C5 He Had Seen Through Their Identity

Taking a cue from others, Wang Ye started to use both his hands and feet to climb the ladder, and sure enough, his speed significantly improved. He was now moving more than twice as fast as before. This technique was proving to be quite effective.

As time swiftly passed, Wang Ye found himself at the 90th step in the blink of an eye. With only ten steps remaining, the final step was tantalizingly close.

"Young Master, wake up! That kid has already reached the 90th step." The servant's eyes snapped open, and upon realizing Wang Ye was nearing the finish line, he quickly roused Lin Xing.

"Damn, how could I have fallen asleep?" Lin Xing groaned, rubbing his head. He turned to the servant and ordered, "Stop him! He can't beat me to first place."

With that, Lin Xing handed over two bottles of medicinal liquid to his servants, who promptly swallowed the contents and dashed forward. They began the third stage of the ladder, furiously pursuing Wang Ye.

"He must be loaded, even his servants get medicinal liquid," Zhang Hu commented, having woken up at some point. He looked refreshed and energized.

The servants moved swiftly up the ladder, the medicinal liquid rendering them impervious to gravity's pull. They ascended as if they were on ordinary stairs, unaffected by any hindrance.

"It's maddening to compare ourselves to them. We can't even afford a single bottle of that liquid, yet his servants are taking it," one of the wealthy onlookers muttered.

"I recognize those two servants; they took the exam last year and even climbed the ladder. Why are they back again this year?" another one asked.

Witnessing the Lin Residence's servants consuming the medicinal liquid, a wave of envy and jealousy washed over the group of rich youths, leaving them gritting their teeth in frustration.

"Kid, stop right there!"

"Our young master is destined for first place!"

The two servants caught up to Wang Ye, shouting from behind him.

Wang Ye glanced back at the sound, a sense of unease washing over him. Was he about to lose his shot at first place?

"Just three steps left. I have to give it my all," Wang Ye resolved, continuing his ascent with determination. Just a little longer, and he would reach the end.

"Stop, you wretched thing, I said stop!"

"If you don't stop now, we won't be polite anymore!"

The two servants were seething with anger as they saw Wang Ye continue without halting. Failing to stop him meant they would not be able to fulfill their duty.

During the chase, Wang Ye had managed to ascend two more steps. He was just one step shy of the final one, which would allow him to clear this level.

Soon, his hands had grasped the top step. His body inched forward, and all he needed was to set his feet on the step to complete the challenge.

But at that very moment, as Wang Ye was about to step up, the two servants leaped onto the ninety-fifth step.

"Freeze!"

"Kid, hold it right there!"

Both servants yelled simultaneously. Wang Ye felt a weight on his feet as his toes were seized, rendering him immobile.

"Gotcha, kid!"

"Opposing our master? You're asking for trouble!"

With Wang Ye's toes in their grip, the servants breathed a sigh of relief. Now, the first place would surely belong to their master.

"Release me," Wang Ye demanded, turning to face the servants with a fierce look. "You're breaking the rules."

"Rules?" one servant scoffed. "The assessment is about the outcome, not the process. If you're the first to reach the top of the stairway, the means are irrelevant."

"I recognize this kid!" the other servant exclaimed with a gleam in his eye. "He's Elder Wang's grandson. Who would have thought he'd be so fortunate!"

"So it's him," the first servant realized, then sneered. "Well, if it's him, he can't blame us for showing no mercy."

Exchanging knowing glances, the servants smirked with mischief. Anyone else might have been spared, but not the grandson of Elder Wang.

Wang Ye had been brutally beaten at the Lin Residence two years prior, and these two servants, along with Lin Yuan, were the perpetrators. They remembered Wang Ye all too well.

"Toss him down; he must not pass the stairway."

"Exactly. We can't let him become a threat to our Lin Residence. Bad luck for him, running into us."

The two servants suddenly exerted force, yanking Wang Ye down from the staircase. Wang Ye flailed helplessly, bellowing, "Let go of me, you two!"

"Kid, with us here, you won't be climbing the Stairway to Heaven."

"Why waste words? Just toss him down."

With a coordinated effort, the servants hurled Wang Ye downward. Their combined strength was immense, sending him tumbling down relentlessly. In no time, he had rolled beyond the third stage of the Stairway to Heaven.

"Hahahaha! Well done!"

Lin Xing watched Wang Ye continue to plummet, laughing heartily. Competing with him for the top spot was sheer folly!

"You did a fine job," Zhang Hu remarked with a chuckle. Seizing the moment when Lin Xing was distracted, he sprinted forward with a swift dash, demonstrating remarkable explosive power.

Lin Xing instantly grasped Zhang Hu's intent. He quickly downed a medicinal draught and gave chase, but he was always one step behind, hopelessly outpaced by Zhang Hu.

"Block him!"

Enraged, Lin Xing had thought his victory was assured, only to have Zhang Hu unexpectedly challenge him.

The servants rushed to obstruct Zhang Hu, but their movements were noticeably sluggish, a sign that the medicine's effects were waning.

The time-limited nature of the medicine was precisely why they paused to rest upon reaching the third stage of the Stairway to Heaven—to conserve energy for a swift passage through this phase.

At the peak of his physical prowess, Zhang Hu reached the ninetieth step, unfazed by the servants barring his way. He let out a thunderous yell, "Move!"

Charging like a juggernaut, he sent the servants flying and ascended the final step, vanishing from sight.

As Zhang Hu disappeared, a "One" materialized in the void, signifying that someone had conquered the Stairway Assessment, a prompt for those still struggling to ascend.

"There goes my first place," Lin Xing grumbled, kicking the servants aside in frustration. "Useless fools, you can't even stop a fat man. What good are you?"

The servants offered no resistance. With a scowl, Lin Xing mounted the final step and disappeared, while the number in the void shifted to "Two."

The two servants picked themselves up off the ground with a mixture of resentment and frustration, their gaze icy as they watched Wang Ye continue to tumble. They had wasted too much time trying to thwart him, which had allowed Zhang Hu to slip by. They couldn't afford to let Wang Ye ascend the Stairway to Heaven again!

Failing to stop Zhang Hu had cost Lin Xing the top spot. If they allowed Wang Ye to reach the Stairway once more, their incompetence would surely get them thrown out of the Lin household.

They had managed to identify Wang Ye easily; surely Lin Yuan, a Martial Cultivator, would have no trouble recognizing him as well.