Chapter 296
A short while later, silence returned to the room.
Mu Sanniang seemed to remember something, and her expression suddenly turned dejected.
She tightly gripped Chen An’s palm.
“What if… what if that woman was telling the truth?”
Mu Sanniang’s words were very sudden.
However, Chen An quickly understood her meaning.
Perhaps no matter how indifferent she appeared on the surface, even at the time, she could still say “I don’t believe you” to her face, but that person was still a genuine ‘Immortal Master’.
The conclusion that day, which was like a death sentence, had actually been quietly tormenting the girl’s heart.
If it were any other ordinary girl, she would have likely been unable to withstand such a blow and would have broken down in tears.
It was only because Mu Sanniang had experienced too much hardship since childhood that her will could be even more firm.
Chen An did not rush to speak. He simply opened his arms and hugged her back.
“It’s okay, Sister. I believe you.”
“Besides, even if that woman was right, don’t you still have your little brother?”
“If it’s really as she said, then your little brother here would be a true genius. At worst, I’ll protect you.”
Hearing this, Mu Sanniang’s eyes flickered. Her small hand clenched slightly, then loosened.
Since there wasn’t much light, Chen An couldn’t clearly see the expression on the girl’s face.
He only thought to himself, *You are the protagonist of this world. How could you possibly be as pathetic as that woman claimed?*
It was no exaggeration to say that Chen An was the most confident in Mu Sanniang in this world.
Thinking this, he suddenly froze.
Perhaps it was because his age had regressed to childhood, but he often subconsciously overlooked many things.
For example, he almost forgot why he was here.
To put it more bluntly, he seemed to have…
gotten too invested in the role.
…
…
Two days later.
Behind Yunji Town, there was a babbling brook.
The brook flowed down from the mountains, its clear springs gurgling and its water crystal clear.
Following this brook forward, entering a dense forest, and walking for about ten minutes, one would see an ancient stone tablet.
The stone tablet was broken and old, covered in moss, with the words ‘Tai Xuan Sky Ladder’ carved on it.
At this moment, in front of this stone tablet, stood a crowd of boys and girls who looked to be only eleven or twelve years old.
Of course, they were not here for a spring outing.
All the children who came here, whether they heard it by hearsay or were dispatched by their families, knew clearly that they had only one goal.
That was to climb the mountain!
Although most of them came from prominent families and were children of wealthy families who didn’t have to worry about food or clothing, they were, after all, just mortals.
Their entire lives would eventually end up as dust.
Only by gainingImmortal destiny and becoming the legendary Immortals could they seek longevity and pursue the Great Dao.
A gentle breeze blew, the snow gradually melted, and the dense forest showed signs of green vitality everywhere.
Warm sunlight filtered through the trees, casting large shadows on the steps behind the stone tablet.
Then, someone among the crowd took the first step and stepped onto the stone steps.
The steps were all made of bluestone, wide and flat, and did not feel the slightest tremor when stepped upon.
Looking up, the stone steps stretched endlessly, each step higher than the last, leading directly into the clouds.
That was the highest point of South Mountain, perpetually shrouded in clouds and mist, with ethereal immortal music.
Without any further ado, everyone began to move.
Having been selected, they were naturally the outstanding talents of their respective families. At this moment, their expressions were extremely serious, and their gazes were firm.
In a inconspicuous corner, Chen An held Mu Sanniang’s hand. After exchanging a glance, they no longer hesitated and stepped onto the stone steps together.
These stone steps seemed ordinary, but as soon as their feet touched them, a miraculous change immediately occurred.
The first thing Chen An felt was that the crowd, which he thought would be very crowded, now felt incredibly spacious.
These stone steps, which looked only about a meter wide, actually extended tens of meters in length once stepped upon. Even if more people came together, it would not feel crowded at all.
As expected, these were the means of the Immortals.
Chen An’s heart stirred. He gathered his spirits and began to move forward.
The first few dozen steps seemed easy for everyone; no one was seen falling behind.
But as time went on, the crowd clearly split into two groups, one in front and one behind.
This was at the hundredth step.
It was also the first watershed for distinguishing aptitude.
At this pass, spiritual energy, invisible to the naked eye, began to spread through the air on the stone steps.
Those with insufficient endowment or whose bodies were not sensitive enough to spiritual energy would, after these hundred steps, feel as if they were stuck in a quagmire, unable to move an inch.
Then came the five hundred steps, and then the thousand steps.
With each step, the trials increased.
Many people were already sweating profusely, biting their teeth and enduring the pressure from all directions, struggling to move forward.
Chen An had been walking hand-in-hand with Mu Sanniang, but after they reached the thousandth step, the surrounding scenery changed.
The hand that he held with Mu Sanniang had, at some unknown time, separated.
Chen An’s heart jumped. He quickly looked back, but no matter how he searched or looked, he couldn’t see the familiar slender figure.
He frowned and stopped moving forward. Instead, he decisively turned around and went back.
His figure, moving against the flow, stood out starkly and conspicuously among the countless people struggling to climb upward.
The difficulties that others found arduous seemed like nothing to this little boy, who could even be described as light as a swallow.
From time to time, people looked up and saw the boy moving backward. Their expressions froze, and then they became very confused.
They had no idea what this boy was trying to do.
Immortal destiny lay above, yet this person was abandoning it and turning back down?
It should be known that although the Tai Xuan Sky Ladder was said to have three thousand steps, in reality, very few people had ever completed all three thousand steps over the years.
At this time, it was a competition of endurance and speed.
Whoever could maintain the lead naturally gained more attention from the Immortal Masters.
This was the reason for their confusion.
They had only ever seen people desperately climbing up; this was the first time they had seen someone desperately running down the mountain.
However, at this point, no one had the time to dwell on it. They quickly withdrew their gazes and focused on the stone steps in front of them.
Each step they took seemed to exhaust their entire strength.
…
…
At the end of the Tai Xuan Sky Ladder, there was a pavilion.
Inside the pavilion stood two middle-aged men in flowing robes.
The one on the right had a long sword on his back and a face that seemed otherworldly.
When he saw the boy moving backward, he frowned and subconsciously stroked his chin beard.
Beside him, another middle-aged man raised his eyebrows in surprise.
He asked, “Should I go bring him back?”
As an elder of the sect, he could naturally see the boy’s extraordinary nature at a glance.
Initially, they had remained silent, intending to use this opportunity to observe the boy’s character.
But who would have thought that the other party would simply run away?!
(End of this chapter)
