by Translator: BornToBe; Author: Ordinary Magician (平凡魔术师); Licensed From: 17k
“Wait, can you repeat the first part?” asked Long Chen.
“I, Xiao Qing, look down on them.”
“No, before that.”
“I said that since you know Long Chen…”
“Ah, I don’t know Long Chen. Thank you, I’ll go now.” Long Chen pulled Qingqing away.
Chapter 1771 Venerate Platform
Long Chen had just started pulling Qingqing away when that person angrily blocked his path.
“You clearly said that you knew Long Chen just now!”
“Wait a moment, my memory’s not so good. When did I say I know Long Chen? Let’s think back to what we said before,” said Long Chen innocently.
“What’s wrong with your head? The first thing I asked you was if you knew Long Chen, and you said you did!”
“Oh, that? I said that I knew of him. I mean, how many people here don’t know of Long Chen? However, knowing of him doesn’t mean that I know him,” said Long Chen.
“You…!” That person almost coughed up blood.
“Hey, are you going back on our deal? Were the legends false? After getting money for answering questions, you actually have to give the money back? Fine, since you can’t bear to part with this little money, I’ll give it back to you. Although I’m poor, I still have some pride, unlike… Well, I won’t say it. Here, take it.” Long Chen held out a spatial ring.
That person’s face alternated between white and green. He then looked at that spatial ring and furiously said, “The men of the Central Xuan Region are all noble. We never demand others to give back what we have given them. Go and spend it. Treat it as my charity to a beggar from another region.”
That man snorted and left. Others shook their heads as they also scattered.
“Hehe, your Central Xuan Region’s people really have money. Come, let me treat you to a meal.” Long Chen laughed and pulled Qingqing into an ancient restaurant.
Once they were inside the restaurant, Long Chen was very generous, ordering a little bit of everything. He directly spent twenty thousand spirit stones just on food.
In the end, a giant table had a small mountain of food piled on top of it, each dish being incomparably expensive.
Some meats were even from twelfth rank Magical Beasts, while some stir-fries included famous precious medicines. The smell alone was enough to make one salivate.
As soon as the food came, Long Chen started taking big bites, chomping down on some twelfth rank golden ox muscle. It was unknown what cooking method they had used to make it practically melt in his mouth. The essence within it was fully retained, making it both delicious and nourishing. It was no wonder it was so expensive.
“Qingqing, eat while it’s hot!” Only after several large bites did Long Chen notice that Qingqing was staring blankly at the mountain of food in front of her. It seemed she had forgotten how to use her chopsticks.
“Senior apprentice-brother Long Chen, can we really eat so luxuriously? I’m not used to this.”
“The money was given by someone else as a treat. It’s not like we’re spending our own money, so don’t be uneasy. Hurry and eat. To tell the truth, even if we didn’t run into that unlucky fool, I’d have treated you anyway because I’m impressed by your knowledge. I’ve got plenty of money since people are always sending money my way. I can’t even stop them”
“Wow, you’re so good at forming relationships with other people! There are that many people sending you money?” exclaimed Qingqing.
Long Chen was speechless. It seemed this child was too innocent to understand what he meant. The people sending him money weren’t doing it because of their friendship with him.
After a bit of talking and joking with Long Chen, Qingqing finally began to use her chopsticks. Her eyes were shining, as these delicacies were not things that she could usually enjoy.
“There’s a reason why this food is so expensive. Eat it. Here, this is good stuff. You can eat it.” Long Chen pushed a plate to Qingqing.
This plate had a dozen translucent objects. They appeared crystalline but immediately melted in a person’s mouth. Qingqing tried it and was unable to tell what it was.
“Senior apprentice-brother Long Chen, what is this? It’s delicious and contains so much essence!” Qingqing was amazed by this dish, but she quickly found that Long Chen’s expression was a bit odd.
