ragginovel Chapter 70 The Road to Heaven
Chapter 70 The Road to Heaven
Li Qingyi's heart skipped a beat; she had completely forgotten about this.
However, he reacted very quickly, and had already thought of his words the moment Ling'er finished speaking.
"Just guessing." He shrugged, trying to sound casual.
"Given your love for joining in the fun, you'd most likely come to see such a grand event as the Dao Sect opening its gates. That's why I instinctively headed in this direction."
Ling'er raised an eyebrow, her clear eyes sweeping over his face as if trying to discern something.
In the end, he didn't see anything, just gave a soft "humph" and turned his head away.
Ling'er turned her gaze to the misty, heavenly road.
She gazed ahead. "Do you want to go and take a look at the Dao Sect?"
"Go, why wouldn't you go?"
His purpose in coming here was precisely to enter the Dao Sect and use its influence to complete his own plan, wasn't it?
On the road to heaven, many cultivators who had not even reached the Qi Refining stage were eliminated as soon as they staggered because they could not withstand the invisible and overwhelming pressure.
They landed at the foot of the mountain, their faces filled with disappointment.
Li Qingyi gazed into the distance, her eyes slightly narrowed, her gaze deep.
"I wonder what will happen when we face that elder. Also, Senior Xianmi... which Dao Sect elder is Senior Youhuang so fond of, Senior Xianmi?"
He couldn't help but recall Youhuang's final words.
Hesitantly, he wondered whether he should take this opportunity to fulfill his last wish.
"Right now, I am still weak and insecure, and rashly revealing the Nine Netherworld Supreme Corpse Refining Technique could easily invite unpredictable trouble... It's best to forget about it."
The thought only lingered in Li Qingyi's mind before she decisively suppressed it.
My current strength is too weak. If I really had a Golden Core True Monarch as my backer, that would be fine.
The key issue is that he was merely using someone else's name to make a big show of things.
"And what about the Master of Tingyu Pavilion? Why is he targeting me? If he wants to toughen me up, he's no relative or friend of mine, so why go to such lengths?"
"Could it be... that the Pavilion Master of Listening to Rain Pavilion is the same person as the mysterious senior who saved me on Qingxin Peak that day?"
After much thought, Li Qingyi realized that there was truly no one she had ever met who possessed such abilities.
Looking back now, he really thinks it's highly likely.
"So, this true understanding of swordsmanship really is his legacy?"
He recalled once again the familiar Daoist aura he had sensed from that stunning sword strike.
"That's right, the essence of that sword strike... is almost identical to the true understanding of the way of the sword."
Li Qingyi began to piece together the scattered information in her mind, gradually arriving at a rather vague, yet seemingly self-consistent, answer.
Listening Rain Pavilion is a power of the Youyue Kingdom, and the earth-shattering sword that saved him that day came from the direction of the Youyue Kingdom.
Thinking about it this way, it's quite possible that the Pavilion Master of Listening to Rain Pavilion was the senior who unleashed that sword strike.
"So, the seemingly targeted actions of the Listening Rain Pavilion Master were actually a test for me?"
He was a little unsure whether his guess was entirely correct.
After all, there are currently no concrete clues to prove that these events are necessarily related.
However, it's always better to make a reasonable assumption than to be completely clueless.
Just then, Ling'er's voice pulled him back to reality.
"Brother in green robes, aren't you going up? Look, there are several cultivators with powerful auras who have already made it halfway up."
Li Qingyi suddenly realized how quickly time had passed while she was engrossed in her thoughts.
He composed himself and nodded, saying, "Of course we'll go. Let's go."
Below the Path to Heaven, a large number of cultivators who had been eliminated gathered.
Most of them had pale faces, were soaked in sweat, and had exhausted their magical power.
Some collapsed to the ground, panting heavily; some leaned against ancient trees, their eyes unfocused; others supported each other, their bodies hunched over, gazing at the towering road to heaven, their faces filled with resentment.
"Damn it! How can the Dao Sect's assessment requirements be so high? I've tried my best, and after only a hundred steps, I feel like I'm being crushed by a mountain; I can't move at all!"
A burly monk spat in frustration.
"After all, it is one of the legendary three sects, so its standards for accepting disciples are naturally far higher than those of ordinary sects."
A gaunt-faced cultivator in a gray robe chimed in.
He reached out his sleeve to wipe the cold sweat that kept seeping from his forehead, his face still showing lingering fear.
"But I didn't expect that the pressure from just a few steps would be so terrifying, as if I were carrying a mountain and could not move an inch."
Li Qingyi and Ling'er exchanged a glance and walked slowly toward the starting point of the Path to Heaven.
The resting cultivators nearby, seeing that the two were young, had fair skin, and possessed extraordinary bearing, immediately tried to dissuade them.
"Hey buddy over there, take my advice, don't go up there. This road to heaven is really weird, going up there will just be a waste of your time."
"Exactly! Even with my Qi Refining Level 2 cultivation, I feel immense pressure and can't breathe. With your cultivation levels... you two shouldn't go looking for trouble, lest you damage your foundation."
