The Unyielding Ascent

‘But fortunately, Lin Wan’er knelt down again.’

‘It seems it was just a false alarm…’

Before Qing You could even sigh in relief, someone instantly made their grand entrance!

Mu Qingli’s figure plummeted onto the elevated ritual platform with the force of a falling meteor!

In that instant, a bone-chilling cold swept across the entire arena, causing even the hardened glacial jade steps beneath their feet to fracture into spiderweb-like ice cracks!

Clutched in her hand was a long, ethereal blue sword, forged from the purest essence of ice, its blade pointing forward, freezing the very air into intricate, splintered ice shards!

“Qing You—!”

Mu Qingli’s furious roar detonated like a thunderclap from the heavens, carrying with it a millennia-old glacial killing intent that pierced directly at her target: “You truly possess audacious courage!”

The surprise in Qing You’s eyes was fleeting.

She had never anticipated Mu Qingli would lose her composure so utterly at this moment, daring to charge directly onto the ritual platform, sword in hand, under the watchful eyes of numerous elders!

Many elders stood here, after all!

As a Grand Elder, Qing You was certainly no ordinary individual.

Remaining calm in the face of danger, she swiftly executed a series of incantations with lightning-fast movements, instantly deploying a protective barrier that glowed with arcane runes and was as solid and immense as a mountain, enveloping everyone behind her.

Qing You considered Mu Qingli, in her current state, to be beneath her notice.

Yet—

“Crack—!”

A crisp, heart-stopping sound of shattering suddenly echoed!

Though casually deployed, this defense was far from carelessly constructed; yet, beneath the blade of Mu Qingli’s sword, imbued with absolute frigid energy and killing intent, it shattered instantly, as if fragile thin ice had been touched!

Fragments of the exploded barrier scattered in all directions!

“What?!” Qing You’s heart plummeted, and her pupils abruptly constricted!

‘How could Mu Qingli’s body, which should have been suffering from the backlash of the Profound Yin Physique, unleash such a powerful spiritual energy attack now?!’

‘Last time, she had been caught off guard! But this time?’

‘How could her meticulously formed defense prove so utterly vulnerable?!’

Before she could ponder further, a fierce killing intent, accompanied by the sharp sword edge, wreathed in frost, transformed into an icy blue arc of light.

Carrying a biting, bone-deep chill, it surged forward without the slightest pause—aiming directly for her vital throat!

“Audacious!”

A furious roar, imbued with the might of universal laws, suddenly thundered across the heavens and earth!

Where its sound reached, a tangible torrent of sound waves swept through the void!

Mu Qingli’s chilling longsword, forged from the purest ice essence, was crushed head-on by this unstoppable wave of sound before it could even reach three feet in front of Qing You.

It disintegrated inch by inch, transforming into a myriad of sparkling ice shards that instantly vanished!

Under the ripple effect of the energy, Mu Qingli’s delicate body trembled violently!

She gritted her silver teeth, her ‘Bright Jade Profound Yin’ cultivation technique pushed to its absolute limit!

Bone-chilling, ethereal blue profound ice surged forth, instantly solidifying around her into a formidable, thick crystal ice armor!

Yet—

“Crack… Krarak!”

Astonishingly, under the lingering shockwaves of Xian Chengyue’s roar, which had not yet fully dissipated, it only held for a few breaths before spiderweb-like, pallid cracks spread across its surface, then it crumbled with a resounding crash!

“Pfft!”

Her defense forcibly broken, Mu Qingli was caught off guard; a sweetness bloomed in her throat, and a trickle of startling crimson blood uncontrollably choked and sprayed from the corner of her lips.

Her figure staggered, retreating several steps through the air, her face slightly pale, her breathing somewhat erratic; fortunately, she ultimately steadied herself and managed to land safely.

Upon the elevated platform, Xian Chengyue’s already weathered and wrinkled face was now as dark as stagnant water, her eyes solidified with fury, so black they seemed capable of devouring all light.

