"Y-You..."
Elder Hao trembled all over with rage and fear, unable to utter another word.
The disciples of Cloud Mist Sect fell deathly silent, not daring to make a sound.
Even the stupidest among them could see now—the bald man was undoubtedly a powerful expert hiding his strength.
If Senior Brother Yun, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, had been crushed like a chick, they had no chance against this man.
"Let's go!"
Jiang Ling had no patience for these cowards. He called out, and with his nine new disciples in tow, strode grandly through the crowd and out of Blackstone City—leaving a trail of stunned, terrified gazes behind them.
...
Before the mountain gate of Primordial Beginning Sect, a hundred white jade steps glowed with a faint spiritual light, exuding a gentle yet palpable pressure.
The new disciples, Ye Qingshuang included, all looked uneasy.
They'd heard other sects tested their disciples in all manner of ways—surely these steps held some hidden mystery?
If they couldn't climb them, would they be turned away from the sect entirely?
Jiang Ling stood with his hands behind his back, his voice calm: "This is the Jade Capital Heavenly Stairway. All who enter my Primordial Beginning Sect must tread these steps to prove their resolve and test their potential. Climb sixty steps, and you shall be outer disciples. Seventy, ordinary disciples. Eighty, inner disciples. And those who climb ninety steps or more..."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, "shall become my personal direct disciples! Go—do your best. Sincerity shall clear the path to the Dao."
His words ignited a spark of hope in the previously anxious disciples' eyes.
These steps weren't a barrier—they were a path to rank!
They, the rejects spurned by every other sect, had a chance to become direct disciples here?
Still, the stairs looked far from easy to climb.
The disciples exchanged nervous glances, none daring to take the first step.
Hua Yuntian stood to the side, watching his ragged new fellow disciples, a sneer of unbridled contempt curling his lips.
If these lot could even climb sixty steps, it'd be a miracle.
He could already picture their pathetic attempts, their clumsy falls down the stairs—and the thought let him vent some of his pent-up frustration.
Jiang Ling's brows furrowed, ready to urge them on—when Ye Qingshuang stepped forward from the crowd, her steps steady as she walked toward the hundred jade steps.
Click.
She planted her foot firmly on the first step.
The crowd fell silent, all eyes fixed on Ye Qingshuang, curious to see if she could conquer the hundred steps.
Jiang Ling nodded to himself.
Regardless of her talent, this courage alone made her stand out from the rest.
One step, two steps, three steps...
Ye Qingshuang did not pause, walking as if on flat ground, no hint of struggle in her movements.
Ten steps, twenty steps, thirty steps...
Her small figure looked tiny against the hundred zhang jade stairs, yet there was an unyielding resolve in her stride, a lone courage that pressed forward without hesitation.
"Forty steps! She doesn't even look tired?!" A gaunt middle-aged refugee disciple exclaimed in shock.
"Fifty steps! She's still going!" Another younger disciple's eyes shone with envy and hope.
"Look! Sixty steps! She crossed it!"
A low murmur of amazement rippled through the crowd, their faces alight with excitement.
This meant Ye Qingshuang, the seemingly weakest among them, would at the very least be an outer disciple!
Hua Yuntian's expression darkened slightly.
Sixty steps, so easily? How could a little girl with no trace of a spirit root climb so smoothly?
Were these damn stairs just for show?
Ye Qingshuang did not stop.
After crossing the sixtieth step, she felt a faint warmth spread through her body, her limbs growing lighter.
She remembered Jiang Ling's words: Sincerity brings enlightenment; the Dao follows nature.
Become strong. Find my brother.
That was her only obsession.
The thought sustained her numbed body, driving her to climb higher.
Seventy steps... eighty steps...
Here, a tangible resistance rose from the stairs, as if she were wading through shallow mud.
Ye Qingshuang's breath grew ragged, fine beads of sweat breaking out on her forehead, her small face flushing red with effort.
But her grip on the cloth doll tightened, the cold stubbornness in her eyes hardening into something solid.
"E-Eighty steps! Inner disciple!"
The disciples' voices shook with excitement, their gazes toward Ye Qingshuang filled with awe.
This wasn't just a little girl—this was a true phoenix among them!
Hua Yuntian's sneer vanished entirely, his face turning livid.
Eighty steps?
How was this possible?
He stared at her tiny figure, as if trying to bore a hole through her, to find some hidden secret.
Did this girl have a latent physique he'd missed?
Or was this Jade Capital Heavenly Stairway really just a useless ornament?
For the first time, the judgment of a former Tribulation Transcending powerhouse wavered.
Jincancan's feather-preening stilled too, its small head tilting to the side. For the first time, a glint of genuine scrutiny flashed in its glazed golden eyes.
This Third Junior Sister... was interesting.
"If she can climb eighty steps, I can too!"
"Can't let a little girl outdo us! C'mon, let's go!"
Watching Ye Qingshuang's seemingly effortless climb, the other disciples finally found their courage, stepping onto the stairs one after another.
Ye Qingshuang stood on the eightieth step, gasping for breath.
The final twenty steps held a resistance that spiked sharply, as if countless invisible hands were pulling at her, shoving her down.
She felt her bones aching, screaming in protest.
"Brother..."
She bowed her head to the tattered cloth doll in her arms, as if the faded fabric still held the warmth of her brother's touch.
Beneath the empty, lifeless haze in her eyes, a tiny yet fiercely stubborn flame ignited.
"Ah!"
A short, stifled roar tore from her throat. She summoned all her strength, scrambling upward on hands and knees!
Eighty-five!
Ninety!
When Ye Qingshuang's small body finally crashed down onto the ninetieth jade step, a soft yet surging force flooded her limbs and bones in an instant, banishing all weariness and heaviness.
A faint light flickered at the top of the Jade Capital Stairway, as if welcoming its new core disciple.
"N-Ninety steps?!!"
The refugee disciples stared in dumbfounded shock.
A personal direct disciple of the Sect Master!
Among them—the rejects, the outcasts—there was a direct disciple of the Sect Master!
Jiang Ling's face remained calm, but his hands behind his back clenched tightly in excitement.
Ninety steps meant another direct disciple!
This was an unexpected joy!
He fought to hold back his elation, terrified a careless laugh would ruin his imposing image.
Hua Yuntian stood frozen, as if struck by lightning.
A direct disciple?
A mere mortal body, standing on equal ground with him?
His cheeks burned with shame, a hundred times worse than the mockery he'd endured in Blackstone City!
An indescribable sense of frustration and absurdity washed over him, threatening to shake his Dao heart once more.
This Primordial Beginning Sect, this Jade Capital Heavenly Stairway, this little girl—all of them were utterly unnatural!
Even the Scarlet Sun Demon Sage was drawn to the scene, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes.
This little girl's willpower... was something special.
After a brief rest on the ninetieth step, Ye Qingshuang did not choose to stop.
She kept climbing.