Both of them were used to controlling their aura at the first level of Qi Refining, and they never expected to receive such well-meaning reminders.
Ling'er found these whispers rather amusing.
Li Qingyi remained calm, her gaze fixed straight ahead, completely ignoring these well-intentioned reminders.
Seeing that the two ignored his advice and continued to do as they pleased.
The faces of those who had spoken up to dissuade them gradually turned cold, feeling that their good intentions had been taken for granted.
"Those who don't listen to good advice will suffer the consequences. You two kids really think you're some kind of genius who can easily join the Dao Sect?"
"Exactly! They're so arrogant and ignorant!"
There were even people who loved watching the spectacle and dragged bystanders into the game.
I'm betting on how many steps Li Qingyi and Ling'er can take on this Path to Heaven before they have to retreat in a sorry state.
Li Qingyi found the mocking and disdainful whispers behind her somewhat amusing, thinking to herself:
"Such scenes are common in every world. It's exactly the same as in my past life."
Ignoring all the sounds, the two steadily stepped onto the first stone step at the starting point of the Path to Heaven.
"As expected, just like the first simulation, there was absolutely no pressure."
Li Qingyi walked uphill on flat ground, a slight smile playing on her lips. 'Finally, one thing is under control.'
"Brother in blue, what are you laughing at?"
"Thinking of happy things."
Ling'er rolled her eyes at him, annoyed. "Not again, so secretive."
As she spoke, she secretly observed Li Qingyi's expression and gait with curiosity, eager to know whether the other party was currently experiencing the pressure from the Tongtian Road.
She had even already planned what to do if Li Qingyi looked distressed, walked with heavy steps, and felt immense pressure.
She took pity on Li Qingyi and used some underhanded methods to help her out.
However, things in life are often not as one wishes.
Her expectations were completely dashed by Li Qingyi's steady, relaxed, and even increasingly rapid pace, as if she were strolling through her own backyard.
"You...you don't feel anything special?" Ling'er finally couldn't help but look at Li Qingyi in surprise.
Li Qingyi turned her head to the side, smiled, and asked in return, "No, what do you want me to feel?"
In the midst of their conversation, the two easily passed a monk who was standing on the steps, his hands on his knees, his clothes soaked with sweat, and panting heavily.
The cultivator watched in astonishment as the two figures swept past him as if walking on flat ground.
In a moment of astonishment, he even rubbed his eyes hard and muttered to himself:
"Is...is this some kind of ghost? How come these two are completely unharmed? Am I really just too weak?"
Not only this cultivator, but the other eliminated cultivators below also looked at the two of them with expressions of utter disbelief.
"No way?"
"They're definitely faking it! They're just putting on a brave face! In a little while, when the pressure intensifies, they'll definitely reveal their true colors!"
The burly cultivator still refused to believe it, crossed his arms, and snorted coldly, his tone certain.
On the road to heaven, Li Qingyi's pace did not slow down with the increase in altitude; on the contrary, it became faster and faster.
Before long, they had left most of the struggling cultivators behind.
Ling'er blinked quickly, her rosy lips slightly parted.
She wanted to say something, but found herself at a loss for words.
She knew the rules of the Path to Heaven trial: the higher one went, the greater the pressure exerted on the soul and body, increasing exponentially.
But judging from Li Qingyi's posture, it wasn't getting more and more difficult; on the contrary, she was becoming more and more relaxed!
Seeing Ling'er's expression, Li Qingyi found it somewhat amusing.
He naturally wouldn't tell her that this was most likely because that elder of the Dao Sect had secretly opened a "back door" for him.
That's how I was able to traverse this arduous path that tests one's will and aptitude without hindrance.
"Geniuses are treated really well..."
He sighed inwardly once more, his gaze sweeping over the other cultivators beside him, who seemed to be carrying mountains with every step, panting heavily and drenched in sweat.
When those cultivators who had exerted all their strength saw Li Qingyi and Ling'er so easily pass by them, their mentality finally collapsed.
"Cheating! They must have cheated!" a young man shouted, pointing at Li Qingyi and the other man with a contorted face.
"How dare they! Those two are merely at the first level of Qi Refining, how could they do it so easily?! I don't believe it!"
His voice immediately resonated with the suffering monks nearby.
The voices of dissatisfaction and questioning are growing stronger.
"I refuse to accept this! Why should I?!"
"We implore the Daoist elders to investigate thoroughly! Expel these cheating villains from the competition! Restore fairness to us!"
However, no matter how loudly they shout and protest.
Li Qingyi and Ling'er continued their leisurely pace on the road to heaven, unaffected by anything.
On the contrary, a few cultivators with weak wills lost their composure due to emotional outbursts and cursing.
Instantly overwhelmed by that immense pressure, a flash of light, and they were eliminated and teleported away.
Below the Path to Heaven, the cultivators who had been waiting to see the spectacle were all taken aback as they watched the two figures walking further and further away.
Won't……
Did they really offend a legendary genius?