Alien Science Cultivation

"Men and women working together, isn't that tiring? This is..." Zhang Qiang pondered. "Alright... let's go..." the girl in the middle stage of Foundation Establishment shouted. The four people behind her arrived at the steps and greeted in unison, "Captain..." Zhang Qiang politely bowed, and the others responded with a fist-clasp. The captain was the first to leap up the steps, followed by Zhang Qiang and the others. They chatted and laughed along the way, and it was clear that the male-female partnership was working. The first thousand steps were mostly painless, except for a slightly heavier breathing. "Then comes the second thousand steps... Let's set small goals for ourselves and achieve them step by step. That way, our mindset will be much better... Remember, conserve your energy as much as possible. Once you're on the steps, you won't be able to absorb or use spiritual energy," the captain explained to Zhang Qiang and the others. "Sure enough... this staircase is not simple. Although there are no rules or requirements for climbing the stairs, I believe that the rules and requirements will naturally be discovered by the cultivators who climb the stairs." Zhang Qiang thought to himself, and confirmed that he really tried it once. As expected, he couldn't absorb it! Unless he opened his third dantian! Zhang Qiang naturally wouldn't take any risks. After all, the mountain gate at the foot of the mountain was countless times more magnificent than the main gate of Xuanwu Continent, and there were four similar mountain gates at the foot of the mountain. Judging from this momentum, it was not difficult to guess how many old monsters existed in this Qingshan Sect.

"Hmm?... Captain... that girl up ahead?" Zhang Qiang asked, puzzled. About 100 steps ahead of them, a ragged young woman was laboriously climbing the stairs. She seemed to have practiced some mundane light-hearted martial arts, climbing each step with all her might. Each step seemed to take her all. Zhang Qiang looked back at the thousand or so steps, each over ten feet high, below him, then glanced at the seemingly endless steps above. He sincerely admired the girl's spirit and courage. "Haha... It seems this is Brother Zhang's first time taking the test. These steps are strange. Don't think we're taking it easy now. You'll find later that we might not be as good as her. Every time the Qingshan Sect comes to test them, these mortals are included. Anyone who can climb these first thousand steps must possess the aptitude to cultivate immortality. Those who meet the Qingshan Sect's requirements will pass the second thousand. The next 1000 or so steps are the key. Of course, first, your aptitude must meet the Qingshan Sect's requirements..." As expected, this team-up was quite beneficial. At least they knew a little about the mysteries of the stairs. With their minds prepared, they adjusted their mindsets and continued their ascent. From time to time, people would quickly pass Zhang Qiang's team from behind. The team leader would briefly explain that these people were usually second-timers or led by veterans, so they knew the key points and didn't want to waste time down there. Everyone nodded. Judging from the situation, Zhang Qiang guessed that only the team leader was a veteran. The others were all newcomers like Zhang Qiang. Judging by their similar attire, they seemed to be from the same small sect! The group continued to advance at a leisurely pace. Passing the ragged girl, Zhang Qiang couldn't help but glance at her curiously. The girl seemed quick to react, or perhaps out of habit, she covered her face with her long hair. She glanced back at Zhang Qiang timidly, her lips raised politely. Zhang Qiang then nodded in return. The girl was thin, but tall and well-proportioned. If you ignore the blemishes on her face, she'd be a rare beauty. Perhaps her face was the source of her low self-esteem! Of course, Zhang Qiang paid no attention to the blemishes. As an adult on Earth, he still possessed the most basic manners! But her hands and arms were already starting to turn red. If she were lucky enough to make it, she'd probably be bruised. But everyone has the right to choose their own life, and as an outsider, Zhang Qiang could only admire her. The captain didn't stop, continuing all the way up. On the second 1000 steps, monks occasionally paused. As they approached the 1000th step, more monks stopped, but they all stopped by the side of the road, not hindering others from passing. "Those lacking sufficient aptitude will find it difficult to advance. Those who stopped were unwilling to be eliminated. Most of them are independent cultivators who lack a clear understanding of their own qualifications. Of course, there are also cultivators from other sects whose qualifications fall slightly below the Qingshan Sect's requirements and who come to try their luck. Some actually pass. The Qingshan Sect's requirements for disciples vary, likely due to the number of students it accepts at a time." The captain explained, glancing at the changing expressions of Zhang Qiang and the others behind him. Looking at the cultivators at the steps, it was easy to see that their expressions were grim. They struggled unwillingly, seemingly gathering strength to reach the 8000th step. However, most gave up and retreated to the foot of the mountain. Zhang Qiang and his companions were fortunate; they had worried about failing. After all, he had no idea what level of physique a yin-yang coexistence possessed on this cultivation planet. The knowledge he had of this planet had no record or explanation of this. He really didn't know if he had the qualifications to pass the second 1000 steps.

"The third 1000 steps, everyone, pay attention, guard your heart... Everyone faces a different illusion, remember to keep your heart steady..." After saying this, the captain was the first to step onto the steps. "Hmm... Is this a haunted house? So many strange beasts, and they're so realistic, no... They're real." Zhang Qiang seemed to be transported to a long, dim circular corridor, and the surroundings were eerily quiet. The strange beast that had just appeared disappeared in the blink of an eye. Just as he reacted, a black snake rushed towards Zhang Qiang's face. Zhang Qiang dodged it easily with a quick move, and when he turned around, he found that the black snake had disappeared. "Oh my god... again, spiders, isn't this a little small?"

Zhang Qiang repeatedly dodged the spider's web attacks, and the spider vanished. "Damn... that's unsportsmanlike... anybody wouldn't have been able to dodge this, haha... it's a shame they ran into me... those monsters that just appeared suddenly vanished... I guess I'll have to dodge all their attacks to get through. And you're hiding in a crack in the ground. Do you think I can't spot you just because I'm distracted by the monsters above? Haha..." Zhang Qiang analyzed the key points of this level as he quickly leaned back. A centipede over two meters long brushed past Zhang Qiang's face. Although Zhang Qiang was only at the ninth level of Qi Refining, his experience in the Dark Forest meant he could easily handle anything ten times more challenging, let alone this corridor. After figuring out the situation, the attacks from the dozens of monsters behind him were a piece of cake. About a minute later, Zhang Qiang appeared on the 2th step.