divine Palace wouldn’t pass up this chance to show off.

This was because most of them were previously just members of a branch or were Outer Disciples.

"Let’s go!"

At that, Qin Yuyan immediately began to climb.

Zhang Chi followed her onto the steps and instantly felt a heavy weight press down on him. He hurriedly circulated his Magical Power to alleviate the pressure.

At the same time, he discovered that the pressure actually matched his own Cultivation.

In other words, the higher one’s Cultivation, the greater the pressure.

Therefore, even though there were many Cultivators, and many might be on the same step, the pressure they faced was different for each of them.

And as a Nascent Soul Late Stage Cultivator, even though he had hidden his Cultivation, he was still facing the pressure meant for the Nascent Soul Late Stage.

Clearly, this legendary Tier Five Array was no small matter. It wasn’t a human Cultivator, so it couldn’t be deceived at all.

Furthermore, as he circulated his Magical Power to resist the pressure, he felt his Magical Power actually undergoing a Quenching process.

The effect wasn’t significant, and an ordinary Cultivator might not notice it, but he could clearly perceive it with his powerful Divine Thought.

The effect might seem insignificant, but the accumulation from each step would obviously be a great help to a Cultivator.

So, Zhang Chi was in no hurry. He began to climb methodically, one step at a time, at a steady pace.

Clearly, compared to gaining a little bit of recognition upon entry, this opportunity to perform Quenching on his Magical Power was much rarer.

Time flew by. Ten days passed in a flash. Qin Yuyan was long gone, and other Cultivators occasionally passed him, but Zhang Chi maintained his own pace.

After a month, he finally finished the first section.

There was a large platform here, already occupied by many Cultivators who were sitting in meditation to regulate their breathing.

Many Cultivators had just arrived like Zhang Chi, while others had already finished resting and were beginning to climb the next section.

However, almost no one had given up.

Zhang Chi had no thoughts of giving up either. In fact, not only was he not tired at all, but he also noticed a significant improvement in his Magical Power, which made him look forward to the next section even more.

Zhang Chi’s gaze swept the area. Seeing that Qin Yuyan wasn’t there, he directly began to climb the second section.

The moment he stepped onto the stairs, Zhang Chi immediately noticed the pressure on his body had changed. This time, he had to resist it with physical strength for it to be effective.

Fortunately, Zhang Chi’s physical body was powerful, so he felt no pressure at all.

At the same time, Zhang Chi observed carefully and found that this pressure could indeed make one’s Cultivation more solid.

It was just that last time the pressure performed Quenching on his Magical Power, while this time it was strengthening his physical body.

Delighted, Zhang Chi once again maintained his previous rhythm, climbing step by step.

Another month passed in the blink of an eye. He finally passed the second section and arrived at another large platform.

The number of Cultivators here was significantly smaller. Many had either been eliminated or had slowed down.

Even Zhang Chi’s steady pace had become relatively fast during the climb.

However, Zhang Chi still didn’t see Qin Yuyan here.

Apparently, her strength was considerable, and she had passed the first two sections without much difficulty.

So, Zhang Chi immediately continued climbing.

In any case, this second section was also very easy for him; it even made his physical body stronger.

The next section was even easier for Zhang Chi.

There was no other reason than the fact that his Divine Thought had long since surpassed the scope of a Nascent Soul Cultivator, and had likely even surpassed the being that created this stage. Therefore, this test naturally couldn’t stop him.

However, he still maintained his unhurried pace.

First, he didn’t want to stand out too much and cause a huge shock.

Second, although this section wasn’t difficult for him, it was still beneficial, as it could make his Power of the Divine Soul more condensed.

At the same time, this section would also create illusions to test a Cultivator’s will and even their Dao heart.

But for him, this could be completely ignored.

Thus, a month passed quickly, and Zhang Chi successfully passed the third section.

During this time, Zhang Chi surpassed a large number of Cultivators, including Qin Yuyan.

She seemed to be trapped in some kind of Illusion Realm, dazed on one of the steps.

However, on these stone steps, Cultivators could not touch or talk to each other.

Therefore, Zhang Chi paid her no mind.

And when he passed this time, he was surprised to find that not only had he benefited greatly, but he was also now among the top performers.

Fortunately, some Cultivators had started earlier, and many were exceptionally talented as well. Thus, a decent number had already passed, so he wasn’t alone.

Reaching this point meant that Zhang Chi had officially become a member of the Desert Divine Palace’s Inner Sect.

He could even stop right here and forfeit the upcoming Demon Abyss trial. Although he would lose the chance to become a Core Disciple, he would also avoid the dangers within the Demon Abyss.

Other Cultivators might make that choice, but Zhang Chi obviously would not.

After all, his main purpose for participating in this selection was to go to the Demon Abyss; he certainly wouldn’t give up halfway.

"Third Brother, you passed so quickly?"

More than ten days later, Qin Yuyan finally made it up, filled with a sense of accomplishment.

But when she saw Zhang Chi, she couldn’t help but be stunned, even wondering if her eyes were playing tricks on her.

"Yes, I just got up here. I was only a little bit faster than you," Zhang Chi said humbly.

"Alright."

Qin Yuyan didn’t doubt him too much.

She quickly calmed down, because the difficulty of the three sections of the ladder was set according to each Cultivator’s specific circumstances.

So, Zhang Chi being faster than her only meant he was stronger among those of the Same Tier; it didn’t necessarily mean he was truly more powerful than her.

But even so, she couldn’t help but look at Zhang Chi in a new light, regarding him with more importance than before.

Then, the two of them began to meditate, cultivate, and wait on the huge platform at the top of the Heaven-Ascending Ladder.

Nearly three more months passed in the blink of an eye, and the selection process finally came to an end.

Of the several million Cultivators, only a little over one hundred thousand remained. Among them, there were just over ten thousand at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage, and only over a thousand at the Nascent Soul Late Stage.

Of course, this was because the higher the Cultivation, the higher the corresponding pass rate. Otherwise, the proportion of Late Stage to Middle Stage cultivators would never be this high.

"Congratulations on passing this round of assessments and officially becoming disciples of our Desert Divine Palace. Next up is the Demon Abyss trial. Any Cultivators who wish to withdraw should do so now."

"After all, this trial is no simple matter. Many Cultivators perish each time, and not even some in the Nascent Soul Late Stage are spared."

"Furthermore, the Demon Abyss is currently erupting, so this time will definitely be more dangerous than ever before!"

Just then, a Nascent Soul Peak Elder from the Desert Divine Palace appeared. After congratulating the Cultivators, he immediately offered a word of caution.

Instantly, a portion of the Cultivators chose to withdraw because of this.

But the vast majority of Cultivators remained firm, including Zhang Chi and Qin Yuyan.