172: Chapter 172 The Treasure at the Top of the Heavenly Ladder

Nourished by the sound of the Dao, his cultivation had already found an Opportunity for a Breakthrough, showing faint signs of advancing toward the Late Stage of the Golden Core.

Sect Head Moyuan stood in the center of the high platform, eyes slightly closed, his body surrounded by unfathomable Spiritual Qi. As the sound of the Dao entered his ears, his expression grew increasingly solemn, and the Spiritual Qi around him surged wildly; above his head, a faint phantom of the Heavenly Dao began to emerge.

He had originally been at the ninth level of the Golden Core, just one step away from the tenth level, yet he had always found it difficult to break through. But now, with the blessing of the sound of the Dao and the nourishment of the Heavenly Dao phenomenon, that Bottleneck which had hindered him for many years began to slowly shatter. The Spiritual Qi within his body became increasingly thick, and the Pressure around him surged; clearly, his cultivation had quietly risen to the tenth level of the Golden Core.

"The sound of the Dao, a Heavenly Dao phenomenon! I never expected that reaching the thousandth step of the Ascending Heaven Ladder would trigger such a phenomenon of heaven and earth, even allowing us to improve our cultivation!" Sect Head Moyuan slowly opened his eyes, filled with shock and joy, his gaze fixed on Qin Changsheng at the top of the Ascending Heaven Ladder, his expression growing ever more determined.

"This child is truly the chosen one. No matter the cost, our Azure Cloud Sect must keep him!"

Elder Wen Xuanli also slowly regained his senses. Feeling the increasingly thick Spiritual Qi within his body, a look of joy appeared on his face. He bowed to Sect Head Moyuan and said, "Sect Head, thanks to this child, this Junior Brother has found an Opportunity for a Breakthrough. To be able to trigger the sound of the Dao and a phenomenon of heaven and earth, this child is certainly no ordinary genius; he is a darling of the Heavenly Dao, a talent rarely seen in a hundred years!"

The other Elders also chimed in, their eyes filled with awe and joy.

Most of them had also experienced an Epiphany during the sound of the Dao, and their cultivation had improved to varying degrees, increasing the awe they felt toward Qin Changsheng.

Chen Erniu closed his eyes, immersed in the Epiphany brought by the sound of the Dao. As his Spiritual Qi circulated, his cultivation, which had previously reached its limit, showed a slight loosening.

His gaze toward Qin Changsheng was also filled with wariness.

At the top of the Ascending Heaven Ladder, Qin Changsheng stood on the thousandth step, his body enveloped by golden light and an aura of auspiciousness. The sound of the Dao echoed in his ears, and countless principles of the Heavenly Dao flooded into his mind.

Qin Changsheng did not deliberately resist, allowing the sound of the Dao to nourish his Meridians. A gentle yet majestic power of the Heavenly Dao slowly seeped into his Physical Body, nourishing every inch of his bones and muscles.

[Ding! By silently listening to the sound of the Dao, you have comprehended the true meaning of Body Refining and received the nourishment of the power of the Heavenly Dao; the Vajra Body Refining Technique has been Cultivated to the Perfection Realm!]

The moment the prompt finished, Qin Changsheng felt his blood and Qi surging throughout his body, and a massive power erupted from within his Physical Body. The strength, defensive capabilities, and explosive power of his Physical Body had all achieved a qualitative leap; even without activating Spiritual Qi, relying solely on his Physical Body, he could withstand a full-force strike from a Cultivator at the Peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

He slowly clenched his fist, clearly feeling the powerful force surging within him, a flicker of pleasant surprise flashing in his eyes.

He had not expected such great benefits after reaching the top of the Ascending Heaven Ladder.

Qin Changsheng slowly opened his eyes, his gaze directed straight to the front of the thousandth step of the Ascending Heaven Ladder.

There, he saw an ancient stone platform standing.

The stone platform was carved from ancient bluestone, its surface covered in obscure Heavenly Dao runes. The runes shimmered with a faint golden light, merging with the aura of the Ascending Heaven Ladder. A soft barrier surrounded it, securely protecting the treasures on the stone platform and isolating them from outside interference.

He stepped forward slowly, and with every step he took, he could feel the majestic power emanating from the stone platform.

As the distance closed, the outline of the barrier became clearer, and the two treasures on the stone platform gradually came into view, causing a flicker of certainty and surprise to flash in his eyes.

On the left side of the stone platform, a golden fragment floated silently. The fragment was covered in intricate Heavenly Dao patterns, emitting a vast and pure power of the Heavenly Dao; its light was soft yet not blinding.

This fragment was the heavenly dao fragment that Qin Changsheng had been desperately seeking.

Just by looking at it from afar, Qin Changsheng could feel the infinite power contained within the fragment.

And on the right side of the stone platform, placed alongside the heavenly dao fragment, was a token.

