Chapter Thirteen: Bai Shan

  Watching the two people's backs getting farther and farther away, Qin Long's face was gloomy, he didn't say a word and continued to move forward, Chan Qingfeng still strolled along.

  A moment later, the two arrived at the mountain waist, where thousands of disciples gathered, looking at the stairs in front of them with hesitant expressions!

  "Another one died, this thousand-layered staircase, without the power of a land of peerless beauty, it's fundamentally impossible to set foot on!"

  "Although I wanted to become a disciple of the Wan Long Sect, if I were to die here, it would not be worth it! I think we should still have some self-awareness and choose another path."

  ……

  Many disciples looked at the thousand-layered staircase, whispering to each other, and some of them had the intention to retreat, not wanting to lose their lives because of this! Qin Long's gaze looked forward, continuously upwards, like a staircase leading to the sky. At around three hundred steps, a disciple actually fell on the stairs, faintly seeing fresh blood flowing out of his body, which made Qin Long's heart tremble! In his heart, he couldn't help but rise with the intention to retreat! Just as these disciples said, losing one's life in order to become a disciple of the Wanlong Sect was undoubtedly not worth it.

  One side of the Zen Qingfeng looked at Qin Long and said calmly, "Life is full of hardships, and it's not that you can live forever by being content with your current situation. Perhaps, with your strength, stepping onto this ladder will lead to the same outcome as theirs, but it's also possible that you'll break through your original limits. If you don't try, you'll never know what your true limits are!"

  Qin Long's gaze fell on the figure lying at the top of the stairs, and he sank into deep thought. In these few months, everything in his life had changed dramatically. He wasn't afraid to die, but neither did he want to meet his end here on this staircase. After all, there were still things in this world that he cared about, and he couldn't bring himself to leave them behind.

  Ke Zhen Qingfeng's words are unreasonable, before the age of 15, Qin Long had read many ancient books and heard many stories, all the strong people in the world have gone through countless hardships to achieve superhuman strength!

  "No matter what your choice is, I, Zen Qingfeng, will remember you! If you choose to step up, I'll be waiting for you at the last level!" Zen Qingfeng glanced at Qin Long and said calmly. Then, without saying another word, he stepped onto the stairs, his pace still slow, as if strolling through a courtyard, one step at a time.

  Qin Long stared blankly as he watched Zen Qingfeng's figure gradually move further and further away, falling into deep thought. This was Qin Long's first time facing a life or death decision, and unlike before, this time the choice was in his hands!

  "Let's go! If you really want to join the Wan Long Sect, it's not too late to come back after reaching the Seventh Sun of Refining Bones! At this time, with our current strength at the Sixth Sun of Refining Bones, it's equivalent to sending ourselves to death! Moreover, once we step onto the stairs, there's no turning back. We either die or pass through!! Even if we cultivate on the stairs and manage to pass the assessment one day, by then, we'll probably have already entered the Earthly realm and won't be able to become a disciple of the Wan Long Sect." A tall and sturdy young man beside Qin Long said in a low voice to the green-robed youth next to him.

  The young man in the green clothes looked at the stairs with hopeful eyes, opened his mouth, and then shifted his gaze to the figure lying on the stairs. In the end, he didn't say a word! He nodded silently and turned to leave with the burly youth.

  The assessment of the Wanlong Sect's Thousand Layered Staircase has a clear rule: once you step onto the staircase, either die or pass the assessment! And once you've stepped into the earthly realm on the staircase, it's also impossible to become a disciple of the Wanlong Sect! This is also why so many people dare not easily step onto the staircase.

  Like these two young men, there are not a few people who have gone through certain hardships to reach the waist of the mountain, and success is only a thousand steps away. However, in the face of life and death, they chose to give up! Of course, no one can deny that their abandonment is wrong! After all, who knows whether they can pass the test or become a skeleton forever on the stairs?

  Perhaps their choice was wise! But they lost an opportunity to temper themselves and even change their lives!

  Everyone's life is unpredictable like this, and every decision he makes is not absolutely right or wrong!

  Perhaps, only a firm heart can break through the fog of the future and step towards the other side of cultivation.

  At this time, a calm and composed young man with a sturdy build, dressed in animal hide, came from below to Qin Long's side. He looked at the thousand-layered stairs in front of him, also with a hesitant expression. Listening to the discussions around him, he glanced left and right, his face growing more hesitant, his clenched fists tightening, and finally, his entire body slightly trembling, as if his heart was struggling with something.

  Finally, the beast skin boy hummed: "If I don't even dare to step on this ladder, what qualifications do I have to experience the countless hardships in the future? If I don't even dare to step on this ladder, how can I return to my Hundred Refining Clan with a face?" After finishing speaking, the beast skin boy resolutely stepped onto the ladder and marched forward firmly.

  His murmured voice was heard by Qin Long without missing a single word, this sentence was like thunderclap that shattered Qin Long's hesitation and scruples. He raised his head and looked at the towering young man in front of him, lifted his right foot and stepped directly onto the stairs!

