The long-awaited moment finally arrived.
On this day, the eternal starlight above Tian Shu City seemed even more brilliant and dazzling, a solemn and majestic atmosphere enveloping the entire city. Countless streaks of flowing light rose from every corner of the city, like hundreds of rivers returning to the sea, converging toward the direction of Star Oracle Hall.
Tang Xiaoqi and Zhao Tiezhu also early left Bing Character Seventy-Six cave dwelling. Zhao Tiezhu could not enter the core area to watch, and could only stay at the cave dwelling or go to the outer plaza to watch through light screens. He repeatedly instructed his senior to be careful, watching Tang Xiaoqi turn into a cyan rainbow, merging into that sky full of flowing light.
Before Star Oracle Hall, that huge white jade plaza was now packed with people. Nearly ten thousand young geniuses who passed the first round of registration stood according to their number plate divisions, a dark mass, silent as crows. An invisible aura mixed with tension, excitement, confidence, and gravity permeated and collided in the air, almost condensing into substance.
Around the plaza, countless viewing platforms floated, upon which sat elders, renowned masters from various forces, and important figures in Tian Shu City. Even larger light screens floated in the air, real-time projecting the scene at the center of the plaza, for millions of cultivators who could not be present in person to watch.
Tang Xiaoqi followed the guidance and found his designated area, standing calmly. His gaze swept over those faces around him, either excited, grave, or meditating with closed eyes. Being able to come here, none were not outstanding among their peers. He even saw many familiar figures, such as Blazing Sun Sect's Yan Feng, standing not far away with a sinister look, occasionally casting a gaze toward him filled with undisguised hatred; he also saw that Xuanji Holy Land's Mu Xue, standing alone in a relatively empty spot, her moon-white Daoist robe spotless, her cold eyes looking toward the center of the plaza, as if all the surrounding noise had nothing to do with her.
Just then, Star Oracle Hall's huge palace doors slowly opened, a vast, ancient, majestic aura permeating from within. Three figures slowly walked out from within, standing in mid-air, suspended above the plaza.
The one in the center was an old man wearing a stellar Daoist robe, with an ancient face and eyes deep as the starry sky. He did not deliberately radiate pressure, but just by standing there, he seemed to become the center of heaven and earth, even the surrounding light seemed to slightly bend toward him. Tang Xiaoqi's heart was stirred; this old man's cultivation absolutely far exceeded Spirit Transformation, probably a legendary Void Refinement or even Unity stage great power!
On either side of the old man stood a middle-aged cultivator with a profoundly deep aura, also with unfathomably high cultivation.
The entire plaza instantly fell completely silent, so quiet a pin drop could be heard. Everyone's gaze focused on that stellar Daoist robe old man.
The old man's gaze calmly swept over the nearly ten thousand young geniuses below, his voice not high, yet clearly transmitted to everyone's soul depths, carrying an irresistible authority:
"This old man is Star Oracle Hall Vice Hall Master, Xuan Xingzi. Today, the Wan Xiang Wen Dao Assembly officially begins!"
No lengthy speeches, no tedious ceremonies, straight to the point.
"First round, Ascending the Heavenly Stairs!"
As his words fell, Xuan Xingzi swept his sleeve, a brilliant starlight flew from his sleeve, growing upon meeting the wind, instantly transforming into an enormously huge stone step ancient path entirely built from some unknown blue-gray giant stone and radiating primeval ancient aura, loudly descending in the center of the plaza!
This stone step ancient path was a thousand zhang wide; looking at it, the steps were layered upon layered, straight into that eternal starry sky above, the end simply not visible! The surface of the steps was covered with traces of time and blurry ancient runes, a heavy, majestic, vast pressure as if originating from when heaven and earth first opened like a tide permeating from the steps, shrouding the entire plaza!
Under this pressure, all ten thousand geniuses felt their hearts shake; those with slightly weaker cultivation even showed slightly pale faces.
"This is a treasure left from ancient times, the projection of 'Ancient Path to Heaven,' totaling nine hundred ninety-nine steps!" Xuan Xingzi's voice once again rang out like a grand bell, striking everyone's heart, "Ascending the Heavenly Stairs asks not of origin, relies not on external objects, only tests your will, potential, and Dao-heart!"
"Those who reach the top advance! Those who fall, give up, or sink into illusions are eliminated!"
"Now, begin!"
"Boom!"
Without any buffer, the moment the word "begin" fell, nearly ten thousand geniuses like a breached flood, or like moths flying into fire, turned into streaks of escaping light of various colors, scrambling to rush toward that giant stone step that seemed to connect heaven and earth!
Rushing at the very front were naturally those with extreme confidence in their own strength, or from major forces with early preparation, heaven's favored children.
