Chronicles of Heaven's Chosen - Chapter 60

Cang Li choked on his words.

“Won’t you be old by then too?”

“I should be able to live for two hundred and seventy thousand years.” Thinking of her mission to win people over, Yuan Yao sighed.

“Two hundred and seventy thousand years?” Cang Li gaped at her. “Even immortals can’t live that long, and you think you can? Yuan Yao, has climbing the Heavenly Stairway addled your brain?”

Yuan Yao did not answer. She was simply too tired.

Lu Xiangxiang, who was climbing ahead of them, had also begun to slow.

As time trickled past, Yuan Yao gradually caught up with her.

By the time Yuan Yao finally reached the hundred-and-eightieth step, she felt as though she had nearly reached the limits of her endurance.

She gulped down air, her clothes drenched in sweat, but her gaze remained fixed and resolute on the higher steps above.

Cang Li noticed her condition and said with concern, “Given your present strength and cultivation, making it this far is already incredible. You’ve only just entered the early Foundation Establishment Realm, after all.”

“I can keep going.” Yuan Yao drew a deep breath.

Then she continued upward.

Every step felt like torture. Her entire body ached, and there was no strength left in her limbs.

She remembered that whenever Eldest Senior Brother and the others had carried her up the Heavenly Stairway in the past, they had adjusted their breathing and circulated the spiritual power within them.

She steadied her mind and wiped the sweat from her brow with her sleeve.

Without any reminder from Third Senior Brother Cang Li, she had already adjusted her state.

She climbed ten steps in rapid succession and overtook Lu Xiangxiang.

Cang Li stared in astonishment, then hastily pursued her.

The Heavenly Stairway had one thousand steps. Those in the Qi Refining Realm could climb at most one hundred; those in the Foundation Establishment Realm, three hundred; those in the Golden Core Realm, five hundred; those in the Nascent Soul Realm, eight hundred; and those in the Soul Transformation Realm could climb all one thousand and reach the summit.

Little Junior Sister was only in the early Foundation Establishment Realm, yet she was already nearing the two-hundredth step!

Qian Jueshan, watching from the Heavenly Stairway Training Ground below, also witnessed this scene. His emotions were difficult to describe.

He felt both gratified and heartsore.

Ten years ago, he had accepted Yuan Yao as his disciple not because she was adorable, but because of her extraordinary talent.

He had tried countless times to make her cultivate, but she had always refused.

At first, he had sternly forced her to train. Yet every time she began, tears would silently spill from her eyes like pearls from a broken strand, and she would look up at him with a wounded, pitiful expression.

She had been so tiny, so miserably aggrieved.

In the end, his heart had softened.

One concession after another had turned her into a little slacker.

And he had accepted it.

He had once told himself that it was enough for Yaoyao to live a happy life. He would protect her from every worry for as long as she lived. He had even traveled far and wide in search of pills and spirit herbs that could extend her lifespan.

But he had never expected her to say to him, *Master, just wait. I’ve made up my mind this time. I’ll cultivate properly, and I won’t disappoint you.*

In that moment, he had actually become worried.

Because he knew he had never taught her the abilities she needed to survive in the cultivation world.

As Qian Jueshan watched Yuan Yao’s retreating figure, a gentle smile curved his lips.

By now, Yuan Yao had reached the two-hundredth step.

Her face was gradually turning pale, and her arms and legs had begun to tremble.

She decided to stop and acclimate herself to the crushing force of the gravity.

Lu Xiangxiang had also made it to the hundred-and-ninety-fifth step. The immense pressure left her barely able to breathe. She looked up at Yuan Yao not far away, determination flashing through her eyes.

There was no way she would lose to a clinging vine that the entire Xiaoyao Sect cradled in their palms!

She had to surpass her!

But Lu Xiangxiang’s body grew heavier with every step she climbed, until she could no longer lift her foot at all.

Gritting her teeth, she summoned every last trace of strength and finally stepped onto the two-hundredth stair.

Now she and Yuan Yao stood at the same height, yet their conditions could not have been more different.

Lu Xiangxiang panted, drenched in sweat, while Yuan Yao looked much more at ease. Yuan Yao simply plopped down on the dusty two-hundredth step and closed her eyes, as if resting.

“Seventh Junior Sister, do you want to take a break?” Cang Li, who was farther ahead, turned and looked down at Lu Xiangxiang.

Her face was rather pale. She nodded gently, well aware of her physical condition. It would be best to adapt to the immense gravitational pressure before attempting to climb farther.

She glanced at Yuan Yao and frowned slightly, seemingly disgusted.

She refused to cast aside all dignity and sit on the dirt-covered ground as Yuan Yao had, so she remained standing.

Seven or eight minutes later, a commotion from beside her drew her attention.

The surrounding spiritual qi was rushing madly into Yuan Yao’s body.

Lu Xiangxiang’s heart jolted.

Color gradually returned to Yuan Yao’s face. The spiritual qi she absorbed surged through her meridians like an unending river, merging and mingling with her true essence before transforming into spiritual power and gathering in her dantian.

Cang Li, who had reached the three-hundredth step, and Qian Jueshan, still in the training ground below, both sensed what was happening.

“What the hell!” Not only did Cang Li stop climbing, he came thundering back down.

Before Lu Xiangxiang could react, he had already appeared nearby.

Yuan Yao had nearly drained the surrounding area of spiritual qi. Soon, the light of advancement flared around her, accompanied by a faint hum.

Yuan Yao had broken through!

She had advanced from the early to the mid Foundation Establishment Realm!

Her eyes flew open. The immense pressure bearing down on her suddenly lessened, and a delighted smile spread across her face.

“Yuan Yao! Are you some kind of monster?” Cang Li stared at her, eyes wide with shock.

Only a few days had passed, yet she had already advanced from the early to the mid Foundation Establishment Realm?!

Her talent was even more monstrous than Wuji’s!

Yuan Yao rose to her feet. First, she waved down at the silver-haired man below and called out, “Master, I broke through!”

Qian Jueshan was also astonished, but his face remained calm and detached. Smiling, he gave her a slight nod.

Only after receiving his acknowledgment did Yuan Yao turn to Third Senior Brother.

“Third Senior Brother, I’ll catch up to you soon!”

“It really does look that way.” Cang Li’s feelings were decidedly mixed.

He pressed his palms together and sighed. “From now on, I, Cang Aotian, will be relying on all of you.”

Yuan Yao climbed another two steps. “Third Senior Brother, you’re actually lazy too.”

If Eldest Senior Brother, Second Senior Sister, Fourth Senior Brother, and Youngest Senior Brother were cultivation fanatics, then she and Third Senior Brother were the unambitious ones.

Third Senior Brother loved alchemy and medicine. He also loved roaming the various peaks to hunt, gather spirit herbs and medicinal plants, and pick wild fruits and vegetables.

Cang Li glared at her and snapped, “This is all your fault! You just had to start seeking hardship for no reason, and now you want to force me to suffer too?”

“So are you going to suffer or not?”

“Absolutely not!” he declared.

Even if he did, he would never let any of them know.

He would work hard in secret, then amaze them all.