Upon hearing Lu Qing's words, everyone looked up at the Heavenly Ladder.
Looking at Bai Bufan and the others above, they now appear completely different.
He had almost completely lost his previous composed and elegant demeanor.
They all stood on it, their faces flushed, panting, and drenched in sweat, supporting themselves on their knees.
Clearly, they've almost reached their limit.
However, the steps they were standing on finally showed a drop.
Among them, Bai Bufan and Situ Jin stood together at the highest point.
The others lagged behind them, but the difference was not significant, only three or four levels.
Last to fall was Qin Yunting of the Xuanxin Sect.
Just as Lin Zhirui had said, he, who was known for his agile martial arts, was at a disadvantage when climbing the Heavenly Ladder.
"Bai Bufan and Situ Jin are currently at level 165!"
Wei Zian quickly counted and exclaimed softly.
"Seeing that they have reached their limit, it is clear that their potential is not as great as Your Excellency Zhi Rui's."
Magu was somewhat amazed.
This method of assessing potential by climbing a ladder to heaven seems quite reliable.
...
"Brother Bai, do you still have the strength to climb up?"
On the Heavenly Ladder, Situ Jin, his face covered in sweat, spoke to Bai Bufan.
His muscles were trembling, a sign that his Vajra Body technique was being pushed to its limit.
"That depends on whether Brother Situ still has any strength left."
Bai Bufan's expression was equally uneasy. His originally fair complexion was now flushed, and even his eyes were bloodshot.
Clearly, his endurance had reached its limit.
Despite this, he still refused to show the slightest weakness in the face of Situ Jin's words.
"I do have a little strength left. If I force myself to climb, I can take one or two more steps."
Situ Jin's words caused Bai Bufan's expression to change slightly.
Because he had truly reached his limit and had no more strength left to climb higher.
However, what Situ Jin said next surprised him greatly.
"How about we call it a draw this time?"
"You're actually willing to draw?"
Bai Bufan was stunned, looking at Situ Jin in disbelief.
Over the years, Situ Jin has always tried to compete with him and confront him head-on.
Now, with everyone watching, he has a great opportunity to beat him right in front of him, yet he's willing to give it up?
"That's right, I can indeed use the Vajra Body technique to forcefully climb one or two more steps."
But if that happens, I will definitely suffer a backlash from the pressure of the Heavenly Ladder, which will damage my physical foundation and delay my breakthrough to the Innate Realm.
We've already fallen behind those two, and I don't want the gap to widen further just because of a momentary argument.
Bai Bufan remained silent.
He naturally knew who the two people Situ Jin was referring to were.
To be honest, among the previous Ten Heroes, he didn't value those two very much.
After all, one of them came from the Heavenly Mystery Sect and was skilled in divination; his own strength should be a notch below theirs.
The other one was even worse; he was merely the heir of a declining minor sect, with limited resources available to him, so his cultivation speed was inevitably slower than theirs.
Therefore, his attention was always focused on Situ Jin and others whose backgrounds were similar to his own.
Who would have thought that, after all that competition, the two least noticeable ones would be the first to break through?
Thinking about this, Bai Bufan suddenly felt a sense of boredom.
"You're right. It's really not worth jeopardizing our martial arts future for this petty squabble."
Our focus should be on breaking through to the Innate Realm as soon as possible, rather than these trivial matters now.
Brother Situ, you have won this contest.
Bai Bufan said seriously.
Situ Jin was stunned, just as Bai Bufan was about to announce his defeat.
Suddenly, a soft laugh came from the sky.
"These are the so-called Ten Outstanding Figures of Zhongzhou?"
"Even climbing a ladder to heaven leaves me this weak. Master was right; martial artists from the outside world generally have weak foundations, all show and no substance."
The sound wasn't loud, but it could travel for miles, making it clearly audible to everyone nearby.
The sarcasm and ridicule in his words immediately caused a stir.
"Who is this person, speaking with such arrogance?"
"How dare they openly mock the Ten Heroes of Zhongzhou? Who is they?"
"Another show to watch?"
People all looked in the direction from which the sound came.
Then, in the next moment, everyone's mouths gaped open.
Because they saw that there were seven or eight giant birds hovering in the sky, with people standing on their backs.
The giant bird's wingspan was more than ten meters, and with each flap of its wings, a tremendous wind could be heard.
Bai Bufan and his group were already enraged by the sarcastic tone in the previous voice.
But when they saw this scene, they were equally stunned, unable to muster any more anger.
As for Lu Qing and the others, needless to say.
Having come from a remote place, they had never seen such a scene before.