What Qingqing didn’t know was that what she had just eaten was a very hearty bull… whip. It was the life rod of the twelfth rank Magical Beast known as the Golden Heavenly Unicorn Bull. Naturally, it was full of… essence. However, it wasn’t as if Long Chen could just tell her the truth.
“Senior apprentice-brother Long Chen, what is it? Is this thing very strange?” asked Qingqing innocently.
“Ah, about that… there’s nothing strange about it. It’s an organ that animals have,” said Long Chen vaguely.
“An organ that animals have? Then do humans have it?” probed Qingqing.
“Ah, well, how do I put this… Some people have it, some people… don’t.” Long Chen wanted to do a facepalm. This was difficult to explain, especially to a naive and innocent girl.
“How curious. Then do I have it?”
“Right now you don’t have it, but you might have one in the future.” Long Chen continued to be vague.
“Shameless!”
Just at this moment, a woman in violet robes at a table not that far from them snorted and stood up, glaring at Long Chen. She turned to leave.
However, she suddenly double backed when she saw his face. “It’s you!”
The woman stared at Long Chen with shock, clearly having recognized him. Long Chen’s illusory art was useless against her.
Long Chen was also startled. This woman’s control over her Heavenly Dao energy was extremely great, and she had managed to suppress her fluctuations to a minimum. If he hadn’t seen her eyes, he really might have been tricked.
She was actually a powerful Empyrean. Her eyes had golden runes flowing within them.
“Hmph, I never thought that the famous Long Chen was nothing more than a rogue. It seems those rumors aren’t unsubstantiated. Your ranking is completely meaningless.” The woman snorted and left.
Long Chen was still flabbergasted. Just who was this woman? He didn’t know her, so how did he get cursed by her as soon as she saw him? She must have realized what Long Chen was saying.
“Senior apprentice-brother Long Chen, that woman is very amazing. Her name is Ye Lingshan. She is an independent cultivator, but due to obtaining the inheritance of an ancient sect, she instantly became a peerless heavenly genius. Rumor is that her potential is terrifying, and all the large powers are trying to pull her into their sects. Even the alliance head once invited her, saying that she wanted her as her personal apprentice. However, Ye Lingshan is still hesitating over her decision,” said Qingqing.
“The alliance head wants her as her apprentice? Their characters are quite similar. They’re definitely fiery enough.” Long Chen nodded.
“Hehe, senior apprentice-brother Long Chen, aren’t you afraid of me selling you out to the alliance head?”
“I’m not afraid. After eating my food, I trust you wouldn’t do such a thing.”
The two of them quickly finished eating. There was a great deal left over, but Qingqing took it for her sisters.
Long Chen said he could get a whole table for her to bring back, but Qingqing refused obstinately. The two of them left the restaurant and took a short transportation formation to the top of a mountain.
In front of the mountain was a cliff with a set of stairs on it. There were nine steps.
What startled Long Chen was that he felt a powerful mental pressure coming from these stairs. It was his first time sensing such powerful Spiritual Strength. It was like a raging tsunami.
“Senior apprentice-brother, this is the Venerate Platform, a stone staircase that comes all the way from the dark era. In the ancient era, this was a trial to test a person’s potential. As long as a p
erson could reach the ninth step, it would signify that they have a high chance of becoming a Venerate in the future. Do you want to try it? Anyone is allowed to try it, and there’s no fee,” said Qingqing. She stared at him expectantly, wanting to see him try it.
Long Chen looked at the distant nine steps. Quite a few experts were currently attempting to climb it.
Although it was just nine steps, each step was three hundred meters tall. When the disciples climbed onto them, they seemed to be restricted by some law and were unable to fly. They were forced to climb up.
These people had only reached the third step before they began coughing up blood. They fell from the steps, crashing onto the ground and clenching their heads in pain.
Long Chen shook his head. “This staircase has a mental formation on it that strips you of your spiritual yuan. It is a kind of mental torment to climb it. Not only will illusions assault you, but your heart-devils will be reborn. Without strong enough willpower, anyone coming here would just be torturing themselves. They would be rattling their own Dao-heart.”
