C6 A Threat

Lin Yuan had recognized Wang Ye quite early on but hadn't paid him much mind. He considered Wang Ye, a mere disciple from a humble background, to be no threat at all.

It wasn't until Wang Ye nearly reached the top of the ladder that Lin Yuan began to reassess him, realizing that Wang Ye might actually pose a threat.

However, that threat seemed to have vanished as Wang Ye was tumbling down the ladder, nearing the middle of the second stage.

He had tumbled down over a thousand steps, his body battered and bruised, his clothes soaked in blood, and he had lost consciousness.

Many onlookers cast sympathetic glances at the sight, but the assessment was merciless. If you couldn't climb the ladder, you were nothing, and nobody would come to your defense.

Li Muqing, seeing Wang Ye unconscious, shook his head, ready to carry him down, when a voice from the void commanded, "Wait!"

Taken aback, Li Muqing stared at the unconscious Wang Ye, wondering, "Has this young man's efforts caught Elder Sun's attention?"

Lin Yuan was equally astonished. Normally, an unconscious candidate would be removed from the ladder, but Elder Sun's instruction to wait suggested he might have been impressed by Wang Ye's resolve.

Both men dared not contradict Elder Sun. Lin Yuan's expression darkened, though; he couldn't believe that Wang Ye, so grievously injured, could possibly rise again.

Time ticked away as more candidates passed the trial, and the number in the void changed to "39," leaving Wang Ye with precious little time.

Wang Ye remained unconscious, yet he dreamed. He was transported back to that tragic day two years ago when his grandfather was beaten to death.

He arrived at the Lin Residence to find his grandfather's body still being abused. The scene sharpened, revealing the faces of Lin Yuan and his two servants...

"No!"

Wang Ye awoke with a shout, realizing he was still on the ladder, not yet removed. There was still a chance.

Looking up, he saw the number in the void had reached "50." Only half the spots remained, and there were certainly more than fifty people ahead of him.

He had tumbled down over a thousand steps earlier, and many had outpaced him. Had he not been quick on his feet and the others slow, he would have been dead last by now.

"There are 50 spots left. I still have a shot!"

Wang Ye murmured to himself as he rose from the ground. What did it matter if he had fallen from the stairway? If necessary, he would simply start anew!

He pressed on, his pace significantly reduced due to his injuries. The sweltering heat of the stairway only aggravated his wounds, causing excruciating pain.

Yet, he refused to give in. Determined to become a Martial Cultivator and seek vengeance for his grandfather, he was prepared to risk everything to ascend the stairway!

"He's up again! Is he indestructible?"

"What a freak! Do people like him even exist?"

Observers were astounded to see Wang Ye rise once more, prompting a grimace from Lin Yuan. He hadn't anticipated that the kid could actually pick himself up again.

But what did it matter if he had risen? He would simply be pushed down once more!

Lin Yuan approached two servants at the Lin Residence. As a Martial Cultivator, he was immune to the stairway's gravitational pull.

"We cannot allow that kid to climb the Stairway to Heaven, no matter what," Lin Yuan commanded with gravity in his voice. Unable to confront Wang Ye directly, he had no choice but to rely on the servants.

"Yes, Young Master!" the servants responded promptly. Blocking Wang Ye was their final opportunity to secure their place in the Lin Residence. They were determined to seize it and avoid any further blunders.

Wang Ye advanced steadily. Upon reaching the third stage, the number in the void read "80", with twenty to thirty people still ahead of him.

"This kid's tenacity is remarkable! It will be interesting to see if he catches Elder Sun's eye," Li Muqing said with a chuckle, watching Wang Ye with ease.

In the third stage of the Stairway to Heaven, the oppressive gravity forced Wang Ye to crawl, dragging his body along the steps.

With each stair he conquered, a vivid trail of blood marked his path—a testament to his resolve that would have overwhelmed anyone else.

"No! I can't fall now; I have to keep going!" Wang Ye's strength was waning, and dizziness clouded his vision, threatening to topple him at any moment.

"Kid, just give up. If you keep this up, you're going to get yourself killed!"

"Exactly! Why push yourself so hard this time? If it doesn't work out this year, there's always next year. There are plenty of chances!"

Some onlookers couldn't stand to watch and tried to offer Wang Ye a kind word of caution. Blood was steadily streaming from his wounds, leaving them in a state of shock and at a loss for words.

"Give up? That's not an option!"

Wang Ye scoffed. He had been waiting for this opportunity for two years. There was no way he would give up now.

As he crawled, more people reached the ladder's summit. When he arrived at the fiftieth step, ninety people had already ascended.

"Not good enough! There are still at least a dozen people ahead of me!" Wang Ye clenched his teeth. At his current pace, he stood no chance of passing the ladder's test.

Ignoring the pain racking his body, he pushed himself to climb faster, leaving onlookers in awe. Despite his injuries, he moved with astonishing speed.

Time ticked away, and as Wang Ye approached the ninetieth step, the number in the void flickered to "99," leaving just one spot remaining.

Yet he remained unfazed, as he was the frontrunner, aside from the two servants from the Lin Residence.

"Kid, with us here, you won't make it up the Stairway to Heaven. Better to just roll back down!"

"Don't kid yourself! Each time you climb up, we'll throw you back down. How do you plan to get past the Stairway to Heaven?"

The servants looked down on Wang Ye as if he were nothing more than a stray dog. But Wang Ye was not about to give up. With a cold laugh, he retorted, "Oh really? Let's see about that!"

With those words, he pressed on, quickly reaching the two servants who then crouched down and grabbed his shoulders without a shred of mercy.

"Tsk tsk! Why won't you listen to reason?"

"No matter how hard you try, it's all for naught!"

The two servants sneered and were on the verge of tossing Wang Ye from the celestial staircase.

"Chi!"

Wang Ye clamped his teeth onto one servant's arm, ripping away a chunk of flesh. Blood gushed forth like a torrent, a ghastly sight to behold.

"Ah!"

The servant let out a scream, staring at his bloodied arm and writhing on the ground in agony. The intense pain was so overwhelming that he couldn't even focus on Wang Ye.

"Ptooey!" Spitting out the piece of flesh, Wang Ye grinned viciously and turned his gaze to the other servant, who was so petrified that he hastily released his grip.

"What a waste!" Lin Yuan exclaimed in fury upon witnessing the scene. "There's one spot left. Secure it, and this little punk won't stand a chance on the Stairway to Heaven!"

The servant bolted, thinking to himself, "Exactly! If I take the last spot, that kid won't make it. Why didn't I think of that before?"