Perhaps no one had expected that the first person to falter would be Zhang Yuan.
Zhang Yuan actually possessed commendable willpower, having climbed this far without uttering a single complaint.
Unfortunately, a limit was a limit.
No matter how formidable one's willpower, it was futile against such an absolute barrier. Without even managing to say a word, Zhang Yuan blacked out the instant he set foot upon the ninth step, only to be promptly transported back down to Feilong City.
The others exchanged glances, falling into a solemn silence.
Continuing up to the tenth step, Liu Yuan and Xia Zhuang also proved unable to endure any longer. One after another, they vanished from the staircase, sent back down to Feilong City as well.
There was a reason they had remained ordinary Transcendents to this day.
"Qingluan, can you still hold out?" Lu Changsheng asked.
"It's not much of a problem," Lin Qingluan replied, sounding puzzled. "Strangely enough, the pressure felt immense at the very beginning, but the farther I go, the easier it feels. It's as though a boundless stream of energy is steadily seeping into my body..."
"A boundless stream of energy seeping into your body...?" Lu Changsheng's mind stirred.
He glanced down toward Feilong City, where numerous Transcendents already stood dejected, their faces etched with bitter reluctance. All of them had been unable to withstand the pressure and had been sent back.
These people were the defeated.
Lin Qingluan, on the other hand, harbored the Divine Tree of Fortune within her. With so many Transcendents setting foot on the Soul Staircase, they were all effectively in competition with her. Across just ten steps, she had already outlasted countless competitors. Even if each Transcendent contributed only a minuscule wisp of fortune, the sheer number of people in Feilong City made the cumulative total terrifyingly vast.
Moreover, the effects of fortune were extraordinarily potent—bordering on omnipotent. Cultivation, comprehension, and everything in between could be aided by it. Now, it seemed fortune could even assist with the enigmatic soul.
"Qingluan, that should be the aid of the Divine Tree of Fortune," Lu Changsheng told her through a sound transmission. "You were right—possessing the Divine Tree of Fortune means you ought to travel and experience the world more. By surpassing other Transcendents, your tree can absorb their fortune to bolster your cultivation. The more people you outstrip, the smoother your progress will become. It truly is a supreme treasure of the Great Universe; perhaps we both underestimated it before..."
Both of them conversed via sound transmission, keeping Lie Yang beside them completely in the dark. After all, the existence of the Divine Tree of Fortune had to remain a strict secret. Open spears were easy to dodge, but hidden arrows were hard to guard against. Neither Lu Changsheng nor Lin Qingluan would ever willingly expose the divine tree. Now, knowing it could even aid Lin Qingluan in surmounting the Soul Staircase, it was undoubtedly a blessing.
"Let's keep going."
Lu Changsheng and Lin Qingluan continued upward.
Tenth step, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth...
As time passed, Lin Qingluan genuinely felt the climb growing lighter and lighter. In stark contrast, Lie Yang's expression turned increasingly grim. Every single step seemed to weigh upon him with colossal pressure.
He was a World Master!
Though it had been relatively easy at first, by the fifteenth and sixteenth steps he had begun feeling distinct strain. Once past the twentieth step, his pace slowed dramatically. Clearly, the Soul Staircase was no simple feat even for a World Master like Lie Yang.
Yet this trial seemed largely divorced from one's cultivation realm. Lu Changsheng noticed several ordinary Transcendents with modest cultivation walking along the staircase with apparent ease, already having ascended to the fortieth or fiftieth steps.
Twentieth step, thirtieth, fortieth...
It had to be said that Lie Yang possessed remarkable tenacity. He pushed himself all the way to the forty-second step before grinding to a halt.
He glanced back at Lu Changsheng and Lin Qingluan, his face filled with reluctance, before ultimately letting out a heavy sigh. "Alas, this is my limit. I can accompany you no further. I wish you both success in reaching Tianlong City..."
With those parting words, Lie Yang voluntarily stepped off the Soul Staircase.
Lu Changsheng looked around. The familiar companions who had ascended the staircase together with them were now entirely gone. Only the two of them remained.
Lin Qingluan looked at Lu Changsheng with concern and asked, "Changsheng, how are you holding up? If you truly can't make it, I don't care about going to Tianlong City either."
By now, Lin Qingluan had zero worries about herself. She had realized that the higher she climbed, the less pressure she felt. Walking upon the Soul Staircase was effortless for her, no different from strolling along an ordinary path. Had she not been waiting to walk together with Lu Changsheng, she would have arrived at Tianlong City long ago.
Lu Changsheng had never imagined he would end up being Lin Qingluan's "deadweight."
"Wait, let's take a rest first."
