Chapter 131.1: Ascending the Heavenly Stairway and Entering the Northern Region Heavenly Sect! (I)

Lu Changsheng stood motionless as strong winds swept past him. He was not even halfway up the mountain, yet the gusts had already grown very fierce. Still, he was not surprised. Even at the foot of the mountain, he could already feel a faint breeze, so stronger winds at this height were only natural.

Thick fog pressed in from every side, erasing all sense of direction. One careless step could send him plunging to his death. Instead of panicking, a sharp glint flashed through his eyes.

So this is the Heavenly Stairway's trial... Of course, there is a trial. Without it, how can anyone prove themselves to be a scion disciple worthy of the Northern Region Heavenly Sect's support? Still, this fog is...

He closed his eyes and manifested the Sense Domain. Within its range, his surroundings became clear. Just as he had expected, there was no real fog. Instead, it was a power similar to a Domain distorting one's perception and making climbers believe they were trapped in fog.

To overcome this, a martial artist either needed extraordinary mental strength to break the illusion or an ability like the Sense Domain. Even then, it would not be easy. The power around Lu Changsheng pressed heavily on his Sense Domain.

Under normal circumstances, he could sense more than a hundred li with the Sense Domain. Here, the range shrank to barely a hundred zhang.

At the mountain peak, many attendants had gathered, along with several outer sect disciples assigned to guard the sect gate. Most of these attendants were people who had fled up from the foot of the mountain after failing to extort Lu Changsheng.

From above, they could clearly see everything that was happening down below.

The outer sect disciples had already heard about Lu Changsheng slaughtering attendants at the base, and the incident piqued their interest.

"Look, he doesn't even dare to move. He's probably fallen into the Heavenly Stairway Domain and lost his bearings."

"Climbing the Heavenly Stairway isn't that easy. Plenty of fools had tried before, only to fall from the cliff and shatter into pieces."

"You know, many people hailed as geniuses in their little kingdoms believe that they are unmatched. In their eyes, the Northern Region Heavenly Sect's Heavenly Stairway is nothing more than an easy way to access valuable resources.

"They come here brimming with confidence, convinced they'll pass easily, but people like that are the ones who die fastest.

"This one is especially arrogant. Before even entering the sect, he had already killed attendants belonging to several inner disciples. Does he really think we don't know that those attendants often block the path to extort silver?

"He forced his way through and thought he was impressive. Now he's trapped in the Heavenly Stairway Domain. He'll fall soon enough."

These outer sect disciples usually stood guard at the sect entrance and earned little merit. Their days were monotonous and uneventful. Now that a man who had killed attendants had appeared, they suddenly found themselves with entertainment, so they watched with great attention. Some even hoped Lu Changsheng would climb a few more steps before dying, just so they could enjoy the spectacle a bit longer.

Very few people who had entered the Heavenly Stairway Domain ever walked out of it. Unless someone had a Domain or had an extraordinary will and mental strength, escaping the illusion to ascend into the sect was almost impossible. As for those rare individuals who had succeeded, they all stirred great waves within the sect and rose to prominence.

While the sect's disciples and attendants relished every second of Lu Changsheng's struggle, Lu Changsheng decided to continue upward. The heavy fog had swallowed everything, and keeping his eyes open only interfered with his decision-making, so he kept them closed and relied entirely on Domain Sense.

With his eyes closed, the mist seemed to disappear. Within a hundred zhang, every detail became clear to his senses. He lifted his foot and stepped forward—one step, two steps, and three steps. His pace remained steady. Though his eyes stayed closed, he walked up the Heavenly Stairway as if it were level ground.

On the mountain peak, the attendants and outer sect disciples who had been watching with amusement froze, and their expressions stiffened.

"How is that possible? He... he actually broke free of the Heavenly Stairway Domain?"

"He's walking with his eyes closed and moving as if he were on flat ground. How is he climbing it without even looking?"

"To climb the Heavenly Stairway, you either need terrifying mental strength or a Domain. With his eyes shut, he must be relying on a Domain. Has he manifested a Sense Domain?"

"That's it! He must have manifested a Domain. This is impressive, especially since he's only in the Divine Strength Realm. With talent like this, he'll certainly become an inner sect disciple. He might even become a true inheritor disciple one day."

"We can't afford to offend someone like him."

The outer sect disciples exchanged glances, and their expressions turned grim. A person like him was destined to rise through the ranks. What they ought to do next was already clear to them.

Lu Changsheng knew nothing of their reactions. He maintained his Sense Domain and climbed step by step.

The Heavenly Stairway was steep and stretched for one thousand and eighty steps. After two hours, he finally completed the ascent and reached the summit.

At the foot of the mountain, Coachman had been watching Lu Changsheng. When Lu Changsheng set foot on the peak, he finally withdrew his gaze.

"Mr. Lu truly deserves his place as number one on the Divine Strength Rankings. He ascended the Heavenly Stairway to enter the Northern Region Heavenly Sect as a scion disciple, which means his potential is limitless. I should return and report this to the Martial Pavilion."

With his task complete, Coachman turned the carriage and slowly drove away from the Tianlu Mountain Range.

At the summit, a group of outer sect disciples stepped forward to greet Lu Changsheng with a warm smile.

Lu Changsheng opened his eyes and noticed that these people were dressed differently from the attendants.

"Congratulations on passing the trial of the Heavenly Stairway, Senior Brother."

"The sect only recruits once every ten years, and only a few ever make it up the Heavenly Stairway. But you have succeeded, Senior Brother."

"Since Senior Brother has entered the sect through the Heavenly Stairway, you will have a bright future ahead."

Each of them addressed him as "Senior Brother" with open enthusiasm. This was a stark contrast to the attendants at the mountain's base.

"You are outer sect disciples?" Lu Changsheng asked.

"That's right. We have been assigned to guard the sect's entrance."

"Senior Brother, do you have a recommendation token?"

Lu Changsheng nodded and showed the disciples the token given to him by the Martial Pavilion.

One of the disciples nodded. "So it's a recommendation from the imperial family Da Yu Dynasty. They produced some geniuses in the past."

"Senior Brother," another disciple said. "Please follow me. I will take you to complete the entry procedures."

Lu Changsheng cupped his fists. "Many thanks."

As Lu Changsheng followed one of the outer sect disciples into the Northern Region Heavenly Sect, the others exchanged glances. Once he was out of earshot, they let out quiet sighs of relief.

"That man is ruthless."

"When he stepped onto the summit just now, that faint, murderous aura sent a chill down my spine."

"He's definitely not just some random guy from the Da Yu Dynasty. We can't afford to provoke someone like him at our level. Let the senior brothers of the inner sect deal with him."

"

Heh.

The attendants he killed were all trusted men of our seniors in the inner sect, but he clearly isn't someone who accepts being pushed around. Looks like both the outer and inner sect will have some fine drama to watch soon."

These outer sect disciples were fringe members. Otherwise, they would not be guarding the mountain gate. Whether it was the inner sect seniors or Lu Changsheng, who had climbed the Heavenly Stairway to enter the sect, neither was someone they could afford to offend.