Chapter 329: Ascent of the Immortal Path

Chapter 329: Ascent of the Immortal Path

Chen Qiu remained silent, his brows slightly furrowed. He couldn't shake the feeling that the conditions for this were a bit too high.

To advance to the True Immortal realm, one must possess a permanent Rainbow Entry, a condition that is extremely harsh. Under these conditions, very few people can meet the requirements. But True Immortal is not the final destination; there's still a long way to go before reaching the Immortal Emperor.

With these conditions, how many people could there be in the Twelfth Rank Immortal Plane?

Many would likely be stuck at the Peak Heaven Immortal stage for their entire lives, never reaching True Immortal. Perhaps the Tide Immortal Plane, a Fifth Rank Immortal World, has a higher threshold for breakthroughs, and other Fifth Rank Immortal Worlds might be a bit easier.

He hadn't visited other Fifth Rank Immortal Worlds and wasn't familiar with their situations.

However, he didn't ask further. Instead, he patiently lay in his rocking chair, waiting for time to pass. After the Ascension Assembly ended, he would digest his gains and head to the Cao Tian Palace to seclude himself and improve his cultivation. Of course, if there were more secret realms like the Ascension Assembly, he wouldn't miss them.

Time passed slowly.

Twelve hours flew by quickly.

The final event, "Ascent of the Immortal Path," officially began! As the countdown ended, the three Greenstone Squares beneath them trembled violently. Then, just like before, they started spinning rapidly and sped away from the peach grove in the void, shooting towards an unknown destination.

They continued to travel through the blinding light, constantly teleporting. After several hundred breaths, a new scene appeared amidst the uniform blinding light—a massive staircase, floating in the air, composed of countless steps.

The largest steps he had ever seen were at the entrance of the Cao Tian Palace. Those steps were so large they seemed designed for the Maan Clan.

But now, the steps at the Cao Tian Palace were no longer the largest he had encountered.

This staircase, made up of countless steps, exuded a vast and awe-inspiring feeling at first glance.

However—

As the Greenstone Squares beneath them slowed down and approached the staircase in the distance, the staircase gradually revealed its true form, becoming larger and larger.

Until a loud boom sounded.

The Greenstone Squares beneath them collided with the square at the base of the staircase, merging into one. Only then did the true appearance of the staircase reveal itself—each step was a thousand zhang high and a hundred zhang wide.

Looking at it, one couldn't even count the number of steps; they could only see up to the third step, as the fourth was already out of sight.

From their distant view, there seemed to be at least a hundred steps.

"Holy shit!" Fat Dragon stood on the Greenstone Square, looking straight up at the gigantic steps and muttering, "Isn't this a bit over the top? Who can possibly reach the top?"

One zhang is approximately 3.33 meters.

A thousand zhang is roughly 3300 meters. Just one step is 3300 meters high. If that's hard to visualize, consider that a 100-story building is only 300 meters tall.

Can something this tall still be called a staircase? It's more like a sheer, smooth cliff at a ninety-degree angle. After all, this is the cultivation world. If this were a low-level martial world, such a structure would be an invincible existence. Anyone hiding on the steps would never have to worry about being attacked.

Of course, they are all cultivators, and no matter how high the steps are, they can fly. Even if the steps were two thousand zhang high, they could easily fly up with the help of spiritual energy. But the problem is—

Is this even possible?

If it were that simple, would this be called the "Ascent of the Immortal Path"?

The next moment—

A voice, devoid of emotion and raspy, rang in everyone's ears.

"The second-day event, Ascent of the Immortal Path, has the following rules:

There are 1024 steps in total. The first person to reach the top will obtain the only opportunity to ascend to immortality. If your cultivation is at the Peak Heaven Immortal stage, you will directly break through to the True Immortal realm. If your cultivation is at another stage, this opportunity will be reserved, and once your cultivation reaches the Peak Heaven Immortal stage, the opportunity will automatically trigger.

When someone reaches the top, the Immortal Path will freeze.

At this time, rewards will be given based on the step reached.

When the Immortal Path freezes, all cultivators on steps 2 to 10 will receive a Supreme-grade Red Entry and can choose the name of the Red Entry. If no name is chosen, it will be randomly assigned based on their cultivation path.

