After My Rebirth, I Ended Up Happily Ever After with the Saintess - Chapter 21

The din in the valley abruptly ceased at the command of the Azure Cloud Sect deacon. Thousands of gazes were fixed on the colossal stone staircase, the Azure Cloud Ladder, standing majestically amidst the clouds and mist.

This ladder was no ordinary object. The founding patriarch of the Azure Cloud Sect had used great magical power to seize the essence of the mountain and refine it into this staircase. It had a total of 9,999 steps and led directly to the faintly visible Azure Cloud Peak Plaza above. The steps were ancient and simple, engraved with countless intricate and profound runes, now radiating a faint azure glow. A heavy, mountain-like pressure emanated from the top, spreading downwards and enveloping the entire entrance area.

The air seemed to be solidified with lead. Those with weaker cultivation were already breathing rapidly and turning pale.

A stern-faced inner disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect stood before the ladder, his voice as cold as ice, announcing the rules: “The Azure Cloud Ladder tests perseverance, foundation, and will! The higher you climb, the better your score! Falling or voluntarily giving up means failure. Time limit: three hours! Now—begin!”

As his voice faded, a brief silence was shattered as the crowd surged towards the enormous stone stairs like a floodgate opening!

“Charge!”

“Grab the lead!”

In an instant, spiritual light flashed and shouts rang out. As soon as most of the young men and women stepped onto the stairs, they felt their bodies suddenly sink! The invisible pressure instantly bore down on their bodies and souls, as if they were shackled by heavy chains. For the first few hundred steps, their speed was still decent, but differences were already starting to show. Those with strong physiques and profound spiritual power walked with relative ease, while those with weak foundations were already panting.

Ye Li did not rush to the front. She followed the crowd onto the first step, and the pressure descended. For her, this initial pressure was acceptable, but she could clearly feel that it contained not only physical oppression but also a trace of shock that penetrated the soul, interfering with the circulation of spiritual power and the clarity of the mind.

She regulated her breathing, and the Nether-Void Emperor Scripture slowly circulated. The icy spiritual power flowing through her meridians automatically offset some of the invading pressure, minimizing its effect on her body. Furthermore, her body, which had been tempered through reincarnation, refined by the Nether-Void Emperor Scripture, and repeatedly quenched by medicinal liquids, was far stronger than those of her peers. The physical pressure, for her, was a perfect kind of tempering.

She did not rush forward frantically like some others. Instead, she maintained an astonishingly stable speed, climbing steadily and unhurriedly. One step, two steps—her pace was firm and her rhythm unchanged, as if the constantly increasing pressure did not exist for her.

Soon, the crowd began to stratify.

Leading the way were several dozen true geniuses, such as the cold, beautiful blue-robed girl (Luo Bing), the wild, back-sword youth (Shi Feng), and the brocade-robed young master with a folding fan (Lin Yu). They used various techniques—some with ethereal movements, others with the momentum of a wild ox. Their speed was significantly faster than the others, and they had already passed the two-thousand-step mark, their momentum still strong.

The large middle contingent was beginning to show signs of fatigue. Their speed had visibly slowed, sweat poured down, and every step seemed extremely difficult, with gasps echoing all around. Ye Xiaodou and even Ye Shi had fallen into this echelon, gritting their teeth and holding on.

And Ye Li, in an unusually conspicuous manner, was firmly in the middle-upper position, and was still steadily and uniformly surpassing those in front whose speed was slowing!

Her composure was in stark contrast to the surrounding struggle, making it impossible not to draw attention.

“Look at that girl! How does she look like she’s not struggling at all?”

“Such a stable pace! It hasn’t changed since the start!”

“Which family’s genius is that? Why haven’t I heard of her before?”

“Her name seems to be Ye Li? The one whose Scrying Mirror test flashed blue then immediately turned yellow?”

Scattered whispers mingled with the gasps, and many people turned astonished gazes towards her.

On the high platform, the attention of the several Azure Cloud Sect Elders had long been drawn.

“This girl… is interesting,” an Elder with a ruddy face stroked his beard. “Her foundation is solid, far surpassing her peers. This Azure Cloud Ladder pressure, it seems to have little effect on her?”

The green-robed Elder, who had previously felt a flicker of doubt about Ye Li, narrowed his eyes: “It’s not that it has little effect, but rather that her method of dissolving the pressure is extremely clever, and her physical strength is extraordinary. Look at her steps, they are incredibly steady, and her willpower is also very firm. She is a good seed.”

Even the white-haired old man in the center, whose aura was the deepest, slightly nodded: “Good temperament, neither arrogant nor impatient, and she knows how to measure her efforts. If her talent truly is only yellow-grade upper-tier, then this willpower and foundation are enough to compensate.”

Ye Li below was unaware of the evaluations on the high platform. She was immersed in this unique climb. The pressure honed her body, and the spiritual shock constantly tempered her soul. She could even feel the circulation of the Nether-Void Emperor Scripture accelerate slightly, and her spiritual energy became more condensed.

When she reached the five-thousandth step, the pressure suddenly increased by a notch! It was as if an invisible giant hand had firmly pressed down!

“Ugh!”

“I can’t do it!”

Immediately, a chorus of screams erupted, and a large number of young men and women were directly crushed by this abruptly intensified pressure, tumbling down like dumplings, or being rescued by the waiting sect disciples and declared eliminated.

The remaining individuals all staggered violently, their speed plummeting. Every step required immense effort.

Even the few geniuses in the leading echelon visibly slowed down.

However, Ye Li still maintained that constant speed! As if the five-thousandth step was no different from the five-hundredth!

This action completely caught the attention of the geniuses in front.

