My junior sister sees everyone as a heretical cultivator.

Chapter 26 The Ladder of Inquiry

The two passed through a sea of ​​clouds, and the scene before them seemed to be separated by an invisible hand.

Beyond the sea of ​​clouds, the outline of a stairway to heaven appeared before our eyes.

The steps are made of white jade and rise from the peak into the clouds above, with no end in sight.

It stood there quietly, as if connecting the earth and the sky.

There was nothing on either side of the steps except for the ever-flowing clouds and mist, making the road appear exceptionally lonely and isolated.

The aura it exuded made Su Ling'er feel ridiculously insignificant.

Although the pressure was like a boulder pressing down, it was not deceiving.

“Junior Sister Su, this is the ‘Stairway to the Inquiry’.” The senior brother’s voice came from the side.

Ask about the ladder.

Legend has it that only the most prestigious cultivation sects on the continent possess such a spectacle used to test the Dao heart of their disciples or clansmen.

Legend has it that the "Path of Inquiry" has 1,008 steps inside the Ladder of Inquiry, and with each step one is met with the pressure of the Great Dao and illusions of inner demons.

It doesn't look at cultivation level or spiritual root; it only looks at a cultivator's most fundamental quality—the Dao heart.

But this is the Guixi Sect.

A demonic sect.

Do these monstrous people who take pleasure in killing really need a moral compass?
Aren't they practicing a demonic path that destroys humanity?
What need do they have for a Daoist heart?
The whole thing is strangely unsettling.

Perhaps, like Elder Qian and the "True Explanation of the Return to Origin of All Things," this "Ladder to Asking the Way" was also stolen from other orthodox sects?
But if this is true, it also means that their strength is comparable to the world's top sects.

Although her thoughts were on this, her eyes seemed glued to the stairway leading to the boundless sky.

After all, Qingxu Temple doesn't have such good stuff.

Let alone the ladder to enlightenment, even the small Tranquility Stone is only available to the sect leader, elders, and direct disciples.

A sour feeling, and a subtle yet irrepressible longing, kept rising from the bottom of my heart.

She also wanted to explore and see how far her heart could support her!
Even if this is the Demonic Sect's Ascension Ladder, she still wants to give it a try!

Just then, a figure appeared at the entrance to the Heavenly Ladder, blocking the way.

His face remained expressionless, his eyes unfocused.

Money remains silent.

Elder Qian stretched out his hand, palm up.

Su Ling'er was puzzled. What did this mean?
Lin Qingfeng reminded her from the side, "Junior sister, you need to pay ten low-grade spirit stones to climb the Dao Inquiry Ladder."

Anyway, the spirit stones we got from the Demon-Sealing Tower last time are just enough for your current needs.

It cost a fortune to build this sect's wonder back then, and now this game actually wants to charge me, the guild leader!

Ten spirit stones each time!

This is clearly a sect building that I unlocked at great expense!
Why should I charge you?
It's one thing to charge other disciples, but to charge me, the guild leader, is outrageous!

Shouldn't this money go into my own pocket?

Unscrupulous merchants!

Su Ling'er's mind went blank.

TOLL?

Ten low-grade spirit stones?

Demanding her reward of ten spirit stones?
Is the spirit stone I just acquired about to leave me?
etc.
That's it!

She suddenly realized it was a trap!
First, the threat of death wore down his spirit, then the astonishing swordsmanship saved him, and finally, the ten spirit stones he had risked his life to obtain were used as bait to lure him into this trial!

And so he walked step by step into the trap he had woven!
Every step of this was part of his calculations!

That senior brother is absolutely terrifying!!!

Su Ling'er felt a chill spread through her spine and throughout her body.

She looked at Lin Qingfeng's profile and felt that there was a monster hidden beneath that face.

Helpless, she could only take out the cloth bag from her bosom, which was still not warm, and put all ten spirit stones she had just acquired into Qian Buyu's hand.

Qian Buyu took the spirit stones and stepped aside expressionlessly.

The road to the clouds has been opened.

Su Ling'er took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, and looked up.

On the ladder to heaven, several lonely figures were slowly climbing.

Some of the disciples were behaving too strangely, which made Su Ling'er's heart jump again. Her gaze fell on one of the disciples.

