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Chapter 468 - 468: Heavenly Stairs

However, despite this knowledge, not a single soul ventured in that direction in those days. It was obvious that the enemy camp was teeming with soldiers. To take down more than ten soldiers, they needed to join forces.

With dozens of people in the camp, it required teamwork to divide and conquer, in order to systematically eliminate all the soldiers within the camp.

At a time like that, rushing towards the enemy’s headquarters would have been nothing but suicide; there wouldn’t have been any other outcome.

According to everyone’s thoughts, they needed to at least reach the Aperture Tempering realm to confidently maneuver among the numerous soldiers and seize the opportunity to assassinate the enemy’s leader.

But back then, Haiyue Cave had directly informed them that while they were struggling against the foot soldiers and being cautious, someone had already single-handedly killed the enemy’s commanding officer.

The disparity between those situations had been beyond vast.

The first name that had come to everyone’s mind was the cultivator who had reached the Visceral Tempering realm as the head of the first layer. It seemed that only that person could have achieved such a feat.

But it had all happened too quickly. According to the rules enforced in the cave at the time, one could only elevate their cultivation by comprehending scrolls.

Nowadays, there were many scrolls, but comprehension still took time. Were they all operating with the same brain? Had the difference really been that extreme?

Du Guman’s expression appeared somewhat bewildered, clearly shaken by this news, unsure of what kind of expression to put on.

Among their peers, both of them were considered geniuses, but was the other party’s level of talent a bit excessive?

Even back when they were in the Misty Sea, being forcibly defeated by that person, Du Guman had thought that maybe the other cultivator practiced some formidable technique.

Practicing a powerful technique naturally required exceptional innate talent and comprehension. Du Guman acknowledged that the other person’s talent was higher than hers, but the extent of that superiority had been difficult to perceive.

However, today, in this trial that solely assessed comprehension, this gap became extremely evident, to the point of inducing a sense of despair.

Everyone’s faces showed confusion, even Zhuo Tianying had a look of astonishment, clearly caught off guard by this news.

Zhuo Tianying had thought he was catching up, constantly narrowing the gap between him and that person. But the results now told him that instead of closing in, the distance between them had grown even wider.

For someone like Zhuo Tianying, who had always looked down on peers, this feeling was too unfamiliar and too bitter.

“The Heavenly Stairs have appeared!” Suddenly, someone pointed ahead.

Everyone instinctively looked up and saw a golden staircase emerging at the location of the enemy’s commanding officer just moments ago. Even though it was more than ten miles away, it was still clearly visible.

The appearance of the Heavenly Stairs signaled that the trial in Haiyue Cave was nearing its conclusion.

However, this trial had been incredibly frustrating for many, as they had been led throughout by the mysterious first-place cultivator. It felt like both sides were operating under entirely different rules.

Even when facing someone like Zhuo Tianying, who was considered a rare genius in the Thousand Feathers Alliance, they hadn’t experienced such a profound sense of defeat.

They could acknowledge that Zhuo Tianying had superior talent and comprehension compared to them, but it hadn’t been to the extent where the distance seemed insurmountable. Yet, the person standing on the Heavenly Stairs at this moment made them feel that way.

“Let’s go, ascend the Heavenly Stairs!”

Zhuo Tianying had regained his composure, eager to see who this remarkable individual was. He had never heard of this person within the Thousand Feathers Alliance before.

With such exceptional comprehension, they couldn’t be an ordinary cultivator.

Without any soldiers blocking their path, everyone quickly arrived at the foot of the Heavenly Stairs. Looking up, they saw a magnificent palace towering at the end of the staircase.

Staring at it for too long would involuntarily make one feel the urge to worship, and many averted their eyes to avoid being overwhelmed.

This was the heart of Haiyue Cave, the most central place of spiritual treasures. Considering that everyone present had reached the pinnacle of the Aperture Tempering realm, facing the spiritual treasure imbued with the power of the Mountain Sea realm, the disparity between the two sides was immeasurable.

“It’s that person!” someone whispered.

At the end of the Heavenly Stairs, a faint figure could be seen ascending. However, the distance between them was too vast to sense that person’s aura or identity.

Everyone withdrew their gazes; there was no comparison to be made with the extraordinary individual above. Now, they needed to consider how to improve their own performance and earn the rewards of Haiyue Cave.

As everyone ascended the stairs, the final trial began.

As soon as Du Guman stepped onto the Heavenly Stairs, those who had been around him vanished, and a figure appeared in front of him, another trial taker.

However, it wasn’t the real trial taker but a duplicate created by Haiyue Cave.

At this stage of the trial, the competition was against one’s fellow participants. It was about defeating all the trial takers who had reached this stage. This phase tested the depth of cultivation each person had accumulated in the previous rounds.

