Chapter 273: The Record of Tian Ti — A Tree That Stands Out in the Forest Will Be Blown Down by the Wind

"Wang Xiong, Situ Xiong—this is your fault. How could such an entertaining event possibly exclude us?"

Just as Bai Bufan and Situ Jin stood locked in tense rivalry, several more figures suddenly leapt from the crowd and landed beside them.

They were young men of formidable presence—each exuding a unique aura, their appearances striking and distinguished. It was obvious at a glance they were disciples from major sects.

Sure enough, upon seeing them, the crowd erupted once more in awe.

"The other Ten Heroes of Zhong Zhou!"

"What’s going on? Did they secretly agree to climb Tian Ti together today?"

"Now there’s truly going to be a spectacle!"

"The Ten Heroes of Zhong Zhou are traditionally ranked equally—could it be they’re finally settling their standings among themselves?"

"I didn’t come for nothing—this is incredible!"

Below, the onlookers buzzed with excitement, their voices rising in fervor.

Bai Bufan and Situ Jin, atop Baiyu Jieti, were momentarily stunned.

"You’re all here?" Bai Bufan asked, surprised.

"Of course," one of the newcomers chuckled. "With the changes in the heavens, Sheng Shan—the heart of the world—must be bustling. How could we possibly miss such a moment?"

"Bai Shao Xian, Situ Shao Xian, you two fighting alone is far too dull. Let us join in the fun!"

"Since we’re all gathered today, why not have a full competition?"

"True. The two ahead of us have already started. If we don’t push harder, we’ll fall behind for good."

"Them? I didn’t expect all ten of the Ten Heroes to show up. This is the first time since the title was established that they’ve all come together."

Lin Zhi Rui, watching the sudden arrivals, blinked in mild astonishment.

"All of them?"

Wei Zian frowned. "But there are only seven up there. Three are still missing."

"Originally, the Ten Heroes of Zhong Zhou numbered ten," Lin Zhi Rui explained. "But half a year ago, one of them met an accident and died. Naturally, they couldn’t attend. Two others recently broke through to Xian Tian Jing and automatically left the list. So now, only these seven remain."

"Breaking through to Xian Tian Jing?" Lu Qing suddenly looked at him with a strange expression. "Zhi Rui Ge Xia… could it be that among the Ten Heroes..."

The others immediately turned to him.

Lin Zhi Rui paused, then gave a wry smile. "I suppose I can’t hide it from you, Lu Qing Xiaoyou. Yes, I once had the honor of being counted among the Ten Heroes—though it was merely a flattering fiction."

"Haha, I knew it!" Lu Qing laughed. "With your presence and bearing, how could you not be one of them?"

Seeing the rare moment of embarrassment on Lin Zhi Rui’s usually composed face, Lu Qing couldn’t help but chuckle. The man from Tian Ji Lou had always carried himself with calm wisdom and effortless grace—this momentary fluster was a rare sight.

"Indeed, Zhi Rui Ge Xia, your talent far surpasses those up there!" Wei Zian added with genuine admiration.

"Enough teasing!" Lin Zhi Rui flushed slightly, quickly turning toward the front. "Bai Shao Xian and the others are starting to climb Tian Ti."

Lu Qing and the others turned to look. Sure enough, after their exchange, Bai Bufan and the others had already begun scaling the steps.

Each step of the Baiyu Jieti was three feet high. At first, the seven figures climbed with ease—each leap carried them over a dozen steps, ascending more than ten meters at a time, moving swiftly upward.

But once they reached over ten zhang in height, their pace slowed noticeably. Their leaps grew shorter—dropping from initial bounds of three to four zhang down to just one or two zhang. Eventually, they could only climb one step at a time, each movement requiring a pause to catch their breath and gather strength.

"Zhi Rui Ge Xia," Lu Qing asked, "who do you think will win?"