Lu Changsheng paused on the forty-second step. He was already feeling tremendous pressure. Although he could still force himself to take a few more steps, he sensed that relying on sheer endurance alone would likely prevent him from ever reaching Tianlong City.
If Lin Qingluan reached Tianlong City by herself, they would inevitably be parted. After all, Lin Qingluan would reside within Tianlong City, while even as a World Master, Lu Changsheng would be unable to descend upon it. If they were separated, could they still be called Dao companions? Therefore, if they wished to stay together, either Lin Qingluan had to give up, or Lu Changsheng had to reach Tianlong City as well.
Yet Lin Qingluan had waited so long for an opportunity like this. When it concerned her cultivation, how could she simply abandon it? Since she could not give it up, only one option remained.
Lu Changsheng had to enter Tianlong City too!
*The Soul Staircase tests the soul. But what exactly is the soul? According to Mighty Figure Fang Chuan, the soul leans toward mind and willpower, yet those do not encompass it entirely. So what is the soul in its truest essence?*
*Unless I comprehend the soul or devise a solution, reaching Tianlong City smoothly will be impossible...*
Pondering deeply upon the forty-second step, Lu Changsheng began to analyze the Soul Staircase.
Having once been a Mortal Immortal, he had always retained the ability to analyze phenomena. He simply rarely made use of it. Now coupled with his top-tier comprehension, his analytical capacity was downright terrifying. However, the Soul Staircase was no ordinary treasure; unraveling its mysteries would be exceedingly arduous. What Lu Changsheng lacked most right now was time, given that Mount Feilong only remained open for a century.
"Qingluan, go on ahead to Tianlong City first. Don't worry about me. I'm going to take my time analyzing the secrets of the Soul Staircase," Lu Changsheng said to her. He could not allow her to squander precious time idling beside him.
"Changsheng, if you don't go to Tianlong City, I won't go either!" Lin Qingluan replied resolutely, her voice ringing with absolute certainty.
Lu Changsheng smiled and shook his head. "This concerns your path of cultivation; you must not give up lightly. Besides, another trial awaits inside Tianlong City, so you need to reach it as quickly as possible. If, in the end, I truly cannot enter Tianlong City, you can always return with me to the City of Eternal Light. It isn't as though Tianlong City would force you to stay, would it?"
Lin Qingluan considered his words and found them reasonable. She had never heard of Tianlong City forcibly retaining any cultivator; people were free to come and go as they pleased. If Lu Changsheng genuinely failed to enter, she would simply leave and return to the City of Eternal Light with him.
"All right. Then I'll head to Tianlong City first."
Lin Qingluan nodded. With Lu Changsheng remaining on the forty-second step, she rose and strode decisively toward Tianlong City.
Forty-third step, forty-fourth, forty-fifth, forty-sixth, forty-seventh...
As Lin Qingluan pushed forward with full force, her pace was astonishingly rapid. It seemed as though the Soul Staircase exerted no restriction or pressure on her whatsoever.
Such a bizarre sight instantly drew the attention of many onlookers. After all, every other cultivator moved at a snail's pace, taking who knew how long just to bridge a single step. Lin Qingluan, however, practically flew across the steps as if out for a casual walk, creating a striking contrast.
"Who is that? She's practically flying across the Soul Staircase, seemingly untouched by the pressure!"
"She was just on the forty-something step a moment ago, and now she's already in the fifties? No, she's reached the sixtieth step!"
"The sixtieth step, and she hasn't slowed down at all—how is that possible?"
"She's reached the seventieth step... Is she truly unaffected by the Soul Staircase? If she's so powerful, why was she moving so slowly before?"
"She seemed to have a companion earlier who stopped around the forty-second step. Now that she's pushing ahead alone, she can unleash her full speed!"
"We're all Transcendents, so why is the gap so vast?"
Many watched slack-jawed in utter disbelief.
Even Fang Chuan turned his gaze toward Lin Qingluan.
"Hm? A promising seedling has actually appeared this time. With a soul so formidable that she treats the Soul Staircase like flat ground, I wonder how she will fare in the second trial. If she performs just as brilliantly there, Master might very well gain another personal disciple!"
Fang Chuan knew full well how strict his master was when accepting disciples. Cultivation realm did not matter, nor did status or background. The sole criterion was soul talent. The greater one's innate soul talent, the more Sovereign Feilong favored them.
Eightieth step, ninetieth step, hundredth step...
Lin Qingluan met no obstacles along her path. Although she had been delayed earlier, her subsequent burst of speed carried her forward as if on wings. She still finished all one hundred steps in first place, stepping directly into Tianlong City.
