Climbing the 65 Steps to Yunfan

Gasp—the fiftieth step!

When Yun Fan's figure appeared on the fiftieth step, the cultivators whispering below the stage instantly drew a sharp breath. The mockery and disdain on their faces were entirely replaced by shock.

Everyone knew that the elimination rate of the Ascension Platform was far higher than the previous Three Trials of Heaven and Man.

Yet the beggar-like Qi Condensation cultivator before their eyes had actually done it.

The oppressive aura on the Ascension Platform increased with every step. The fiftieth step was a clear watershed; many cultivators with higher cultivation and more decent appearances had stopped at the thirtieth or fortieth steps.

Yun Fan's performance at this moment had already exceeded the expectations of the vast majority of people.

However, he himself was clearly not satisfied with this.

Standing on the fiftieth step, the invisible pressure made his legs tremble uncontrollably, and his back was pressed into a slight curve.

But he only paused briefly, took a few deep breaths, and then moved his feet again to climb upward.

His movements became even more difficult, almost inching forward in a clumsy posture, half-bent and using both hands and feet.

Every time he lifted his foot to the next step, he had to try several times, veins bulging on his forehead.

Sweat had long soaked his ragged clothes, mixing with dust to wash several muddy streaks down his face.

At this moment, he looked extremely wretched, one could even say he was making a complete fool of himself.

But he seemed to have completely blocked out all the gazes from the outside world; in his eyes, there was only the seemingly unreachable higher ground ahead.

Fifty-eight... fifty-nine... sixty!

When he used an almost crawling posture to forcibly drag his body onto the sixtieth step, the crowd watching the Ascension Platform area from the edge of the square instantly fell quiet for a moment, then erupted into even greater gasps of amazement.

The way they looked at Yun Fan had completely changed.

From the initial contempt and curiosity, it had turned into unbelievable shock and deep respect.

The sixtieth step.

This meant that as long as he was willing, he could immediately become an inner sect disciple of the Heaven and Man Holy Land, enjoying resources and teachings far beyond those of the outer sect.

For a rogue cultivator with a humble background and low cultivation, this was already a leap sufficient to change his destiny.

Yun Fan lay prone on the sixtieth step, as if he had exhausted his last ounce of strength.

His legs spasmed slightly from overexertion, unable to stand, so he could only barely support his upper body with his arms, panting heavily.

Every breath tore painfully at his lungs, and a trace of bloody froth even spilled from the corner of his mouth.

He looked as if he had reached his limit.

The vast majority of people drew a period for him in their hearts: enough, it is already enough, the sixtieth step, an inner sect disciple, a single bound to the heavens.

However, just when everyone thought he was going to give up or be taken down by the deacon disciples, Yun Fan's bloodshot eyes stared fixedly upward—at the position of the sixty-fifth step.

His lips moved silently, as if saying to himself: get there... as long as I get there... I can become an elder's personal disciple.

That was a starting point one level higher than an ordinary inner sect disciple, meaning more systematic teaching, richer resources, and a stronger backer.

He knew his own talent and understood his own limits.

Deluding himself into climbing to the seventieth step to become Elder Taiyin's disciple was simply a fool's dream.

But... the sixty-fifth step, this goal that seemed to be only five steps more, was like a lighthouse in the dark night, burning the last of his heart's fire.

Ugh... ah!

A low roar, suppressed to the absolute limit, squeezed out from his throat.

Using his trembling arms, he forcefully propped his heavy upper body up just a little bit more.

Then, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he abandoned the possibility of standing. Instead, he knelt on the freezing stone steps, relying on his knees and hands for support, and began to crawl forward inch by inch on his knees.

The sixty-first step, the sixty-second step... He went up by kneeling and dragging his body.

His knees scraped against the hard stone surface, making a faint, teeth-grinding sound. His trouser legs were quickly worn through, revealing the flesh underneath that rapidly turned into a bloody mess.

The sixty-third step, the sixty-fourth step... His physical strength seemed truly exhausted. He could barely even maintain his crawl, his body almost completely plastered flat against the stairs.

He could only use his ten fingers to dig desperately into the crevices at the edge of the stone steps. Utilizing the faint leverage from his fingertips, coupled with the trembling of his entire body's muscles, he bit by bit dragged and squirmed his heavy frame upward.

That could no longer be called walking or crawling; it was more like the instinctive struggle of someone on the verge of death fighting to survive.

His fingernails split and broke, and fresh blood dyed the stone steps red, dragging out a glaring and resolute trail of blood behind him.

Finally, when his fingers reached the edge of the sixty-fifth step.

Exhausting his very last trace of strength, he flung his entire body onto that step's platform. He collapsed onto the ground as if all his bones had been extracted, lacking the strength to move even a single finger.

Only his violently heaving chest proved that he was still alive.

The sixty-fifth step! The qualification to become an Elder's direct disciple!

The entire venue was dead silent; one could hear a pin drop.

All the gazes directed at Yun Fan were filled with shock, awe, and even a trace of horror.

That reckless madness, that persistence that seemed to burn his very soul to ashes, deeply pierced the hearts of many cultivators present who prided themselves as geniuses with privileged backgrounds.

They asked themselves: if it were them, could they have gone this far?

The answer left many in silence.

Even those experienced and strong-willed deacon disciples of the Holy Land now looked at Yun Fan with eyes full of heartfelt admiration.

The firmness of this youth's character and the terrifying extent of his willpower were truly rare!

Barring any accidents, the name Yun Fan would undoubtedly become the hottest topic of discussion in this Sacred Ceremony, and might even become a role model for many disciples on their future paths of cultivation.

Gu Changyuan looked at the figure collapsed on the sixty-fifth step below and gave a slight nod, a trace of approval flashing in his eyes.

Very impressive willpower.

He evaluated in his heart.

Such a performance not only proved Yun Fan's own value but also acted like a shot of adrenaline, igniting the blood and vitality of the entire Sacred Ceremony.

It made all the participants and bystanders truly feel that this unyielding, death-defying will to fight could create miracles.

It allowed the cultivators participating in the assessment to push themselves to perform even better.

This was exactly what Gu Changyuan wanted to see.

After all, this was related to the improvement of his own cultivation base. Although he was currently an invincible existence in the Nine Heavens Realm, there was still the Immortal Realm waiting beyond.

He gently waved his right hand, and an invisible yet extremely gentle power crossed through space and landed on Yun Fan.

Yun Fan, who was immersed in severe pain and sheer exhaustion, suddenly felt his entire body lighten, as if a burden of ten thousand tons had been completely lifted off him.

Immediately following that, a warm and boundless life force surged through his limbs and bones. The flesh wounds on his legs, knees, and hands healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Even his cracked nails grew back entirely. The meridians in his body, damaged from extreme overexertion, and even the deep exhaustion weighing on his soul were rapidly soothed and nourished.

In the span of just a few breaths, aside from his tattered clothes and lingering bloodstains, his overall condition had miraculously recovered by more than half.

Before he could even react, the surrounding scenery shifted. He realized he had vanished from the Immortal Ascension Terrace and reappeared on an even higher platform.

It was the open space directly in front of the elders' seats.