81: Chapter 81 The Fifth Life, The Blazing Sun Illuminates the Martial Path (Twenty-Nine)

As Chu Shi descended, thousands of gazes around him remained glued to him.

There was awe, envy, and also unconcealable jealousy and apprehension.

After all, he was the second prodigy in the last three hundred years of the Great Sun Holy Land to step onto the ninth level of the nine-layer heavenly ladder during the Three-State Trial.

In front of the Canglan State formation, Seventh Prince Xiao Yuan had already hurried up to meet him, his face filled with undisguised admiration.

He raised his hand and bowed deeply to Chu Shi, saying, "Brother Chu, you are truly amazing!

The ninth level of the nine-layer heavenly ladder—looking across the entire thousand-year history of the Holy Land, very few have been able to achieve this. Today, I, Seventh Prince Xiao Yuan, am thoroughly convinced."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Princess Xiao Xiao, who was by his side, hopped over.

The young girl was dressed in an apricot-colored martial outfit, her ponytail tied high, her cheeks slightly puffed out, and her apricot-shaped eyes wide open.

A flash of admiration crossed her eyes as she looked at Chu Shi, yet she stubbornly refused to admit it:

"Hmph, Chu Shi, you're actually quite strong; I suppose you didn't let this princess down.

But why do you have to be so amazing? We only managed to climb to the seventh level with great difficulty, how did you manage to rush straight to the ninth level!

Doesn't that just make us look like losers? You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

Although her words were unconvinced, her hand honestly handed over a water skin.

"Here, have some water.

This wasn't specifically prepared for you, mind you, it's just that you at least brought honor to our Canglan State, and I can't let others laugh at us."

Chu Shi took the water skin, his fingertips pausing slightly, then he smiled and nodded: "Thank you, Princess. You flatter me; it was just a bit of good luck."

"Good luck?"

Princess Xiao Xiao was immediately displeased and said with her hands on her hips, "Do you think you're Mr. Lucky or something?

The nine-layer heavenly ladder trial depends entirely on one's natural aptitude and determination toward the Dao; what use is luck?

Unless you are a Child of Destiny!

Stop being falsely humble. If you call this luck, then aren't we all just unlucky losers!"

Seventh Prince Xiao Yuan smiled and smoothed things over from the side, and the three of them retreated side-by-side to the back of the formation, chatting casually about life after entering the sect.

Princess Xiao Xiao chattered endlessly about wanting to find the most famous spiritual food shop in the Holy Land and wanting to see the sunrise over the sea of clouds of the nine peaks.

Seventh Prince Xiao Yuan was more concerned with the allocation of cultivation resources in the sect and the strengths and weaknesses of the heritage of each peak.

Chu Shi occasionally responded with a word or two, but his gaze swept from time to time over the nine-layer heavenly ladder trial that was still ongoing.

Above the high platform, the trial's light screen was still scrolling, with name after name constantly appearing and disappearing; some were happy, some were sorrowful.

The sun gradually tilted westward, and when the last trial-taker fell from the nine-layer heavenly ladder, that golden ladder that spanned heaven and earth finally dissipated slowly into the sea of clouds.

The Three-State Trial and the nine-layer heavenly ladder assessment had now officially come to an end.

On the high platform, the sect deacon responsible for recording the trial results held a jade scroll and loudly announced the final results, his voice infused with Yuan energy, carrying across the entire trial grounds.

"There were a total of 1,264 prospective disciples from the three states this time. The results of the nine-layer heavenly ladder trial are as follows:

One person reached the ninth level of the nine-layer heavenly ladder: Chu Shi from Canglan State!

He shall enter under the tutelage of the Lieyang Peak Master, temporarily as a named disciple!"

As the words fell, the entire audience was in an uproar once again.

Chu Shi's expression was calm; he nodded slightly in acknowledgement, accepting this honor that was destined to shake the three states.

"One person reached the eighth level of the nine-layer heavenly ladder: Ling Chen from Qingyan Province!

He shall enter under the tutelage of the Qingyang Peak Master, temporarily as a named disciple!"

In the Qingyan Province formation, Ling Chen, dressed in green robes, raised his eyes and looked toward Chu Shi from afar, a flash of undisguised fighting spirit crossing the depths of his eyes.

"There are thirteen people who reached the seventh level of the nine-layer heavenly ladder. They will be Core Disciples of the sect and will be taken in by the elders of each peak."

