Chapter 382: Breaking Through Cultivation

Cang Li saw Yuan Yao still climbing, and his vision went dark; he didn't even have the strength to tease her with a couple of remarks.

Helpless, Cang Li could only barely support his body, slowly sitting down in place and crossing his legs to adjust his breath.

At that moment, he glanced down and suddenly saw many young disciples on the ladder below, struggling to climb upward.

Cang Li froze slightly, then instantly locked onto the lanky Ao Su, who was as thin as a bamboo pole.

By then Ao Su had already climbed over four hundred steps of the ladder, his hands gripping the rail tightly while his feet alternated pushing off.

Ao Su suddenly felt someone above watching him.

He instinctively lifted his head, only to meet Cang Li's smug grin and provocative gaze head-on.

"Ao Su, you're not up to it," Cang Li said, extending a finger and wagging it.

Ao Su gave a speechless expression, snorted coldly, and said, "Just wait!"

Immediately, he gritted his teeth and climbed upward.

Cang Li stopped teasing Ao Su, immediately gathered his focus, and began seriously adjusting his internal breath.

Meanwhile, Yuan Yao had already reached the 731st step of the ladder; she felt her flesh and bones being forcibly compressed, the pain gradually numbing, she circulated her internal spiritual power to resist, striving to lift her foot and climb upward.

Time trickled by, dusk gradually approaching.

The group of young disciples had basically come down the ladder, but upon seeing Junior Martial Sister, Senior Brother Cang, Senior Brother Ao, and Junior Brother Shi still climbing, they were greatly shocked.

"Look! Junior Martial Sister has climbed to the 800th step of the ladder!" someone exclaimed.

The news quickly spread throughout the Carefree Sect.

Members of the Carefree Sect rushed over to watch; seeing Yuan Yao still climbing left them stunned and speechless.

This not only alarmed the sect's instructors, but also the Sect Leader.

The Thousand Mountain Immortal Lord also came out.

Sect Leader Bai Li Mo and the Thousand Mountain Immortal Lord stood side by side, gazing upward at the point still over a hundred steps from the ladder's peak; the girl's figure looked incredibly tiny, yet by her own strength she had shattered the previous disciples' ladder‑climbing record, reaching with mid‑Golden Core Realm cultivation a height that should only be attainable by Nascent Soul or Spirit Transformation cultivators.

"This little Yao is truly… terrifying." The Sect Leader, overwhelmed with shock, slowly spoke.

Qian Jue Shan showed a relieved expression.

His gaze held not only Yuan Yao, but also Cang Li.

Cang Li also climbed to the 652nd step by his own strength—his limit—but he had not given up.

Sect Leader Bai Li Mo sighed, "Jue Shan, do you think little Yao will climb to the 900th step of the ladder?"

Qian Jue Shan slowly shook his head.

"You also think it's impossible, right?" Sect Leader Bai Li Mo said, "Little Yao climbing past the 800th step is already impressive, but her aiming for the 900th step is…"

"She will reach the summit." Qian Jue Shan interjected calmly, cutting off the Sect Leader's words.

The Sect Leader stared, stunned for a moment, then wore an expression of disbelief.

He asked doubtfully, "Are you joking with me?"

Qian Jue Shan glanced at him and replied in a steady tone, "Do you think I'm joking with you?"

The Sect Leader's complexion shifted; he couldn't help but lift his eyes to the white figure on the ladder, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

He had not expected…

…that Yuan Yao's talent would be this formidable!

With mid‑Golden Core Realm cultivation, to have climbed a thousand steps of the ladder—she is absolutely an unprecedented, unmatched existence!

At this moment, Yuan Yao was nearly exhausted, her limbs trembling, her throat faintly sensing a metallic sweetness.

She began gathering her mental strength to counteract the pressure.

She stepped upward, step by step.

"The 900th step!" the crowd below on the ladder's base shouted.

"One hundred steps left!"

"Ninety steps left!"

"Fifty steps left!"

"Ten steps left!"

At this time, there was still half an hour until midnight.

Yuan Yao stared at the ladder's peak, tantalizingly close, gritted her teeth and persisted; cold sweat poured forth, her lips gradually oozing thin threads of blood, her chest tight and breath short.

At this moment, Cang Li, Ao Su, and Shiziwen, who were still climbing the ladder, gradually halted, lifting their heads to fixate on that white figure at the very top.

Ten, nine, eight…

Only three steps of the ladder remain!

Then, Yuan Yao's foot slipped, her body swaying; just as everyone feared she would fall, she grabbed the step ahead with all her might, straining to steady herself.

Seeing this, the crowd felt as if a great weight had been lifted, the stone in their hearts finally settling.

As for the remaining three steps, Yuan Yao did not rush; instead she sought steady, solid progress, advancing step by step.

At the very instant midnight arrived, Yuan Yao also ascended to the ladder's utmost peak.

Witnessing this, the crowd below burst into cheers, their voices ringing through the clouds.

"Junior Martial Sister did it!"

"Junior Martial Sister is amazing!"

"A thousand steps of the ladder! What does that even mean?! Just how strong is Junior Martial Sister's power now?!"

"Junior Martial Sister!"

Hearing the cheers from below, Yuan Yao turned her gaze and saw the Carefree Sect's senior brothers and sisters, instructors, Sect Leader, and her own master all looking up at her from below.

A smile appeared on Yuan Yao's pale face.

She raised her hand and waved to the crowd.

Immediately, she took a deep breath and shouted loudly, "I've finished climbing the Heavenly Ladder!"

Qianjue Shan's lips twitched slightly, and he immediately said, "Sit cross-legged in place, stretch your meridians, and absorb spiritual energy."

Yuan Yao listened, smiled and nodded, then immediately sat cross-legged where she was, closed her eyes, and began to stretch her meridians.

Soon she discovered that her meridians had widened considerably, and the speed at which she absorbed spiritual energy had increased.

She refined the spiritual energy, then began to circulate it into her dantian.

Meanwhile, the huge Golden Core in her dantian was frantically absorbing spiritual power.

At this moment, everyone noticed that the surrounding spiritual energy began to spin rapidly, surging toward Yuan Yao like a raging tide!

Everyone was shocked in their hearts.

And the place where Yuan Yao was had already formed a huge vortex of spiritual energy.

"This... this is too terrifying!" an instructor exclaimed, eyes wide open.

Yuan Yao immersed herself in refining the spiritual energy, and she also faintly felt that she was about to make a breakthrough.

As time passed, the surrounding spiritual energy continued to surge wildly toward Yuan Yao, and after about an hour, her cultivation broke through!

Late Golden Core Realm!

Everyone was utterly shocked.

The Sect Leader murmured, "Little Yao'er has only been seriously cultivating for a year..."

According to her current rate of progress, in a few years she won't just break through to the Spirit Transformation Realm... no, she might even reach the Void Refinement Realm.