When the Immortal Path freezes, all cultivators on steps 11 to 50 will receive a Heavenly Realm Upgrade Stone.

When the Immortal Path freezes, all cultivators on steps 51 to 100 will receive a Supreme Cultivation Card.

When..."

"As you ascend the Immortal Path, each step will have a corresponding obstacle. Only by overcoming these obstacles can you proceed to the next step."

"Wow!" Chen Qiu looked at the rule panel with a strange expression. The rules were simple, but this stage was too complex. Each step had its obstacle, which could also be understood as a level.

1024 steps meant 1024 levels.

Setting aside the difficulty of these obstacles, just the sheer number of them was exhausting. 1024 levels—this was like treating the challengers as non-humans. He wondered if anyone had ever completed this before the start of the Ascension Assembly.

Oh, there probably were some, as there was no time limit. One could slowly climb, but it would take a long time.

The rewards, on the other hand, could only be described as generous! The first-place reward, in his opinion, wasn't that tempting. Aside from the fact that he didn't need it yet, he believed he could reach True Immortal without such means. After all, he had the Rainbow Entry, and as for the True Immortal corpse, he could just have Badan catch and kill an alien True Immortal.

As for the "Supreme-grade" red entry, the most enticing part of this reward is that it can be "specified"!

In other words, no matter where you hear about or know of a particularly powerful red entry, as long as you know the name of this red entry, you can possess it. Even if you're not familiar with many red entries, this one isn't completely random; it's chosen based on your cultivation direction, ensuring it's always suitable.

It's the perfect reward.

The Supreme-grade red entry is already comparable to some of the weaker Rainbow Entries.

However, the reward that truly attracted his attention was the "Supreme Cultivation Card" offered at the 51st to 100th steps.

For him, the ideal outcome would be for Badan to reach the top, while he secured second place, obtaining a Supreme-grade red entry. Then, with Badan's clan members and the disciples of the Cao Tian Sect standing between the 51st and 100th steps, they could earn enough Supreme Cultivation Cards for him. That would be the perfect ending!

But for now, there's been no change in the steps before him, which means his power-up hasn't arrived yet. He doesn't know what kind of power-up the secret realm's Spirit Artifact has prepared for him.

At this moment, many people are already heading towards the Greenstone Square, flying towards the 1024th step.

As a large amount of spirit qi surges forth, numerous cultivators hover at the 1024th step, but they don't immediately continue their ascent. Instead, they remain still, apparently dealing with the so-called "obstacle."

It's worth mentioning that—

This staircase is a bit counterintuitive; the lowest level is the 1024th step, while the highest is the 1st step. Normally, one would count from the lowest to the highest, not the other way around.

However, when you think about it, whether it's the Immortal World or anything else, everything starts from the bottom and works its way up. Perhaps this is a subconscious habit of the Heavenly Dao.

Just as Chen Qiu and Badan were about to fly to the 1024th step and begin their ascent, they suddenly heard exclamations from the crowd. Chen Qiu noticed a massive "Leaderboard" in the sky, visible from any angle, which recorded the climbers' progress in real-time.

The challenge had just begun.

Many people were still observing from the Greenstone Square, while others were carefully examining the bottom of the staircase for any hidden mechanisms. At that moment, the first place on the leaderboard already displayed "1019th Step"!

This person didn't even go to the 1023rd step; they directly jumped from the 1024th step to the 1019th.

"You can even skip steps?"

Chen Qiu was slightly startled but quickly understood. It made sense; otherwise, climbing 1024 steps one by one would be pure torture.

"Let's go."

He glanced at Badan and whispered. With the surge of spirit qi, he immediately jumped to the 1024th step, while Badan, filled with excitement, nodded vigorously and followed closely behind Chen Qiu. This was their chance to break through to True Immortality!

The moment Chen Qiu landed on the 1024th step, a cloud-shrouded panel appeared before him.

"1024th Step Dilemma."

"Random Selection."

"Randomization complete. This step's dilemma is 'Rebirth in Despair.' You will challenge puppets of the same cultivation level, and the number of puppets is decided by the climber. The number of puppets determines how many steps you can skip after a successful challenge."

"The minimum number of puppets is 1, and the maximum is 1022."

"Failure results in no further chances to climb."

"Choose whether to attempt the challenge."

