"Hahaha, so this is 'real strength'? Nothing special!"
"Exactly! He was just mocking others as worthless ants, and now he's fallen down in a sorry state, just like everyone else. It's a complete slap in the face, utterly ridiculous!"
"Hmph, arrogant and conceited, with a restless mind. He dares to say he can reach higher levels? I don't think he even deserves to climb two hundred floors. Purely just trying to attract attention!"
"I thought he was so amazing!"
The mocking voices rose and fell, like needles piercing Lin Hao's heart.
Lin Hao struggled to get up, but his whole body was in excruciating pain, completely unable to move. He could only slump to the ground, his face alternating between pale and ashen, looking extremely unpleasant.
He lowered his head, his eyes filled with shame, anger, and resentment, yet he was powerless to refute them.
Lin Hao had originally thought he could easily climb four hundred floors, but he was bounced back before even reaching two hundred.
Jiang Lijuan took a deep breath; she also decided to see the strength of this Heavenly Ladder.
Jiang Lijuan moved swiftly, her steps light and graceful, like a gentle breeze, slowly stepping into the entrance of the Heavenly Ladder.
Following closely behind Jiang Lijuan, Li Hu and Chen Erniu also moved simultaneously.
The three of them rushed into the Heavenly Ladder together.
Like three black lightning bolts, their speed was astonishing, rushing straight into the entrance of the Heavenly Ladder. Their speed far surpassed that of all the cultivators who had previously ascended the ladder.
On the Heavenly Ladder, Jiang Lijuan, Li Hu, and Chen Erniu rapidly ascended, their steps steady, their spiritual energy flowing freely, easily resisting the pressure of the Heavenly Dao above them. Their speed far exceeded that of Lin Hao earlier.
In just a short while, all three of them broke through two hundred levels, surpassing the level where Lin Hao had previously failed. Their figures grew smaller and smaller, gradually disappearing into the radiant glow of the Heavenly Ladder.
Jiang Lijuan's talent and strength were already considerable. She climbed steadily, her spiritual energy abundant and stable, firmly resisting the ever-increasing pressure of the Heavenly Dao. She quickly reached the three hundredth step.
Standing on the three hundredth step, she paused slightly, her expression grave as she felt the increasingly powerful pressure around her. Just as she was about to continue climbing, she inadvertently looked up and saw two figures far surpassing her above her. A flash of astonishment crossed her eyes.
Li Hu had already climbed to the four hundredth step;
Chen Erniu, even more so, had far surpassed Li Hu, standing firmly on the five hundred and fiftyth step, his aura powerful, calmly gazing at the still towering stairs above.
Jiang Lijuan was filled with shock. Her lips moved slightly, and the astonishment in her eyes was difficult to conceal.
She had always believed her talent and strength were among the best of her peers, but now she discovered that there were others whose talent far surpassed hers.
Especially the person standing on the 550th floor—they were ridiculously powerful.
She had only reached the 300th floor and was already struggling to climb.
But that person reached the 550th floor with ease.
At this moment, a hint of resentment and surprise flashed in Li Hu's eyes.
He had always thought that among his peers, only Hu Nan's strength and talent might surpass his own, but he never imagined that there would be such a mysterious person whose strength was so formidable, far exceeding his own.
Li Hu recognized Hu Nan's aura; the person on the 550th floor couldn't possibly be Hu Nan.
Chen Erniu, stopped on the 550th floor, slowly raised his head, gazing at the golden light hidden in the clouds at the top of the Heavenly Ladder. There was no smugness in his eyes; instead, he shook his head slightly, his expression calm and clear-headed.
He could clearly feel the oppressive force surrounding him had reached its peak. Climbing any higher, even he would find it difficult to sustain. His spiritual energy was rapidly depleting, and his blood and qi were churning.
Chen Erniu knew that with his current strength, he could only reach the 600th floor at most. To continue upwards and seize the token, he was far from sufficient. He needed to return and diligently cultivate, improving his cultivation and strength.
Or perhaps he could obtain a treasure to resist the oppressive force, only then would he have a chance to attempt to reach higher levels.
"Who is that man in black?"
"Probably a prodigy from a major sect!"
"How did he reach the 550th floor so easily!"
"This person probably holds the record for the highest number of floors reached this year!"
"550 floors, truly impressive!"
Seeing Chen Erniu reach the 550th floor, many disciples were astonished.
