He'd rather run than be turned into a cannon fodder for the broken engagement.

Boom————

The long, resonant drumbeats echoed through the sky. Between the towering cliffs and peaks in front of the Misty Immortal Sect's mountain gate, there was a famous blue stone plank road leading from the foot of the mountain to the summit. It was steep and treacherous, with no protection on either side. A slight misstep would send one tumbling into an abyss. This was the final test for those who came to pay homage to the sect—the Heavenly Ladder.

At this time, more than a thousand people had already gathered at the foot of the mountain. They were all outstanding individuals who had passed the trial. With the sound of drums, the group stepped into the Heavenly Ladder Restriction.

This access control is to prevent unauthorized entry; only those with an identity jade slip are allowed to enter.

-

Leng Huan and Fu Xun exchanged a glance and stepped onto the seemingly endless blue stone steps, disappearing into the vast clouds and mist.

Yesterday at 7:45 AM, they were teleported out. The jade slips and the resources they had collected were collected, and finally, a points list appeared on a huge jade screen. The deacon called out the names of those who passed. Leng Huan heard his name, Fu Xun's name, and Lin Miaoyan's name on the top thirty list.

After exchanging for the three items they wanted, they were told to gather at 7:00 AM today to ascend the Heavenly Ladder together!

Leng Huan and his companion returned to Xianling Town yesterday to visit Sang Biao, whom they were fostering, and arrived on time today to participate in the final test.

If the rankings in the Trial Arena have an element of luck, then today's Ascend the Ladder depends entirely on one's own ability; willpower, physical body, and spirit are all key to passing the level.

Once you successfully climb up and reach the top, you've entered the threshold of the Immortal Sect, and your future is limitless.

Because—these stairs are not so simple and easy to climb; in the end, they all turned into…climbing!

call!

call……

Leng Huan exhaled a heavy, long, and hot breath. By this time, they had climbed five hundred steps. At the beginning, it was as if they were walking on flat ground, easy and leisurely. Gradually, their knees ached and their steps became heavy. Now, their legs felt like they were filled with lead, and their whole bodies felt heavy.

Fu Xun, having undergone physical training, possessed strong and resilient muscles and bones, several times stronger than her. At this moment, his breathing was slightly rapid but still relatively steady, and he still had the strength to speak: "Brother Huan, do you want to rest for a while?"

"Rest?" Upon hearing this, Leng Huan shook his head, holding his breath and unable to speak, because speaking would only discourage him. He glared at him and continued climbing the ladder.

At times like this, she really wants to rest and wishes she would never climb mountains again in her life!

She now understood why the Heavenly Ladder was the most important and difficult test—the entire ladder was covered in restrictions. Gravity increased with each step; spirits were suppressed, and everything related to spiritual power was unusable; in the final stage, there was also a test of illusion.

There are no shortcuts here except for bare hands and a bare body. The only way is to honestly climb up step by step with extraordinary willpower to reach the top!

Leng Huan tried to breathe at a steady pace, keeping his breathing rhythm intact. He held his breath, knowing full well that if he rested now, he would easily want to rest indefinitely, and the temporary pleasure he gained would trigger his laziness, making it impossible for him to climb the mountain in his lifetime.

She came all this way, and almost got sold into being a furnace for a furnace, she's not going to fail here!!

The Great Sage went through eighty-one tribulations on his journey to the West, so what is this Heavenly Ladder?!

Under the blazing sun, though it was a warm winter sun, Leng Huan felt it was even more oppressive, scorching, suffocating, and unbearable than the summer sun.

She couldn't care less about Fu Xun anymore; the thought of not giving up was constantly on her mind.

Tick-tock… In a daze, I seemed to hear the sound of sweat dripping from his forehead onto the bluestone slab. Leng Huan's face was flushed, and he was drenched in sweat, looking as if he had been pulled out of water. His bangs were wet and stuck to his face in strands.

She hastily wiped away her sweat, blinked her slightly dizzy eyes, and carefully, slowly, but resolutely passed by one collapsed climber after another.

