Taking the Stage as if Taking a Stroll

It should be known that taking multiple steps at once meant simultaneously bearing the superimposed pressure of all those steps. Coupled with the fact that he was carrying a child, the difficulty was simply unimaginable.

Yet, under the horrified gazes of the crowd, Gu Changyuan's speed did not slow down in the slightest.

Before the gasps of exclamation could fade, Gu Changyuan's figure was already standing firmly on the tenth step. His expression remained unchanged, and his breathing was steady.

He did not pause.

Taking another step, he directly arrived at the twentieth step.

The second step, the thirtieth step.

The third step, the fortieth step.

...

His movements were as smooth as flowing water, without the slightest hesitation. Every time he lifted and lowered his foot, he accurately crossed a distance of ten steps.

Gu Xing'er, held in his arms, seemed to be protected by a layer of gentle power, not feeling any discomfort. Her large eyes were filled with wonder.

Below the Immortal Ascension Terrace, the originally noisy plaza had now fallen into an eerie, dead silence.

Everyone had their mouths wide open and their eyes bulging, as if petrified. They stared fixedly at the dark-clothed figure rapidly ascending the Immortal Ascension Terrace as if walking on flat ground.

This... how could this be possible?!

The higher one went on the Immortal Ascension Terrace, the greater the pressure became, increasing exponentially!

Every ten steps was a massive threshold!

Countless geniuses found it difficult to even take a single step at the fortieth or fiftieth tier, requiring a vast amount of time and willpower to adapt and break through.

But this person before them... was he running?!

No, even running wouldn't be this effortless! He was even carrying someone!

I... I must be dreaming...

A cultivator viciously pinched his friend's thigh next to him. That friend instantly grimaced in pain and swatted his hand away.

Pinch your own leg!

An illusion! We've definitely been hit by some sort of illusion technique! another cultivator muttered to himself.

Even the other examinees who were arduously climbing the Immortal Ascension Terrace were so shocked by this inhuman sight that they nearly lost their focus and almost tumbled down the steps!

Gu Changyuan's speed did not decrease in the slightest.

Fiftieth step, sixtieth step...

When he steadily stepped onto the sixtieth step, the entire plaza finally erupted into a tsunami-like uproar.

Sixtieth step! He hasn't stopped for a single step!

Carrying someone! He's still carrying someone!

What... what kind of monster is this?!

Meanwhile, in the spectator stands, the ten peak elders who had originally been sitting upright, paying attention to Dugu Shiling, had all stood up in unison.

Their faces were written with shock, disbelief, and deep confusion.

The Immortal Ascension Terrace had existed for a millennium. They had presided over countless grand ceremonies and witnessed innumerable geniuses, but when had they ever seen such a spectacle?!

Who climbs the Immortal Ascension Terrace like they are taking a stroll?!

Who dares to bring someone along for the climb, and still do it so effortlessly?!

This... this boy...

A hot-tempered elder pointed at Gu Changyuan on the Immortal Ascension Terrace, his finger trembling slightly.

How did he do it?!

His aura... I cannot see through it at all!

Another elder, skilled in perception, furrowed his brows tightly.

There doesn't seem to be any fluctuation of spiritual energy, yet he feels unfathomably deep...

Could there be something wrong with the Immortal Ascension Terrace? someone could not help but wonder.

Impossible!

The supreme elder seated in the center spoke in a deep voice. Although he was equally shocked, his gaze was as sharp as an eagle's.

The Immortal Ascension Terrace was left behind by our ancestors and is connected to the Holy Land's core grand formation. There is absolutely no problem!

Just as he finished speaking, seemingly feeling the gravity of the situation, he immediately crushed a communication jade talisman, evidently urgently notifying Elder Taiyin to come.

Sixtieth step.

Gu Changyuan felt that the pressure was indeed much, much greater than on the first step, enough to make an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator feel strained.

But to his body, which had experienced a thousand years of chaotic slaughter and had been refined by the reverse nourishment of tens of thousands of disciples' cultivation... it was still like a gentle breeze brushing over a mountain ridge, incapable of causing even a slight fluctuation in his vitality.

Gu Changyuan understood in his heart.

His existence had long exceeded the testing scope designed for the Immortal Ascension Terrace.

Since he had experienced enough of it, there was no need to hold back anymore.

He looked up, locking onto the position of the seventieth step.

Then, under the countless numb and sluggish gazes below, he lifted his foot once again.

One step, the seventieth step!

Another step, the eightieth step!

The entire process was as fast as lightning, even giving people the illusion that the terrifying pressure and the distance between the steps simply did not exist for him.

...

In the plaza, it was terrifyingly quiet at this moment.

Everyone had lost their ability to speak, able only to stare blankly at the dark-clothed figure who was now standing on the eightieth step, almost at the exact same height as Dugu Shiling, who had caused a sensation earlier.

Oh no, Dugu Shiling had exhausted all her strength and endured a long torment just to reach the eightieth step.

But this person... had walked up, and was even carrying a child.

This contrast was so cruel it made people want to cry.

Even that supreme elder completely lost his composure at this moment. His mouth was slightly agape, and his hand, which had been stroking his beard, froze in mid-air, unable to be lowered for a long time.

Beside him, two more figures had appeared at some point. Their auras were equally unfathomable, clearly being Elder Taiyin who had rushed over after receiving the message.

The three looked at each other, all seeing extreme shock and bewilderment in one another's eyes.

Gu Changyuan stood on the eightieth step and cast his gaze higher.

There, Dugu Shiling was standing on the eighty-ninth step. Her delicate body trembled violently, her beautiful face was completely devoid of color, and a trace of blood even seeped from the corner of her mouth.

Her eyes, currently filled with unyielding stubbornness, stared fixedly at the ninetieth step above.

That was her goal, the height she wanted to reach even if she had to risk everything.

Ahhh!!

A low roar, suppressed to the extreme, burst from her throat.

She gathered the last shred of strength in her body, forcefully lifted her leg that felt as heavy as lead, and fiercely stepped toward the ninetieth step!

Boom!

The instant she stepped onto the ninetieth tier, a terrifying pressure far surpassing anything before crashed down upon her!

It was like a towering mountain smashing down, or a boundless ocean overturning!

Dugu Shiling's vision went black, her ears rang, and blood seeped from all her orifices simultaneously. Her consciousness instantly blurred, and her body fell backward uncontrollably, looking as if she was about to tumble down from the ninetieth step.

What a pity...

In the spectator stands, an elder sighed softly.

The ninetieth step was too difficult.

This girl's willpower could already be considered unparalleled, but ultimately, she fell just a little short.

However, just when everyone thought she was about to fail and perhaps even suffer severe injuries—

An indescribable stubbornness and unwillingness, originating from the deepest part of her soul, erupted like an ignited volcano.

A faint yet iron-firm will exploded within her sea of consciousness that was on the verge of total collapse!

Her body, which had already fallen halfway, abruptly froze in mid-air!

Her unfocused pupils gathered a faint yet tenacious light once more!

Then, under countless gazes of disbelief, she actually used her trembling hands to tightly grip the edge of the ninetieth step, her fingernails cracking and bleeding from the sheer force!

Next, using the very last ounce of her strength, bit by bit, she dragged her body with immense difficulty... up onto the ninetieth step!