Chapter Sixteen: Kind Reminder

  Ten days later.

  On the 856th step of the stairs, Qin Long stood upright and saw Chan Qingfeng sitting at the highest level. He recalled Chan Qingfeng's words when he climbed the stairs, and his heart felt warm. Although he didn't have a deep relationship with Chan Qingfeng, Chan Qingfeng's style was very much to his liking! After hesitating for a moment, Qin Long shifted his gaze from Chan Qingfeng to the burly figure sitting on the 17th step above, who was none other than the man named Bai Shan.

  If it weren't for Bai Shan's words, Qin Long might not have had the courage to step onto the stairs. Now that he saw Bai Shan also reach this point, Qin Long was happy for him in his heart! As expected, Bai Shan's cultivation should have also entered the Seven Yang Bone Refining stage.

  He withdrew his mind and spirit, Qin Long took a deep breath, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth drilled into his body, condensing his strength to climb the stairs once again!

  When he reached the eight hundred and seventieth floor, Qin Long had no choice but to sit down on the ground, this pressure had made him feel the crisis of life and death again, he must consolidate his cultivation before trying to climb higher, and at this time, he was only three floors away from Bai Shan.

  Not long after Qin Long sat down on the ground, Bai Shan stood up in front of him and resolutely stepped onto the eight hundred and seventy-fourth step.

  "Ka-ba!" Qin Long suddenly heard the sound of bones shattering from ahead, he hastily opened his eyes to find Ba Shan's body violently trembling on the 874th step of the stairs. But Ba Shan didn't stop, instead, he let out a low growl: "Our clan's seniors have said that all strong individuals are forged through a thousand hammerings and a hundred refinements. Hammering their bones, refining their hearts, is what makes them bitter cultivators! Today, this Thousand Layer Staircase is like a heavenly chasm, and I, Ba Shan, will also tread over it to find the true meaning of bitter cultivation!" After speaking, Ba Shan disregarded his internal injuries and once again took a step forward, stepping onto the 875th layer.

  "Boom!" Not far behind, Qin Long vaguely heard a loud rumbling sound coming from Baishan's body. Baishan spat out fresh blood, staining the stairs red with blood. His sturdy figure had to kneel down on one knee, but his youthful face was exceptionally firm and unyielding. He stood up again, looked up at the upper stairs, gritted his teeth and stood up once more, and actually took another step forward, stepping onto the 876th floor.

  Below, Qin Long looked at Bai Shan in front of him and was shocked to see that he had climbed up the stairs one after another. He couldn't help but stare blankly and wipe sweat for Bai Shan again. From Bai Shan's injuries, it was clear that he was already seriously injured. If he continued to climb the stairs forcefully, he would undoubtedly be courting death! Seeing this, Qin Long hastily said: "Bai Shan, you should stop cultivating for a while before proceeding!"

  Suddenly hearing someone call out his name, Bai Shan turned around with a puzzled expression, his immature face pale. He glanced at Qin Long, and a complex smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. He didn't respond, but instead turned his head to continue looking up at the stairs in front of him, clenching his fists tightly, and took another step forward.

  Staring blankly at Bai Shan, who had fallen on the 880th step of the stairs, Qin Long caught a glimpse of determination in his eyes. This determination shocked Qin Long's heart, it was a determination towards his goal and strength. The fact that this determination could appear on this young man made Qin Long recall Bai Shan's previous low growl.

  "The strong are all made through a thousand hammerings and a hundred refinements. Hammering their muscles and bones, refining their hearts, is bitter cultivation."

  "This is asceticism! Is this what a true ascetic looks like?" Qin Long muttered to himself. His understanding of asceticism was still vague, and he had originally thought that it just meant physical hardship, but now seeing Bai Shan charging forward bravely, he suddenly understood what asceticism truly meant.

  "Hum!" Just then, Qin Long suddenly heard a humming noise, he hastily lifted his head to look towards the front of Bai Shan, he sensed that the humming noise was coming from within Bai Shan's body!

  "Refine my bones with the Seven Yangs! Second layer of refinement complete!! I've finally broken through!" Bai Shan's body, dyed red with fresh blood, let out an excited cry. His entire being radiated a faint yellow glow as he stepped onto the staircase, rapidly advancing upwards. In less than a minute, he had directly ascended to the highest level of the staircase, passing the assessment.

  Bai Shan's sudden increase in strength caught Qin Long and the Wan Long Sect disciples on the upper platform off guard. Looking at Bai Shan, who was covered in blood and standing before them, these disciples were all extremely shocked!

  His gaze swept over the group of disciples, and he glanced at the snow-covered peaks in front of him. His expression was complex, and he hesitated for a moment before turning around to look at Chan Qingfeng sitting in front of him. His pupils suddenly contracted slightly, and he took a deep breath before slowly sitting down, staring at Chan Qingfeng's back for a long time before finally closing his eyes.

  Above the eight hundred and seventieth floor, Qin Long stared at Bai Shan who had already climbed up the stairs, his heart unable to calm down for a long time. He originally thought that Bai Shan's cultivation would have to reach the seventh yang of bone refinement to reach the eight hundred and seventy-third floor, but now, Qin Long finally understood that Bai Shan's previous cultivation was actually only at the sixth yang of bone refinement. In other words, Bai Shan had climbed up the stairs with a cultivation of six yangs, which was something that even Qin Long, who was at seven yangs, could not do!

  Is this the gap? Is this the bitter cultivation? Qin Long sneered at the corner of his mouth, and he understood why the ancient books said that among those of the same level, bitter cultivation was not only a terrifying state of mind, but also an extremely powerful strength!