Long Chen’s mental power was strong, and he was able to sense the power of this staircase.
His estimate was that it was a test for experts in the ancient era. It most likely was not used as a trial because the mental damage it caused was serious. It could even harm the soul.
It should have a formation that also healed a person’s soul and firmed a person’s Dao-heart. Otherwise, it would just be a con. However, after so much time, this staircase had become a masterless object, and there was no one protecting it. Since most of its power had to have faded, there was no value even if you reached the ninth step.
Reaching the ninth step meant that you could become a Venerate? That was just a way to comfort oneself. Long Chen wouldn’t do something so foolish.
“Senior apprentice-brother Long Chen, you’re so amazing! You instantly saw through the Venerate Platform’s details.” Qingqing was surprised.
“Based on your expression, it seems you’ve climbed it before?”
“Yes, but after the fifth step, I couldn’t go on. I fell and almost became a pancake.” Qingqing stuck out her tongue in embarrassment.
“With your peaceful nature, you were still able to reach the fifth step. That’s not bad. However, don’t believe the superstitions about the Venerate Platform. Due to the flow of time, many of its runes have been badly damaged, and it is no longer comparable to its original state. Many people have also been led astray by that legend. The reason it’s here free of charge for everyone to use is because it’s just a toy used to harm yourself. Otherwise, others would have occupied it already,” said Long Chen.
The current Venerate Platform merely caused damage to a person’s mind. It was only suitable for those with great willpower to temper themselves. Others would just be harming themselves. That was why only a few experts were climbing it right now despite the vast number of geniuses in Clearwind City. He would guess that a portion of these people were those who had come from the other four regions, attracted to its name.
“Oh? Ye Lingshan has come! Is she going to challenge the Venerate Platform?” Qingqing let out a startled cry. Long Chen saw Ye Lingshan appear in front of the Venerate Platform.
Chapter 1772 Ye Lingshan
The violet-robed Ye Lingshan was walking gracefully and elegantly. As soon as she appeared, she caused a ruckus.
“Ye Lingshan has come! Is she challenging the Venerate Platform?”
“With her power, there should be no need for her to do so. Independent cultivators would only come here if they didn’t have any way to temper their souls or willpower.”
“Perhaps there’s some other reason why she came. Perhaps…”
Ye Lingshan stepped onto the first step. The Venerate Platform buzzed, and a vast spiritual pressure crashed down on her. Quite a few other disciples in the midst of climbing it were startled and rolled off.
This Venerate Platform would unleash greater power depending on the strength of the person being tested. A few of them were caught up in Ye Lingshan’s test.
“Amazing! She’s reached the fifth step without changing expression!” exclaimed Qingqing.
For her, just reaching the fourth step had been difficult. The only reason she had managed to persevere to the fifth step was because of sheer willpower.
As for the fifth step, upon reaching there, her soul received a powerful impact, and it took over a month to recover from it. However, that accomplishment still filled her with pride.
The majority of experts were unable to get to the fifth step. However, it seemed Ye Lingshan was still finding it easy.
“In truth, with your power, reaching the sixth step should be no problem. It’s just that you don’t know the technique,” said Long Chen.
“The technique?”
“Yes. This Venerate Platform’s energy flows from top to bottom. The higher you climb, the greater the pressure. Before this, I saw everyone was climbing in a way that would take more energy and be more difficult. They were like fish trying to swim against the current. The more they resisted, the greater the pressure. Rather than that, allow a portion of the Venerate Platform’s energy to enter your spiritual world. It will invade you, but its power will be limited. On the other hand, if you go all-out resisting it, it will be like you’re trying to move forward in a storm. The larger your umbrella, the greater the resistance. But those who aren’t afraid of getting wet will be able to go further. Do you understand?”
