“Those were all mistakes I made in the past. Are you really going to punish me for errors from long ago?” The Heaven-Opening Eye had grown brazen.
It and Feng Qingran were bound by a master-servant contract, so she would never actually harm it.
Feng Qingran released the Heaven-Opening Eye and said nothing more.
The Heaven-Opening Eye immediately shot up into the clouds and vanished from sight.
Feng Qingran’s vision gradually cleared, and the strength within her body began to recover.
She saw that only two steps remained. Her eyes were deep and resolute. She lifted her foot and climbed the last two levels.
Boom! —
A clap of thunder roared directly above Feng Qingran’s head.
In an instant, she was bathed in radiant, multicolored light that stretched for thousands of miles—dazzling and magnificent.
Cheers erupted from the Heavenly Staircase.
Down at the bottom.
Xiao Hongyu and the others let out sighs of relief, then their faces broke into joyful smiles.
“It’s been ten thousand years! Finally, someone has reached the summit of the Heavenly Staircase. Old Xiao, does this mean one of us can break through to the Unity realm?” Rong Zhuofan was overcome with emotion, tears streaming down his weathered face.
“Feng Qingran has truly earned my admiration,” Xiao Hongyu said with deep feeling.
The younger generation was truly remarkable!
Xiao Hongyu felt more shame than anything else. Back during the sect assembly, Feng Qingran had been eliminated entirely because of the rules he himself had set.
If time could be turned back, he would definitely have recruited her into the Heavenly Sword Sect and nurtured her properly.
“She reached the summit of the Heavenly Staircase, which means the Heavenly Sword Sect’s position as the number one sect is gone,” Baili Xuanqing reminded him coldly.
“Rankings no longer matter. The landscape has changed—strength decides everything now.” Xiao Hongyu’s dignified eyes shone with delight.
The crowd was overjoyed, all except Xiao Qingfeng, who was holding a transmission token and appeared to be sending a message.
[Yunhai, hahaha, someone from our province has reached the summit of the Ask-Heaven Staircase!]
Yunhai: [Old fool, you’re dreaming! We don’t even have a Heavenly Staircase here. How could someone from your place possibly reach the top?!]
Xiao Qingfeng: [Believe it or not, you’ve met this person before—Feng Qingran. Impressive, right? Are you jealous? Hahaha!]
Yunhai: [Her? How long did it take?]
Xiao Qingfeng: [Fifteen days, hahaha… Don’t rush. You’ll see the heavenly phenomenon of the summit soon enough. Our Qingyun Province is getting stronger again—tell me, aren’t you panicking?]
Yunhai: [Scram!]
After that, no matter what Xiao Qingfeng sent, Yunhai never replied.
Xiao Qingfeng put away the transmission token and composed his expression back to its usual coldness. Seeing everyone still discussing Feng Qingran, he snorted, “Hmph! Reaching the summit doesn’t determine future cultivation levels. Why are you all getting so worked up?”
Rong Zhuofan shot Xiao Qingfeng a glare, summoned Fat Tiger, and patted the beast’s head. “Fat Tiger, there’s a show-off here. Bite him!”
Fat Tiger shot out like an arrow.
Xiao Qingfeng saw the beast lunging at him and was terrified—he’d completely forgotten he had a contracted beast of his own. He turned and fled the scene.
——————
Purple clouds stretched for thousands of miles, and brilliant light filled the sky.
It enveloped every single person across the entire Nine Provinces.
Instantly, countless individuals felt as if they had received a sudden, profound enlightenment.
Some even advanced an entire cultivation level on the spot.
Numerous ancient Void Spirit cultivators who had been in seclusion for over a thousand years suddenly grasped a thread of the Heavenly Dao’s power. The barrier that had trapped them between the Void Spirit and Unity realms—the one they had never been able to perceive before—was now visible to them.
No longer were they fumbling in the dark like before.
The old monsters were overcome with excitement. A spark of life returned to their once-withered faces as they saw hope for a breakthrough.
Xiao Hongyu turned to Baili Xuanqing. “Sect Leader Baili, I’ll leave the rest of the competition to you. I need to go break through.”
With that, Xiao Hongyu vanished on the spot.
The crowd, initially stunned, now wore expressions of envy. Under the illumination, they too could glimpse many things—but none as clearly as Xiao Hongyu.
Apart from Xiao Hongyu, not a single one of the remaining sect leaders or clan heads left.
Baili Xuanqing said to Rong Zhuofan, “Sect Leader Rong, I’ll leave the second round to you.”
Rong Zhuofan did not decline. He recalled Fat Tiger and flew up onto the high platform in the square.
He looked first toward Feng Qingran in the crowd.
She stood tall in her light green robes, graceful and noble, like a peerless and solitary green lotus—unrivaled in elegance and bearing.
A woman like Feng Qingran, standing among the masses, shone brilliantly.
Rong Zhuofan couldn’t help but envy Ye Wentian. To have a disciple like her was truly a blessing cultivated over eight lifetimes.
They’d all gained so many benefits already, but what about Feng Qingran herself…
Wait.
Before climbing the Heavenly Staircase, wasn’t Feng Qingran only at the early Nascent Soul stage?
Why was she now at the mid Nascent Soul stage!?
Good heavens!
She really wasn’t leaving any room for the younger generation to breathe!
Rong Zhuofan couldn’t help but feel relieved that he was Feng Qingran’s elder. Otherwise, he would definitely be drowning in shame…
Rong Zhuofan cleared his throat, and the crowd beneath the square fell silent.
“Congratulations to all of you for passing the first round. The second round is the simplest—the Seven-Question Array.”
“This time, your opponent will still be yourselves.”
“Within the formation, you will experience seven trials, seven chances to battle against yourself. If you can defeat yourself at least five times, you pass.”
“The Seven-Question Array still eliminates those who lack firm conviction.”
After Rong Zhuofan finished explaining the rules, someone raised a doubt: “How many people will be selected for the second round?”
Rong Zhuofan stroked his bearded chin. “However many remain, that many will advance.”
A younger disciple spoke up: “If all one thousand of us remain, will we all move on to the third round together?”
Rong Zhuofan confirmed, “Of course.”
The disciples below immediately cheered. This meant that as long as they tried their best, they would all have a chance to make it to the final round.
Hidden beneath his beard, Rong Zhuofan’s lips curled into a sinister smile. What a bunch of naive juniors!
The Seven-Question Array was also known as the Seven-Kill Array.
In past years, out of a hundred participants, it was uncertain whether even one would pass.
Feng Qingran had never heard of the Seven-Question Array, but she had heard of the Seven-Kill Array from Mo Jinghong before.