“What sort of decorum is this! Attacking a fellow disciple, how can you set an example for your students in such a state!?”

“Hah, an example? Is it an example to stand by idly while your own disciple is plotted against by others?”

Mu Qingli sneered, another ice sword coalescing in her hand as she stood with her hands clasped behind her back. “How could ‘Bright Jade Profound Yin’ disciples be unable to even ascend the first step? Is this not blatant bullying?!”

“Hmph, Acting Sect Master, you—”

“Silence!” Just as Qing You intended to speak, Xian Chengyue roared her down.

Qing You, slightly displeased, merely pursed her lips and said nothing further.

“This matter was sanctioned by this Hall Master.”

“Wha—?” Mu Qingli was stunned.

She had initially believed Qing You was merely indulging Xian Chengyue in her petty schemes against her disciple, Lin Mo, but it turned out to be…

“The ‘Bright Jade Profound Yin’… is a technique fraught with controversy. Lin Wan’er’s talent is truly monstrous; without increasing the difficulty, it would be akin to teaching an adult to walk while holding chopsticks.”

“Then… then you can’t just do it to my disciple—”

“Qing You’s disciples have also been marked with the same imprint and bear the same pressure. This Hall Master has confirmed it without a doubt.”

“…So, was this merely to humiliate me, or to test my disciple?”

“…Fair and just.” For the first time… Xian Chengyue spoke without her usual conviction.

“Good, truly excellent.” Mu Qingli turned, her toe barely touching the ground as she leapt directly to the side of the steps.

“Sect Master, what do you intend to do?”

“You conspire together against my disciple and me? Then surely it’s only fair if we join forces to contend with all of you?”

“Acting Sect Master, you truly have a grand air about you. Are you attempting to undermine the rules of the Hall of Clarity with this action? I dare say you no longer wish to be the Acting Sect Master!” Qing You appeared incandescent with rage, yet inwardly, her heart blossomed with glee!

‘Let them cause a stir!’

‘The louder, the better!’

“It was you who first sought to cripple my disciple!” Mu Qingli scoffed coldly.

At this moment, a fearsome frigid aura suddenly swirled up, spiritual energy pouring forth in a wild torrent, astonishingly causing the heavens and earth to change color!

Suddenly, dark clouds gathered!

The bone-chilling cold, borne on fierce winds, swept past like steel blades.

At this moment, even the protective qi of the elders seemed utterly useless.

A pervasive chill engulfed their hearts.

Everyone was astonished; how could Mu Qingli, afflicted by the backlash, still possess such formidable power?!

At this moment, Mu Qingli was just about to reach out and pull Lin Mo up.

“Come, Wan’er. Your master shall now escort you up the steps!”

Before her hand could even fully extend, Lin Mo’s voice suddenly resounded.

“There’s no need, Master. I’ve found the trick.”

Mu Qingli froze, then quickly turned her head.

Not only her, but even Qing You, standing some distance away, couldn’t help but gasp sharply.

Lin Mo had truly risen!

Yet, though he stood, a terrifying, unnatural sound emanated from Lin Mo’s bones! It was the death knell of a body on the verge of collapse under extreme gravity!

Mu Qingli immediately perceived that the only reason Lin Mo was able to stand was because he had concentrated all of his spiritual energy into his legs!

He wasn’t lifting his legs with his body, but rather forcibly propping them up with spiritual energy, placing his feet onto the second step.

“You, have you gone mad?! Quickly circulate your qi to protect your entire body!” Mu Qingli instantly panicked, reaching out to grasp Lin Mo, intending to use her qi to help him resist.

“Must I abandon… Master’s wish?” The words Lin Mo squeezed through gritted teeth struck heavily at Mu Qingli’s heart, causing her hand to tremble and halt in mid-air, unable to move forward.