Qingqing came to a sudden realization. “No wonder Ye Lingshan’s spiritual fluctuations aren’t very intense yet. She’s not using her full power to resist.”
At this moment, Ye Lingshan had reached the seventh step. At this moment, the Venerate Platform began to shake, and the air around it started to twist. Everything became illusory.
People felt faint. It was like the world had been flipped. They no longer knew which direction was which.
“How terrifying. We’re so far, but we’re still affected. Then isn’t Ye Lingshan under even more terrifying pressure?”
Startled cries rang out. Ye Lingshan was slightly pale. Now it was starting to get hard for her.
“Only the first and second commanders have managed to reach the seventh step on our side,” whispered Qingqing.
“On the seventh step, the energy has started to change. It’s no longer purely flowing from the top but attacking from all angles. There’s no trick by this point. You can only charge through with your power.” Long Chen nodded.
“The eighth step!”
Startled cries rang out just as they were talking. Although Ye Lingshan had slowed down, she still managed to reach the eighth step.
When she reached the eighth step, booming echoed through the air. Black clouds gathered above the Venerate Platform, and the might of the Heavenly Daos crashed down, shaking people’s souls. Some people were no longer able to stand. They collapsed.
This was heavenly might targeted toward the soul. People couldn’t resist.
Qingqing’s body was quivering. This kind of heavenly might scared her soul. She unconsciously got closer to Long Chen.
When she got closer to Long Chen, she was startled to find that this heavenly might seemed to have vanished. When she looked at him, she saw that Long Chen was looking at the black clouds with a mocking smile.
“Senior apprentice-brother Long Chen, are you not afraid of the heavenly might?” Qingqing couldn’t believe her eyes.
“Heavenly might? No, this isn’t heavenly might. It is just an imitation. It’s only used to frighten others and make them feel like climbing the ninth step would make them face the wrath of the heavens. It makes them feel like they will die to the Heavenly Daos, but it’s just a trick.” Long Chen shook his head.
Let alone fake heavenly might, he had experienced true heavenly might many times. He wasn’t afraid of it.
With his years of going against the heavens, he was able to distinctly tell that this one was fake. However, others
didn’t have that ability.
To Ye Lingshan, climbing to the ninth step would mean enduring that heavenly might, which would mean going against the Heavenly Daos.
Not everyone was like the Dragonblood Legion who had started going against the Heavenly Daos early in their cultivation. This was a very difficult trial.
Ye Lingshan suddenly clenched her teeth and directly climbed onto the ninth step. This step was a cliff in its own right, and Ye Lingshan needed to climb over it.
She had just started climbing when the black clouds seemed to boil over. Lightning flashed within them.
“It’s a good fake.” Long Chen nodded. This Venerate Platform was truly amazing to be able to imitate the heavenly might so well.
Ye Lingshan had just gotten a few dozen meters up when her whole body shuddered. Her face was pale as paper, and there was a touch of fear in her eyes.
However, she clenched her teeth and continued climbing. As she climbed, the pressure of the heavens grew stronger. Beasts began to appear in the black clouds. They roared and charged at Ye Lingshan.
“Ah!” Qingqing let out a startled cry. Those beasts were incredibly terrifying.
“Don’t worry, they’re fake. They won’t kill Ye Lingshan, but they will affect her mind. If her mind is occupied by fear, these formless Magical Beasts will cause damage to her soul. Whether or not she can endure is up to her will,” comforted Long Chen.
As expected, the first beast slammed into Ye Lingshan and didn’t cause any damage. There was no injury.
However, her whole body trembled. That attack had clearly influenced her.
More and more of those beasts came charging toward Ye Lingshan. They were incredibly lifelike.
“Ah!”
Quite a few people were letting out startled cries. Ye Lingshan’s body shuddered so intensely that she dropped over a hundred meters, almost falling completely.
“It’s over. After such a setback, there’s basically no hope.” One person sighed regretfully.