". . ."

Chen Qiu's mouth twitched slightly. He had been wondering what power-up the Spirit Artifact had given him, and now he knew—it was the "One Step to Immortality" power-up.

Damn it!

He had initially thought that the "Ascent of the Immortal Path" would be a significant challenge, given the 1024 steps, and he had prepared himself for a three-day and three-night struggle. But now, he was being told that if he was willing, he could reach the peak in the next moment?

Defeating 1022 puppets would allow him to skip 1022 steps, which meant he could go directly to the 2nd step.

One more step, and he would reach the summit!

What a joke!

The maximum number of puppets was 1022, and anything above 1023 would not require going to the 2nd step; it would take him straight to the 1st step.

For him, the difficulty of defeating 1022 puppets—

Without another word, he silently chose to attempt the challenge. In an instant, he found himself in a white space surrounded by 1022 puppets at the Tribulation Peak cultivation level. The scene was quite imposing, and for a typical Tribulation Peak cultivator, this would be an impossible challenge!

But for him—

The next moment—

Hundreds of Thousand-Handed Bodhisattva's fusion kill move, "Three Thousand Thunder Movement," descended amidst the raging storm and thunderous roars.

The world fell silent.

Not a single puppet remained; only fragments littered the ground, none having withstood that strike.

As the space began to shatter, Chen Qiu found himself on the 2nd step, surrounded by emptiness. When he looked up, he saw that the peak was no longer hidden; only the final step stood before him.

Victory was within reach, just one step away.

On the leaderboard, his name, "Chen Qiu," suddenly appeared in first place without warning. While others were still struggling in the 1000s, his position at the 2nd step stood out prominently.

". . ."

After glancing at the dilemma panel for this step, Chen Qiu heaved a sigh and began to jump towards the 3rd step. He had climbed too fast and needed to go back for Badan and the others. As for how he would do that, he hadn't figured it out yet.

Over a thousand layers, it would be quite a hassle to return to the starting point.

"Hey, who knows, maybe I can clear it on my own too!"

Just then—

As the white space gradually shattered, Badan regained his vision and looked towards the empty 1010th layer. He couldn't help but grin as he recalled the dilemma he had faced on the 1024th layer. He had chosen the most challenging option, relying on his own abilities to skip several layers and reach the 1010th layer directly!

That was quite a speed!

After all, he was one of the strongest in the entire Tide Immortal World, and there weren't many who could surpass him.

In his heart, he had already made up his mind.

If, by some chance, he managed to reach the top on his own, he would have to be careful not to show off too much. He needed to let the senior help him reach the summit, otherwise, it would be disrespectful to the senior. They had made an agreement, and if he reached the top on his own, it would be embarrassing for the senior. How could they continue their relationship after that?

As the chief of the Maan Clan, he had to be mindful of social etiquette.

As he admired the empty surroundings of the 1010th layer with a satisfied expression and turned to look at the leaderboard, intending to see his name in the first place, his body suddenly froze in place. His eyes were filled with bewilderment as he stared blankly at a name that was all too familiar to him.

"Climbing the Immortal Path Real-Time Leaderboard."

"First Place: Chen Qiu, located on the 2nd layer."

"Second Place: Ji Wu Ba, 999th layer."

"Third Place: Chao Tian Ge, 1002nd layer."

"Fourth Place: Jiang Bu Ping, 1006th layer."

"Fifth Place: Badan, 1010th layer."

"Sixth Place: ..."

"..."

Badan stood there as if he had lost his soul, staring blankly at the leaderboard. He had thought he was the fastest, as the dilemma he had just passed was quite challenging. But he never expected to be only in sixth place.

Some people had even reached the 999th layer.

But none of that mattered.

What was important was—

Why was the senior in first place? No, it was normal for the senior to be in first place. The real question was, why was the senior on the 2nd layer?

Huh?!

Hadn't the trial just begun? There were a total of 1024 layers, and he had only cleared one, yet the senior had already reached the 2nd layer?

How many layers did he skip?!

What happened to climbing the Immortal Path? If you're going to climb, at least show the process. Jumping straight from the bottom to the top, was this even considered climbing? Why not just say it was flying to the heavens?