"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist, on being the first to cross the Soul Staircase," an awaiting Transcendent greeted her immediately upon arrival, explaining the nature of the next stage. "Next is the second trial: assembling a complete soul diagram. These soul diagrams were personally laid down and scattered into fragments by Sovereign Feilong. Only by assembling a complete soul diagram can one have a chance at becoming Master's in-name disciple. If you can complete all nine soul diagrams, Sovereign Feilong may very well take you as a personal disciple! This is an opportunity to soar to prominence in a single leap, so be sure to seize it. By the way, the time allotted for piecing together the soul diagrams is also one hundred years."
Lin Qingluan did not immediately begin assembling the diagrams. Instead, she turned her gaze back toward the Soul Staircase in the void. On the forty-second step, Lu Changsheng remained completely motionless. It appeared he had indeed run into difficulties this time.
Even so, Lin Qingluan retained full faith in him. Whenever they had faced adversity in the past, Lu Changsheng had always found a solution. She did not believe a mere Soul Staircase could stump him.
Settling her thoughts, Lin Qingluan began tackling the second trial to assemble the soul diagrams.
Day after day slipped by.
One year, three years, five years, ten years...
As time elapsed, fewer and fewer people succeeded in crossing the Soul Staircase. It was not a matter of more people passing later on; rather, the opposite was true. The vast majority of those who passed did so early. In the later stages, hardly anyone managed to cross.
This was only natural. Those endowed with soul talent cleared the path swiftly, while those stranded on the staircase in the later years possessed little soul talent to speak of, resulting in sluggish progress. Conquering the Soul Staircase was not something that could be achieved through patience alone.
Lu Changsheng analyzed it continuously, year after year.
For others, such an analysis would have been nearly impossible, perhaps entirely unthinkable. After all, this was a domain typically researched only by Sovereigns. But Lu Changsheng was different; he possessed top-tier comprehension.
Throughout his cultivation journey, he had come to understand just how monstrous this comprehension was. Even mighty figures of the Second Realm paled in comparison. By extension, even a Third Realm Sovereign might not surpass his top-tier comprehension. Thus, aided by this extraordinary gift, Lu Changsheng's analysis of the staircase's underlying "soul" did yield progress, even if his pace was constrained by his current cultivation and breadth of experience.
Slow though it was, time was on his side. The Soul Staircase remained open for a century, providing ample opportunity.
Ten years, twenty years, thirty years, forty years, fifty years...
Finally, at the fifty-year mark, Lu Changsheng abruptly raised his head.
*Swish!*
A brilliant light flickered in his eyes.
*The soul... So this is what the soul truly is...*
Fifty years of relentless analysis had finally borne fruit. He had "found" the soul—or rather, deduced its nature. At the very least, half a century of study had allowed him to grasp what the so-called soul actually entailed.
*I once heard a theory that every individual exists across infinite parallel worlds. In every plane, that person is both themselves and not themselves. Yet if one could merge all those versions from parallel worlds, one would become unimaginably powerful.*
*The concept of the soul is somewhat analogous. Only it is not parallel worlds, but dimensions in a certain sense. It seems that across another dimension—or numerous other dimensions—versions of 'oneself' exist. Across those dimensions, their minds, fleshly bodies, cultivation, and everything else may be entirely distinct, yet one aspect remains identical: the soul.*
*The soul is the singular constant of oneself across countless dimensions! If one can siphon the soul essence of oneself from other dimensions, even a tiny sliver, one's intrinsic foundation will become unimaginably formidable.*
Lu Changsheng felt a jolt within his heart.
This soul involved spacetime, and it involved dimensions. This was certainly not a power that Second Realm Transcendents could touch or comprehend; only Third Realm Sovereigns could perhaps reach it. No, perhaps even Sovereigns could not truly manipulate it directly, able only to speculate and research. It had to pertain to cultivation beyond the Third Realm. Otherwise, Sovereign Feilong would not be so persistently obsessed with studying the soul.
*Every person's soul is unique. Those naturally born with formidable souls may have inadvertently absorbed the soul essence of their other-dimensional selves in the past, allowing them to possess powerful souls from birth and conquer the Soul Staircase.*
*As for Qingluan, her soul was not inherently mighty, but she possesses the Divine Tree of Fortune. The fortune granted by the divine tree seems capable of mystically drawing soul essence from other dimensions to nourish her own, which is why she could surge forward and clear the staircase with such ease.*
Lu Changsheng developed several conjectures. Though speculative, he felt confident in their accuracy. The Divine Tree of Fortune was far more miraculous than he had envisioned.
Now that he understood the nature of the soul, how was he to strengthen it? Without doing so, he would never surpass the staircase.