Central Plains Ninth Prince's body transformed into a purple dragon qi, taking the lead, directly stepping onto the first step, his speed not decreasing at all, rushing upward!
Ice Plain Immortal Palace Holy Maiden grew ice lotuses beneath her feet, lotuses blooming with each step, her figure elusive, speed extremely fast!
Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect Buddha Son was shrouded in Buddhist light, with each step falling, a golden swastika Buddha seal faintly flashing on the stone step beneath his feet, his pace steady as a mountain!
Shadow Abyss Sea Ghost Noble transformed into a barely visible black smoke, strangely sliding along the stone step surface...
Blazing Sun Sect's Yan Feng was surrounded by rising flames, roaring as he rushed upward...
Xuanji Holy Land's Mu Xue was unhurried, her moon-white Daoist robe fluttering, like treading on waves, seemingly not fast, yet instantly crossed dozens of steps, her posture elegant and unhurried.
Tang Xiaoqi did not rush to be at the very front. He blended into the crowd, also stepping onto the first step.
The instant his foot sole fell, a heavy pressure surged from all directions, acting on his physical body, spiritual power, and spiritual sense! This pressure was not pure weight, but more like a rejection and test originating from the origin of heaven and earth!
The pressure of the first step, for these geniuses, could almost be ignored. Everyone's speed was extremely fast; in the blink of an eye, they had rushed up the first hundred steps.
However, as the step number increased, that pressure began to grow geometrically!
By the three hundredth step, the pressure had already become quite considerable. Many Foundation Establishment cultivators began to feel strained, their speed obviously slowing, sweat appearing on their foreheads, every step requiring considerable effort. Some even had already fallen from the steps because they could not withstand the pressure, or their minds were lost, screaming as they rolled down, directly sent out of the plaza by a gentle yet irresistible force, eliminated!
Tang Xiaoqi still maintained an even speed. His physical body had been tempered through "Vajra Subduing Demons Divine Power" and multiple opportunities, incomparably strong; his spiritual power had the Green Lotus Origin supporting it, pure and vast; his spiritual sense even more had been tempered through trials, exceptionally tough. The pressure of these first three hundred steps was still within his tolerance range.
He calmly observed ahead. The first echelon had already rushed above the five hundredth step, their speed still amazing, differences between each other beginning to show. Central Plains Ninth Prince, Ice Plain Holy Maiden, Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect Buddha Son and others were far ahead.
And when he stepped onto the four hundredth step, a sudden change occurred!
The surrounding scene instantly blurred and distorted! He seemed to suddenly detach from the stone steps, placed in a sea of flames burning to the sky! Familiar scenes - Xu Lan Manor was burning, demon shadows in profusion, screams endlessly ringing! That was a fragment of memory buried deep in his heart about the night of extermination forming an illusion!
"Hmph!" Tang Xiaoqi coldly snorted, his Dao-heart clear as a mirror, long no longer that helpless child of those years. His eyes sharp, ignoring those flames burning his body and roaring demon shadows, his steps did not pause in the slightest, firmly stepping forward!
"Crack!" The illusion shattered like glass, he still stood steadily on the four hundred first step. This was just the first "Heart-Questioning Illusion Realm"; for those with firm Dao-hearts, the effect was not great.
But not everyone could be so relaxed. Not far to the side, a cultivator suddenly screamed in terror, waving his hands wildly as if fending off some invisible attack, then his spiritual power in chaos, spitting a mouthful of blood, directly falling from the stone steps, eliminated!
The higher up, the greater the pressure, and the more frequent and real the illusions became.
Some illusions evoked the deepest desires in one's heart, power, beauty, longevity... making people sink; some illusions amplified inner fears, failure, death, loneliness... making people collapse; some illusions created scenes of close relatives and friends dying tragically, testing people's emotions and reason...
On the stone steps, people constantly had their speed drastically decrease, faces showing struggle; some screamed in pain; some wept, stopping in place; even more had their Dao-hearts lost, going mad, attacking cultivators beside them (though attacks would be blocked by the stone steps' power, the person themselves would be immediately judged eliminated and sent out).
This was a true trial path, testing not only cultivation, but even more the toughness of will and purity of Dao-heart!
Tang Xiaoqi's gaze was firm, his pace steady. Though the pressure was great, it made the Green Lotus Origin within him circulate even more actively, his spiritual power instead becoming more condensed under extreme pressure. Though the illusions were harsh, they could not shake his Guardian Dao that had been clarified through life and death.
He step by step, continuously upward, his speed always maintained in the middle position of the first echelon, neither rushing forward nor falling behind.
His gaze had already looked past those figures ahead struggling to climb, cast toward that hidden in the depths of the starry sky, seemingly endless Heavenly Stairs summit!
The path to heaven began beneath one's feet. This first pass, he was determined to traverse!