Chapter 59: Disgrace to Scholarship

Yuan Yao saw Cang Li's face full of exhaustion and couldn't help asking, "Third Senior Brother, why do you look like you've had your essence sucked dry?"

Cang Li spoke weakly, "I've been continuously refining pills for several days; how could I not be tired?"

Yuan Yao wondered, "You're fine; why are you torturing yourself?"

"It's all your fault……" Cang Li raised his head and let out a long sigh, "You're all so diligent, how can I just laze around?"

Yuan Yao: "……"

At that moment, Cang Li noticed Lu Xiangxiang's aura was different, and he exclaimed in surprise, "Eh, Seventh Junior Sister, you've broken through to the middle stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm?"

Lu Xiangxiang heard this and merely smiled and nodded.

Ying Wuji glanced at Lu Xiangxiang.

At the same time, Qian Jue Shan's figure appeared ahead.

The four of them headed toward Qian Jue Shan.

"Master." They all called out.

Qian Jue Shan nodded in response, then said, "Today, aside from Wuji, you three must go climb the Heavenly Ladder."

Upon hearing this, Cang Li felt as if the sky were about to collapse.

Yuan Yao's gaze fell on the steep Heavenly Ladder not far away, and a resolute expression appeared in her eyes that she had never shown before.

Lu Xiangxiang also looked toward the Heavenly Ladder, and memories of her past life involuntarily surfaced in her mind, causing her to clench her fingers unconsciously.

She tilted her head to look at Yuan Yao.

"Master, I'll go climb right now! I absolutely won't be lazy again!" Yuan Yao looked at Qian Jue Shan and promised with a beaming smile.

"Are you afraid of falling?" Upon hearing this, Qian Jue Shan's cold, distant-mountain-mist brows and eyes softened slightly, and he asked softly.

"Not afraid." Yuan Yao shook her head, paused, then said, "I'm afraid of pain."

Qian Jue Shan took out a garment as thin as a cicada's wing from his storage space; in the refracted light it looked magnificent, "This is the new Myriad Shroud Robe."

Yuan Yao was stunned for a moment, then reached out to take it, smiling with her eyes crinkling.

"Thank you, Master."

Seeing this, Lu Xiangxiang felt even more stifled; she raised her head to look at Qian Jue Shan, bit her lip, and said, "Master, disciple… disciple also wants to own a Myriad Shroud Robe……"

Upon hearing this, Qian Jue Shan looked at her.

"I indeed have no extra Myriad Shroud Robes left. However, I still have another robe available for use." As Qian Jue Shan raised his hand, he produced a robe.

Compared to the Myriad Shroud Robe, this robe is obviously far inferior!

As everyone knows, the Myriad Shroud Robe is an extremely rare and immensely powerful high-grade defensive magical artifact, whereas this robe is merely a mid-level magical artifact.

Looking at the slightly lower-grade robe in her hand, Lu Xiangxiang's face involuntarily stiffened. Suddenly, memories of the past surged— in her previous life, Qian Jue Shan had likewise bestowed upon her a Myriad Shroud Robe, and whenever he encountered precious, rare treasures, he would always prioritize giving them to her.

But now, the situation has completely changed.

Lu Xiangxiang felt unwilling, but at this moment she could only grudgingly accept this intermediate-grade robe and say, "Thank you, Master."

Yuan Yao did not put on the Myriad Shroud Robe; instead, she first stored it in her storage space.

Yuan Yao explained to Qian Jue Shan, "Master, although I'm afraid of pain, climbing the Heavenly Ladder can temper my physique, so I won't wear defensive magical artifacts."

Qian Jue Shan fell silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Good."

"Let's go, we're climbing the Heavenly Ladder!" Yuan Yao looked at Cang Li and Lu Xiangxiang.

Having said that, she dashed toward the Heavenly Ladder.

Her speed was astonishingly fast.