*To siphon the soul from other-dimensional versions of myself requires opening dimensional barriers. But I cannot breach dimensions—and in all likelihood, neither can a Third Realm Sovereign.*
*While the dimensions cannot be opened, the soul essence across countless dimensions is fundamentally identical, maintaining an ethereal, tenuous connection. What preserves that connection is a specific frequency.*
*As long as I can align with that special frequency, even just once, my soul can siphon a sliver of soul essence from another dimension. However, tuning to that frequency requires protracted adjustment, along with a touch of luck.*
No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than Lu Changsheng acted upon it. He had discovered the method, but he had no idea how long it would take or whether it would succeed. Under the circumstances, man proposed, but heaven disposed.
And so, Lu Changsheng began adjusting his frequency.
Yet the odds of success were painfully low.
Sixty years, seventy years, eighty years, ninety years...
In the blink of an eye, ninety years had passed since the opening of Mount Feilong's Soul Staircase. Only a single decade remained before the century-long limit expired.
Most understood that failing to cross within ninety years meant crossing within one hundred was virtually impossible. In the final decade, hardly anyone was expected to enter Tianlong City.
Lu Changsheng still stood on the forty-second step. Over the decades, many had overtaken him, yet those who successfully ascended all one hundred steps into Tianlong City were exceedingly few.
Lin Qingluan had also resided in Tianlong City for ninety years. During this time, she had made rapid progress, having already completed five full soul diagrams. While this might not secure her a spot as a personal disciple, an in-name discipleship was practically guaranteed. Even an in-name disciple was still the disciple of a Sovereign!
Nevertheless, Lin Qingluan kept a constant eye on Lu Changsheng. Seeing him still stationary on the forty-second step, she felt even more anxious than he did.
*If Changsheng cannot pass the Soul Staircase, I won't stay in Tianlong City either...*
Lin Qingluan had long made up her mind. Cultivation was important, but Lu Changsheng mattered more! Besides, even if she missed out on Mount Feilong's opportunity, her possession of the Divine Tree of Fortune ensured her future achievements would still be remarkable, leaving her with a viable path to the Second Realm. As for the Third Realm? Let alone Lin Qingluan, no genius dared guarantee reaching the level of a Sovereign. Becoming a Sovereign was not something talent and opportunity alone could assure.
*Still, there might be another way.*
*If I can complete nine soul diagrams and become Sovereign Feilong's personal disciple, my status will be vastly elevated. At that point, if I request to let Changsheng stay in Tianlong City, it shouldn't be difficult, right?*
Lin Qingluan's eyes lit up. This was indeed an option. She was currently assembling the sixth diagram with ten years to spare; theoretically, she still had a chance to finish all nine.
Apart from Lin Qingluan, no one paid any heed to Lu Changsheng on the forty-second step. Everyone remaining on the staircase was desperately attempting to advance, yet even a single step forward felt as difficult as scaling the heavens.
*Buzz.*
Deep within, Lu Changsheng suddenly felt an incomparably familiar energy seep into his body from the ethereal void.
*Hm?*
*Is this... a frequency alignment? Soul power from another dimension?*
Lu Changsheng's heart jolted.
He had actually struck the resonant frequency! Soul power from another dimension was permeating his being, bolstering and expanding his soul.
The window was fleeting.
One breath, two breaths, three breaths...
After merely three breaths, the frequency disconnected. Who knew how long it would take to achieve such resonance again? It might take years, a century, or perhaps millennia without another occurrence. Such an opportunity was truly a rare stroke of luck.
Even so, those three brief breaths were enough to substantially strengthen his soul through the absorbed dimensional essence. Exactly how much it had grown, Lu Changsheng could not say, but he could clearly perceive that the crushing pressure on the forty-second step—once as heavy as Mount Tai, leaving him breathless—had evaporated.
Yes, it had vanished.
Upon closer inspection, a tiny remnant of pressure lingered, but it was practically negligible.
"Let's go!"
Lu Changsheng rose decisively and began marching forward with unwavering resolve.
Forty-third step, forty-fourth, forty-fifth, forty-sixth...
His speed was not blindingly fast, falling short of Lin Qingluan's earlier pace, yet every stride was unshakably firm and steady. Step by step, he strode boldly toward Tianlong City.
At this sight, an uproar rippled through the onlookers.
With a mere ten years remaining before the century deadline, most cultivators could barely take half a step forward on the staircase. Yet here was Lu Changsheng, as if reborn, marching ahead in wide strides without encountering the slightest impediment!
How could this be?
"What is going on? How is another person completely unaffected by the Soul Staircase?"
