Chapter 0480: Stairway to Heaven

The Astral Sage College quickly set up camp on one of the small islands as well, unfurling their flag and staking their claim.

The moment they did, they could feel the crystal compass in their hands quiver as information began to stream into their minds regarding the anima storm.

There were a few quiet minutes while everyone processed the information.

And after they were done, all of them started frowning.

"This is going to be messy as hell," Lu Qing'er said softly.

Li Luo nodded with deep feeling. He looked up again at the buildings half-hidden in mist. The information had shared that this entire event was divided into four smaller anima storms. Each anima storm would have a large anima cumulonimbus at its center, and several medium anima cumulonimbuses as well.

In terms of resources, it was rich enough to have them all salivating.

After all, a week of slogging could yield just a medium anima cumulonimbus sometimes. And perhaps a few more small anima cumulonimbuses.

Then again, taking these ones was going to be difficult too, just in a different way.

The first problem was the Stairway to Heaven.

The Stairway to Heaven was a series of steps that they would have to clear before they could access the four large anima cumulonimbuses.

It was the only way forward, and not optional.

Only after they passed the Stairway to Heaven could they ring the anima bell and begin harvesting the anima dew.

Passing the Stairway to Heaven was not going to be easy.

Because of the sheer number of anima cumulonimbuses, the worldly natural energy here was out of this world. They would spontaneously form waves of pure energy that pulsed out, sweeping down the Stairway to Heaven and washing away anybody trying to climb it. Besides, only one person could get on the Stairway to Heaven. This meant that they would have to be extremely strong to withstand the energy waves.

That said, others could support from the sides. It would be foolish for one person to try it with no external help, even if they were as strong as Jing Taixu.

Others had to share the burden.

And one person helping was not going to be enough. Far from enough. The whole school would need to help, and then more.

The information had revealed that there were four floating stone platforms around the Stairway to Heaven. Each one needed an entire school's strength to support it. With about a dozen members in one school, the entire thing would take about 50 to 60 students to support!

That was how powerful the energy in large anima cumulonimbuses was.

Put simply, there were two fundamental conditions to open up the anima storm.

Firstly, one would have to find a candidate strong enough to scale the steps and ring the bell.

Secondly, one would have to find three other schools who were willing to share the support burden.

The first was definitely the more difficult of the two. There were plenty of potential helpers, but the person would have to first gain their footing on the staircase alone in order to activate the challenge. Only then could the assistants reach the four platforms to provide energy support.

Which meant that this first person would have to be able to stand up against the energy waves alone. Although the first wave was the weakest, it was not easy to bear alone.

The second condition was easier. Everyone was already here, and they had to get on with this somehow.

In other words, satisfy the first condition, and the second would fall into place easily enough.

"Now the question is, how strong does that person need to be?" Bai Doudou wondered aloud.

They all shook their heads. Still, it would not be long before they found out. Many schools were already itching to try their hand at it, and then some of the commanders from the decent schools stepped forward.

"That's the commander of the Black Light Sage College, Qian Yiming. I heard he defeated many other commanders." The whispers went around as the first challenger stepped up.

Commander Qian Yiming flew up majestically like a crane and then landed solidly on the first step.

Boom!

The moment he landed, they could hear a crystal tinkling sound at the top of the staircase, then a rush of rainbow-colored energy came down.

POOM!

The wave of energy hit Qian Yiming, who was pouring in every last bit of his resonant power without holding back.

In just a few scant seconds, Qian Yiming cried out painfully. Spitting a mouthful of fresh blood, he tumbled off the stairs into the lake.

Everyone was alarmed.

Was the energy from the Stairway to Heaven really this strong?

Even Qian Yiming couldn't last one wave? If you could not withstand the first wave, the challenge could not even begin. You were stuck.

Everyone’s enthusiasm cooled off now.

Although an anima storm was a tempting phenomenon, it clearly was not for everyone.

This state of affairs did not last for very long. Soon, another person stepped out of the crowd jauntily, taking to the skies without care.

When he appeared, everyone immediately recognized him, and they stared with a mixture of admiration and wariness.

Even Li Luo took an interest.

This time, it was... Jing Taixu!