His eyes widened immediately, his face filled with surprise.
It's them!
Lin Zhirui's expression also changed drastically, and he exclaimed in surprise.
"Your Excellency Zhi Rui, do you know them?" Lu Qing asked curiously.
“I don’t know them personally, but I know where they come from.”
Lin Zhirui stared intently at the sky and spoke slowly.
"Wearing robes with cloud and water patterns, and able to ride divine birds, they are people from one of the four great secret realms, the Cloud and Water Secret Realm!"
"The Four Great Secret Realms?"
Lu Qing's heart stirred. He remembered that when he fought with Yan Canghai's personal disciple, the other party had once thought that he was a disciple who had come out of the secret place for training.
He later paid attention to this information as well.
The result is that the four secret realms are four very mysterious places, and no one knows where they are.
But every time a successor from the secret realm appears in the world and travels across the land, he is bound to cause countless waves.
It is said that even the establishment of the Holy Mountain was only possible with the tacit approval and support of the four secret lands, which allowed it to gain the recognition of all the major sects in the world.
In short, these are four very mysterious and powerful forces.
I never expected to suddenly appear here.
Out of curiosity, Lu Qing immediately activated his supernatural ability and looked up at the sky.
"Such a display of force, and such attire—they must be from the Cloud and Water Secret Realm?!"
High above the holy city, those powerful figures, upon seeing the scene in the sky, were all shaken.
"No mistake, those cloud and water patterns are the mark of the Cloud and Water Secret Realm."
"With the changes in the world and the revival of spiritual energy, even the four great secret realms can no longer hold back?"
"The people from the Cloud and Water Secret Realm have arrived, and the people from the other three secret realms should not be far behind."
"So, should we go up and greet them?"
"Don't rush, let's see how things go first. Besides, even if we were to welcome them, it wouldn't be our turn yet."
...
Just as these powerful figures were discussing their plans, a young man in brocade robes appeared, riding on the back of a flying bird.
Suddenly, he spoke to Bai Bufan and the others on the Heavenly Ladder: "What's wrong? Judging from your expressions, you seem quite dissatisfied with my previous assessment?"
Everyone could tell that the voice that had spoken sarcastically earlier was this one.
"You flatter us, sir. We have no objection whatsoever."
Bai Bufan and the others were unable to recognize the person's identity.
But to be able to tame so many wondrous birds, there must be some extraordinary force at play.
Based on what they had heard from the elders of the sect before, they could roughly guess what had happened.
These people are probably from the legendary secret place.
How could I dare to be angry?
"Is that so? But judging from the looks in your eyes just now, you were quite unconvinced." The young man in brocade chuckled. "Fine, if I don't show you, you won't know what it means to be outmatched."
Having said that, the young man in brocade robes pulled on the reins, and the huge bird beneath his feet suddenly let out a long cry, flapped its wings, stirred up a gust of wind, and swooped down the mountain.
Its fierce aura frightened the martial artists gathered at the foot of the mountain, who cried out and retreated to both sides.
They were terrified of being hit by the giant bird's wings and having their bones broken.
Fortunately, the young man in brocade robes had no intention of harming anyone. He simply leaped onto the heavenly ladder as the bird approached the ground.
The giant bird suddenly flapped its wings, stirring up the air currents, and its body rose abruptly, returning to the sky once more.
As for the young man, he didn't stop at all when he landed on the heavenly ladder.
With a single step, his body was lifted into the air, shooting upwards like an arrow released from a bow.
When he landed on the white jade steps again, the crowd below couldn't help but gasp in surprise.
Because of this leap, he actually crossed more than twenty steps, a height of seven or eight zhang (approximately 33-40 meters).
It was almost twice as high as Bai Bufan's initial leap!
That wasn't all. After landing on the white jade steps, the young man in brocade didn't even pause for a moment. With a light tap of his foot, he leaped upwards again.
It was as if the pressure from the ladder to heaven did not exist for him at all.
Although the young man in brocade robes did not rise as high as he did the first time, he still reached a height of six or seven zhang (approximately 33-40 meters).
Then, as his body landed on the white jade steps again, he stepped down and his body suddenly rose up again.
And so, the young man in brocade robes, like a nimble monkey on a cliff, continuously and rapidly leaped and climbed the ladder to heaven.
Soon, they arrived at the location where Bai Bufan and the others were.
The young man in brocade didn't stop at all. He just gave them a disdainful smile and brushed past them, continuing to leap upwards.
But Bai Bufan and the others had no time to be angry. They just stared in astonishment as the young man in brocade easily passed them and went up.
The crowd at the foot of the mountain was also completely silent.
