The jade staircase stretched upward like a luminous spine. Each step glowed with a soft, golden-yellow light. Against the ancient stone, Zhu Zhihao was now just a distant silhouette. Fei Yan released a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Tension bled from her shoulders as she watched the effortless initial ascent.
“Can you sense the direction of the treasures?” Su Kang asked inwardly.
Fate’s response was immediate. And unhelpful. “No. The blessings are scattered throughout the valley. I cannot pinpoint a specific location.”
Su Kang nodded. His gaze drifted back to the jade steps. “Even these stairs…” he murmured, his voice a low whisper. “They are certainly a high-level spiritual artifact.”
Fei Yan’s head snapped toward him. Her eyes narrowed. The polite warmth was gone, replaced by a cold intensity. A smile that didn’t reach her eyes touched her lips.
“Young Master Su is truly a man among men. To think of treasures even in this situation is admirable.” Her voice was like chilled silk.
Su Kang just laughed lightly. A soft, disarming sound. “Forgive this junior. It is my first time seeing such treasures.”
Finally, she turned her gaze back toward the staircase. Her posture was rigid once more.
Su Kang returned his attention to the climb. Zhu Zhihao had reached the halfway point. Her movements still appeared smooth. She moved as if the oppressive pressure was nothing but a gentle breeze. But minutes stretched into an hour. Then two. He began to notice subtle changes.
Her pace was slowing.
At the seventieth step, she paused. She stood completely still. Even from this distance, Su Kang could sense the invisible weight bearing down on her. Fei Yan saw it too. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides.
Another hour passed. Zhu Zhihao reached the eightieth step. The climb was no longer comfortable. At the eighty-ninth step, she paused again. Her body was a taut line of resistance.
The pressure must be immense, Su Kang thought. A knot of tension tightened in his gut. Even for a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Her foot settled on the ninety-first step. A visible ripple of golden light raced down the staircase like a shockwave. Fei Yan flinched. Su Kang held his breath. For nearly an hour, Zhu Zhihao stood motionless. Locked in a silent battle.
If this were a sect’s recruitment trial, Su Kang mused, how many could even reach the top? Most geniuses would collapse before the seventieth step. The truly gifted might push to the eightieth. To climb all ninety-nine steps, you would need to be a monster. Someone blessed by Heaven itself. Someone like Li Fang.
His gaze sharpened. At the ninety-second step, her body began to tremble.
”She’s slowing down,” Fei Yan said. Her voice was tight with worry.
Three more hours passed. By the time Zhu Zhihao reached the next step, her movements had become almost painful to watch. At the ninety-fifth, her knees buckled. She dropped.
Fei Yan gasped.
But after a long, tense moment, Zhu Zhihao pushed herself back to her feet. Her posture was no longer composed. Her shoulders hunched under the weight. Her body screamed exhaustion. She remained motionless for hours.
“If she falls,” he sent to Fate, a grim thought, “do we return empty-handed?” He wasn’t sure if the path ahead would be even more dangerous. I may have placed too much trust in Senior Zhu.
“We do not know yet,” Fate replied.
As if in response, Zhu Zhihao moved. Ninety-sixth step. Her entire body shook. Then the ninety-seventh.
A fierce respect stirred in Su Kang’s chest. He looked at that shaking back. It appeared so fragile in that moment. Yet he knew that back could carry storms without bending. This was the difference. This sheer, indomitable willpower was what separated the true powers from the rest.
The ninety-eighth step took another two hours. By the time she finally lifted her foot toward the ninety-ninth, the purple sky had dimmed. Twilight cast long, alien shadows across the valley.
Su Kang held his breath.
Fei Yan’s hands were clenched white in her sleeves.
Zhu Zhihao’s foot descended.
The moment it touched the final step, a shockwave of golden light exploded outward. It washed over the valley in a silent, brilliant wave. It was so bright that Su Kang had to shield his eyes. The ground beneath him trembled.
Then, the light faded.
At the top of the staircase, Zhu Zhihao stood. She swayed once. Then she steadied herself, taking a moment to catch her breath.
Fei Yan let out a shuddering breath of relief. “As expected of Lady Zhu…”
Zhu Zhihao turned to face them. A small, dark figure against the fading sky. Her face was pale, a clear sign of exhaustion. She raised one hand in a clear, unmistakable gesture.
Wait. Do not climb.
Then she turned. She disappeared.
Silence descended. Heavy and absolute. The staircase’s glow dimmed slightly, as if resting.
”So,” Su Kang said quietly into the stillness. “We wait.”
