A towering stone stele was erected on the peak of Tongtian.

The front of the stele faced the square, currently empty, but soon it would display the rankings of the top sixty-four contenders in the Heavenly Ladder Path.

The back faced the viewing platform, covered in a misty cloud. The spectators could focus their spiritual senses to see the climbing progress of the person they wished to observe.

The thirty-six peak masters gathered on the platform. Wang Xuanling, as the head of all peaks, first entertained the guests from the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, before taking his seat.

A fellow peak master said to him, “Master Wang, you’ve worked hard.”

“There’s no hardship in serving the sect,” Wang Xuanling replied indifferently.

At this moment, a grating voice sounded, “Indeed, you’ve worked hard. You old bones should step down and let us young talents take over.”

“Di Nvfeng…” Without turning his head, Wang Xuanling knew who was speaking. He retorted decisively, “Don’t delude yourself. You will never have the chance to take my position in this lifetime.”

“Hehe, just watch how my disciple crushes yours,” Di Nvfeng arrogantly retorted.

“Shameless boasting,” Wang Xuanling could only express his disdain.

He had been paying attention to the little disciple from Silver Sword Peak. He had to admit that the boy was indeed outstanding, but compared to his own disciple, Xu Ziyang… he was still too green.

Wang Xuanling was full of confidence.

“We’ll see,” Di Nvfeng snorted, muttering under her breath, “If I can’t deal with you, all my years as a beast doctor would have been in vain.”

Wang Xuanling’s usually stern eyebrows twitched, and he had to exert great effort to suppress his anger.

It seemed that today’s Heavenly Ladder Path was not only a test of the disciples’ Dao heart, but also his own…

…

At this moment, the disciples of Shu Mountain were standing at the other end of the square, looking up at the Heavenly Ladder Path that was faintly visible in the mist, in awe. This place was only opened during the Shu Mountain Conference, and they usually had no chance to see it.

Tongtian Peak was already the highest point of Shu Mountain. Where would this winding path lead to? Was it truly a ladder to the heavens?

The Law Enforcement Elder stood in front of the mist, his voice echoing, “Although this trial is a selection process, the top sixty-four will enter the future arena. But it is also a rare opportunity for trial. You just need to move forward, and don’t worry too much about the rankings. During the trial, you won’t see your fellow disciples, just focus on your own path.”

The disciples responded in unison.

The long-awaited Shu Mountain Conference had finally begun, and everyone was clearly excited.

Seeing these vibrant young people, the Law Enforcement Elder didn’t delay any longer, but waved his hand, “Then, please ascend this Heavenly Ladder!”

At his command, countless figures rushed in, afraid of falling behind.

Chu Liang, however, was not in a hurry.

He thought that this Heavenly Ladder Path couldn’t possibly be a race, so what was the point of rushing?

He stepped into the mist, his body suddenly slowing down, and everything in front of him changed dramatically. Having entered several secret realms before, he was familiar with this feeling. He had obviously arrived in another space.

The crowd in front of him had disappeared, leaving only a desolate and towering mountain. On the mountain was a winding path, with several layers faintly visible, and the rest hidden in the mist.

He tried to fly up with the wind, but found that the wind around him had disappeared.

It seemed that this space had been sealed, and flying was not possible.

Did he have to walk up step by step?

He carefully observed his surroundings before taking a step forward.

As soon as he stepped onto the path, several figures appeared in front of him.

Di Nvfeng… Liu Xiaoyu… Jiang Yuebai… Lin Bei… even the Golden-haired Beast was there. There were seven or eight figures in total, all people Chu Liang was very close to.

They were all blocking his way.

What was going on?

Chu Liang stopped, and before he could think, the voice of the Law Enforcement Elder sounded behind him, “They are all people you care about.”

Today, he was a tall old man in plain clothes, with a long beard fluttering in the wind. He smiled at Chu Liang and said, “You must choose one of them to kill in order to pass this layer of the stone path.”

Chu Liang looked at the figures in front of him. Although he knew they were all illusions… he could easily kill a fake Lin Bei without feeling too guilty…

But was it really that simple?

…

“What is this?”

Xu Ziyang stared coldly at the people in front of him.

His master… his sister… many fellow disciples… dozens of people were blocking his way.

The voice of the Law Enforcement Elder also appeared behind him, “I didn’t expect you to care about so many people. But no matter what, you must choose one of them to kill in order to pass this layer of the stone path.”