The token was ancient in appearance, dark gold in color, with intricate and complex patterns carved on its surface. The patterns were blurred, as if eroded by time, yet it was still surrounded by a faint spiritual light.

Qin Changsheng's gaze fell upon the token, his pupils suddenly constricting, and a wave of emotion stirred within his heart.

This special token was actually identical to the reward token from the Heavenly Sword Sect Grand Competition all those years ago!

He could not help but recall the scene of the Heavenly Sword Sect Grand Competition many years ago.

At that time, Chen Erniu had voluntarily withdrawn and given Qin Changsheng a High Grade foundation establishment pill and a treasure in Exchange for this token.

At this moment, Qin Changsheng also understood that this token must be truly extraordinary.

Otherwise, it would not have been placed at the very top alongside the heavenly dao fragment.

At the same time, Qin Changsheng also understood that Chen Erniu had deceived him back then.

This token was definitely not a token for Chen Erniu's Immortal Cave.

Qin Changsheng did not linger. With a slight exertion of his palm and the circulation of his Spiritual Qi, he first slowly stored the golden heavenly dao fragment into his Storage Space, and immediately afterward, he kept the token close to his body.

The instant the heavenly dao fragment completely entered his Storage Space, a prompt suddenly rang out in Qin Changsheng's Sea of Consciousness.

[Ding, congratulations on obtaining a heavenly dao fragment; you can upgrade one Golden Trait to a Heavenly Dao Trait!]

As the System prompt ended, Qin Changsheng's eyes were full of joy.

Golden Traits were already powerful, and if one could be upgraded to a Heavenly Dao Trait, its power would inevitably undergo a qualitative leap. Whether it was the [Pressure] trait or any other Golden Trait, once upgraded, it would become a great aid on his path of Cultivation.

But he did not rush to make a choice, simply suppressing this joy as he slowly cast his gaze toward the bottom of the Ascending Heaven Ladder.

Looking down from above, the scene below was clear at a glance.

The golden light still lingered, and the sound of the Dao gradually weakened. The Cultivators had already slowly awakened from their Epiphany, their faces filled with joy and awe, their gazes all directed toward the thousandth step, their eyes full of anticipation.

They were all waiting for the masked man in black who had reached the top to come down, wanting to catch a glimpse of his true face and also wanting to know what Opportunity awaited after reaching the top.

On the high platform, Sect Head Moyuan and the Elders of the Azure Cloud Sect still stood solemnly, their burning gazes locked onto his figure, their expressions full of determination to win him over; clearly, they had long since prepared to keep him.

Chen Erniu, Li Hu, and the others also opened their eyes, looking eagerly toward the top, their eyes filled with hope and anxiety.

Qin Changsheng understood in his heart that everyone below was waiting for him to go down.

However, Qin Changsheng had absolutely no intention of going down from the Ascending Heaven Ladder.

After all, he did not want everyone to know his secret.

Nor did he want the treasures to fall into the hands of others.

Qin Changsheng slowly withdrew his gaze, no longer paying attention to the people below; in his Sea of Consciousness, the interface for the Golden Trait Exchange had already appeared.

Qin Changsheng prepared to Exchange positions with Wang Cheng, and then have Wang Cheng commit suicide on the Ascending Heaven Ladder.

In this way, no one would know Qin Changsheng's true identity.

Qin Changsheng closed his eyes, activating the Golden Trait Exchange ability within his Sea of Consciousness. His Spiritual Qi circulated quietly, and an invisible force spread out, connecting him with Wang Cheng, who was far away.

The next instant, Qin Changsheng's figure appeared inside a hidden cave.

And Wang Cheng, wearing the mask, appeared on the Ascending Heaven Ladder.

As soon as Wang Cheng steadied himself, he instantly regained consciousness. Qin Changsheng's instructions echoed clearly in his mind. Without the slightest hesitation, he slowly raised his right hand, a sharp surge of Spiritual Qi gathering in his palm. He did not point it at any enemy, but instead struck directly toward his own brow.

With the faint sound of Spiritual Qi piercing flesh, there was no painful wail, no hesitation whatsoever. Wang Cheng's body stiffened slightly, and then he slowly collapsed.

The moment his body hit the ground, Wang Cheng's corpse turned into streaks of golden light and dissipated on the Ascending Heaven Ladder, as if he had never appeared at all.

Below the Ascending Heaven Ladder, the crowd of Cultivators had long since completely awakened from their Epiphany. Everyone's gaze remained locked onto the thousandth step, their faces full of anticipation and awe, patiently waiting for the peerless genius who had reached the top to come down.

An hour passed in the blink of an eye. The sound of the Dao had completely dissipated, and the golden light filling the sky had gradually softened, yet there was still no movement from the thousandth step, and the figure of the masked man in black never appeared.

The originally noisy venue gradually became quiet. A sense of doubt quietly spread, and the Cultivators began to whisper to each other, their tones filled with confusion and bewilderment.