  Yes, if you don't even dare to step on this ladder, what qualifications will you have to experience the trials of thousands and millions in the future? Even if you can avoid this one, what about the unpredictable hardships that follow? The words of Shao Nian Bai Shan made Qin Long suddenly enlightened.

  As his right foot stepped onto the stairs, Qin Long felt the previous pressure enveloping his body once again. This time, the pressure was more than twice as strong as before, causing Qin Long to grunt and clench his teeth tightly. He took several steps forward in succession, while "Lei Dong Jiu Jie" quickly circulated, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to counteract this pressure. Compared to others, Qin Long's speed seemed much slower. Of course, among those who dared to step onto these stairs after cultivating Bone Forging Five Yang, there was no one else besides Qin Long.

  "You really don't know life and death! The Five Yangs of Bone Refining dare to step on the stairs!"

  "Let me guess, how many levels of stairs can this person climb? I'm afraid it won't be more than a hundred before he collapses."

  "Hundred levels? You're overestimating him, or perhaps you're underestimating this assessment! Last year only three people passed, and those who died on the stairs with seven yang bones are not a small number. With five yang bones, being able to reach the fiftieth level is already the limit!"

  Those who hesitated looked at Qin Long stepping onto the stairs, and they all ridiculed him. Among them, there was no lack of those who had refined their bones to the seventh yang, but none of them dared to step up. Now, a young man who had only refined his bones to the fifth yang dared to walk up the stairs, how could they not mock him? However, there were also many people who looked at Qin Long's struggling back and fell into deep thought. Several people stopped hesitating and stepped onto the stairs.

  Thirty layers!! This is already at the limit of Qin Long's endurance, the heavenly spiritual energy absorbed by running "Lei Dong Jiu Jie" has formed a vortex that is pouring into his body! At this moment, Qin Long's battle armor still hasn't been removed, he wants to use this powerful pressure to break through the current Bone Refining Five Yang realm!! He has already reached the peak of Bone Refining Five Yang, and is only one step away from breaking through!!

  "Thirty-fifth floor!!" Qin Long was drenched in sweat, his eyes calmly gazing up at the staircase above. His body slightly arched, his limit almost stopping at the thirty-fifth floor. But Qin Long had yet to detect any signs of a breakthrough. He took a deep breath, standing still, and rapidly circulated "Lei Dong Jiu Jie" with his eyes closed, frantically absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into his body!

  Wrapped in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, Qin Long appeared exceptionally ethereal, but his trembling body made one worry for him!

  Looking at the thirty-sixth floor staircase right in front of him, Qin Long took a cold breath, gritted his teeth and let out a low growl, taking another step forward. In an instant, Qin Long grunted, his body swaying to one side, almost falling off the thirty-sixth floor staircase. Qin Long knelt on one knee on the ground, his whole body covered in sweat that wouldn't stop flowing, his face red and ears burning, breathing heavily like a cow, taking in huge mouthfuls of air as the spiritual energy of heaven and earth rapidly poured into his body.

  "It's still not enough to break through!!" Feeling the pressure on his shoulders, Qin Long felt a little disappointed. This pressure was strong, but it was still not enough for him to break through the Five Yangs of Bone Refining and enter the Six Yangs!

  His gaze fixed on the thirty-seventh floor in front of him, Qin Long gritted his teeth and stood up again under the control of the heavenly spiritual energy within his body. He quickly stepped out with his right foot and set it down on the thirty-eighth floor!

  "Boom!!" Qin Long only felt a buzzing sound in his ears, as if his whole body had been struck by a great mountain. His right foot directly kneeled to the ground, and his body leaned forward.

  "Haha, 38th floor, it seems I overestimated him earlier! I couldn't find any words to describe this person's arrogance, it's like a mortal daring to challenge the gods!"

  "I dare say, if he dares to step onto the thirty-ninth floor, he will surely die a terrible death!! At this moment, his limit has already been reached."

  "It seems that another restless soul will die on this thousand-step staircase. Alas, it's all his own doing. Let's just wait for next year's assessment to come."

  Thousands of people gathered under the stairs stared at Qin Long who knelt on the thirty-eighth floor!

  At this time, Qin Long did not know that he had already become the laughing stock of everyone. His gaze firmly looked at the stairs on the ground with a hint of dark red, took a few deep breaths, closed his eyes, and quickly activated "Lei Dong Jiu Jie". Until his body formed a huge vortex, amidst the astonishment of the crowd, Qin Long let out a low growl, stood up again, and walked up to the thirty-ninth step without hesitation.

  "Boom!!" As soon as he stepped onto the 39th step, Qin Long directly fell to the ground, the powerful pressure rendering him immobile. His internal energy and blood were boiling, fresh blood gushing out of his chest cavity, splashing onto the steps, dyeing the flower-patterned stone a deep red.

  PS: Are there still book friends who haven't collected it? Hurry up and collect it~~