Xu Ziyang looked at him, pondered for a moment, and asked, “So if I kill one person on this layer, I have to kill another on the next layer… Do I have to make a choice every time?”

The Law Enforcement Elder laughed, “You’re very smart.”

Xu Ziyang turned around and suddenly drew his flying sword.

With a swish, a burst of blood light erupted, and he killed all the people in front of him without blinking an eye.

“They all hold the same place in my heart. Since they’re all fake, it’s better to kill them all at once, so I don’t have to choose again later,” he said without any emotional fluctuation.

After all, whoever he killed first would be unhappy, so it was better to kill them all at once, treating them equally.

The Law Enforcement Elder nodded, “It’s rare to see someone like you…”Xu Ziyang didn’t care about their opinions, and strode forward.

…

On the stone monument in the square, Xu Ziyang’s name was prominently listed in first place.

Wang Xuanling’s expression remained serious.

“Hahaha…” Di Nvfeng’s laughter was loud and annoying from the side, “Look at your good disciple, he was so ruthless when he killed you. I guess he must have wanted to do this for a long time, right?”

“Knowing it’s an illusion, decisiveness in killing is not unacceptable,” Wang Xuanling said.

“Why do I feel like he’s just venting his frustrations?” Di Nvfeng subtly stirred up trouble.

“Hmph,” Wang Xuanling said, “It’s better than your disciple sitting there motionless. Maybe in the end, he would choose to kill you first.”

Di Nvfeng raised her eyebrows, “Dare he?”

…

Jiang Yuebai looked at the two blurry figures in front of her, feeling a bit strange.

The elder behind her was equally puzzled, “In your heart… is there really no one you care about? These two blurry figures, it’s better to say they are obsessions rather than people.”

Jiang Yuebai looked at him indifferently, “So what should I do?”

“You can just walk forward, this level can’t stop you,” the elder said.

Without any hesitation, Jiang Yuebai, dressed in white, walked forward.

In the square.

Her name and Xu Ziyang’s alternated in the lead, neither of them giving way to the other.

Luo Xiaoyong from the Taiyin Sect looked at the scene in the mist with some surprise, “This person, who is almost naturally heartless and emotionless, is too suitable for practicing the ‘Supreme’ path of our sect.”

The elder of the Taiyin Sect in front of him shook his head slightly, “Having no one to care about does not mean being heartless and emotionless.”

“Hmm?” Luo Xiaoyong pondered.

These core disciples of Shu Mountain were all under close scrutiny and were the focus of everyone’s attention. Besides them, everyone else had their own situations.

…

“Sister Zhao… Sister Qian… Chu Liang… Sister Sun… Sister Li…”

Lin Bei looked at the people in front of him, almost crying.

“How am I supposed to choose? No matter who I kill first, if they find out, it will be hard to avoid a fallout once we get out.”

“Oh God, why are you so cruel to me.”

…

“Crystal elbow… sweet and sour ribs… steamed bass… four joy meatballs…”

The follower looked at the dishes that appeared in front of him, his eyes almost bursting with pain.

“I have to give up one, what should I do?”

The elder behind him rubbed his temples and said irritably, “No matter which one you give up, hurry up. The sooner you climb the Heavenly Ladder, the sooner it ends, and the less disgrace you bring to our Shu Mountain.”

…

“You’ve been thinking for a long time. If you drag on, you’ll fall far behind the others,” the elder reminded.

Chu Liang sat cross-legged on the ground, deep in thought for a long time.

Looking at the people closest to him in his life, he looked troubled, “Does one of them have to die?”

Even though they were all illusions, they were incredibly realistic.

“Yes,” the elder said, “If you don’t kill one, you can’t climb the Heavenly Ladder. Those who are indecisive will hardly achieve great things.”

“Well then…”

A ruthless look flashed in Chu Liang’s eyes, and he immediately summoned his flying sword.

With a hiss, blood splattered!

The elder’s figure fell to the ground.

Chu Liang smiled slightly, his guess was indeed correct. The elder had to deal with hundreds of disciples who were breaking through the levels, so this avatar here wouldn’t have much spiritual power.

With the element of surprise, he had no chance to resist.

Faced with such a difficult choice, if he had to kill one, then within his power, he chose to kill the one who set the question.

Seeing the elder fall to the ground, he shouted at all the realistic illusions of his friends and family, “While this old man is not back, let’s run!”

Good morning!

(End of the chapter)