Chapter 197: Chapter 140: The Terrifying Fourth Skill (Part 2)
"Today they heard the news that you defeated Wang Xiangsheng, and they are all very excited."
"Actually, among our batch of students, many are your fans, all hoping you could climb the Immortal Ascension Ladder again."
Zhao Li continued, "I’m just saying, no pressure..."
"Lately, I’ve been planning to start ascending..." Lin Chen replied.
"What did you say?" Zhao Li was taken aback, having always thought Lin Chen didn’t like the Path to Immortality. He was touched and said, "You’re doing it for those fans, aren’t you?"
"Not at all..."
"I’m so moved; I’ll go tell them right away." Zhao Li excitedly stood up and left without waiting for Lin Chen to finish.
The Newbie Village reporter was not an empty name.
Lin Chen felt a bit awkward.
He wasn’t doing it for these people; it was part of his plan.
In the plan, Xiaobai leveled up, awakened a Skill, and emerged from his psychological shadow, so it was time to start ascending the Path to Immortality again.
He had previously researched Xiaobai and found that although after Level 31, it was a mentally taxing level, one advantage was the growth of Spiritual Power.
Xiaobai’s Soul-Calming Hoof had always been difficult to enhance further, and Lin Chen saw this as an opportunity.
"No rush, let’s rest for a bit." Lin Chen said to Xiaobai, "It will be another round of torment when the time comes."
Xiaobai thought for a moment and nodded his bull head heavily.
...
Two days later, before Lin Chen even started, Fang You began his ascent.
He wasn’t targeting Lin Chen but had always planned it this way.
On that day, he took his first step and failed.
Everyone sighed.
Those fifty levels truly aren’t meant for humans.
Many mentors bluntly stated that Level 50 is a watershed.
No one expected Fang You to not give up, as he waited on the step with his Nine Tribulation Beasts for a day and a night, then attempted Level 50 again.
This time, he succeeded.
When he reached the fiftieth step, he even startled some mentors to check it out.
Three months into the academy, reaching fifty levels is an incredibly terrifying achievement.
It’s anticipated that Fang You will be the first of this cohort to be recruited by a mentor.
...
On the fifth day, Lin Chen finally prepared to begin.
As he approached the Path to Immortality, he saw a group of people waiting.
Most of the people who came were specially recruited students, some looking at Lin Chen with eyes full of emotion.
Under Zhao Li’s packaging, Lin Chen’s ascent on the Path to Immortality this time was for those students who were about to be eliminated and sent home.
This made Lin Chen a person of integrity and righteousness in their eyes.
In the crowd, stood a Calamity-Devouring Beast and a chicken side by side, with a young girl in white nearby, it was Bai Ling.
Bai Ling was in her rebellious phase; the more her mentor prohibited her, the more she wanted to do something.
This wasn’t her first visit; every time she came, she thought about how high the ladder was and that it was indeed a bit challenging. But with patience, it shouldn’t be impossible to reach Level 50, right?
Bai Ling knew she had a weak constitution and might need to rest after climbing a couple of steps, but she had good endurance.
She believed that as long as she persisted, climbing one hundred steps was not a problem.
However, she didn’t attempt because her mentor prohibited her. Bai Ling often stayed home due to illness and mostly interacted with her parents, so she was very obedient to her elders.
"Is someone important coming today?" Although Bai Ling wasn’t short, she was naturally outmatched by the male students.
"He is a good person; knowing we are about to be eliminated, he came specifically to climb to the top..." The male student said with tears in his eyes, "Regardless of the outcome, in my heart, he is forever the top of our cohort."
After hearing this, Bai Ling became even more curious.
Unfortunately, she was too short.
She wasn’t in a hurry because once the number of steps increased, she would be able to see.
Finally, when Lin Chen stood on the tenth step, Bai Ling, from her vantage point, could finally see.
"Seems familiar."
Bai Ling murmured softly.
It was not surprising she couldn’t recognize Lin Chen from just the back.
But she soon noticed Xiaobai’s bull butt and froze...
It wasn’t that she recognized Lin Chen’s bull butt, but she recognized the Plowhorn Beast, and it was an exceptionally clean Plowhorn Beast.
In her memory, Bai Ling had only ever seen one like it.
"Is it him?" Bai Ling’s memory surfaced, and she remembered everything.
