Born with immortal seed

Chapter 82 Asking the Heart Heavenly Ranks
Law Enforcement Hall.

Unlike the other halls, this one is entirely black, giving it a solemn and dignified feel.

The hall was eerily oppressive, like a crouching, gigantic monster ready to devour anyone who entered.

The Enforcement Hall internally oversees all illegal activities by sect disciples and externally prohibits Black Mountain cultivators from overstepping their bounds.

Six patrol teams were set up in the hall, each led by a Foundation Establishment Elder, and the members were all outstanding fighters.

Among the five halls of Qingfeng Sect, the Law Enforcement Hall holds the most power and is the most revered.

The position of sect leader is almost always filled by someone from the Law Enforcement Hall.

It wasn't until this year that Wei Dao emerged out of nowhere, breaking this tradition and winning the battle for the sect leader position, thus taking the seat of the Qingfeng Sect leader.

On the high platform of the side hall, three Foundation Establishment cultivators looked at the water mirror in front of them, which showed a hundred steps. Two sect disciples stood with their hands tied at the bottom.

"Palace Master, there's no need for you to make such a fuss. Just leave it to us. The Path of Inquiry rarely dismisses disciples; it's just a formality."

Ma Ming followed behind an elderly man, bending slightly forward.

The old man was tall with thick eyebrows and broad eyes. His face was very stern, and even when he smiled, he exuded a faint sense of intimidation.

“True disciples are crucial to the future of the sect. I had already suggested at the elders’ meeting that future resources should be allocated based on the number of steps taken on the Path of Inquiry, but unfortunately the sect leader rejected it.”

Liang Yu, the Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall, is a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator and a disciple of the Core Formation Ancestor, Master Yang.

During the election for the position of leader of the Qingfeng Sect, Liang Yu was the most popular candidate and received a lot of attention.

But at the last moment, Elder Ge, who rarely spoke or cared about worldly affairs, suddenly took a liking to Weidao, while Elder Yang remained noncommittal.

Liang Yu, who originally held a dominant position in the Elders' Council, lost to Wei Dao, who was far less experienced than him.

But in terms of power, he is still one of the top figures in the sect.

However, in recent years, as Elder Yang's lifespan has come to an end and the authority of the sect leader has grown stronger day by day, their lineage has felt a sense of being adrift in the storm.

Ma Ming looked embarrassed. He had walked more than twenty steps on the Path of Inquiry, so his performance in this challenge was not outstanding.

Another elder immediately chimed in, "Senior Brother's foresight is unmatched. If Senior Brother were sitting in that position, the sect would surely prosper even more..."

"Don't mention that again! Wei Dao has managed the sect well over the years, and his achievements are obvious to all. I am not as good as him in this respect."

Having been in charge of law enforcement for decades, Liang Yu now adopted a stern expression, exuding authority without anger.

“Junior Brother Zhang, I’ve advised you many times to broaden your horizons. What good does clinging to power and fighting for it do for your cultivation?”

Seeing that Junior Brother Zhang had white hair and an obvious aura of aging, and that he was only a few years younger than himself but had only reached the early stage of Foundation Establishment, Liang Yu couldn't bear to say anything more and pointed at the water mirror.

"The second trial begins."

The hundred steps in the water mirror shone brightly at the same time, with stars shining down from above, forming a closed space.

A mid-grade magic weapon, the Heavenly Ladder of Inquiry.

"Junior Brother Bai, I'll go ahead first. You can take your time studying it!"

Xiong Baishan winked at Bai Zichen, laughed arrogantly twice, and strode up the first step.

Bai Zichen had inquired and learned that the Heavenly Ladder of Inquiry was a magical artifact passed down through generations of the Law Enforcement Hall. It could illuminate the mind and body, purify the spiritual platform, and determine a cultivator's character by the steps they took on the ladder.

Once you take ten steps, you've passed the second hurdle.

Since the True Transmission Trials began, very few disciples have been eliminated by the Heavenly Ladder of Inquiry.

Bai Zichen believed that his desire to pursue the Dao was no less than anyone else's. Seeing that Xiong Baishan had already taken seven or eight steps, he resolutely took his first step.