"If he was this formidable from the beginning, he would have entered Tianlong City ages ago! Why wait until now to exert himself?"
"I remember him stopping on the forty-second step after hitting his absolute limit. He definitely wasn't faking it back then—forty-two truly was his ceiling. But now he's walking without pause. Did he uncover the secrets of the Soul Staircase while sitting there?"
"The secrets of the Soul Staircase? Wouldn't that mean... he deciphered the soul?"
"If he hadn't deciphered the soul, how could he advance so resolutely toward Tianlong City?"
"Even Sovereign Feilong wouldn't claim to have fully deciphered the soul. This man must have mastered some secret technique!"
Yet no amount of speculation could alter the reality of Lu Changsheng's steady advance.
Even Fang Chuan opened his eyes, his gaze locking onto Lu Changsheng in profound astonishment.
Fang Chuan knew well that the soul could technically be bolstered after birth, but only through extraordinary serendipity. Such encounters were one in ten thousand, entirely by chance. Even his master, Sovereign Feilong, possessed no reliable method to strengthen another's soul. He had never expected this cultivator to achieve such a feat.
Fang Chuan was certain Lu Changsheng had enhanced his soul; otherwise, such an anomalous turnaround was impossible. The discrepancy between his past and present state was simply too vast. But how on earth had he achieved it? Fang Chuan was at a complete loss. He could only watch in silence to see how far Lu Changsheng could go. Enhancing one's soul was one thing, but whether it had grown enough to cross all one hundred steps was the true crux.
Fiftieth step, sixtieth, seventieth, eightieth...
Lu Changsheng pressed forward steadily until he reached the eightieth step. At this point, the familiar pressure began to bear down on him once more, indicating that his soul was still not on par with Lin Qingluan's. However, the hundredth step was already within sight, mere paces away. With only a slight pressure returning now, crossing the remaining distance into Tianlong City was well within his grasp.
Time ticked away.
Bearing immense pressure, Lu Changsheng advanced step by grueling step, soon reaching the ninety-fifth step. Every step forward now demanded considerable effort.
Ninety-sixth step, ninety-seventh, ninety-eighth, ninety-ninth...
At last, Lu Changsheng stepped across the hundredth step of the Soul Staircase, smoothly setting foot into Tianlong City.
"Phew..."
Lu Changsheng let out a long breath of relief. The moment he entered Tianlong City, the omnipresent, suffocating pressure abruptly vanished.
*I finally made it to Tianlong City...*
*Just a moment ago, I nearly succumbed to the pressure.*
*It seems aligning with the frequency just once yields only a limited enhancement to soul strength. Perhaps two or three alignments would grant a far more profound boost. But such opportunities are entirely up to chance; who knows how long it will take to encounter the next one...*
Thoughts flashed through Lu Changsheng's mind. Regardless, he had successfully arrived at Tianlong City, keeping his silent promise to Lin Qingluan.
"Congratulations on successfully clearing the Soul Staircase," another Transcendent approached to explain the details of the second test. "Next is the second trial. Before you are soul diagrams, which you must assemble completely within a hundred years. Those who assemble all nine soul diagrams may be accepted as personal disciples by Sovereign Feilong. But so long as you can assemble a complete diagram, even if you do not become a personal disciple, you may still become an in-name disciple."
"Assemble soul diagrams?"
Lu Changsheng followed the speaker's gaze and indeed spotted scattered, fragmented pieces waiting to be joined into complete patterns. Those were the soul diagrams. Crucially, however, ordinary cultivators could not even perceive these diagrams; they were visible only to those whose soul strength had reached a requisite threshold. As for assembling them, that demanded an even deeper understanding of the soul.
"Where are the others who cleared the staircase earlier?" Lu Changsheng asked.
"They are already over there assembling their diagrams."
Looking in that direction, Lu Changsheng indeed saw numerous figures hard at work. Among them was a familiar figure—Lin Qingluan. She was fully absorbed in piecing together her diagrams, completely unaware that Lu Changsheng had arrived.
"All right, I'll give it a try."
Lu Changsheng nodded and moved to begin. Yet the moment he attempted it, he found it extraordinarily difficult. He could not even see many of the diagram fragments clearly, let alone assemble them. The requirement for soul strength was exceptionally stringent. At this rate, he would fail to complete even a single diagram.
He had to find a way!
*To assemble these soul diagrams, soul strength is paramount.*
*It seems I must find a way to align with that frequency again to enhance my soul.*
*Fortunately, I have another full hundred years this time. That provides far more breathing room...*
With a cascade of thoughts clearing in his mind, Lu Changsheng reached his decision.
Chapter 503