CSMCDB - Chapter 111
Chapter 111
Wen Yuncheng wasn't in a hurry. She observed the people who arrived after her, seeing many from various sects and some familiar faces.
Almost all the prodigies from the Youth Tournament had arrived, including graduated seniors. People from every sect… Wen Yuncheng searched around and saw the Flowing Cloud Sect's group. They didn't seem to be in a rush to enter either.
Wen Yuncheng waited for a while. Only after the Flowing Cloud Sect had entered the secret realm did she activate her Mechanical Wings and go in.
Upon entering the secret realm, Wen Yuncheng was momentarily dazed. When she came to, she found herself in a small, separate world.
This was… a sky-reaching staircase? Wen Yuncheng found herself teleported directly in front of a stone stairway. She looked up but couldn't see the end. She surveyed her surroundings. It seemed to be the interior of some building, perhaps a tower? And this was the staircase leading to the top?
Should she step on it?
Wen Yuncheng hesitated before stepping onto the first stone step. Then she took a second step, placing both feet on the staircase. The moment she was fully on it, a strange sensation swept through her entire body. Her eyes widened. "Wh-what is this?"
You can't leave until you reach the top? And even if the restriction is lifted, it'll be ten days later?! Ten days! If she couldn't reach the top of this staircase, she'd be trapped in this blasted place for ten days? Wen Yuncheng's face darkened as she began to climb. She quickly discovered that although the staircase wouldn't let her leave, the steps seemed ordinary, with no gravitational pressure or anything else. How strange. Are there traps on certain levels?
Ring, ring, ring…
The sound of bells?
"Wow! Are these ruins? There's someone here… Oh, well. It's just some kid at the first layer of the Star Lord realm." Wen Yuncheng looked down to see a woman in red approaching gracefully. Seeing someone on the staircase, the woman shot her a provocative smile and stepped right on.
But when she stepped onto the second stone step, her entire body stiffened. Star Power erupted from her, but the burst lasted only a moment. In the next second, all of it was absorbed by the unremarkable stone staircase.
"Damn it! What the hell is this thing? Why is there something like this in the secret realm… Ahhh! You brat, why didn't you warn me?!"
"Hehe, you were the one who insisted on coming up, and you were so fast. I didn't have time to warn you," Wen Yuncheng said, gloating. Just a moment ago, she was lamenting her own bad luck. Now, someone was just as unlucky as her! Wen Yuncheng raised an eyebrow, paid the unfortunate soul no more mind, and quickly continued upward.
"How are you so fast? …Is the pressure from this staircase that weak for a first-layer Star Lord?" The woman was on the verge of a breakdown when she saw Wen Yuncheng ascend three or four steps in the blink of an eye, while she had to struggle just to muster her Star Power to climb a single step.
Pressure? Wen Yuncheng paused. Oh, maybe because the staircase thinks I'm an ordinary person, it isn't exerting any pressure. She couldn't be bothered to explain this, however, and just kept climbing quickly. She had to get higher up, or else the next person who came along and saw her would probably stir up another wave of resentment.
Wen Yuncheng was now grateful for her improved physical constitution. She climbed a hundred stone steps in one go! Although she still couldn't see the end, she had already put a good distance between herself and the red-clothed woman who had just arrived.
The stone steps had to be climbed one by one; no shortcuts were allowed. Wen Yuncheng had originally wanted to try skipping a few steps at a time, but 1947 stopped her.
[This staircase, you must climb it one step at a time, with your feet firmly on the ground.] 1947 analyzed the staircase and quickly realized this was an extraordinary opportunity. [There will be benefits.]
So, Wen Yuncheng obediently continued climbing. When she stepped onto the three-hundredth step, she suddenly felt her body grow heavy.
[Gravitational pressure,] 1947 said. [However, it has judged you to be an ordinary person, so the level of suppression is very low.]
Wen Yuncheng slowed down and rested for a moment. Once she had more or less adapted to the pressure, she continued upward. She could actually hear cursing and arguing from below; clearly, more people had arrived at the staircase and fallen into the trap.
That red-clothed woman… she didn't warn anyone either. Wen Yuncheng couldn't help but chuckle. As she stepped onto the four-hundredth step, it was quiet below for a while, and then she heard a loud, excited voice, obviously thinking they had found some great opportunity. Not two seconds later, Wen Yuncheng heard that same loud voice cursing.
"Phew~ So tired," Wen Yuncheng sighed. When would this end? She looked up, but still couldn't see the top.
One step, two steps…
When Wen Yuncheng reached the five-hundredth step, specks of cyan light sprinkled down from above, landing on her. Like snowflakes, the cyan light vanished upon contact. A few seconds later, Wen Yuncheng felt a warm current surge through her limbs and bones, forcefully washing away all her fatigue and soreness!
Is this… the effect of cleansing one's marrow and refining one's body?
Wen Yuncheng didn't know what the cyan light was or what this opportunity was called, but! This opportunity was perfect for her! Her fatigue vanished, and her body was filled with strength. Wen Yuncheng glanced at the endless staircase and stepped onto it once more.