Some even speculated about Chen Erniu's identity.
Hearing the crowd's discussions, Qin Changsheng also stood up. He knew his time to ascend the Heavenly Ladder had arrived.
Because most people were focused on Chen Erniu, Li Hu, and the others, no one noticed him entering the Heavenly Ladder.
The moment he stepped into the entrance of the Heavenly Ladder, a powerful pressure swept over him, but Qin Changsheng remained calm and his steps did not falter.
The golden aura passively triggered, instantly reducing the Heavenly Dao's pressure by ninety percent. Combined with the Azure Cloud Pendant he wore close to his body, which offered an additional six percent resistance, the combined power rendered the formidable pressure of the Heavenly Ladder feel like a gentle breeze to him, utterly without any sense of oppression.
Qin Changsheng moved with astonishing speed, far surpassing all the cultivators who had previously ascended the ladder, even exceeding the speed of Li Hu and Chen Erniu.
His steps were light, his spiritual energy flowing freely. He didn't need to consciously expend spiritual energy to resist the pressure, climbing upwards like a black lightning bolt, swiftly traversing the Heavenly Ladder. In the blink of an eye, he had climbed dozens of floors, easily surpassing the two hundred floors where Lin Hao had previously failed.
On the 300th floor, Jiang Lijuan was meditating with her eyes closed when she suddenly heard a slight gust of wind. She abruptly opened her eyes and instinctively looked up, only to see a black figure flash past her as if teleporting. The speed was so fast that she didn't even have time to see the figure clearly, only feeling a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy as it flew past her.
Jiang Lijuan froze on the spot, her eyes filled with bewilderment and disbelief. Her mouth gaped open, unable to utter a word for a long time.
"How...how is this possible?" Jiang Lijuan murmured, her eyes filled with shock.
She had originally thought that only two people had higher talent than her.
But she never expected that there was another person whose talent surpassed her by such a large margin.
At this moment, Qin Changsheng had already passed through the 300th floor and was rapidly climbing towards the 400th floor. In just a short while, he arrived at the 400th floor where Li Hu was.
Li Hu, filled with resentment, stared at Chen Erniu above him, secretly resolving to cultivate diligently and surpass him. Suddenly, a rapid whooshing sound reached his ears. He abruptly turned his head and saw a black figure rush past him, its expression calm, not even glancing at him, as if he were merely a speck of dust on the Heavenly Ladder.
Li Hu froze instantly, his resentment replaced by bewilderment and disbelief.
He abruptly stood up, staring intently at the rapidly ascending black figure, his eyes filled with disbelief.
He was the young master of the Blood Demon Sect, exceptionally talented from a young age, with profound cultivation. He had always been a leader among his peers. He even thought that only Hu Nan might barely surpass him. Yet this mysterious black-clad masked man had so easily surpassed him, without even a pause, as if his four hundredth floor was merely an insignificant starting point.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Li Hu's eyes were filled with frantic resentment and jealousy.
Qin Changsheng paid no heed to Jiang Lijuan's astonishment or Li Hu's resentment behind him. He maintained his rapid ascent, climbing the Heavenly Ladder with increasing pressure, yet it had no effect on him whatsoever.
His steps remained steady, his speed swift. In the blink of an eye, he had surpassed five hundred floors and was rushing towards the five hundred and fiftieth floor where Chen Erniu was. His figure grew ever more distant yet ever more dazzling amidst the radiant glow of the sky.
Even Wen Xuanli noticed Qin Changsheng within the Heavenly Ladder.
The cultivators in the arena were stunned by this scene, their discussions erupting in disbelief:
"My god! Who is this masked man in black? He's too powerful!"
"He passed five hundred floors so easily?"
"What kind of talent does that require?"
Chen Erniu, on the five hundred and fiftieth floor, also sensed the commotion below. He slowly opened his eyes and looked down.
He was utterly astonished when he saw someone ascend the 500th floor.
After all, he had specifically cultivated a body-refining technique for this Heavenly Ladder, barely managing to reach the 550th floor.
But this mysterious man in black before him had arrived at the 550th floor without any protection.
At the same time, Qin Changsheng's speed remained as swift as black lightning, instantly surpassing the 550th floor and rushing towards even higher steps.
Just then, Chen Erniu finally spoke, his voice deep and steady, piercing through the radiant light and reaching Qin Changsheng's ears: "Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment."