Chapter 27: Climbing up the steps

The moment they passed through the light gate, all noise was cut off.

Before their eyes lay an independent space shrouded in soft light, with others continuously transmitting in.

A White Jade Staircase stretched from their feet upward into the depths of clouds and mist, its end unseen, as if leading to the heavenly palace.

The trial takers who had entered first were already scattered across the staircase.

Their clothes varied in color, and from afar, they looked like a vibrant, twisting dragon climbing upward.

“We’re not in a hurry.”

Ye Chen’s voice sounded in Xiaoxiao’s ear, pulling her from the daze brought by the grand scene.

He led Xiaoxiao, standing at the starting point, watching the silhouettes filled with excitement and longing as they climbed.

Some moved swiftly, vanishing beyond a hundred steps in the blink of an eye.

Others grouped in twos and threes, encouraging each other.

Only when the crowd thinned did Ye Chen begin to move.

The first hundred steps were no different from climbing an ordinary mountain.

The jade steps felt cool underfoot, each one solid and firm.

Though Xiaoxiao felt nervous, following behind Ye Chen and watching his steady pace gradually calmed her heart.

However, when Ye Chen’s foot touched the one hundred and first step, he distinctly felt the air change.

An invisible resistance surged from all directions, gently pushing against his body.

With each step upward, the force grew stronger.

This was the initial test of the Heart-Seeking Steps.

It did not test brute strength, but the purity of spiritual energy within the cultivator and their control over their own power.

The more refined the spiritual energy, the easier it was to neutralize this pressure.

Ye Chen’s pace did not falter.

The spiritual energy within him flowed like a stream, circulating through his meridians in a mysterious and efficient manner, each cycle dissolving the pressure seamlessly.

To him, it felt more like an intriguing contest than a trial.

He walked with ease, but then noticed that Xiaoxiao beside him seemed even more at ease.

She was just a mortal, without spiritual energy to protect her body.

By rights, after the hundredth step, each move should have become arduous.

Yet at this moment, only a slight sheen of sweat appeared on her forehead, and her breathing was a bit hurried—more like normal exhaustion from climbing than spiritual oppression.

When they reached the three hundredth step at a relaxed pace, Ye Chen paused and asked casually:

“How are you feeling? Can you keep going?”

“I’m fine…”

Xiaoxiao caught her breath, wiping sweat with her sleeve, her gaze puzzled as she looked around.

“Sir, I just feel a bit tired. But…the pressure others mentioned, I don’t really feel it. Only sometimes…it feels like a very light wind brushing past.”

A gentle wind?

Ye Chen’s brows twitched imperceptibly.

He could clearly sense the pressure pressing on his body was enough to make an ordinary early-stage Qi Refiner struggle, far from something that could be called a “breeze.”

A single word surfaced in his mind—Affinity.

He understood instantly.

It wasn’t that the Heart-Seeking Steps had no effect on Xiaoxiao, but rather that her innate talent resonated in a peculiar way with the spiritual energy constructing the Test Space.

The spiritual energy of the Purple Cloud Sword Sect did not reject her; instead, it drew close.

For her, the resistance of these three thousand Heart-Seeking Steps might truly be only a thousandth of that for others.

“So that’s how it is.”

Ye Chen smiled gently.

“Seems we’re lucky—the staircase isn’t as hard as we imagined. Let’s continue.”

The talent of this body was unremarkable, far inferior to Xiaoxiao’s natural gifts.

But the experience and knowledge accumulated in his mind allowed him to achieve optimal results at minimal cost.

They continued upward.

Along the way, the scene grew…bleak.

Many mortals, and even some young cultivators, had collapsed at the sides of the staircase.

Some dripped with sweat, their legs trembling uncontrollably, every step draining all their strength.

Others sat pale-faced on the ground, eyes filled with despair.

“…Just a little more, only thirty steps…”

A middle-aged man pounded the ground, his voice hoarse.

“Next time…we have to wait another ten years…”

A youth lay face-down, shoulders shaking.

How many decades does a lifetime hold?

For mortals with limited lifespan, each failure could mean the end of the Fairy Path.

Xiaoxiao watched these scenes, a swirl of emotions in her heart.

She clenched her fists, her steps growing firmer.

Unknowingly, when a Stone Stele inscribed with “Five Hundred” appeared in her sight, Xiaoxiao finally felt her limit.

It wasn’t spiritual oppression, but pure physical exhaustion.

After all, she was just a mortal—climbing five hundred steps in succession made her legs feel weighted with lead.

Beside the Stone Stele, a Transmission Gate radiating gentle light floated silently.

“Huff…huff…Sir, I…I made it…”

Xiaoxiao leaned on her knees, panting heavily, yet her face was alight with incredulous joy.

She did it!

As a mortal, she had reached the five hundredth step!

This meant she could also enter the Immortal Sect!

But when she turned around in excitement, she saw Ye Chen leaning against the stone wall, swaying slightly, his face “pale,” his breathing even more “labored” than hers.

“No… I can’t go on…”

Ye Chen’s voice was weak.

“Xiaoxiao, it seems this is my limit.”

“Sir!”

Xiaoxiao’s joy instantly turned to worry.

She rushed over to support Ye Chen’s “unsteady” body, anxious.

“Are you alright? Are you too tired? Let’s go in and rest!”

Ye Chen leaned on her slender shoulder, forcing a “relieved” smile.

“Congratulations, Xiaoxiao. It seems…we can both enter the Outer Sect of the Purple Cloud Sword Sect.”

At that moment, Xiaoxiao’s cheeks flushed crimson.

She could feel the weight and warmth of his body, her heart racing with panic and sweetness.

She lowered her head, her voice barely a whisper.

“Mm… As long as I can stay with you, that’s enough.”

Ye Chen looked at her reddened ears, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

The reason he chose to stop here was not due to lack of strength.

Rather, Xiaoxiao was new to the Immortal Sect, a blank slate.

If she were left alone in the unfamiliar Outer Sect, she might feel lost.

By staying with her, he could guide her slowly, helping her truly adapt to this new world.

They exchanged smiles, each seeing the other reflected in their eyes.

Then, supporting each other, they walked into the light gate leading to a new world.