Cang Li exclaimed in shock, "After just a few days apart, how is she running faster and faster?!"

"Wait for me! Yuan Yao!"

He shouted while chasing after her.

Lu Xiangxiang also stepped toward the location of the Heavenly Ladder.

After the three of them left, Qian Jue Shan then looked toward Ying Wuji, his expression stern as he said, "Ah Yan and the others have completely lost contact in Yunming City; I fear they may encounter insurmountable danger there, so I want you to make a trip to Yunming City."

Upon hearing this, Ying Wuji glanced at Yuan Yao, who was climbing the Heavenly Ladder, then his gaze shifted to Lu Xiangxiang for a moment.

He withdrew his gaze, clasped his hands in salute, and said, "Yes, Master."

Qian Jue Shan produced a scroll and handed it to Ying Wuji, saying, "This is a Teleportation Scroll. As soon as you encounter danger, activate the scroll immediately, and you can leave Yunming City."

Although Qian Jue Shan worried about his disciples' safety, he could not be with them at all times; they needed tempering, they needed to undergo trials to become strong.

In the future, even if they return to their own clans, they will be able to stand on their own merits.

Ying Wuji accepted the Teleportation Scroll and couldn't help saying, "Master, they say sword cultivators are poor, yet you seem to possess mountains of gold and silver."

Qian Jue Shan chuckled, "This is what I accumulated in my youth."

In his youth, Qian Jue Shan had visited countless places and obtained innumerable secret treasures and inheritances.

After Ying Wuji put away the Teleportation Scroll, he then took out a manual of cultivation techniques from his storage space and handed it to Qian Jue Shan, saying, "Master, this is the sword technique Yao Yao wants to learn; please pass it on to her."

Qian Jue Shan received this manual of the Great Wilderness Sword Art, nodded in agreement, and said, "Good."

Ying Wuji stepped back two paces, performed a salute to Qian Jue Shan, then left the Heavenly Ladder training ground.

At the same time.

Yuan Yao was focused on climbing the Heavenly Ladder and didn't even notice Ying Wuji's departure.

She huffed and puffed her way up to the fifty-sixth level.

The sense of oppression from gravity grew stronger and stronger.

Yuan Yao found it extremely difficult to even climb a single step.

Lu Xiangxiang quickly caught up to her.

Lu Xiangxiang looked at Yuan Yao's profile, a dark glint flashed in her eyes, she in one motion overtook her, and in the next instant, her fingertips began to condense a tiny point of light.

Just as the point of light was about to fly from her fingertip, Cang Li's voice came.

"How are you climbing so slowly?" Cang Li had already climbed to Yuan Yao's side.

Lu Xiangxiang's gaze shifted slightly, and the point of light on her fingertip quickly sank back into her flesh.

She put away her petty thoughts and continued climbing upward.

And Cang Li wasn't in a hurry to climb either; he was crawling slowly beside Yuan Yao.

Upon reaching the hundredth level of the heavenly ladder, Yuan Yao was already panting from exhaustion, the hair at her temples soaked with sweat.

"So tired."

Cang Li pressed his palms together and said, "Yuan benefactor, you cannot stop your steps. Rest assured, I, Cangaotian, will always accompany you, so go ahead and climb boldly."

Yuan Yao rolled her eyes at him.

"How uncultured!" Cang Li frowned, "A beauty shouldn't roll her eyes."

"I'm ugly." Yuan Yao gave him another eye roll.

Cang Li: ……

Yuan Yao looked up and saw that Lu Xiangxiang had climbed to the one hundred thirtieth level.

She gritted her teeth and continued climbing forward against this powerful gravity, feeling her flesh and bones being squeezed all over.

Her chest felt stuffy, extremely uncomfortable.

Cang Li said wistfully, "When we were young, we carried you up the heavenly ladder; now it's your turn to carry us."

Yuan Yao gritted her teeth and said, "Wait until you're old, then I'll carry you up."