Chapter: Chapter 296, We’ll do it again, properly
“No.”
The sword-wielding man frowned and waved him to stop.
The sect official beside him quickly halted his steps and replied in a low voice.
“Yes, Sect Master.”
The sword-wielding man nodded and said no more, only raising his hand and casually waving it in the air.
Following his movement, a mirror screen, as large as a person, appeared out of nowhere.
The mirror reflected a boy with a solemn expression.
He was light on his feet, rapidly bounding down the mountain.
It was none other than Chen An, descending against the flow.
The official was startled when he saw this.
He wondered what kind of person this little boy was, to warrant the Sect Master’s personal visit and such intense scrutiny.
The official’s vision was limited, and he could only discern that the boy’s aptitude was likely excellent, but he could not see the full picture.
Meanwhile, the sword-wielding man narrowed his eyes as he watched the scene in the mirror, wishing he could observe more.
He was also somewhat curious.
Throughout history, countless individuals had sought immortality and the path to enlightenment, but he had never seen anyone actively running down the mountain. This was his first time.
…
…
Chen An, of course, had no idea that every move he made was being watched.
All he wanted now was to find Sanniang as quickly as possible.
After spending these days together, it wasn’t just Mu Sanniang who had truly come to see him as family and depend on him.
The surrounding scenery began to recede.
As Chen An descended below the thousandth step, a familiar petite figure finally came into view.
His eyes lit up, and he felt a sense of relief.
Phew.
Fortunately, as long as he could find her, that was all that mattered.
He didn’t rush over, but instead stood a little distance away, observing quietly for a moment.
He saw the girl lowering her head, visibly trembling all over. Her short hair, which was almost long enough to reach her shoulders, was now soaked with sweat.
Clearly, Mu Sanniang was not in a good condition.
Or rather, anyone who got stuck at this stage would not be doing well.
After all, not everyone could possess such powerful spiritual energy affinity as Chen An.
Before this specially designed formation, the wandering spiritual energies came from all directions, infiltrating everywhere.
They were like small mountains, pressing down on everyone, rendering them immobile.
Every attempt to lift a foot was extremely difficult.
Mu Sanniang gritted her teeth, unwilling to give up. Relying on her astonishing willpower, she crawled forward inch by painful inch, slowly and with great difficulty.
After ascending a few more steps, the girl’s small legs could no longer support the immense weight and began to tremble violently.
She lost her balance and knelt directly onto the stone steps.
A piercing pain shot through her knees.
Her damp bangs clung tightly to her forehead. When a gust of wind blew, it felt chillingly cold.
At some point, Mu Sanniang could no longer see any other figures around her.
They had all tried their best, but then could only let out a sigh of resignation and silently depart.
The trials of the Tai Xuan Sect were simple and not complicated, with extremely high safety standards.
Yet, this simple act of climbing the mountain caused countless self-proclaimed talented young men and women to lose their luster and return in defeat.
The opportunity for immortal destiny lay before them, yet it seemed like a mirage, an unattainable reflection in the water.
The sound of wind blew past her ears.
Mu Sanniang gritted her teeth, refusing to give up like this.
She was now the only one standing before the vast stone steps.
However, because she kept her head down, she didn’t notice, and simply continued to focus on moving forward.
Her kneeling leg felt as if it carried a thousand pounds, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t move it at all.
Her strength, which she had always been proud of, now felt like a huge joke.
How could mortal strength compare to the means of immortals?
For Mu Sanniang to have reached this point solely on her physical fitness was already extremely rare.
The situation had reached a dead end.
There seemed to be no other option but to turn back and leave.
For the first time, despair welled up in Mu Sanniang’s heart.
she had thought that with her special strength, she could at least move forward a little more.
The girl raised her hand and wiped the sweat dripping from her forehead with the back of her hand.
She sniffled, her expression dejected, and her eyes seemed to have lost their sparkle.
Until a very familiar sound echoed from ahead.
The voice had a hint of childishness, yet it was as reassuring as always.
“Get up.”
These two simple words made Mu Sanniang’s expression become a little dazed.
This scene felt familiar.
Looking at the small hand extended in front of her, Mu Sanniang was silent for a moment before gently placing her own hand on it.
Immediately, a force pulled her kneeling body up.
She finally raised her head and met those clear, black-and-white eyes, which held a hint of distress.
On the boy’s face, there was a trace of guilt.
“I’m sorry, Older Sister.”
“I almost lost you.”
Mu Sanniang looked at him and gently shook her head.
She knew that it wasn’t the boy who had lost her, but that she had chosen to let go of her own accord.
She didn’t want to delay her younger brother’s future because of herself.
She had already delayed him once.
If that woman hadn’t seemed so unreliable, she might not have stopped him back then.
But this time, it was a true sect of great renown.
Mu Sanniang did not want this.
But she did not choose to voice her thoughts.
She knew her younger brother’s personality well.
Chen An saw the girl’s silence.
There seemed to be an unspoken understanding between them; neither of them mentioned their earlier separation.
Chen An only said softly, “Older Sister, please don’t give up, okay?”
“Let’s do it again, properly.”
Hearing the boy’s sincere words, Mu Sanniang’s eyes reddened. She lowered her head and hummed in agreement.
Chen An smiled.
He tightly gripped the girl’s hand, squeezing it with great force.
He reminded her, “So, this time, you’re not allowed to disappear again, okay?”
Thus, the two small figures returned to their initial state of walking together.
They began to climb upwards, little by little.
With Chen An’s help, Mu Sanniang’s speed clearly increased.
Until they stepped onto the thousandth step again.
The scenery around them gradually changed.
Wisps of mist formed by spiritual energy, illuminated by the sun, were as tangible as if they were solid, clearly visible.
Not far ahead, they could see figures of people walking with their heads down.
Those who could reach this point were already the outstanding talents among the participants, with only a few remaining.
But even so, they were still struggling to make any progress.
When Chen An first stepped onto the thousandth step, he was in the leading group because he had to accommodate Mu Sanniang’s pace.
Later, he had gone against the flow and then waited for Sanniang behind her, wasting an unknown amount of time.
But now, returning to the thousandth step, those figures had still not moved much further.
Some had only taken about ten steps more than when they started.
It was from this moment that Chen An suddenly felt the pressure on his shoulders greatly increase.
When he had first stepped onto the thousandth step alone, he hadn’t felt this way.
He figured it must be due to the pressure from Mu Sanniang.
Gritting his teeth, drawing a deep breath, Chen An dared not delay any longer and began to rush forward with Mu Sanniang.
(End of Chapter)
