170: Chapter 170 Ascending the Heavenly Ladder

"Hahaha, so this is 'true strength'? It's nothing special!"

"Exactly! Just a moment ago, he was mocking others as trash and ants, and now look at him—falling down just as pathetically. It's a total slap in the face; how laughable!"

"Humph, arrogant and conceited with a flighty Heart-Nature—how dare he claim he could reach higher floors? I don't think he's even worthy of the two-hundredth floor; he's just seeking attention!"

"And here I thought he was actually impressive."

Mockery rose from all sides like needles, stabbing deeply into Lin Hao's heart.

Lin Hao struggled to get up, but his entire body was in agonizing pain, leaving him unable to move. He could only slump on the ground, his face alternating between pale and flushed, looking extremely wretched.

He lowered his head, his eyes filled with shame, anger, and resentment, yet he was powerless to retort.

Lin Hao had originally thought he could easily reach the four-hundredth floor, but in the end, he was sent flying before even reaching the two-hundredth.

Jiang Lijuan took a deep breath, deciding to see for herself the intensity of this ladder.

With a movement of her body and light steps, Jiang Lijuan entered the entrance of the Ascending Heaven Ladder like a gentle breeze.

Following closely behind Jiang Lijuan, Li Hu and Chen Erniu also moved at the same time.

The three of them rushed into the ladder together.

Like three bolts of black lightning, their Speed was astonishing as they charged straight into the entrance of the Ascending Heaven Ladder, far surpassing all the Cultivators who had climbed before them.

On the Ascending Heaven Ladder, the figures of Jiang Lijuan, Li Hu, and Chen Erniu climbed rapidly. With steady steps and fluid spiritual energy, they easily resisted the Heavenly Dao Pressure on the steps, their Speed far exceeding that of Lin Hao earlier.

In just a few moments, the three of them made a Breakthrough past the two-hundredth floor, surpassing the point where Lin Hao had failed. Their figures grew smaller and smaller, gradually vanishing into the radiant glow of the ladder.

Jiang Lijuan's talent and strength were already remarkable. She climbed steadily, her spiritual energy thick and stable as she firmly resisted the increasing Heavenly Dao Pressure, soon reaching the three-hundredth floor.

Standing on the three-hundredth floor, she paused briefly, solemnly sensing the increasingly powerful Pressure around her. Just as she was about to continue climbing, she happened to look up and saw two figures far above her, a flash of astonishment instantly crossing her eyes.

She saw that Li Hu had already reached the four-hundredth floor;

while Chen Erniu's figure was even further ahead of Li Hu, already stopping at the five-hundred-and-fiftieth floor. His aura was profound as he stood firmly on the step, calmly gazing at the still-towering stairs above.

Jiang Lijuan was filled with shock, her lips trembling slightly as she failed to hide the astonishment in her eyes.

She had always believed that her talent and strength were among the best of her generation, but now she realized there were others whose talent far exceeded hers.

Especially the one standing on the five-hundred-and-fiftieth floor—he was outrageously powerful.

She had only reached the three-hundredth floor and was already finding it difficult to climb.

Yet that person was still perfectly at ease at the five-hundred-and-fiftieth floor.

At this moment, a trace of resentment and surprise flashed in Li Hu's eyes.

He had always thought that among his peers, only Hu Nan's strength and talent might surpass his own, but he never expected there would be such a mysterious person whose power reached such a level, far exceeding his own.

Li Hu recognized Hu Nan's aura; the person on the five-hundred-and-fiftieth floor could not possibly be Hu Nan.

Meanwhile, Chen Erniu, who had stopped at the five-hundred-and-fiftieth floor, slowly raised his head to look at the golden light hidden in the mist at the top of the ladder. There was no hint of pride in his eyes; instead, he shook his head slightly, his expression calm and clear-headed.

He could clearly feel that the Pressure around him had reached its limit. If he climbed any higher, even he would struggle to endure it; the spiritual energy in his body was being rapidly consumed, and his blood and Qi were beginning to surge.

Chen Erniu knew in his heart that with his current strength, he could reach the six-hundredth floor at most. To go further and seize that token, he was still far from ready; he had to return and Cultivate diligently to improve his cultivation and strength.

Or perhaps, if he obtained a treasure that could resist the Pressure, he might be able to challenge even higher levels.

"Who is that man in black?"

"Probably a Prodigy from a major School!"

"How did he reach the five-hundred-and-fiftieth floor so easily!"

"This person will likely hold the highest record this year!"

"The five-hundred-and-fiftieth floor... truly impressive!"