Her legs were sore, numb, and almost numb. She looked calm and composed, but in reality, if someone just touched her lightly, she could fall to her knees or even fall off a cliff.

There are indeed malicious people who would do that, so she carefully passed by them.

"The 3,301st..." Leng Huan silently memorized the number of steps, but she never looked up or behind her.

Anyone with experience knows that this is indeed the case; she is right.

Looking up, the stairs seem to lead to the sky, endless and instilling despair. Looking back, you see a bottomless abyss, which fills you with terror. Especially for those with a fear of heights, it's absolutely terrifying!

All she can do is climb those tiny steps, endless steps! The ladder to heaven has an end, but as long as she perseveres, she will surely reach the finish line.

After thousands of steps, she became numb and couldn't remember how many steps there were or how many people she had passed.

Fu Xun followed silently behind her the whole time.

"Huan-ge! Watch out!"

As she passed a person who had collapsed, the person spoke to Leng Huan. Leng Huan held her breath and ignored him, intending to pass by silently. Unexpectedly, the person, whether out of jealousy or to eliminate a competitor, pushed her. Leng Huan was already at her limit and was about to collapse. This push almost made her fall off a cliff!

Fu Xun was quick-witted and grabbed her, dragging her in. With a thud, the two of them fell onto the steps. Fu Xun automatically became the cushion, hitting the edge of the steps hard, and he immediately hissed in pain.

"Ah Xun! Are you alright?"

"without……"

Leng Huan's numb nerves finally snapped back to reality. She helped Fu Xun to a safe spot, her eyes blazing like knives as she glared at him, her voice carrying a barely perceptible murderous intent. She stated definitively, "You want to kill me..."

The man stood up, shrugged casually, and said, "It's a misunderstanding. I just bumped into you by accident."

The anger within her seemed to ignite her energy. Leng Huan was infuriated. She approached the man, looking down at him for a moment, then suddenly a slight smile appeared on her lips, though the smile didn't reach her eyes. She cupped her hands in a gesture of respect: "So it was a misunderstanding. Well then, I'll..."

Suddenly, Leng Huan struck out, punching the man in the eye socket, followed by a palm strike to his shoulder, pushing him forward with all his might—

what! ! !

The man screamed in terror and fell off the cliff; the echo of his terror faded away in a moment.

Everything happened in an instant, so fast! Even Fu Xun was stunned.

The space remained quiet for a long time.

Leng Huan plopped down on the stone slab. She was exhausted and felt weak all over, her legs trembling.

"Do you think I'm Hello Kitty?" She rested her chin on her knees, looking coldly at the edge of the cliff, muttering weakly. Fu Xun was half a zhang away from her, and her voice was too soft for him to hear clearly.

Some hardships must be endured, but some losses must never be tolerated!

She never lets revenge linger overnight! Otherwise, she might suffer from testicular pain and develop breast nodules!

"Huan-ge, are you alright?" Feeling the pain in his back lessen, Fu Xun supported himself to stand up and looked at her. They were both exhausted, and neither of them was in much better shape.

Exhausted and sleepy, Leng Huan wished she could lie down and sleep forever, but she slowly forced herself to sit up and exhaled a breath: "Let's go..."

Fu Xun nodded, stood on the high steps and stretched out a hand to wait for her. Leng Huan carried her heavy feet up step by step, took his hand, and the two encouraged each other to continue climbing the steps with determination.

From that moment on, Leng Huan's trust in Fu Xun increased completely. If he hadn't stopped her, she would have been shattered to pieces by now.

Now we have a true, life-or-death friendship, and I secretly regard him as a good brother I can entrust my back to.

The two boys, leaning on each other, slowly climbed the seemingly endless, treacherous ladder to the sky. Suddenly, they heard the girl whisper, "You saved me once..."

The boy's eyebrows twitched, and he was about to say "You're welcome" when he heard her say again, "From now on, you're not my little brother anymore, you're my good brother."

Leng Huan patted his arm gently, giving him the highest affirmation a straight man could give.

Fu Xun: "..."