For the illusions, everything happening before their eyes was a bit too complex, and they seemed not to understand Chu Liang’s shout.
However, when Chu Liang leapt forward and ascended the heavenly ladder, the illusions behind him followed him.
As soon as he started moving, Chu Liang felt as if he was carrying a weight of a thousand pounds, as if each illusion was a shackle… imposing a huge burden on him!
What was going on?
He moved forward, but his speed never increased. The figure of the old man in plain clothes appeared in front of him again.
The expression of the Law Enforcement Elder didn’t look too happy – anyone who was suddenly killed out of the blue, even if it was just a clone, wouldn’t be too pleased.
“I believe you’ve noticed it too?” The reappearing Law Enforcement Elder slowly spoke, “It’s not that I’m forcing you to kill one of them, but in the process of climbing the heavenly ladder, each obstacle will present infinite resistance. This is only the first layer, the higher you climb, the stronger the resistance they will bring to you. Without cutting off the obstacles in your heart, you won’t be able to catch up with the others.”
Chu Liang responded with a smile, “Then let’s wait until I really can’t move.”
With that, he shouldered the heavy pressure and continued to climb.
His body, refined by the Dragon Blood Secret Method, had already surpassed the strength of ten tigers and was approaching the strength of half a dragon. Although the pulling force was huge, it was not enough to completely stop his steps.
The reason he was reluctant to kill the illusions was that he always felt that things wouldn’t be that simple. Killing an illusion of a loved one was easy, but what about after that? If he couldn’t move again, wouldn’t he have to kill again, and what after they were all killed?
Since this test was about refining one’s Dao heart, how could he reach the peak of the long Dao journey in such a way?
Of course, Chu Liang didn’t know whether his persistence was right or wrong, but since he thought so, he would do so.
Isn’t this what it means to stick to one’s Dao heart?
Boom, boom, boom…
He seemed to be strolling leisurely, but each step he took was extremely heavy.
…
Although not everyone chose to kill the Law Enforcement Elder like Chu Liang, there were others who made the same choice.
Lin Bei was also persisting with gritted teeth.
“Besides my good brothers, there are my beloved ones in this life.” He murmured, “I can’t give up any of them, I want to take them to the top of the heavenly ladder.”
He was striding forward with his body bent, and a group of illusions followed him, even more than Chu Liang’s. His strength naturally couldn’t compare with Chu Liang’s, so the difficulty at this moment was imaginable.
“Wishful thinking.” The Law Enforcement Elder shook his head at the side, “With your strength, it’s absolutely impossible to reach the top of the heavenly ladder under such heavy pressure.”
“Heh.” Lin Bei gave a cold smile, “A true man born between heaven and earth, knowing that it’s impossible but still doing it, can be called a true hero.”
“Well said, then why don’t you move forward, what’s the point of just standing there shaking your legs?” The Law Enforcement Elder mocked at the right time.
It turned out that Lin Bei had only walked half of the first layer of the mountain road and then stood there, his legs weak and trembling, unable to move forward.
But there was no fear on his face, he raised his head and shouted loudly, “My legs are weak!”
“There’s no need to be so proud.” The Law Enforcement Elder said irritably.
…
Ban Yi was in the same situation.
Every dish was his favorite, and he didn’t want to give up any of them. But as soon as his steps were pulled, he immediately found it difficult to move.
He turned around, looking at these delicious foods that brought him heavy pressure, unable to make a decision, “What should I do?”
The Law Enforcement Elder rolled his eyes at the side.
He just hoped that the fellow cultivators who came to watch the ceremony wouldn’t notice this.
…
At the same time, Xu Ziyang had already flown over six layers of the mountain road, and his ranking on the stone tablet was far ahead of everyone else along with Jiang Yuebai.
When his foot stepped on the seventh layer of the plank road, he suddenly felt a resistance.
Sure enough, it wouldn’t be that simple here, even if he had killed all the obstacles in his heart, there would still be obstructions.
But this level of resistance was not enough to trouble him at all. With a slight exertion, his figure once again sped like the wind, showing no signs of delay.
Outside the secret realm, Wang Xuanling looked at his disciple’s name alternating with Jiang Yuebai’s on the stone tablet, and finally took the lead, nodding his head in satisfaction.