"Hard to say," Lin Zhi Rui shook his head. "All of them are the elite among the true disciples of great sects. Their foundations are solid, their Spirit Soul Power already forged. Each carries secret techniques. Until the very end, no one can predict who will triumph."

Meanwhile, high above in Sheng Cheng, several powerful figures stood on a vantage point, watching and discussing.

"Qiu Xiong, what do you think—this time, who will win?"

One figure in green robes chuckled. "In my eyes, this Bai Bufan lad is impressive. He still looks effortless. I think he’ll take the top spot without much trouble."

"Not so fast," another replied. "I’m more confident in Situ Jin. Rumor has it he’s already advanced Jin Gang Shen to Tie Shen Fen Dian. He’s just one step from the Tong Shen Jing Jie of Xian Tian Jing. You know, climbing Tian Ti tests the body above all. I suspect he’ll be the one who lasts the longest."

A third voice added, "True, a strong body helps. But don’t forget—Tian Ti also weighs heavily on the mind. Bai Bufan and the others are all Hou Tian Jie Yuan. Their physical strength may differ slightly, but not by much. So in the end, it’ll come down to mental resolve."

"Why argue here?" a fourth said. "Just watch. The real test begins after a hundred meters. Once they pass that point, their true strength will be clear."

"Exactly. The real battle starts after the hundredth meter."

The others nodded in agreement. They had climbed Tian Ti themselves—they knew the truth.

The first part of the white jade steps was manageable. But once the height exceeded a hundred meters, the pressure on each step doubled—dramatically increasing the difficulty.

Just like the observers above, many in the crowd below also knew this secret. So when Bai Bufan and the others leapt again and landed on the next step, a voice shouted instantly:

"Level 100!"

The moment the words left the mouth, Bai Bufan’s group swayed violently—nearly losing their balance. Clearly, they were unprepared for the sudden surge in pressure.

"Zhi Rui Ge Xia," Lu Qing turned to him, "is there something special about the 100th step?"

"The pressure on Tian Ti doesn’t increase gradually," Lin Zhi Rui explained. "Instead, it doubles every hundred steps. After that, each step adds more than the last, based on the new, higher base. For example, the first step has a pressure of one. Each subsequent step adds only one-tenth. By the 99th step, the pressure is just about ten. But at the 100th step, it doubles to twenty. After that, every new step adds one-tenth—but now, it’s one-tenth of twenty. So Bai Shao Xian and the others are now facing far greater pressure than before."

"Ah, now I understand," Lu Qing and the others said in unison.

"In fact," Lin Zhi Rui continued, "there’s another legend about Tian Ti."

"What legend?"

"Many say the first 100 steps correspond to the Hou Tian Jing realm. To reach the 100th step, one must possess Wu Dao Zong Shi level—Nei Fu Jing Wan Man. To go higher, one must have forged Spirit Soul Power. There’s a saying: A Hou Tian Martial Artist who crosses the 100th step and continues climbing—each step upward represents their potential. The higher they climb, the greater their potential. And when they eventually enter Xian Tian Jing, their future achievements will be proportionally greater."

"Such a legend?" Ma Gu murmured in awe. "No wonder they’re struggling so much now—yet still pushing forward."

Indeed, as they spoke, Bai Bufan and the others had climbed another ten steps. But now, their exhaustion was obvious. They could no longer leap continuously. Each step required a pause, a breath, and a moment to gather strength.

"One is falling behind," Lu Qing observed. One of them was resting far longer than the others—now two steps behind.

Lin Zhi Rui glanced. "That’s Qin Yunting, a true disciple of Xuan Xin Zong. His style relies on agility and lightness—this climb is a disadvantage for him."

Hearing the name, Lu Qing and the others looked toward Hu Ze Zhi. After all, she had originally left Qinglong City to attend the recruitment ceremony at Xuan Xin Zong.

Hu Ze Zhi’s expression was complex. Though she had no connection to Qin Yunting, seeing the disciple of her long-cherished sect struggling so deeply stirred something within her.

