Chapter 420: Chapter 16 There Must Be Generous Rewards
In a scoring system out of 100, Yan Yu gave Tang Xiaolian a 20 for her swordsmanship, which of course, seriously underestimated her ability.
Any cultivator capable of entering one of the four top teams wouldn’t have any glaring weaknesses in their overall talents. Even Chen Lingyun, whom Yan Yu had deemed “too lacking in talent,” was only considered such when compared to the average level of the leading cultivators in the four top teams.
However, if one were to rank all of the first-generation cultivators based on their cultivation talent from highest to lowest, Chen Lingyun would be around the top 40%, which actually couldn’t be considered poor.
Of course, Mr. Yan’s standards were too high, his evaluation of cultivation talents gauged against the likes of Xie Ruoxi and Liu Longtao, so naturally, he didn’t think much of Chen Lingyun.
His requirements for swordsmanship levels were even tougher. For instance, Lin Ning—based solely on swordsmanship—would have a somewhat tough time being placed in the top three domestically, but she’d face no stress getting into the top five. Even Ai Lu and Guo Feiyun of the Dragon Soar Team might not be her match, yet in Yan Yu’s eyes, she was just “so-so” and “an inflexible piece of rotten wood.”
Similarly, Tang Xiaolian was actually quite beautiful, with bright eyes and clean skin, especially with the advantages of a slim waist and a sweet voice that added significantly to her external charm. Otherwise, why would everyone in the Huofeng Team look after her?
...
Yet Yan Yu, spoiled by the standards of the Zhenhai Team members, saw her appearance as merely “average” and “barely passable,” never considering her to be a particularly pretty girl, let alone having any inclination to take care of her appropriately.
Tang Xiaolian had realized that Captain Yan didn’t harbor even the slightest sympathy or chivalry toward her. Her good looks had been recognized by those around her all her life; otherwise, her parents wouldn’t have let her wear traditional costumes to promote their family’s guesthouse—there was even an internet celebrity studio that contacted her after seeing her photos, intending to build her image as a Miaojiang fairy!
Could Captain Yan be gay? She couldn’t help wondering to herself.
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The two walked through a large expanse of golden flowers and arrived at the foot of the mountain where the palace was situated, seeing a winding stone path leading upward.
“Captain Yan, Captain Yan,” Tang Xiaolian called crisply, “Since entering the Mysterious Realm until now, we’ve passed through ‘Gorge Skyline,’ ‘Mountain Cave Stone Gate,’ and ‘Golden Flower Field.’ Each of these environments is a test, pertaining respectively to observation, learning ability, and defensive capability.”
“So, does that mean there is likely to be some sort of test along this mountain path as well, one that relates to the qualities required of a Sword Immortal, right?”
“Right,” Yan Yu looked at her with surprise, “Aren’t you quite clever?”
“I’ve always been clever!” Tang Xiaolian retorted angrily. Not only do you not praise me, but you also mock me?
“Then why didn’t you show a hint of intelligence in the previous tests?” asked Yan Yu.
“Because I have full trust in Captain Yan’s ability to handle things, which led me to lazily stop thinking for a while,” Tang Xiaolian justified herself stoutly.
“Then I hope you carry your brains with you for what’s to come,” Yan Yu said indifferently, “You also heard what that female voice from the Mysterious Realm said just now: all who enter must face tests. What will you do if we are suddenly teleported apart at the next test?”
“I’ll wait for Captain Yan to come and save me,” Tang Xiaolian replied without a second thought.
“Can’t you be a little more ambitious?” Yan Yu couldn’t help but laugh.
“This is not about being lazy,” Tang Xiaolian explained, “The tests in this Mysterious Realm focus on content related to Sword Immortals, and in this regard, I am very likely to fail. Instead of recklessly trying and getting myself into more dangerous situations, thus becoming a burden that needs rescuing, why not wait honestly for Captain Yan to find me and then proceed together?”
Yan Yu: …
Speechless, she made such a sound argument!
So why did I bring her to this Mysterious Realm in the first place?
“So, who should go up this mountain path first, you or me?” asked Yan Yu.
“Captain Yan should just decide,” said Tang Xiaolian obediently.
“Then I’ll go first,” Yan Yu stepped forward and had just set foot on the first step when something felt off.
My body… has it become heavier?
The increase in weight was minuscule, but his control over his body was so refined that he instantly sensed something was wrong and immediately turned back.
“What’s wrong?” Tang Xiaolian asked, a bit worried.
Yan Yu did not respond but instead instructed:
“You go up and try.”