The deacon's voice continued to sound, stating the names, origins, and affiliations of the thirteen people one by one, clearly and distinctly.

Besides the main peak, the Great Sun Holy Land has nine peaks, which correspond to the Nine Suns Grand Array. They are Lieyang Peak, Qingyang Peak, Luoxia Peak, Chiyang Peak, Yaoyang Peak, Zhengyang Peak, Danyang Peak, Xuanyang Peak, and Zhaoyang Peak.

The nine peaks share the same breath and branches, guarding the destiny of the Holy Land; they are the true foundation of the sect. These thirteen prodigies will all be inducted into these nine peaks:

"From Qingyan Province, Su Qinghe, enters Luoxia Peak, taken in by the First Elder of Luoxia Peak.

Wang Teng, enters Lieyang Peak, taken in by the First Elder of Lieyang Peak.

Zhou Yan, enters Yaoyang Peak, taken in by the Second Elder of Yaoyang Peak.

Sun Xiao, enters Chiyang Peak, taken in by the First Elder of Chiyang Peak.

From Diming Province, Mo Chen, enters Yaoyang Peak, taken in by the Third Elder of Yaoyang Peak.

Ye Lingxuan, enters Zhengyang Peak, taken in by the Second Elder of Zhengyang Peak.

Han Shuang, enters Xuanyang Peak, taken in by the Second Elder of Xuanyang Peak.

Shi Poshan, enters Zhaoyang Peak, taken in by the Third Elder of Zhaoyang Peak.

From Canglan State, Princess Xiao Xiao, enters Luoxia Peak, taken in as a disciple by the Luoxia Peak Master herself.

Seventh Prince Xiao Yuan, enters Zhengyang Peak, taken in by the First Elder of Zhengyang Peak.

Su Mu, enters Zhaoyang Peak, taken in by the Second Elder of Zhaoyang Peak.

Liu Jie, enters Qingyang Peak, taken in by the Third Elder of Qingyang Peak.

Lin He, enters Danyang Peak, taken in by the Third Elder of Danyang Peak."

These thirteen people, belonging to the three states, were all top-tier prodigies, one in ten thousand.

Only Princess Xiao Xiao was a special exception; although she only climbed to the seventh level, she was personally taken in by the Luoxia Peak Master, a female peak master who was known for being arrogant.

This treatment was second only to the disciples personally taught by the peak masters, Chu Shi and Ling Chen.

Princess Xiao Xiao herself hadn't expected this; when she heard her name, her eyes went wide, and she immediately jumped up and cheered.

She grabbed Seventh Prince Xiao Yuan's arm and shook it incessantly, her face full of excitement.

Immediately afterward, the deacon announced the subsequent rankings:

Those who reached the fourth to sixth levels of the nine-layer heavenly ladder, totaling 102 people, will be Inner Sect Disciples of the sect.

Those who successfully reached the third level, totaling 376 people, will be Outer Sect Disciples of the sect.

Those who reached the first to second levels of the nine-layer heavenly ladder, totaling 772 people, shall enter the Chore Hall as Utility Disciples and may be promoted based on merit and trials.

As soon as this result came out, the trial grounds instantly exploded into chaos.

Those young men and women designated as Utility Disciples were all deathly pale, their bodies trembling.

Which of them wasn't a seedling selected from one in ten thousand among the billions of people in the three states?

Back home, they were the hope of their families, elite geniuses that large sects fought over, and they were the center of attention wherever they went.

But now that they had entered the Great Sun Holy Land, they could only start from the very bottom as Utility Disciples, not even counting as official sect disciples.

Within the crowd, a young man with red-rimmed eyes immediately crushed the temporary identity jade tablet in his hand and roared:

"I'm not staying! What kind of Utility Disciple? When I go back to Diming Province, I'll still be a young master of my family. Why should I suffer this grievance here! I want to go back!"

As soon as his words came out, they instantly drew agreement from quite a few people.

One after another, dozens of people threw down their jade tablets, turned around, and walked toward the exit of the trial grounds.

They would rather give up this once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity to enter the Holy Land than stay and not be people of status in their hometowns.

But more people simply bit their teeth tightly, clutching the jade tablet in their hands engraved with the word "Chore" tightly.

Even though their eyes were red, they had no intention of leaving.