A heavy weight pressed down on my shoulders, and my legs felt as heavy as lead. With each step I took, I felt tired and weak. After walking a few steps, I even felt a tearing pain in my muscles.

Only staying still can alleviate the pain; taking a step forward is worse than death.

Bai Zichen gritted his teeth, sweat streaming down his forehead. It turned out that the first test was a physical one.

If even this superficial pain is unbearable, then there is no need to continue climbing the Heavenly Staircase of Inquiry.

Stepping up another step, a dazzling array of delicacies, luxurious mansions and palaces, beautiful concubines and servants flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern. He became a prince of a country, born into a position of high status, living a life of extravagance with fine clothes, spirited horses, and a life of wine and meat.

Whatever rare treasures or exotic beauties you desire, they will be delivered to your bedchamber the very next day.

"How can such trivial things compete with immortality? You are underestimating people."

Bai Zichen watched coldly, like a passerby, as the surrounding scenery shattered like glass, dissipating into fragments, and then took a few more steps upwards.

The scene changed, and ordinary relatives and friends from the clan came up and grabbed his hands, inviting him to come home for a gathering.

Bai Ling wore a semi-transparent gauze dress, her cheeks glowing like bright pearls, and her eyes, like clear springs, rippled with springtime charm, adding to her allure. She murmured "Brother Chen" and waved to him.

Bai Zichen ignored him, only pausing and letting out a long sigh as he passed by his uncle Bai Jiu'an.

When I opened my eyes again, I was already at level 30.

Xiong Baishan, who had originally set off first, was now a step behind, his expression shifting as he hesitated on the twenty-seventh step of the Heavenly Staircase.

Bai Zichen looked up and saw that there were still seventy levels to go before reaching the top of the Heavenly Steps of Inquiry. The last few levels seemed to have merged into the starlight and were out of reach.

"The trial is over. Let's see how many levels we can reach... I heard that the highest record in the last hundred years was the fifty-fifth level of the Heavenly Rank achieved by the sect leader, Weidao."

I composed myself and stood on level thirty-one.

The world turned upside down, and decades passed. Bai Zichen was now over sixty years old.

Because he was seriously injured in the war to open up new territory in the sect, it took him more than ten years to recuperate. His foundation was damaged, and it took him several times longer to reach the Great Perfection of Qi Refining.

At the age of forty, he collected enough contribution points to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill to attempt the Foundation Establishment stage. However, he failed at the first physical stage because he had a hidden injury inside his body. The injury erupted at the crucial moment, causing him to stop at the first stage.

His cultivation level regressed by two realms, returning him to the eighth level of Qi Refining.

But he was not discouraged. He cultivated diligently for ten years and once again achieved the Qi Refining Perfection. This time, he only had one Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object to assist him, but due to insufficient magical power and the incomplete clearing of the poison, he failed again.

This time, the backlash from the failed Foundation Establishment was even more severe, almost costing him his life.

After emerging from the secret chamber, he had silver hair, wrinkled skin, and looked twenty years older in an instant, with his cultivation level reduced to only the sixth level of Qi Refining.

This time, the retraining took a full fifteen years. At the age of sixty-five, Bai Zichen reached the Great Perfection of Qi Refining for the third time.

"Senior Brother Bai, forget it. How could you possibly achieve Foundation Establishment at your age? If you fail, you'll die instantly!"

"Yes, Senior Brother Bai, why don't you resign from the sect and return to your family to marry a few wives and concubines and have children? With your Qi Refining Perfection cultivation, you still have several decades of good days ahead of you."

At the age of sixty-five, having failed twice in his foundation-building endeavors, his vital energy and blood are depleted, and his magical power is declining...

Everything suggests that forcibly building a foundation again will only lead to certain death.

"On the road of life, things can never be exactly as one wishes, but one should strive to have a clear conscience."

Bai Zichen refused his fellow disciples' well-intentioned advice and entered the secret chamber to enter seclusion without any Foundation Establishment Pills or Foundation Establishment Spiritual Objects.

A month later, a towering vortex of spiritual energy formed, and a Foundation Establishment cultivator slowly emerged from the secret chamber.

Bai Zichen opened his eyes, a sharp light swirling within them. After spending decades in the virtual world, he had unknowingly reached the fiftieth level of the Heavenly Rank.

(End of this chapter)