Chapter 17: The Ascent

After hearing Ye Xiao’s words, Ye Yang stood frozen on the spot.

“Senior, you know?”

Yang Ye nodded with a smile. “Naturally. Otherwise, we would not have been waiting here.”

Ye Xiao was silent for a moment before saying, “I did see her, but she didn’t say anything.”

Yang Ye showed no surprise, as though he had expected that. He spoke calmly. “Although she said nothing, it is no easy matter to attract her attention.”

That only made Ye Xiao more curious.

“Senior, who is she?”

Ye Xiao was not the only one curious. Feng Buxing, standing nearby, also looked at Yang Ye inquisitively.

Yang Ye shook his head. “Since she did not tell you, neither can I. You will find out in time.”

With that, he turned to Qi Feng and said, “That will be all for today. Tomorrow, take these people to meet the various instructors, then register them.”

Qi Feng nodded and gestured for everyone who had passed the trial to follow him.

Ye Xiao and Feng Buxing still walked at the very back. Yet after only a few steps, Ye Xiao felt as though a gaze had locked onto him.

He looked up and saw a man not far away staring at him with a gloomy expression.

“Who is he?” Ye Xiao asked Feng Buxing in a low voice.

Feng Buxing followed his gaze, then answered just as quietly, “You don’t remember? He is the one who climbed the highest apart from you. He is also the only expert among us who has reached the Mansion-Opening Realm.”

Ye Xiao grew even more puzzled. He was certain that he had never met this man before.

Yet from the look in his eyes, there seemed to be a trace of… hostility?

Why?

With that thought, Ye Xiao cast him another questioning glance. Unexpectedly, the man merely revealed a cold, sinister smile before ignoring him completely.

Ye Xiao shook his head and thought no more of it.

When they arrived at the lodgings Qi Feng had arranged for them, Ye Xiao and Feng Buxing were assigned to the same room since they already knew each other.

The two of them lay on their beds, and Ye Xiao asked, “What did you encounter inside the tower?”

Feng Buxing looked at Ye Xiao in surprise. “Encounter? Naturally, phantoms!”

“Phantoms?”

Ye Xiao frowned. Could it have been the same as what he had encountered on the first floor?

But the second floor had been different for him.

It had no longer been an illusion, but a genuine desert.

After all, his body still contained the power of the laws of water that he had yet to completely refine.

If it had been an illusion, that would have been impossible.

“What? Could it be that your experience was different from ours?”

Seeing Ye Xiao’s expression, Feng Buxing asked in disbelief.

Ye Xiao gave a slight nod. After thinking for a moment, he continued, “Tell me exactly what happened to you inside the tower.”

Feng Buxing pondered, seemingly organizing his thoughts. A moment later, he slowly began.

“On the first floor, I found myself in a forest. Then a phantom appeared, possessing the same cultivation level as me. Once I defeated it, I could proceed to the second floor.”

Ye Xiao nodded. It seemed the first floor had been the same for everyone.

“The second floor was somewhat different. The setting was the same, but there were two phantoms at my cultivation level. Fortunately, they didn’t seem particularly intelligent. After putting in some effort, I managed to pass.”

“The floors after that were more or less the same. Every time we climbed another floor, one more phantom would appear.”

“Is that so?”

Ye Xiao frowned. As expected, his experience had been different.

“Have you asked anyone else?”

Ye Xiao pressed on.

Feng Buxing nodded slightly. “I did. Apart from differences in the scenery, everything else was the same. The most terrifying was that expert in the Mansion-Opening Realm. He reached the seventh floor, which means he had to face seven phantoms at his own cultivation level.”

Being besieged by seven cultivators of the same realm—even Ye Xiao could not guarantee a decisive victory.

Seeing the frown on Ye Xiao’s face, Feng Buxing asked in return, “What did you encounter?”

Ye Xiao hesitated for a while, but ultimately decided not to tell him.

He suspected that what he had experienced must have been connected to the young woman he had encountered on the ninth floor.

Since even Yang Ye was unwilling to say more, he naturally would not pry.

Seeing that Ye Xiao had no intention of elaborating, Feng Buxing did not ask again. After all, he had just witnessed Yang Ye refrain from questioning Ye Xiao further. There was clearly something that could not be spoken of.

The night passed in silence.

Early the next morning, the two were awakened by a commotion. When they stepped outside, they discovered that Qi Feng had already arrived.

Qi Feng stood outside and waited until nearly everyone had gathered before speaking slowly.

“Today, I am going to take you to meet the instructors of my Yin-Yang Academy. From now on, you will enter their schools and cultivate under their guidance.”

“The Yin-Yang Academy has nine instructors in total, each specializing in a different field. They will choose disciples based on your talents, so you had better perform well later.”

Someone asked, “Elder Qi Feng, what happens if no one chooses us?”

This was also the question that concerned everyone else the most. The instructors of the Yin-Yang Academy naturally had extremely high standards. Some of them would rather accept no disciple at all than settle for one who did not meet their requirements.

Better none than inferior.

A brilliant smile spread across Qi Feng’s face. He slowly looked over everyone before saying with a grin, “If your luck is truly so terrible that none of the instructors is willing to choose you…”

He paused, then chuckled.

“Then congratulations. You will become registered disciples of the Yin-Yang Academy and take part in the registered disciple trial one year from now.”

“If, by then, no instructor is still willing to take you in, you will be expelled from the academy immediately.”

“What? We can still be expelled?”

“I went through two grueling trials, nearly lost my life, and this is what awaits me?”

As soon as Qi Feng finished speaking, everyone began discussing it noisily.

Only when their voices gradually faded and finally fell completely silent did Qi Feng speak again.

“Finished? If anyone wants to leave, you may do so now. I will not stop you.”

Everyone looked at one another, but no one moved.

Leave now? Only a fool would do that.

Qi Feng nodded. “Since that is settled, follow me.”

With that, he led everyone in a certain direction.

When they reached the foot of a mountain, Qi Feng said, “This mountain is known as Book Peak. You must climb it step by step.”

Everyone stared curiously at the mountain path paved with bluestone slabs.

It looked like an ordinary mountain. Could there be another hidden mystery?

After saying that, Qi Feng fell silent and began climbing on his own. He moved extremely quickly, disappearing from sight after only a few breaths.

Several people, seeing how effortlessly Qi Feng had ascended, hurried after him.

But to their surprise, they had barely taken a few steps before they fell headlong onto the ground.

“There’s something strange about these mountain steps!”

…