"Ngh…" The pressure had increased as well. Wen Yuncheng gritted her teeth and forced herself to take another step.
Wen Yuncheng's eyes were unusually bright. She no longer looked at the unseen summit but focused intently on each stone step before her, climbing and conquering them one by one.
Beads of sweat rolled down, dripped onto the stone steps, and vanished. With great effort, Wen Yuncheng raised a hand to wipe away the sweat. It wasn't that she wanted to, but the sweat was already stinging her eyes, and she had no choice.
Eight hundred steps, nine hundred steps…
When she stepped onto the thousandth step, another phenomenon occurred. Last time it was specks of cyan light, but this time…
Like rain, cyan droplets fell onto Wen Yuncheng. This light shower lasted a full three minutes before stopping. Wen Yuncheng kept her eyes closed. After it ended, she moved her body a little, then threw a hard punch into the air, which actually produced the sound of breaking the sound barrier.
"No wonder so many people crave opportunities…" Wen Yuncheng looked at her hands. They hadn't changed at all in appearance. Her body hadn't grown any extra muscle, either, but something was different.
If she were to use the Mountain River Seal now, could she unleash an even stronger attack?
Wen Yuncheng looked toward the top of the staircase again. It was still endless. At a thousand steps, she could no longer hear the sounds from below.
Wen Yuncheng stepped onto the staircase once more.
Wen Yuncheng gritted her teeth and pushed onward, step by step. There was no sound around her. The only things she could hear were her own breathing and heartbeat. The silence was terrifying, as if she were the only person left in the world.
Beyond the test of will and endurance, the staircase now began to interfere with Wen Yuncheng's mind.
Loneliness, solitude. Wen Yuncheng felt her emotions being easily stirred. She gritted her teeth and tried to banish those thoughts, but she was still affected.
[Don't let it interfere. Be resolute.]
Resolute?
Wen Yuncheng stopped. She closed her eyes, and an image of Lin Jinyu appeared in her mind.
Wen Yuncheng started climbing again.
She was going to be with her Little Ice Mountain! She was going to fight her way to the Flowing Cloud Sect!
Fifteen hundred, two thousand, twenty-five hundred, three thousand…
Wen Yuncheng climbed tirelessly upward. By the end, she had lost count of how many steps she had taken. She no longer looked toward the top; she knew that no matter how many steps she climbed, it would always appear endless. She simply focused on the stone steps before her, treading them underfoot one after another.
The light cyan rain went from lasting three minutes to five, then to ten. The light rain became a moderate rain, and the moderate rain became a downpour…
Wen Yuncheng felt as if she had drifted outside of time. She didn't know how many stone steps she had climbed, nor how many days had passed. All she knew was that at one point, as she stepped onto the staircase, a massive, cyan torrent cascaded down from the top. She was swept up in it, like a wooden boat on the sea in a storm, completely lost in the flood.
When she regained consciousness, she was lying on a patch of grass.
[Ten days are up. It kicked you out. But because you kept persisting, the final torrent was a reward,] 1947 explained. [Of course, you weren't washed out; you were teleported out by the staircase… after you passed out.]
"This opportunity has no side effects?" Wen Yuncheng pinched her arm and was relieved to find she felt no discomfort. She tentatively punched the ground, easily creating a deep, fist-sized hole.
This was a great opportunity!
Wen Yuncheng's eyes lit up. She quickly took out a communication stone from her storage ring to share the news with Lin Jinyu. As for the staircase's location…
[In the northwestern part of the secret realm,] 1947 answered, then couldn't help but add, [Even if you tell her, how would Lin Jinyu know which way is northwest in the secret realm?]
Wen Yuncheng fell silent for a moment. Right… that's true. But she quickly pretended to forget about it. If Lin Jinyu was fated to find the staircase, she would. Telling her about its effects and the "ten-day" limit was just to give her a choice.
-"I found a sword mound." Lin Jinyu shared in return. "But I don't know its location… The sword mound is underground. The entrance is a stone cave that needs to be activated with Star Power."
"That's great. It's an opportunity that suits you well. Is it helpful for your sword intent?"
-"Yes, I've been observing it for a few days."
"Don't rush. What suits you is what's best," Wen Yuncheng said. She paused, then softened her voice. "I miss you so much."
-"…I miss you too." Lin Jinyu seemed unprepared for Wen Yuncheng's sudden change of topic. Her voice softened as well. "But you should probably leave that place soon. You said the staircase's restriction is ten days, so… the red-clothed woman you mentioned should be out by now. Time in the secret realm is limited; you can find more opportunities."
"Okay, I understand," Wen Yuncheng replied with a smile. Lin Jinyu's words made her realize she had been too relaxed. She really should leave quickly.
The communication ended. Wen Yuncheng put away the communication stone, stretched her body a bit, and then used her Mechanical Wings to ascend into the air. She surveyed her surroundings for a moment and had 1947
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