“Hmph! Playing tricks!” The wild youth Shi Feng glanced back and saw Ye Li had unknowingly caught up behind their second echelon. He snorted in displeasure. He abruptly stomped his foot, and a yellowish-brown light shone around him, forcefully accelerating his speed, seemingly unwilling to be overtaken by those behind him.

The folding fan young master Lin Yu also noticed Ye Li, a flicker of surprise and calculation in his eyes. He laughed lightly while fanning himself, “How interesting.” His speed, however, did not drop, and his movement technique appeared quite agile.

As for the cold, beautiful girl Luo Bing, she merely glanced back once, her eyes still icy, showing no discernible emotion, and continued her ascent at her own pace.

The real trouble came from a few narrow-minded and arrogant aristocratic disciples. Seeing a “mere” yellow-grade talent, an obscure girl, catching up and even seeming to surpass them, they felt humiliated.

Just as Ye Li was about to pass a richly dressed, arrogant-looking youth, a malicious glint flashed in the youth’s eyes. He deliberately shifted a step sideways, precisely blocking Ye Li’s path, while secretly pushing his spiritual power to form a chaotic current, attempting to disrupt Ye Li’s footing and make her look clumsy or even lose her balance!

“Get lost! Don’t block my path!” he even shouted an accusation first.

Ye Li’s gaze turned cold! She had already sensed the other party’s malice. The moment the chaotic current reached her, her footwork slightly shifted. The finesse of the Shadow-Phantom Steps was displayed to its full extent! Instead of forcing her way through, she was like a slippery fish, utilizing the edge of the opponent’s spiritual current to pass around the obstruction with an incredibly subtle arc. She even cleverly borrowed half a point of the current’s force, making her speed slightly faster as she effortlessly surpassed him!

The richly dressed youth only felt a blur before his eyes, and the target had vanished. The chaotic current he sent out was like a mud ox sinking into the sea, causing his own aura to momentarily stagnate, almost disrupting his steps, making him stumble clumsily.

“You!” He was both shocked and enraged, his face flushed red.

Ye Li did not even turn her head, as if she had just brushed away a speck of dust, continuing her stable and consistent climb.

This scene, witnessed by the other disciples struggling to climb around them, further shocked their hearts. They recognized that richly dressed youth—his cultivation had reached the Peak of the Enlightenment Realm. How could he be so easily shaken off?

Subsequently, a few more disbelieving people tried to trip her up in secret, either by deliberately squeezing, or with spiritual power sneak attacks.

But Ye Li could always resolve it with the most exquisite and effort-saving method, sometimes even leveraging the opponent’s tactics to make her own ascent easier by a few steps. Her movement technique and her control over power were fully displayed and honed under the immense pressure.

After the seven-thousandth step, the pressure doubled again! It was now like a substantial mountain pressing down on their shoulders!

The speed of the few geniuses in the leading echelon was now as slow as a tortoise, relying entirely on their profound cultivation and willpower to hold on.

Shi Feng’s muscles bulged, veins throbbing, as he roared, inching upwards step by step. Lin Yu’s folding fan had long been put away, his forehead glistened with sweat, and his smile was strained. Luo Bing was surrounded by a chilling aura, and every step she took left faint frost on the stone steps, but her face was also slightly pale.

And Ye Li, finally slowed her pace slightly for the first time, but was still faster than most people ahead! Fine beads of sweat broke out on her forehead, and her breathing became slightly heavier, but her eyes remained clear and calm, and her steps showed no sign of panic.

She began to overtake those formerly unattainable geniuses of the first echelon, one by one!

When she passed Lin Yu, his eyes were filled with disbelief and a hint of gloom.

When she passed Shi Feng, he let out a roar of unwillingness, yet was powerless to accelerate.

Finally, she pulled level with Luo Bing, who was radiating cold air!

Luo Bing turned her head to look at Ye Li. For the first time, a clear emotional fluctuation appeared in her cold eyes—a trace of surprise and intense combativeness. She seemed to want to speed up, but the pressure at this moment was at its limit. In the end, she could only watch as Ye Li, at a slightly faster pace than hers, steadily climbed past her!

Eight-thousand steps! Eight-thousand-five-hundred steps! Nine-thousand steps!

There were fewer and fewer steps ahead, and the number of people still climbing was less than a hundred!

Everyone’s gaze was focused on that single grey figure at the very front, still moving slowly but resolutely!

On the high platform, the Elders were already deeply moved.

“This girl… is extraordinary!” the ruddy-faced Elder exclaimed.

The green-robed Elder’s eyes were sharp: “This willpower, this foundation, this resilience… yellow-grade talent? This old man now harbors deep suspicion!”

A rare smile appeared on the white-haired old man’s face: “It seems our Azure Cloud Sect has truly found a gem this time.”

Finally, under the scrutiny of countless shocked, complicated, and unbelievable gazes, Ye Li stepped onto the nine-thousand-nine-hundred-and-ninety-ninth step!

The immense pressure instantly vanished, and her body felt light.

She stood firmly on the enormous plaza at the summit of the Azure Cloud Peak, slightly out of breath, her face flushed, but her posture still straight as a pine tree.

She was the first person to reach the top!

There were already many sect deacons and disciples waiting in the plaza. They all stared at her as if she were a monster.

Ye Li slowly regulated her breathing, her gaze sweeping over the crowd still struggling to climb below. She saw the determined figure of Su Wanyun, the gritting perseverance of Ye Shi, and the shocked and unwilling expressions of the other geniuses.

She withdrew her gaze, her expression calm and tranquil.

The Azure Cloud Ladder was merely the beginning.

She sat down cross-legged, closed her eyes to meditate, and waited for the subsequent assessments, as if the shocking performance she had just given was a trivial matter.

However, what she did not know was that the name “Ye Li” had exploded like a clap of thunder on the summit of the Azure Cloud Peak and in the hearts of all who witnessed it!