He even had good reason to suspect that if it weren't for the agreement with the senior to let him have the unique opportunity of being first, the senior wouldn't have appeared on the 2nd layer at all. He would have been on the 1st layer.

Alright.

When someone reached the top, the Immortal Path would be sealed, and only the senior would be able to proceed. Everyone else would return empty-handed from this trial, without any rewards.

"Huff"

After a long while, Badan finally took a deep breath, calming his astonished mind. This was the senior, and he should have realized this earlier. It was normal, very normal. The stronger the senior was, the better. They were in this together, and it also meant that the "True Immortal" opportunity was likely predetermined for him.

Keep going!

Although he didn't know how the senior would bring him along, he would climb as high as he could, making it easier for the senior.

"Tsk."

Jiang Bu Ping, standing on the 1006th layer, looked at Chen Qiu's name on the leaderboard and couldn't help but sigh. He even felt a bit amused: "In the cultivation world, connections are indeed crucial."

"That's true. How could anyone possibly climb the true Immortal Path? Without some background, how could one achieve immortality?"

"It's a realistic portrayal."

In the blink of an eye, Chen Qiu had gone from the 1024th layer to the 2nd layer. There was no way the secret realm's spirit wasn't playing dirty tricks.

He didn't care about the opportunities in this secret realm.

He was more interested in Chen Qiu himself and even wanted to show Chen Qiu his strength and background. But now, he was genuinely amused. Forget it, let it go. He might as well rest and wait patiently for the secret realm to end.

After saying this, he felt too lazy to continue climbing and lay down on the ground, ready to take a nap and patiently wait for the secret realm to end.

It's worth mentioning that—

Over the years, he had developed a liking for sleeping. In the past, he never slept, as cultivators didn't need sleep. Even if they wanted to, they had to be able to fall asleep.

Moreover, the only entertainment for the poor was always of two kinds.

Cheap liquor and hazy sleep.

He had always looked down upon such things.

But over the years, he had suddenly taken a liking to sleep, as he finally understood why the poor sought refuge in sleep. When faced with unsolvable problems, escape was the only solution.

Over the years, the impending awakening of Heavenly Dao loomed over him like a mountain, and he couldn't think of any solutions. So, he had taken a liking to sleep.

Once asleep, he wouldn't have to think about the awakening of Heavenly Dao.

At this moment, the Sect Master of the Toad Sect was leading his disciples in a meticulous search on the Greenstone Square, hoping to uncover hidden clues.

His thoughts were simple.

With 1024 steps, it was impossible for someone to climb them one by one.

Those who attempted to climb were fools.

Most likely, the means to pass were right here on the Greenstone Square. Perhaps by deciphering some secret, they could find a teleportation gate and skip many layers. Those who held such thoughts were not in the minority; many others were also searching carefully on the Greenstone Square.

Most of these people had lower cultivation levels and were aware that they couldn't compete with those in the first group.

But if they could find a teleportation gate, they might be able to turn the tables.

Just then—

The Sect Master of the Toad Sect subconsciously looked up at the leaderboard above, intending to see which layer the first place had reached. However, in that instant, he felt as if the sky had fallen.

He even suspected that he had misread, an extremely rare occurrence, and rubbed his eyes to confirm his vision. After ensuring he had read correctly, he looked at the words "Layer 2" displayed behind Chen Qiu, standing silently in place, speechless for a long time.

After a while, he heaved a long sigh.

For a moment, he didn't know what to do.

Suddenly, he realized that Chen Qiu had been suppressing him since the Ascension Assembly, like a towering mountain, with no chance of surpassing him. Oh well, it is what it is.

It's a pity for that Ji Wu Ba.

He sighed inwardly.

He had heard of this person from the Seven Maiden Continent, born with three rainbow entries, and was supposed to be a strong contender in the Ascension Assembly. As a result, he has now directly become a background board.

He might not be the most unfortunate one.

After all, even without Chen Qiu, those great opportunities had nothing to do with him. His initial goal was those minor opportunities, and it was those strong contenders in the first group who should be feeling down now, as the opportunities Chen Qiu gained were at their expense.

"Chen Qiu."

Located on the 1019th layer, the captain of the Brave Forward Team silently gazed at the name on the leaderboard.