"Zhi Rui Ge Xia," Wei Zian asked curiously, "have you ever climbed Tian Ti?"

"Of course," Lin Zhi Rui smiled. "I grew up in Sheng Cheng. Climbing Tian Ti is a common competition among martial artists here. Naturally, I’ve participated."

"Then, how high have you climbed?"

Now even Lu Qing was intrigued.

"Frankly, I’m embarrassed to say," Lin Zhi Rui admitted, "before breaking through to Xian Tian Jing, my highest point was level 171."

"Level 171?" Wei Zian gasped. "That’s already extremely high! Look at those up there—they’re barely past 130 or 140, and already struggling to move."

It made sense now why, despite being among the Ten Heroes, Lin Zhi Rui had advanced so far ahead in cultivation. The gap in potential was real—and wide.

"Zhi Rui Ge Xia, truly impressive," Ma Gu and the others murmured in awe.

"Still," Lin Zhi Rui shook his head, "171 isn’t anything to boast about. The world is full of geniuses. There are countless others who surpass me. For instance, another of the Ten Heroes—already in Xian Tian Jing—has climbed to level 189."

"Level 189?!" Wei Zian and the others gasped again.

Having heard Lin Zhi Rui’s explanation, they understood how exponentially harder each step became. A single level difference could represent a massive gap in strength and potential. And this other individual had climbed ten levels higher than Lin Zhi Rui—his potential must be staggering.

"Zhi Rui Ge Xia," Wei Zian pressed, "if climbing Tian Ti has such a long history, then over the centuries, who is the highest-ranked Hou Tian Martial Artist?"

Lin Zhi Rui paused, then replied, "According to the records of Tian Ji Lou, the highest level reached by a Hou Tian Martial Artist was by a man named 'Di Yu'—over a thousand years ago."

"Di Yu?"

"Yes. He’s long since passed away. His record was 199 steps."

"199?!" Ma Gu and the others gasped in shock. That was ten steps higher than even the current best among the Ten Heroes.

"Indeed," Lin Zhi Rui said solemnly. "And that’s likely the absolute maximum a Hou Tian Martial Artist can reach. Legend says the pressure at the 200th step is several times stronger than at 199. Even a true Xian Tian Jing Qiang Zhe must be extremely cautious to endure it. No Hou Tian Martial Artist has ever survived that pressure."

"So Di Yu... was essentially the peak of Hou Tian potential?" Lu Qing asked, intrigued. "What became of him afterward?"

Lin Zhi Rui shook his head.

"He never broke through to Xian Tian Jing. He died before reaching that realm."

"Before breaking through?!" The group was stunned.

"How could that be? With such talent, how could he not succeed?"

Wei Zian couldn’t believe it.

But Lu Qing paused, then murmured, "Could it be...?"

"Yes," Lin Zhi Rui nodded, sighing. "Di Yu was assassinated. He was found dead in his inn the very next day after reaching the 199th step."

Silence fell.

None of them had expected such a tragic end for a legendary genius from a thousand years ago.

Especially Ma Gu and Wei Zian felt a chill. Just moments ago, they had almost encouraged Lu Qing to climb Tian Ti. After all, Lu Qing’s strength was deep and unpredictable—close to Xian Tian Jing level. If he climbed, he’d surely make a stunning impression, far surpassing the struggling Ten Heroes above.

But now, they were frozen in fear.

After all, both Ma Gu and Lu Qing had no sect, no background. The only one with even a hint of status was Wei Zian—yet even the Wei Family was insignificant in the grand scale of Zhong Zhou. If a powerful sect harbored ill intent, they’d be easy prey.

So the thought was gone.

Yet Lu Qing, quietly, sensed a warning in Lin Zhi Rui’s words. He didn’t speak it aloud—but instead turned toward the steps, and said quietly:

"The real contest is about to begin."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end