He didn’t design this trial, so he didn’t know what would happen next. But out of confidence in his disciple, he felt that Xu Ziyang, who had gained a huge lead, was unlikely to be surpassed.
Di Nvfeng’s expression was a bit unhappy.
The stone tablet only displayed the top sixty-four rankings, so Chu Liang’s name had never appeared on it. But it was clear to the naked eye that many disciples had already killed several illusions and were striding up the mountain road.
Chu Liang had just leisurely walked to the third layer of the mountain road, his steps slow as if he was pushing a cart.
At this rate, he was very likely to fail the preliminary selection.
Would their only seedling be eliminated in the first round?
Just as she was slightly worried, a faint voice came from Wang Xuanling next to her, “Di Nvfeng was very active just now, why isn’t she talking now?”
…
“The resistance is getting stronger.”
When she reached the tenth layer, Jiang Yuebai clearly felt the pressure around her like a tide, pushing against her. If she slackened in the slightest, not only would it be difficult to make progress, but she might also be pushed back.
She didn’t know how many layers were above, but it was clear that she hadn’t reached the top yet. She wasn’t known for her physical strength, and at this point, her pure strength was no longer enough to move forward.
Hoo—
Her cultivation was running wildly, turning into a huge force to fight forward. Her white clothes fluttered with the immortal energy, and a few more serious expressions were added to her cold eyebrows.
At this moment, she felt two forces supporting her shoulders.
They were the two blurry figures, their palms pushing against her back. The strength they provided was weak, but it was undeniably there.
She paused slightly.
These were illusions created by her own lingering thoughts. She hadn’t paid much attention to them during her previous climb. But now, they were reaching out to her.
So, they were here to help her?
A thoughtful expression appeared on her face.
Since childhood, she had been seeking the location of the divine ruins, remaining untainted by the mundane world for the sake of her parents’ whereabouts. She had always wanted to pursue a state of mind free from attachments, unwilling and afraid to have any other fetters.
At this moment, she began to wonder, was this really the right path?
…
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Chu Liang’s footsteps grew heavier, leaving a footprint with each step. His body was soaked in sweat, and he was about to collapse on the sixth level of the winding mountain road.
He consumed a dragon blood crystal.
Boom—
A surge of power lifted him up, and he strode forward again, heading towards the peak of the mountain.
Relying on the power replenished by the dragon blood crystal, Chu Liang charged through the sixth level in one breath and arrived at the seventh level of the winding mountain road.
As he climbed this level, he felt the pressure on his shoulders suddenly decrease. The burden from behind seemed to have lessened?
This feeling wasn’t very obvious at first, but the higher he climbed, the lighter his steps became.
As he continued to walk, when he also felt resistance in the surrounding air, a hand suddenly reached out from behind.
Chu Liang looked back and saw the illusions of his friends and family on his shoulders, pushing him upwards!
The assistance was incredibly strong, directly offsetting the surrounding resistance.
He pondered for a moment, then turned to look at the Law Enforcement Elder.
The Law Enforcement Elder smiled at him, giving him an approving look. “You made the right choice.”
So that’s how it was.
Chu Liang instantly understood the profound meaning. In the first half, all the people he cared about would become obstacles, hindering his progress. But in the second half of the Heavenly Staircase, each illusion would become a part of the assistance. The more illusions left behind, the stronger the assistance received!
The emotions of the world, the fetters he once thought of, would eventually transform into forces that help him ascend.
With the push from numerous illusions, his steps became even lighter. In the later stages, when everyone else was hindered, his speed surprisingly increased against the trend, and his ranking rapidly rose.
Soon, Chu Liang’s name appeared in the sixty-fourth place at the end of the stone tablet!
And it kept moving up!
This name, with an unbelievable speed, broke into the top fifty, top thirty, top ten… and finally entered the top three.
Then.
In a short moment, he surged to the second place, seemingly only a stone’s throw away from Xu Ziyang!
The momentum of this rise was so fierce that all the spectators were shocked. Previously, apart from a few acquaintances, no one paid attention to this disciple named Chu Liang. But at this moment, almost everyone’s eyes were focused on him.
Di Nvfeng’s eyebrows rose with this name, her lips curled up, she coughed lightly: “What about Wang Xuanling? Speak up!”
(End of Chapter)