Yet, merely standing had consumed all his strength; let alone speaking, for the veins on his forehead had already burst!

‘Master’s wish…’

‘Indeed…’

‘But what about you?’

“Then what is it for…?” Mu Qingli asked, her voice trembling.

“To… to… remain… by your… side…”

‘Then to await my chance, to gain freedom! Only by staying by your side will my chances of achieving freedom be greatest!’

He quickly clamped his mouth shut, only hoping he hadn’t uttered the rest.

Moreover, he couldn’t afford to waste any more strength on speaking.

Mu Qingli’s heart quivered, her breathing grew ragged, and her eyes seemed veiled by a hazy mist, blurring everything.

Lin Mo pressed his lips together tightly, not uttering a single word, his hands clenched into desperate fists, fingertips digging into his palms until they turned white with strain.

Under the crushing pressure, he stubbornly straightened his spine, allowing the groans and laments of his overburdened bones to echo throughout his body, letting the frost flakes condensed from the surrounding chill and the blood seeping from his skin during his struggles flow down his clothes, trickling slowly onto the crystalline steps and downward.

Step by agonizing step, he pushed against the colossal force that seemed capable of crushing his very soul, slowly and stubbornly ascending towards the seemingly unreachable summit.

‘Pain.’

‘Near death.’

‘He had experienced it all.’

‘To him, these were nothing.’

‘There was no prison more terrifying than being trapped within the confines of a ‘fleshly cage.’’

‘There was no despair greater than exerting all one’s strength, struggling hysterically, writhing madly, yet being unable to move one’s own body.’

‘A resilient will imprisoned within the frailest flesh, with nothing in heaven or earth to respond to you.’

Lin Mo felt profoundly fortunate.

He was lucidly aware that he could resist, that he could use his entire being and will to fight back; he was no longer facing everything alone.

‘His body shattering?’

‘Death?’

‘What did it matter?’

‘The crucial point was whether he had resisted with all his might.’

His lumbar spine fractured with a sickening crack, and his entire body instantly collapsed onto the steps, his arms shattering in moments!

In the silent square, only the terrifying sounds of shattering echoed.

Yet Lin Mo did not give up; there were only muffled groans, the rustle of fabric against the steps, and the drip of blood onto the steps.

Only an unyielding soul continued to climb upwards.

‘What he desired was simple: freedom.’

‘For it, he would give everything.’

‘Pain?’

‘What was pain?’

‘Death?’

‘What was death?’

‘Neither compared to the solitude of being trapped in a prison.’

‘He would climb; even if he had to crawl, he would ascend these steps!’

‘This was his first step towards freedom!’

‘Even if his body shattered into a thousand pieces, even if it meant inching just a fraction closer to the destination of freedom, he would grit his teeth and scrape his way forward!’

‘Besides, someone wouldn’t let him die!’

Behind the steps, the sound of ascending footsteps became audible.

Mu Qingli stood silently behind Lin Mo.

She simply extended her palm, directly channeling her spiritual energy into Lin Mo’s body, accelerating the healing of his injuries.

She understood that Lin Mo didn’t need support; he only needed to recover from his injuries, to preserve his life to complete these steps.

No one stopped them, nor did anyone dare to.

Only countless gazes—of shock, doubt, admiration, disdain, and terror—were fixed upon Lin Mo.

His bones repeatedly healed and shattered, the pain layering itself, one wave upon another.

‘But what did it matter?’

Lin Mo rose again, fell, rose, fell.

Twelve hours later, Lin Mo, covered in blood, his bones piercing through his skin, finally ascended the last step.

There were no grand declarations, no stirring, heroic laughter.

Only Lin Mo, turning around to face Mu Qingli behind him, stood with hands on hips, extended two fingers, and then broke into a goofy grin.

The horrifying blood could not mask that foolish grin.

He was clearly a man, clearly covered in blood.

Mu Qingli thought—’How could he smile so captivatingly?’