The Calamity-Devouring Beast nearby also noticed the Niu Niu that almost beat them previously and called out, confirming Bai Ling’s thoughts.
"He’s here too..." Bai Ling recalled how Lin Chen didn’t snatch her things before but exchanged for them, and she immediately said, "I told you, good people will be rewarded."
In her heart, she quietly wished Lin Chen would climb higher.
...
Lin Chen did not see Bai Ling; otherwise, he would have been very surprised.
Now he was heading straight for Level 37, this Path to Immortality was quite peculiar, once you ascend it once and return, the previous obstacles do not reappear.
Finally, he arrived at Level 37.
As he prepared to step onto the 38th level, Lin Chen noticed Xiaobai was a bit nervous and comforted, "Just hold on for three more levels, and it will be over."
Even though it was just a guess, his intuition told him this.
Rumor had it that the Path to Immortality was like a computer system, monitoring your abilities and designing trials accordingly.
"Moo~~"
Xiaobai nodded and stepped forward.
Sure enough, previously at Level 23, this time it had become Level 25.
This obstacle was indeed fluid.
Lin Chen wasn’t surprised; he had gone to the Spirit Institute Library to dig into the origin of the Path to Immortality.
The book recorded that the Path to Immortality was not built after Spirit Academy was established, but always existed here.
It was a product left behind by human cultivators during the Taichu Era.
Later, humans became weaker, unable to set foot on it until after becoming Beastmasters, beasts and humans ascended together.
The Spirit Academy was later established here, also related to it.
Given the Path to Immortality is a relic from the Taichu Era of cultivation, the Dubhe Pavilion keeps it as secret as possible.
After all, during this time, relics from cultivation are extremely precious.
If exposed, it would undoubtedly attract foreign enemies to destroy it.
Like foreign spies, demon beasts, etc.
Level 38 took only three minutes, Xiaobai seemed to muster the courage, determined to continue upward in one go.
Level 39, six minutes.
"Almost to Level 40."
Seeing Lin Chen nearing Level 40, many people watched intently.
The crowd below increased, many formally enrolled students heard the commotion and came too.
Lin Chen and Xiaobai gently lifted their feet....
"Hope it’s not the Bull Demon King again."
Lin Chen thought.
....
In a large open space, an evolved Bull Demon King stood holding a giant axe.
Lin Chen was speechless, thinking when will it end.
"Xiaobai, go." Lin Chen waved his hand.
The Bull Demon King was three levels higher than Xiaobai, and it swung its giant axe as soon as the battle started with Xiaobai.
Lin Chen planned to have Xiaobai use the same trick, employ the Soul-Calming Hoof using Thousand Shadows Unification to insta-kill it.
Who would have thought this Bull Demon King seemed to have transformed, and the Soul-Calming Hoof had no effect on it.
"Another mental immunity?" Lin Chen was embarrassed, wondering since when his Spiritual Power got so weak.
The Bull Demon King suddenly roared and then responded with its own Soul-Calming Hoof.
Lin Chen and Xiaobai were too astonished to speak; luckily, Xiaobai was quick, otherwise, they would have been hit.
Unexpectedly, the Bull Demon King plucked a few strands of bull hair, blew them into the air, and seemingly created several Bull Demon Kings that looked almost identical to it.
Lin Chen was dumbfounded.
Bro...
You’re the Bull Demon King, not Brother Monkey.
Surrounded by six bulls, Lin Chen immediately reminded, "These are all illusions it created, there’s only one real body."
Lin Chen was very sure of this; this Bull Demon King couldn’t create monkey clones like Brother Monkey; otherwise, it would be too freakish.
Xiaobai immediately activated the second stage of Barbaric Bloodline, no longer holding back any strength, giving it all.
...
The entire battle lasted nearly eight minutes, and those outside watched, seeing that Lin Chen and Xiaobai had yet to open their eyes; some began to worry, while others started to laugh.
Logically, Level 40 should actually be the quickest.
Those who went in either failed instantly or passed instantly.
Because this was a special obstacle, the difficulty was certainly elevated greatly.
It continued like this for another two minutes; then, Lin Chen and Xiaobai opened their eyes, both a bit tired.
"It seems it’s over." The formally enrolled students began to laugh.
Unexpectedly, at that moment, Lin Chen and Xiaobai’s feet stepped onto the 40th-step ladder.