Among martial artists, talk was cheap, and in the end, it came down to proving oneself through action. Only through combat could one determine who was superior and who was inferior.

The one who fell would be the loser.

Du Guman let out a low cry, stepped forward, and charged directly towards the opponent. In the next moment, the two clashed.

At this point, there were only a little over forty trial takers left within Haiyue Cave, each paired with their respective opponents. Defeating an opponent would earn them a score.

In the end, it all came down to how many people one could defeat and how many Heavenly Stairs one could ascend.

Geng Wangsheng stood on the Heavenly Stairs, gazing at the blurred figure in front of him, his mouth quivering, wanting to burst into a torrent of curses.

The indistinct appearance and unknown aura of the figure ahead didn’t concern Geng Wangsheng at all, as these details were insignificant. What truly infuriated him was the cultivation realm this blurry figure had displayed.

The pinnacle of the Aperture Tempering realm!

On the other hand, Geng Wangsheng himself was only at the early stage of the Aperture Tempering realm. To pit the early stage against the pinnacle of Aperture Tempering?

The power of the pinnacle of Aperture Tempering was such that a casual flick could kill someone at the early stage, showing that they were not even on the same level.

Geng Wangsheng knew that the person across from him was the current first-place participant in this trial. He had no objections to the concealment of the figure’s appearance and aura.

Geng Wangsheng’s only objection at this moment was why, as he took the first step onto the Heavenly Stairs, he had to face this maniac.

Haiyue Cave’s trial assessed talent and luck, and Geng Wangsheng had just realized that his luck could be this abysmal.

Ever since returning from the Misty Sea, Geng Wangsheng had noticed that his luck had taken a turn for the worse.

“Is it not suitable to break through to the Fusion Realm in the near future? To avoid unexpected situations?”

A thought suddenly popped into Geng Wangsheng’s mind. In the next moment, an arrow imbued with electrical energy arrived before him. Geng Wangsheng’s eyes widened, and he conceded defeat, disappearing entirely within Haiyue Cave.

It had been a close call; Geng Wangsheng had almost been stuck inside Haiyue Cave for the rest of his life.

The trials below the Heavenly Stairs continued fervently. Soon, another person encountered the image of Chen Fei. Sensing the aura of the pinnacle of the Aperture Tempering realm, the trial taker stared in astonishment and quickly admitted defeat.

Never before had these individuals realized the significance of luck.

Meanwhile, on the Heavenly Stairs, Chen Fei stood before the palace, gazing ahead.

The image of Chen Fei that others encountered on the Heavenly Stairs was intentionally blurred by Chen Fei himself. Although his presence and appearance on the Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Ranking had been altered, nothing in the world was absolute. Chen Fei was unsure if someone could use special means to uncover his true identity.

For safety’s sake, it was better to thoroughly obscure his identity information.

There were about a hundred participants in Haiyue Cave’s trials, but now there were only a few dozen remaining below. No one knew the identity of the current first-place participant because no one had ever seen them.

In this situation, even if there were forces determined to find out the identity of the first-place participant, the difficulty would be multiplied several times. After all, besides the top thirty on the Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Ranking, the other seventy Haiyue Tokens, and their previous owners, were all unknown variables.

As for the trial Chen Fei had just undergone on the Heavenly Stairs, he had naturally experienced it. However, considering his current cultivation level, the abilities of the others were truly lacking.

Chen Fei took steps forward until he stood before the palace’s entrance. He looked at the material of the door, neither gold nor jade, and gently placed his hands on it. With a slight push, the door slowly opened.

In the next moment, a dazzling light filled Chen Fei’s vision, causing him to squint his eyes slightly.

When Chen Fei opened his eyes again, he was already inside the palace.

Chen Fei looked around, and his brow furrowed slightly. The walls seemed to be within reach, but they gave him a feeling of being distant and unreachable.

The interior of the palace was extremely simple, with the most prominent feature being a dozen or so statues. These statues represented the past first-place participants in the Haiyue Cave trials.

Chen Fei’s purpose in standing here was to challenge these first-place participants. He didn’t need to defeat multiple individuals; just matching one would significantly boost his rewards.

A radiant sphere floated from Chen Fei’s palm and flew forward. It was the small piece of refined gold he had obtained by killing the enemy’s commanding officer.

In addition to the refined gold, Chen Fei had also acquired many valuable pills by killing other officers, though their value was considerably lower compared to the refined gold.

With just this small piece of refined gold, Chen Fei could exchange it for limit-breaking pills outside if he wished. However, it would come with its share of troubles, given the immense value of refined gold.

Since he had come this far, Chen Fei wanted to see if he could go further.

If he lost, the refined gold would vanish, resulting in a significant loss.

But Chen Fei didn’t believe he would lose!