When he and Chen Qiu met for the first time at the first stage of the Masked Banquet's preliminary challenge, he had asked Chen Qiu who he was, as he had never seen him before and wondered why he was so valued by Chief Ba.

Chen Qiu had casually replied, "Don't worry, in the future, you'll find it hard to forget my name."

Now it seems

This statement has come true, and for a while, he will indeed find it hard to forget the name "Chen Qiu."

But when he recalled Chief Ba's attitude at the time, a bold possibility suddenly emerged in his mind. Perhaps Chief Ba didn't value this human junior but respected and revered him?

Could this person be the mysterious senior behind Chief Ba?

When Chief Ba fought the Demon Clan Chief, that thread of Yin Emperor's Fortune might have been bestowed by Chen Qiu?

If that's the case, many things would make sense.

"No wonder."

For a moment, he felt jealous of Chief Ba, who had the fortune of being associated with such a profound and unfathomable senior. Why couldn't he meet such a senior?

The Tide Immortal Plane probably doesn't have someone like this.

Chen Qiu should have been active in the lower realm, and they probably met when Chief Ba, suffering from Immortal Cancer, went to the lower realm. Immortal Cancer has its benefits; if he had known this at the Peach Feast, he wouldn't have been so cowardly. He could have found an Immortal Cancer patient too.

Maybe he could have met a senior who favored him as well.

"Well."

Fat Dragon, who had been diligently climbing and had already reached the 1021st layer, looked up at the leaderboard and sighed in resignation, "It seems like there's no chance for us to shine again."

Brother Qiu has even reached the second layer.

The Ascent of the Immortal Path has once again become Brother Qiu's solo performance.

He turned to look at Xiao Shuai beside him, who was currently engrossed in studying the 'Dilemma' of this stage, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings.

Indeed, for Xiao Shuai, this experience was unparalleled.

After all, this was Xiao Shuai's first time experiencing an entire secret realm as himself, not as a tool spirit. This feeling was something he had never experienced before, and it was indeed worth getting excited about.

At this moment, besides Xiao Shuai, there were several other disciples of the Mock Heaven Sect on this layer.

"Good luck, everyone."

After cheering on the disciples, Fat Dragon took a deep breath and began to study the dilemma of this layer with a serious and focused expression. He had been planning to rely on Brother Qiu to carry him, but seeing several disciples of the Mock Heaven Sect ranking above him, his competitive spirit was ignited.

As an elder, it would be embarrassing to be outperformed by his disciples.

No way.

At this point, he was no longer comparing himself to others but only to his fellow sect members. He couldn't let his ranking be lower than these disciples; that would be too humiliating!

PS: Tomorrow is the highly anticipated Blg: T1. It's likely that many authors will take a break tomorrow, and I might do the same. The last time I watched the All-Chinese Team play was during my student days. Back then, I really enjoyed playing LoL. I played against the AI for half a semester, matched up for a semester, and then finally, with a trembling heart, I dared to start my first-ranked game.

I've been playing this game for ten years.

For almost every year of these ten years, I've played it. Last year, I reached the peak, achieving the Beyond Master rank. It's been a part of my youth, and I can say that I've dedicated myself to this game. I'm a homebody and don't like going out or playing other games; I basically just play this one game.

Unknowingly, I've aged.

Seeing students brings back memories of my youth. At the age of 25, if I could witness the All-Chinese Team winning the championship, it would feel like a perfect ending to my youth.

But the hope seems slim. I hope Knight can still muster the courage to use the Death Note against Faker. I predict a 3:1 outcome.

Finally, this book is gradually coming to an end. It's estimated to conclude in about 600,000 to 800,000 words if I can strictly follow the outline. However, most of the time, the outline doesn't constrain me, and I often deviate from it to capture the fleeting ideas that flash in my mind.

Sometimes, these ideas are genuinely brilliant.

And sometimes, they're a bit crappy.

It's expected that this book will be completed in about two to three months, and then on February 1st, I plan to start a new book.

In the end, I wish all readers a happy life, and tonight, let's celebrate with champagne!

It's a pity that I play AD, and after ten years of playing AD, my favorite player is Uzi. To be honest, I really want to see Uzi win and lift the trophy.

Oh well, he'll definitely be photoshopped into the celebration if they win.

So, it's all good, and I can consider my dream fulfilled in a way.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end