He didn’t want to share his speculation, allowing Tang Xiaolian to form her preconceptions, but she obviously misunderstood his intent and said earnestly:
“You know, Captain Yan,” Tang Xiaolian said, “I have complete trust in you, that’s why I’m willing to follow your command. If you use this to make me look foolish and laugh at me, I’ll never trust you again.”
“What are you talking about?” Yan Yu was both amused and frustrated, “I have absolutely no intention of bullying you. I just want to see if my guess is correct, that’s all.”
Tang Xiaolian looked at him skeptically for a long moment before finally taking her gaze away and carefully stepping onto the first stair.
Hmm? Nothing feels different.
“What now?” she asked, turning her head back.
“Go up a few more steps,” Yan Yu instructed.
Tang Xiaolian took four steps up in quick succession, her expression filled with confusion, and then turned back:
“Still nothing unusual, it’s just like any normal staircase.”
“You don’t feel your body getting heavier?” Yan Yu asked, surprised.
“Heavier?!” Tang Xiaolian cried out in shock, “Is this the kind of staircase that makes you gain weight like crazy?”
“…No,” Yan Yu was left speechless by her, “I’m talking about gravity. Don’t you feel that the further you go up, the heavier your body becomes?”
Tang Xiaolian, who was frantically feeling her body to make sure she hadn’t suddenly gained any excess fat, first breathed a sigh of relief at his words, but then became annoyed:
Damn it! So it’s not a restriction problem with the Mysterious Realm! I’ll just have to diet and exercise properly once I get out of here.
“Since that’s not the case, let’s keep going,” Yan Yu thought to himself, deciding to continue on since the girl didn’t seem to have much perception of the phenomenon; it was worth investigating further.
He led Tang Xiaolian up the mountain towards the palace situated higher up.
After covering about half the distance, the sensation of gravity finally became noticeable to the extent that Tang Xiaolian began to sweat, her legs felt as if they were filled with lead, but fortunately, her physical condition had improved somewhat since entering the Marrow Cleansing Stage, so she was just able to cope.
“This is the ‘Ascending Heaven Stairs,'” the female voice of the Mysterious Realm echoed around them once again, “modeled after the ‘Ascending Heaven Path’ of the Kunlun Tai Qing Sect.”
“In the Kunlun Heavy Heart State, the Ascending Heaven Path is fraught with Heart Demons. But our sect values a strong foundation even more, so the further one climbs on these Ascending Heaven Stairs, the heavier the gravitational pull becomes, and even if one’s foundation can withstand it, one needs an extremely strong will to reach the end.”
“Sister~” Tang Xiaolian whined, her face twisted in distress, “I’m no Sword Immortal, it’s understandable if my foundation is a bit weaker, right? Can you reduce the gravity coefficient for me a little? If I keep going, my legs are going to break!”
“No,” the female voice declined, “You’ve not yet achieved Perfection in the Marrow Cleansing Stage, and as long as you don’t stay on the Ascending Heaven Stairs for more than a quarter of a hour, it won’t cause irreversible damage to your body. Besides, cultivation is, after all, an act against nature; the Sword Immortals may be the best at charging ahead without looking back, but is it not possible for other Cultivator professions to go against the current?”
“Although this Mysterious Realm was created to preserve the inheritances of the Sword Immortals, it also contains some treasures that you can use. If you can’t endure it, it just proves that you’re not worthy of the treasures. You can still leave now if you’d like.”
Tang Xiaolian inwardly complained, thinking to herself that since she had already been told there were treasures for her, how could she possibly give up midway?
She clenched her teeth and continued forward, trying hard to keep up with Yan Yu’s pace.
Yan Yu was also affected by the gravitational pressure, but his determination was unwavering, so despite sweating profusely, he kept moving forward step by step, his stride seemingly unaffected.
Eventually Tang Xiaolian could no longer keep up and nearly toppled forward. In her panic, she quickly grabbed Yan Yu’s arm and whispered urgently:
“Captain Yan, save me!”
“Everyone said, if you can’t endure, then go back,” Yan Yu said helplessly while supporting her arm, “You owe me another favor now, huh.”
With his support, Tang Xiaolian felt the burden on her body lighten and she hurried to whisper back:
“Thank you, Captain Yan, I’m truly grateful! I’ll repay this great kindness with a generous reward!”
“As long as it’s not a promise to be a cow or a horse in the next life,” Yan Yu quipped.
Tang Xiaolian was instantly amused by him and couldn’t help but let out a snicker, her laughter ringing like a silver bell as she said:
“I won’t dodge the debt!”