He was very muscular and was currently standing on the 31st step.

He used all his strength to take another step up, and then... he lay there stiffly on the white jade steps.

Su Ling'er was somewhat confused.

Then, to her puzzled look, the man put his hands behind his head and began doing crunches.

"One! Two! Three! Four!"

As he worked, he shouted slogans at the top of his lungs, and his clothes were soon soaked with sweat.

However, no water stains were left on the white jade steps.

Su Ling'er was speechless.

What... what are they doing?
The cultivation methods of the Demonic Sect?
Is it that by enduring the pressure of the Great Dao, one can also use this method to train oneself and gain a deeper understanding of the Great Dao?

Lin Qingfeng glanced at it as well and understood.

Doing physical training under the pressure of the "Asking the Way Ladder" is something that people with weak willpower often do.

The pressure from the Daoist Ladder will multiply for players whose willpower and Daoist heart attributes are close to the critical value.

If the requirements of the steps to climb exceed the player's own attributes, the pressure the player will experience will be exponential, and forcibly climbing will quickly result in being expelled from the Ascension Ladder.

If the required attribute is close to the critical point but not exceeded, one can still feel the pressure of the Great Dao within one's tolerance range, but it will be difficult to move forward.

The benefits of this extreme pressure also lead some players to consider physical training, which can simultaneously improve their physique, strength, and other physical attributes.

Training in this environment can even increase willpower if you're lucky; it's a fairly standard practice.

His gaze went higher, where a female disciple stood.

She knelt on the steps, clutching her hair with both hands.

Sometimes she cried loudly, sometimes she laughed sarcastically, muttering something incoherently, her eyes were unfocused, and she seemed to have gone mad.

Su Ling'er, watching from behind, was startled. Could it be... a demon possessing her?
Has she gone mad?

But in reality, this is a state of random inner demons that one has fallen into while seeking enlightenment.

If one's Dao Heart attribute is not up to standard, one will fall into this state, but it will get better after a while.

If you can break through, you can advance to the next level. If you fail to break through within the specified time, you will be expelled from the Inquiry Ladder, and your inner demon state will recover after a while.

While they were observing, several disciples had just come down from the Inquiry Ladder, preparing to go to the Weapon Refining Pavilion to study the "Sword Refining Technique".

"Hey, senior brother, you've come to show junior sister the Way-Seeking Ladder!"

"Keep it up, junior sister! The higher you climb, the more rewards the Ladder of Inquiry will bestow, but these rewards are only distributed once based on your current ladder level."

"Yes, it's okay if you don't climb very high, you can come back and try again later."

However, if you climb to the 30th step this time, you won't receive a reward next time you climb to the 30th step. You'll only get the reward for the 31st step once you climb to the 31st step.

"But junior sister, you..."

One of the disciples stopped there, because his junior sister's aptitude was simply too poor.

He wasn't too optimistic about how high his junior sister could climb.

But that’s okay.

Anyway, the Dao Ladder is right here. You can climb it for ten spirit stones. If you can't climb it now, you can always come back to challenge it when your will and Dao heart are strong enough.

After greeting them, Lin Qingfeng turned to Su Ling'er.

"Go ahead, junior sister."

"The path they take may not be your path or your way; you have to walk it yourself."

"Give it a try and see how far you can go."

Su Ling'er knew she had no choice, and
She slowly raised her head and looked at the endless white jade staircase.

The clouds drifted along the steps, and the burly man's roar and the woman's maniacal laughter kept reaching her ears.

Deep in her heart, she also wanted to know why she, Su Ling'er, with her extremely poor aptitude and four pseudo-spiritual roots, had never received genuine respect at Qingxu Temple.

The reason she was chosen for this perilous mission was probably because she was the most diligent and proactive worker in the outer sect, never complaining. Moreover, as an outer sect member, even if she died, Qingxu Temple would only lose a hardworking handyman. That's why the sect leader selected her.

But the Dao Heart is something that doesn't consider talent or aptitude...

She also wanted to know where her Dao heart would ultimately lead!

She stopped looking at Lin Qingfeng and ignored everyone else, resolutely stepping onto the first step of the white jade staircase.

(End of this chapter)