Fei Yan nodded. Her composure returned. “Yes. Until Lady Zhu signals us.” She sighed, a trace of frustration crossing her face. She moved to sit on a nearby stone.
Su Kang found his own seat a respectful distance away. A small smile touched his lips. She climbed it in a single day. I cannot wait to try it myself. He closed his eyes. He began to cycle his Qi, settling in for what he suspected would be a long wait.
The second day broke with a low, deep hum.
It emanated from the jade staircase. A vibration they felt in their bones. The ground beneath their feet trembled. Small pebbles skittered down the nearby slopes, clattering against the stone like falling rain.
Fei Yan was on her feet in an instant. Her eyes were wide. She darted her gaze from the shaking earth to the luminous peak.
”What is happening?” she whispered. Her voice was tight. Did Lady Zhu get into trouble?
Su Kang stood slowly. His gaze was fixed on the summit. His mind raced through possibilities. I hope she isn’t in serious danger.
Fei Yan sent her consciousness into the ring given by Zhu Zhihao. She focused on the soul lamp. It burned steadily. Without a single fluctuation.
She is fine, she realized. Her heart calmed. She let out a long, shaky breath. “Lady Zhu is safe.”
Su Kang nodded. He moved to sit back down.
”You do not need to remain, Young Master Su.”
He paused. He looked up at her.
Fei Yan met his gaze. Her expression was unreadable. “I have means to send you out safely. You can leave now.”
It was a generous offer. A rational cultivator would take it. But Su Kang knew that leaving now would destroy the fragile trust he was building. It would cost him his alliance.
He shook his head slowly. “I cannot leave. I was the one who invited Lady Zhu here,” he said, his voice firm. “To run away at the first sign of trouble… that would be against my path.” He looked at the shaking mountain. “I will wait with you.”
Fei Yan looked at him deeply. A flicker of surprise passed through her eyes. She had judged him as an opportunist. But perhaps there was steel in his spine after all.
She nodded once. Then she sat back down on her stone.
Another day passed. The trembling only increased. The spiritual energy in the valley grew chaotic. It swirled like an unseen, angry storm.
Then, a new force descended from the peak.
The air thickened with the tang of ancient slaughter. The echo of a battle fought to its final breath. It felt like an ocean of pure bloodlust crashing over them. Their hearts pounded with a primal, involuntary fear.
Su Kang gasped. His chest tightened. He struggled to breathe. It was as if an invisible hand were squeezing his throat. The spiritual energy in his body, usually fast and light, turned heavy. It flowed through his meridians like mud.
Beside him, Fei Yan stumbled. Her face was paper-white. She clutched her chest. Her eyes were wide with terror. It attacked her mind. It felt like a thousand screaming voices trying to drill into her skull. Seeking to drown her sanity in terror.
They reacted instantly. They withdrew their spiritual consciousness. Their soul force forming a barrier around their Sea of Consciousness to form a protective shell. The bloodlust battered against this barrier like storm waves against a cliff.
”This bloodlust… someone is there,” she whispered. Her voice trembled.
She checked the soul lamp again. The small flame was still steady.
”Is she fighting someone?” she asked, panic rising. “Or is it something else?”
They did not know.
Just in case, they prepared for battle. They stood back. Watching the empty staircase.
Fei Yan took out an old, yellowed scroll with her free hand. Space energy hummed faintly around it. It was a Void-Breaking Scroll.
If something too powerful descends, she decided, glancing at Su Kang, I have no other option. She would grab him and escape.
They stared at the jade staircase. The dust swirled around them. The terrible bloodlust pressed down. Chilling their skin. Freezing their blood. They waited for a figure to appear.
Minutes dragged into hours.
But the stairs remained empty. No one came down. The bloodlust remained. It hung in the air like a curse, but the enemy remained unseen.
”What is happening?” Su Kang asked. His gaze never left the peak.
”I think that thing is fighting Lady Zhu,” Fei Yan suggested grimly. “Otherwise it doesn’t need to fear us.”
The bloodlust was strong enough to reduce their fighting capabilities. Whatever was up there was incredibly powerful.
They remained ready, just in case. Fei Yan constantly watched the soul lamp, monitoring the small flame with the yellow scroll in her hand.
By the next day, their faces were pale and drawn. The constant defense against the bloodlust was taking a heavy toll. It was draining their soul force at a terrifying rate. Their minds felt heavy and sluggish. Like candle flames flickering in a strong wind.
”Senior Fei,” Su Kang said, his voice tight with strain. “We need to do something.”