  "Temper his muscles and bones, refine his heart!" Qin Long muttered to himself, his expression unchanged, as he stepped forward towards the upper floor.

  Qin Long did not imitate Bai Shan, he understood his current strength. If he rashly went forward like Bai Shan, he was afraid that not only would he not break through, but he would also be destroyed beyond redemption! Although he had been cultivating for over a year and his strength had increased rapidly, compared to Bai Shan and Zhen Qingfeng, he had too many disadvantages. After all, it was unrealistic to expect to catch up with their more than ten years of bitter cultivation in just one year.

  "Perhaps, at this moment, my physical body still has a gap compared to Bai Shan, but on this thousand-layered staircase, it will surely be able to enhance my physique. Even if I can't reach the height of Bai Shan and Chan Qingfeng, I can make up for my previous weakness!" Qin Long thought to himself, hesitated for a moment, and with his pale face, he took another step forward, climbing onto the 872nd layer of the staircase.

  Winter has gone and spring has come, in the blink of an eye, Qin Long has been on this staircase for seven months!

  "Rumble!" Accompanied by a burst of spring thunder, a spring rain poured down.

  On the thousand-step staircase, Qin Long sat wet and disheveled on the 960th step, only a short distance of 40 steps away from the top of the thousand-step staircase. However, these 40 steps had buried countless ambitious young people! As the stairs got higher, the pressure grew greater, with each step containing a world of difference in pressure! Without the clarity of the wind and the strength of breaking through the hundred mountains, it was difficult to ascend.

  Or perhaps, the last few dozen levels are the dividing line between genius and ordinary people! Maybe an ordinary cultivator can reach the 960th level with solid cultivation of the Seven Yang Peak, but the next forty levels are like forty checkpoints, and ordinary people find it difficult to climb up. This is also why only a handful of people have passed the Wanlong Sect assessment over the years.

  The highest level of the stairs, Zen Qingfeng was also sitting on the ground with a wet and gloomy expression. His eyes were tightly closed, as if he had entered a state of meditation like an old monk! Behind him, there were several disciples coming and going from time to time, but they didn't show the same curiosity towards Zen Qingfeng as before.

  However, many people do not understand why Zen Qingfeng chose to sit in this place for half a year. After all, in the Wanlong Sect, he could have found his master and received guidance from him, and his strength would have been enough to enter a higher level, but instead, he chose to sit here!

  "Rumble, rumble!" Along with the sound of thunder gradually moving away and finally disappearing, this spring rain that lasted for half a day also came to an end. The sky washed by the spring rain was exceptionally bright and refreshing. Among the Wan Long Sect, tens of thousands of disciples were cultivating in order, but they did not know that on the stairs above, there were still several people wandering between life and death. The vast majority had already become a dead soul on the stairs, and several young people were struggling desperately, trying to resist this pressure and rise up to become a disciple of the Wan Long Sect.

  Compared with the struggling young people, Qin Long is considered lucky. However, if he cannot climb to the highest step, his outcome will not be much better than that of the young people behind him!!

  On this day, Qin Long opened his eyes. After several days of quiet meditation, he looked at the stairs in front of him without a sound, but the bright and profound eyes revealed an unusually firm gaze.

  In the past six months, Qin Long has gone through numerous life-and-death struggles. Through these processes, both his physical body and mental state have undergone a drastic transformation! At this point, his strength is already close to the peak of the Seventh Bone Refining Stage, and his mental state can be described as being as firm as iron!

  Compared to the fifteen years of confusion, this half year is not long, but it washed away Qin Long's lead and made him gradually touch the true meaning of cultivation.

  Slowly standing up, Qin Long looked at Chan Qingfeng sitting in front of him, then lowered his head to look at the stairs in front of him, which had been washed clean by the rainwater. His fists clenched tightly, and his body slightly bent, revealing steel-like muscles on his lean physique.

  "Hum!" A loud hum resonated within his body, Qin Long mobilized all his strength, let out a low growl, and lifted his right foot, which landed on the 961st step like a thunderclap.

  "Boom!!" In Qin Long's mind, the sound of thunder exploded, and the overwhelming pressure was like a mountain pressing down on his shoulders, forcing him to kneel on one knee. Fresh blood gushed out of his mouth uncontrollably, and Qin Long's face twisted in agony as his body convulsed violently, trying to stand up again under this crushing pressure.

  "Lei Dong Jiu Jie" accompanied Qin Long's low roar, the heavenly spiritual energy in space was instantly sucked dry, frantically pouring into Qin Long's body. His primordial force bone emitted a pale purple glow, and a powerful thunder force surged out from his primordial force bone, rushing into Qin Long's limbs and bones, allowing him to stand up with one breath and take another step forward.

  In this dare-to-be-difficult situation, Qin Long's footsteps stopped at the 963rd floor. He knelt on both knees, and fresh blood burst out from all over his body. The powerful pressure seemed to crush him to death.

  Qin Long, kneeling on the stairs, felt a "cracking" sound in his bones. He twisted his body in agony, constantly running the Thunder Nine Tribulations to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, but Qin Long, who was kneeling on the ground, couldn't move an inch.

  "Rumble, rumble!" A thunderclap boomed again in the sky, and the sky that had just cleared up was suddenly covered with a layer of dark clouds. Accompanied by the sound of thunder, a bolt of lightning illuminated the world as if it were daytime! An inexplicable pressure descended from the heavens, causing the entire space to almost solidify.

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