They all stared in shock at the young man in brocade robes, who, although much slower than at the beginning, was still climbing upwards at a remarkably rapid pace.
One hundred and seventy, one hundred and eighty, one hundred and ninety...
Despite surpassing Bai Bufan and the others, the young man in brocade robes was still able to cross several steps with each step.
Everyone watched as he gradually approached the legendary location.
Finally, when the young man in brocade robes landed steadily on the two hundredth step, his body remained perfectly stable and his expression was calm.
The crowd below erupted in cheers.
"Level 200! He actually reached level 200!"
"Isn't it rumored that the highest a martial artist in the Acquired Realm can reach is 199? Beyond that is the realm of the Innate Realm. Could this person be an Innate Realm expert?"
"Impossible, I didn't sense any unique essence of the Innate Realm from him."
"The record for a martial artist in the Acquired Realm to ascend the Heavenly Ladder was set by 'Emperor Feather' more than a thousand years ago. I never expected it to be broken today!"
"Just who is this person? How could he be even more talented than 'Emperor Feather' from a thousand years ago?"
...
High up in the holy city, even those powerful figures were shocked.
"He actually reached level 200. That young man must be at the Acquired Realm, right?"
"That's for sure. Otherwise, if he were in such a big mood, mocking Bai Bufan and the others, wouldn't he be bullying the weak and slapping himself in the face if he were in the Innate Realm?"
"As expected of a successor of a secret realm, even someone who has just broken through to the initial stage of the Innate Realm might not be able to withstand the pressure of the two hundredth level, yet this young man climbed up without changing his expression."
Judging from his appearance, it seems he still has a lot of potential to improve.
Could it be that he, with his Acquired Realm cultivation, could fight against a Primordial Realm cultivator?
"What's so strange about someone with a postnatal body fighting against someone with a prenatal body? People from the four great secret realms have done it before."
"The secret inheritance is indeed very different from ours, otherwise it would not have been able to secretly control this world for so long."
“In the past, even if people from the secret realm went out to experience the world, there were at most one or two people. This time, so many people came out of the Cloud Water Secret Realm, and they were so high-profile. It seems that the world is really about to change.”
...
"I reached level 200 so easily."
On the other side, Lin Zhirui was also staring blankly at the figure on the ladder.
Having climbed the Heavenly Ladder more than once, he naturally knew just how intense the pressure was.
Especially after reaching level 150, the pressure is almost at the limit of a martial arts grandmaster.
Even he himself had a difficult time at first, climbing step by step, and finally reached the position of 171.
He never imagined that among the acquired martial artists, there would be someone who could climb the Heavenly Ladder so easily, and even reach the two hundredth level in one go.
Indeed, despite being so far away, Li Zhirui was unable to sense the aura of the young man in brocade robes.
But he was certain that the other party was a martial artist who had acquired their skills through training.
The cultivators of the Cloud and Water Secret Realm are notoriously arrogant.
They would never stoop to bullying the weak.
But it was precisely because he understood this that Li Zhirui was even more shocked.
"Your Excellency Zhi Rui, it seems your information is incorrect. There are still martial artists in the Acquired Realm who can reach the 200th level."
"As expected of a legendary secret realm, even a random person emerging from here is this powerful."
Lu Qing exclaimed with admiration.
"Young friend Lu Qing, why are you still so calm?"
Seeing the admiration on Lu Qing's face, Lin Zhirui suddenly asked.
"Huh?" Lu Qing looked over, puzzled.
"Seeing such a huge gap, don't you feel a little despair?" Lin Zhirui asked.
"Such a huge difference... are you referring to this expert from the Cloud and Water Secret Realm?"
Seeing the confusion on Lin Zhirui's face, Lu Qing suddenly understood what he meant and smiled gently.
"Your Excellency Zhi Rui, people's talents and opportunities are different. Naturally, in the path of cultivation, there are good and bad, fast and slow."
Having embarked on this path, we can't just give up on cultivation because we're less talented than others, can we?
If that's the case, why should we worry unnecessarily and always compare ourselves to others?
We who cultivate ourselves only need to compare ourselves with our past selves.
As long as you are stronger today than you were yesterday, it means your spiritual practice has not been in vain.
With perseverance, even if we can't catch up with those unparalleled geniuses for a while, I believe that one day in the future, we will surely have our own destiny.
The saying goes, "As heaven maintains vigor through movement, a gentleman should constantly strive for self-improvement." I wonder if Your Excellency Zhi Rui finds this reasonable?
After hearing Lu Qing's words, Lin Zhirui was suddenly shaken.
