Chapter 20
Everyone laughed, but Qin Xiaotian didn’t care.
Just at this time, a handsome young man, with dashing eyebrows and starry eyes, but a very gloomy look in his eyes, came from not far away.
This person is like all the stars cup themselves around the moon*.
TL note: 众星捧月; zhòng xīng pěng yuè; literary meaning=all the stars cup themselves around the moon (idiom, from Analects); figuritive=to view someone as a core figure; to group around a revered leader; to revolve around someone.
Several attendants followed. Quite a few cultivators are pointing out at them.
“Look, that’s Xiao Zhan, the son of Xiao Yanshan, the head of the Fire Poison Sect. He is rumored to be extremely talented. He is only nineteen years old, and his cultivation level has reached the Foundation Establishment 5th Layer. A Raging Fire Burning the Heaven technique user.”
“I have heard about Xiao Zhan. It is said that this person had already broken through the Foundation Establishment Stage three years ago, but he did not enter the Immortal Spirit Dao Academy. After three years, he finally came. He must be very ambitious. It must be to compete for the new top student place!”
“Generally, their training resources will also be tilted towards whoever in the top 10 of the Newcomer Examination. But still, the position of first is more important. Not only will he/she get the best resources, but will also have rights to manage thousands of freshmen, including the right to enforce the law, and even set up his/her guards!”
“In that case, a headmaster is equivalent to teaching a sect master!”
While everyone was talking, Xiao Zhan also discovered the silhouette of Qin Xiaotian.
It’s really enemies on a narrow road**!
**TL note: 冤家路窄; yuān jiā lù zhǎi; literally meaning=enemies on a narrow road; figuritive=an inevitable clash between opposing factions.
Xiao Zhan sneered in his heart.
This treacherous and cunning brat in Myriad Springs Tower yesterday caused him to lose a lot of magic weapons and made him an embarrassment in public. Such humiliation.
He was worried that he had no chance to retaliate, but he didn’t expect this brat to take the initiative to send it to his door!
It seems that this brat is also planning for the examination. That’s perfect.
His goal is to be the top student of the new students in Immortal Spirit Dao Academy. Once he became the head of freshmen, it was only a matter of words to rectify this brat!
What the Xiao Zhan lost must be returned ten times!
Qin Xiaotian didn’t know what Xiao Zhan was thinking. But thinking with your toes is useless.
Joining the Immortal Spirit Dao Academy together in the future and becoming the same sect fellow apprentices, maybe they will become friends…
Qin Xiaotian didn’t care. If Xiao Zhan stays on his feet and re-behaves honestly, then that’s it! If he still dares to come out as a demon again, Qin Xiaotian doesn’t mind letting him understand how awesome this brat is!
A long and clear bell rang from the top of the mountain.
“dong! dong! dong!”
Three bells ring, like a dragon singing and a tiger howling*, ringing through Heaven and Earth, shaking in all directions!
TL note: “龙吟虎嘯” (long yin hu xiao): dragons singing and tigers roaring (said of the howling wind, the roaring of waves, etc.)
It seemed to carry an inexplicable majesty.
Tens of thousands of students under the mountain are in awe!
At this time, the gate of the Xianling Taoist Temple finally opened.
They saw an incomparably bright light curtain, slowly separating from the left and right sides. In that light curtain, there are long stone stairs.
At a glance, it was a stair straight to the sky, with no end in sight.
The stone stair is very wide, about 20 meters long, and can accommodate fifty people walking side by side. Each step is about half a meter high.
The steps were engraved with dense runes. It gave people a sense of solemn, peaceful, and mysterious!
At this time. An old and majestic voice came from the top of the steps.
“Those who are under 20 years old and holding a school enrollment token; can enter the Immortal Spirit Stairs, and those who reach a hundred steps are my Taoist Academy disciples!”
This voice was mighty, with a trembling power.
Even in this noisy environment of tens of thousands of people, every cultivator can hear it clearly!
Almost all young cultivators immediately took out their token and walked towards the light curtain.
When all the participant enters the light curtain, their tokens turn into a white light and disappear!
Qin Xiaotian did not rush into the light curtain like everyone else.
The main reason was that there were too many people at the beginning, and even the extremely spacious Immortal Spirit Stairs became a bit crowded for a while.
He is watching and waiting!
The most powerful player is the last one. Otherwise, there will be no sidelines.
When Qin Xiaotian watched TV series, all the plots went like this. He feels very reasonable! Of course, wait-and-see cultivators like Qin Xiaotian are not in the minority!
In the beginning, when the first batch of cultivators set foot on the Immortal Spirit Stairs, they were still swift. But after climbing just a few steps, their footsteps became obviously heavy!
In particular, some cultivators who rose to 40 or 50 steps had sweaty beads on their faces, their breathing became rough, and their entire bodies began to falter. It became a cycle just like that.
You know, the cultivation base of these young cultivators is not that low. Even if they carry heavy objects on their backs, they can walk fast. But right now, after just climbing a few stone ladders, each one of them became dog-tired.
Qin Xiaotian found out that this Immortal Spirit Stairs seems like what the rumor said is true; not so good!
Some Qi Refining 9th Layer cultivators could no longer take a step forward after stepping onto the 50th step. It seems that even if it is only one step, it is difficult to reach the sky. You can only give up the assessment.
However, some cultivators are also Qi Refining 9th Layer. Although their cultivation base is not high, they have a firm will. Some even climbed to the 80th floor, the 90th step…
The cultivators who broke through the Foundation Establishment obviously have time to relax. Before ascending the 90th step, there was basically not much pressure. After the 90th step, even the Foundation Establishment cultivators began to struggle!
“It seems that this Immortal Spirit Stairs is mainly for the assessment of willpower. Although the cultivators with a high cultivation base will take advantage of it, how far can they go can’t be determined by the cultivation base alone!” Qin Xiaotian speculated.
As time passed, more and more cultivators climbed the Immortal Spirit Stairs. But most of them stop at the eighty and ninety floors. Of course, there are also a small number of cultivators who have successfully passed the 100th step.
Surprisingly, there was a girl who seemed to be only fifteen or sixteen years old. She actually managed to step onto the 179th floor.
She is currently at the highest position of the Immortal Spirit Stairs, and she was still climbing! Behind her, five young monks with arrogant faces followed.
At this time, Xiao Zhan, who was still waiting, moved.
After a gloomy glance at Qin Xiaotian, Xiao Zhan raised his foot and stepped onto the Immortal Spirit Stairs.
He went up the stairs like he was flying. It didn’t take much for him to pass the 100th floor. The spectating people looked at Xiao Zhan’s back and were all amazed!
“He really is Xiao Zhan, and he is indeed a popular candidate for this year’s examination. I am so exhausted already! I have used all the strength and stopped on the 90th floor. This guy is good. He can go up 100 steps in one breath!”
“Cannot be compared? What is his cultivation base, and what is your cultivation base?”
“Brother, you can’t say that. The cultivation base is not absolute. Didn’t a few cultivators of the Foundation Establishment hadn’t stepped the 100th step? There are also many cultivators of Qi Refining 9th Layer, which have successfully landed the 100th step!”
Xiao Zhan’s performance was extremely eye-catching. Although his speed slowed down significantly after climbing the 100th stone step, he approached the tallest people bit by bit!
Qin Xiaotian smiled and shook his head.
“It seems that it’s time for this Young Master to appear!”
Qin Xiaotian took a confident and elegant step, raised his head and chest, and walked up the first step!