Chapter 252: Wang Xuanling, where have you gone? Say something!

Chapter 252: Wang Xuanling, where have you gone? Say something!

The illusions found the scene that had just played out before them too complex to process. They didn't seem to understand at all what Chu Liang had shouted at them.

However, when Chu Liang leaped forward and climbed onto the first plank walkway of the Stairway to the Heavens, the illusions followed him anyway.

Right then, Chu Liang felt as though he was lugging something that weighed a thousand jun[1] behind him. Each illusion was like a huge and heavy iron ball and chain shackled to him... imposing an enormous burden on him!

What's going on?

Chu Liang continued moving forward, but he couldn't increase his speed at all. Then that white-robed elderly man showed up in front of Chu Liang again.

The Conservation Master didn't seem to be in a good mood. Well, no one—even if it was just their clone—would be happy about getting killed all of a sudden, seemingly without rhyme or reason.

"I believe you've realized it, haven't you?" the Conservation Master said slowly. "It's not that I'm forcing you to kill one of them. These attachments manifest as sources of resistance against your ascent, and as you climb higher, the resistance will keep getting stronger. If you don't let go of your attachments, you won't be able to catch up with the others."

Chu Liang responded with a smile, "Then let's talk about it when I can't walk forward at all."

He continued climbing the Stairway to the Heavens, with the heavy pressure weighing down on him.

Chu Liang's physique, strengthened by the Secret Dragon Blood Technique, had surpassed the level of the Power of Ten Tigers a long time ago. The strength he possessed now was much closer to that of a half dragon. The pressure weighing down on him was immense, but it was not enough to hold him back.

Chu Liang was unwilling to kill the illusions because he had this nagging feeling that this trial couldn't be that simple.

Choosing to kill one of the illusions is an admittedly simple decision to make, but what about afterward? Will I have to kill an illusion every time I can't move forward? And what would happen after I've killed them all?

This trial was meant to test their Dao hearts. In that case, shouldn't taking a slow climb be one of the ways they could make it to the top of the mountain?

Of course, Chu Liang didn't know if it was right or wrong to persist with this. Nevertheless, he decided to follow his heart.

This is probably what the saying, “Stay true to your Dao Heart and not let external factors influence it” means, right? he thought.

Thud, thud, thud...

Chu Liang appeared to be strolling leisurely, but in reality, every step he took was extremely heavy.

...

Unlike Chu Liang, most of the other people in the competition hadn't killed the Conservation Master's clone. Yet, surprisingly, there was actually someone else who had.

Like Chu Liang, Lin Bei was gritting his teeth and persevering despite the immense resistance.

"Excluding my good bro, the others are the loves of my life," Lin Bei muttered. "I can't bring myself to let go of any of them. I must take them to the top of the Stairway to the Heavens."

He bent forward and did his best to keep walking.

Lin Bei also had a group of illusions following him, but he seemed to have even more illusions than Chu Liang. Nevertheless, Lin Bei was obviously nowhere as strong as Chu Liang, so this trial was probably unimaginably difficult for him.

"Such wishful thinking." The Conversation Master shook his head. "With the strength you possess, it's absolutely impossible for you to climb all the way to the top while bearing such immense weight."

"Ha." Lin Bei bitter smile. "A real man emerges after being tempered by the world[2]. Knowing something is impossible but still doing it—that's what it means to be a true hero."

"Well said. Then why don't you step forward? Why are you just standing there with those shaking legs?" the Conservation Master asked, mocking Lin Bei at just the right time.

It turned out that Lin Bei had only walked till midway of the first level of the winding mountain path. Now, he was just standing there, stuck. His legs were shaking with strain and fatigue; moving forward had become a monumental task.

Despite that, Lin Bei showed no signs of backing down.

He raised his head high and loudly proclaimed, "My legs are weak!"

"There's no need for you to be so prideful," the Conservation Master remarked in annoyance.

Jiang Yuebai wore a pensive expression as she contemplated this.

Ever since she was a child, she had yearned to find the Divine Ruins. To find her parents' whereabouts, she'd avoided the secular world and always sought to have a state of mind that was free of attachments. She didn't want to and didn't dare to have any bonds that would hinder her.

Yet, at this moment, she suddenly wondered, Is this really the right path?

...

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Chu Liang's steps grew heavier and heavier, leaving behind a footprint with each step. He was drenched in sweat and about to reach the sixth level of the mountain path.

He flipped over his hand and melted a Dragon-Blood Crystal into it.

Boom!

Great power surged through Chu Liang, giving him a tremendous boost. He then continued on his path in large strides, headed toward the top of the mountain.

With his strength replenished by the Dragon-Blood Crystal, Chu Liang now had a burst of energy. He sped through the sixth level, swiftly arriving at the seventh level of the mountain path.

The moment he stepped onto the seventh level, the pressure on his shoulders suddenly became lighter, and the massive burden he'd been lugging around didn't seem so massive anymore.

At first, those changes were very subtle. However, the further Chu Liang climbed, the lighter his steps became.

He continued walking forward and felt a sense of resistance in the air around him. It was right then that he felt a hand suddenly on his shoulder.

Chu Liang turned his head to look and found the illusions of his friends and loved ones placing their hands on his shoulders resting on his shoulders, pushing him forward!

The illusions supported Chu Liang with great power, counteracting the resistance around him.

Chu Liang turned to look at the Conservation Master, seemingly in contemplation about the situation.

The Conservation Master smiled, gazing at Chu Liang with a look of approval. "You made the right choice."

I see.

Chu Liang immediately understood the deeper meaning behind the trial. In the first half, everyone they cared about had been attachments that they needed to let go, so they manifested as obstacles that hindered their advancement. However, in the latter half of the Stairway to the Heavens, each illusion would become a source of support. The more illusions they had left, the stronger the support they would receive!

The bonds they had once thought of as hindrances would ultimately become sources of strength to help them continue walking forward on their paths.

With all his illusions pushing him forward, Chu Liang's steps became lighter and faster. In the later stages when everyone else's advancement was hindered, Chu Liang's speed rose unexpectedly, and his ranking went up rapidly.

Soon after, Chu Liang's name appeared at the bottom of the obelisk with the ranking of sixty-fourth!

Then it continued to rise!

At an unbelievable speed, his name rushed into the top fifty, thirty, ten... and eventually into the top three.

At the next moment, Chu Liang's name took second place. It seemed that there wasn't much distance left between Chu Liang and Xu Ziyang!

Chu Liang's name rose with such fierce momentum that the spectators were in an uproar. Aside from Chu Liang's small number of friends and acquaintances, no one had paid much attention to him earlier. Yet, at this moment, practically everyone's gaze was focused on him.

As Chu Liang's name rose on the obelisk, Di Nufeng's eyebrows rose as well.

She smirked and let out a light cough. "Wang Xuanling, where have you gone? Say something!"

1. 1 jun is around 15kg, so 15,000kg...? Damn, that's heavy. ☜

2. A famous line from a classic ancient Chinese novel, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. ☜