Seeing Chen Erniu reach the five-hundred-and-fiftieth floor, many Disciples were utterly astonished.

Some even began to speculate about Chen Erniu's identity.

Listening to the discussions, Qin Changsheng also stood up; he knew his moment to climb the Ascending Heaven Ladder had arrived.

Since most people were currently focused on Chen Erniu and Li Hu, no one noticed him entering the ladder.

The moment he stepped into the entrance of the Ascending Heaven Ladder, a majestic Pressure rushed toward him, but Qin Changsheng's expression remained unchanged, and his steps did not falter.

His Golden Trait's coercion passive was triggered, instantly reducing the Heavenly Dao Pressure by ninety percent. Combined with the qingyun jade pendant he wore, which resisted an additional six percent, the two forces stacked so that the powerful Pressure on the ladder felt like a gentle breeze to him, devoid of any pressure.

Qin Changsheng moved, his Speed astonishing, far surpassing all the Cultivators who had climbed before, even more rapid than when Li Hu and Chen Erniu had ascended.

With light steps and fluid spiritual energy, he didn't need to deliberately consume energy to resist the Pressure. He climbed all the way up, his figure like a bolt of black lightning darting across the ladder. In an instant, he had climbed dozens of floors, easily passing the two-hundredth floor where Lin Hao had previously failed.

At the three-hundredth floor, Jiang Lijuan was closing her eyes to recover her state when she suddenly heard a faint sound of wind. She snapped her eyes open and instinctively looked up, only to see a black figure flash past her like a teleportation. He was so fast that she couldn't even see his appearance, only feeling a faint ripple of spiritual energy as he flew by.

Jiang Lijuan froze on the spot, her eyes filled with confusion and disbelief. Her mouth hung slightly open, unable to utter a word for a long time.

"How... how is this possible?" Jiang Lijuan murmured, her eyes filled with shock.

She had originally thought only two people had higher talent than her.

But she never expected there would be another whose talent was so much greater.

By now, Qin Changsheng had already passed the three-hundredth floor and was rapidly climbing toward the four-hundredth. In just a few moments, he reached the level where Li Hu was.

Li Hu was looking up at Chen Erniu with resentment, secretly vowing to surpass him through hard cultivation in the future, when he suddenly heard a rushing wind. He whipped his head around and saw a black figure Speed past him with a composed expression, not even glancing at him, as if he were merely a speck of dust on the ladder.

Li Hu was stunned, his resentment instantly replaced by bewilderment and disbelief.

He jumped to his feet, staring fixedly at the rapidly ascending black figure, his eyes filled with incredulity.

He was the Young Lord of the Blood Demon Sect, gifted with extraordinary talent and deep cultivation since childhood. He had always been a leader among his peers and even believed that only Hu Nan might barely surpass him. Yet this mysterious masked man in black had overtaken him so easily without even a pause, as if his four-hundredth floor was nothing more than an insignificant starting point.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Li Hu's eyes were filled with frantic resentment and jealousy.

Qin Changsheng didn't care at all about Jiang Lijuan's shock or Li Hu's resentment. He maintained his extreme Speed, climbing all the way up. The Pressure on the ladder grew stronger and stronger, yet it still had no effect on him.

His steps remained steady and his Speed rapid. In the blink of an eye, he passed the five-hundredth floor and charged toward the five-hundred-and-fiftieth where Chen Erniu was. His figure grew more distant in the radiant glow, yet also more dazzling.

Even Wen Xuanli took notice of Qin Changsheng inside the ladder.

The Cultivators on the scene were also plunged into shock, and a burst of discussion erupted, their voices full of disbelief:

"My God! Who is this masked man in black? He's way too powerful!"

"He passed the five-hundredth floor just like that?"

"Just what kind of talent does this require?"

On the five-hundred-and-fiftieth floor, Chen Erniu also sensed the movement below. He slowly opened his eyes and looked down.

When he saw someone reaching the five-hundredth floor, he was also very startled.

After all, for the sake of this ladder, he had specifically Cultivated a Body Refining Cultivation Technique to painstakingly reach the five-hundred-and-fiftieth floor.

Yet this mysterious man in black had reached the five-hundred-and-fiftieth floor directly without any protection.

Meanwhile, Qin Changsheng's Speed remained as swift as black lightning, passing the five-hundred-and-fiftieth floor in a blink and charging toward even higher steps.

At that moment, Chen Erniu finally spoke, his voice deep and steady, piercing through the radiant glow to reach Qin Changsheng's ears: "Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment."