Chapter 41: The Heavenly Ladder's Ordeal, as Hard as Climbing to Heaven

Following Elder Ye Bai's order.

The crowd on the field stepped onto the Heavenly Ladder batch by batch.

The Heavenly Ladder was large enough to accommodate tens of thousands of people undergoing the trial simultaneously.

Moreover, those who fail are sent down, and those behind continue to fill the spots, so the process proceeds quickly.

The first batch rushed onto the Heavenly Ladder, as if joining the Azure Cloud Sect were within arm's reach.

However, the imagination is beautiful, while reality is cruel.

"Help! Why is there so much fire!"

As soon as a man stepped onto the Heavenly Ladder, he saw it turn into a mountain of knives and a sea of fire, frightening him into shouting and retreating.

"No! Don't… don't kill me! I… I'm actually… an underling sent by you, I surrender!"

His illusion was even more interesting: in it, the Azure Cloud Sect was breached, and the timid him immediately begged for mercy, trembling as he fabricated this line.

"I was wrong! Sect Master, I shouldn't have exposed your flirtatious affairs everywhere, spare me!"

His illusion involved him gossiping about the Sect Master's romantic exploits, spreading them everywhere, damaging the Sect Master's reputation, and being mercilessly whipped; his lack of resolve caused his failure.

If Feng Qingyang found out, he'd surely curse me out—where would I even get such romantic exploits?

You dare slander the Sect Master! Drag him out and give him three hundred blows first.

"I dare not! I didn't mean to betray the sect—spare me, spare me!"

As for that one, he truly deserves to die! In the illusion, he betrayed the sect for a tiny gain, and the challenge ended in immediate failure.

The first stage tests only one's character and perseverance, aimed at eliminating those with weak morals, who betray their own, commit myriad evils, and are lazy gluttons.

Thus, those who pass the first stage are all steadfast in character and possess great perseverance.

If one passes the first stage but fails the second, it only shows that this person's innate talent is poor and cannot be improved by blind effort.

Such a person could be taken on as a menial disciple, and with the sect's training and further effort, could rise to great heights.

As time passed, the trial proceeded in full swing.

All tens of thousands who went up in the first batch were completely eliminated; even the highest among them only managed four steps before being sent down.

Upon reaching the ground, they gasped heavily, taking a while to calm down.

"Wuuu! I'm trash—I got sent down after just one step."

"I know! So what? Should we give an award to a trash like you?"

"You think being trash is easy?"

"Damn it, I didn't even take a step!"

"Damn it, I'm worse than trash! Wuuu!"

Before he even stepped onto the Heavenly Ladder, he heard many people ahead screaming in agony, frightening him into pulling back the foot he was about to lift.

Batch after batch were eliminated; the highest anyone managed was just ten steps, after which a anguished cry sounded and they were mercilessly sent down.

Those who failed gazed up at the top of the Heavenly Ladder full of regret and unwillingness; though it seemed within reach, it felt as distant as the ends of the earth.

The three Elders of the Azure Cloud Sect watched these failures expressionlessly the whole time.

Weak character, insufficient perseverance, and yet you still want to join the Azure Cloud Sect?

Wake up, stop dreaming!

Countless people rushed onto the Heavenly Ladder in batches, like carp crossing the river.

In their eyes, this Heavenly Ladder was like the legendary Dragon Gate; crossing this heavenly chasm would turn a carp into a dragon, soaring straight to the heavens!

"What the hell is this lousy Heavenly Ladder!"

"With my talent this high, I can only manage a single step!"

"How blind! To hell with this lousy Azure Cloud Sect—I'd rather not join!"

A man, fuming with rage, said his talent was among the highest in his family, a renowned genius within a ten-thousand-li radius.

When he first arrived, he arrogantly assured others, "With talent this high, passing the test will be a breeze."

He might even enter the Inner Sect and someday become an Elder, living comfortably.

But now he's been slapped in the face—he can't even take a second step!

The bystanders all pointed and gossiped about him.

They openly said he had incredible gall, basically courting death.

You can complain a bit, but do you dare insult the sect?

"Who dares insult the Azure Cloud Sect?"

Guard Wang Jian shouted angrily and stepped up to that man.

"Is it you who said we're blind?"

"I see you as a pig—go die."

"No… no…! My father…"

Wang Jian wasted no words, slamming that outspoken man with a palm, turning him into a puddle of blood.

This scene also drew the attention of the crowd.

Seeing many people gathering to watch, Wang Jian spoke.

"Let me say this: the first stage tests character and perseverance."

"If you can't even pass the first stage, no matter how high your talent, the Azure Cloud Sect has no use for you."

"You may complain, but anyone who dares to insult the sect will meet the same fate as this person."

Wang Jian pointed to the blood on the ground.

Upon hearing this, some who hadn't passed the test but considered their talent decent, and who wanted to speak up to vent, all fell silent.

At the same time.

A figure was slowly walking up the Heavenly Ladder, having already taken a full hundred steps without pausing at all.

This sight drew exclamations from the crowd below!

Strong, too strong!

Especially those who failed the trial were even more shocked; they had personally experienced the terror of that illusory Heavenly Ladder, and knew it all too well!

Immediately afterwards, envy filled them; seeing this, they thought this person could easily pass the first stage, and even if they couldn't clear the second stage, they could still become a menial disciple.

One could say this person was already a certain disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect.

And this youth was precisely the one who killed the Nether Tiger with a single palm in the Magic Beast Forest.

At this moment, Qin Han walked the Heavenly Ladder as leisurely as strolling through an idle courtyard; those illusions and pressures seemed to have failed against him, unable to impede his steps in the slightest.

"This trial is far too simple for even an Emperor!"

Each illusory attack that came was instantly shattered by him; the state of mind of a Great Emperor Realm was unshakable.

In his previous life, as a Great Emperor expert, he lacked the youthful vigor and drive; instead, his aura was restrained throughout.

He was like a muddy pool, making his depths unfathomable.

Such people are the most terrifying.

On the other side.

"Master, it's finally my turn, but should I reveal my true strength now?"

Ning Yan communicated with his Master via divine sense.

Such a grand scene was too deep for him to grasp.

His Master, a big shot in the Central Region, had seen more worlds than he had eaten salt; surely he could handle it.

Moreover, since he began cultivating, he has always liked to pretend to be a pig to eat the tiger.

This feeling is incredibly satisfying.

Whenever he saw the astonished expression on his enemies, he felt thoroughly satisfied.

"Yan'er, when in doubt, ask your original heart."

The old man muttered a strange sentence.

Everyone has their own thoughts; he did not want his disciple to rely too much on him.

"Original heart... original heart."

"Master, I understand."

"Indeed, my purpose today was originally to treat them as stepping stones to trample upon."

"He must display enough weight for others to take him seriously."

"I will sweep all the way through!"

"Not bad, not bad; the invincible mind has just taken shape."

The old man nodded in satisfaction.