“What about sixty steps?” A disciple asked.
“Very few among the first generation of disciples can do so.” The elder flatly answered in a blunt yet truthful manner.
“Thirty is the passing score, sixty is highly satisfactory, ninety means that you’re a genius. One twenty means that you’re peerless. This is a gauge for the third generation.” The elder in charge revealed.
“So we can be considered a genius at ninety steps?” The new examinees looked up the steps with anticipation.
“Is it really that hard?” One of them wondered.
“How many have climbed up to that point before?” Another young one became curious.
All eyes turned towards Gong Qianyue who was sitting in a corner. She has always been distant from others.
Normally, gazing at a beauty was a pleasant thing, just not today because Li Qiye was resting on her thigh again.
Her admirers, especially Huang Ning, didn’t take this too well. Unfortunately, she turned a blind eye towards them. Her focus was on Li Qiye’s ordinary-looking face as if it was an unsolvable puzzle.
This only served to further exasperate her fans. Of course, this had nothing to do with Li Qiye’s attractiveness. She was merely trying to extract more information regarding recent events.
“I will get to ninety!” Huang Ning proudly declared for all to hear.
That would be the “genius” classification. All turned towards him. No one thought that he was boasting because he was only second to Gong Qianyue in their sect.
“You can definitely do it.” A disciple from Thousand Demons immediately supported.
“Victory is yours once you get there. Others definitely can’t compare.” Another demon said while glancing at Li Qiye, on purpose or otherwise.
The demons didn’t care that Li Qiye was the son of miracles. They would always stand on Huang Ning’s side against a human.
“Victory is yours!” Many shouted to voice their support. Huang Ning clearly had a prestigious status in the sect.
“The sect will have a special reward for those who make it that far. Any merit law at the same level.” Zhang Yue nodded.
“Any earth-level merit law?” The crowd clamored as a result after hearing the potential reward, only second to heaven-level laws.
In fact, Gong Qianyue might be the only member of the third generation to cultivate heaven-level laws.
The protectors didn’t have access to them either. The earth level was already the highest for
them.
The next question became obvious for most. They turned towards Qianyue and started wondering about her result.
She was stronger than Huang Ning so how many steps would she be able to climb?
“Qianyue, what is your challenge this time?” The elder in charge asked.
“One hundred and ten for sure, then I will be challenging one twenty.” Qianyue pondered for a bit before replying.
“That’s a lofty goal, even the sect master didn’t dare to be so bold during his youth.” An elder laughed.
“Senior Sister Qianyue is definitely our top genius.” One disciple said.
“Yes, she can do it if she tries.” Others joined in.
Huang Ning was relatively annoyed at his spotlight being stolen by Qianyue. However, it wasn’t too bad because she had an inborn true fate. No one could compete with this.
Qianyue remained aloof to the praises and continued to stare at the sleeping Li Qiye.
Now, the crowd’s next question became Li Qiye’s goal but no one came up to ask.
“Young Master, what is your target?” Qianyue eventually inquired.
Many didn’t like her addressing him as “Young Master”. Huang Ning and the other fans scowled in response. How could their goddess call someone else “Young Master”?
“How is he qualified to be a young master?” One disciple scowled.
“It’s because the elders are calling him this. Senior Sister Qianyue is trying to be considerate here.” A fan consoled himself.
“What’s the reward for three hundred?” Li Qiye lazily opened his eyes.
“Three hundred steps?” Eyes widened as a result and shifted back and forth between Li Qiye and the elders.
“No one can get to two hundred steps without being at the sacred level. Ludicrous!” One old disciple showed his skepticism.
“All the way to the top?” The elders began talking. Zhang Yue’s eyes became bright while glancing at Li Qiye.
“Heaven Climb relies on power alone, nothing else. Your own power and your merit laws’ profundity determine how far you can go.” Zhang Yue elaborated: “I’m stronger than Qianyue due to age and I can reach one twenty. Three hundred is simply unheard of, at least in my memories. Right, elders?”
“Yes. We had some Heavenly Sovereigns before and South Conch Forefather. They never attempted this again after making a name for themselves. In theory, they should be able to do it. There’s just no record about someone being able to go all the way up.” The elder in charge replied.
“How did South Conch Forefather do during his youth?” One disciple asked.
They were referring to South Conch Dao Lord. Though the divine beast, Black Tortoise, was the patriarch of their sect, some actually said that the dao lord was stronger.
“Hmm…” The elders contemplated.
“South Conch Forefather is the most talented disciple in the history of Divine Black. No one else comes close.” The elder in charge finally answered.
“If I remember correctly, his best result during his youth was one hundred and fifty-six steps, yes?” Another elder recalled.
“That sounds right.” The elder in charge nodded.
Attention turned towards Qianyue again. If she could successfully finish her challenge, there was a chance of her becoming a dao lord in the future.
After all, this wasn’t her limit. She could still improve in the near future.
“See? South Conch Patriarch’s record is one hundred and fifty-six steps. I’m sure no one can beat this. Please be responsible when you brag.” One disciple sarcastically told Li Qiye. Many others shared the same thought.
“What a waste of time, if there’s no reward for this, I rather go to sleep on a beauty’s thigh.” Li Qiye lazily said.
“Hmph, you can’t get up there even if there’s a big reward.” Huang Ning couldn’t help attacking.
Unfortunately, Li Qiye didn’t respond to him. Meanwhile, the elders quietly talked among themselves.
“There is no precedence set for three hundred steps in our sect but we have discussed this. If anyone can surpass South Conch Forefather’s record, they’ll get the highest reward possible.” The elder in charge said seriously.
“The highest reward possible?” The disciples took a deep breath and started fantasizing.
“No one can do it anyway, hmph.” One said.
“I don’t think it’s possible.” An elder told his peers.