"The Tianmen Immortal Gateway is the only way mortals can reach the immortal realm, as few of you probably know already. Everyone is welcome to try their chances, but take notice. If you weren't selected in our previous test, you wouldn't have Tianhui Sect protection in the immortal realm." he paused, stroking his beard, "You'll have to protect yourselves, and I do not recommend doing that if you have a weak inner dan. Better to be too sceptical than too trusting about your safety in the immortal realm."
Su Jing contemplated this, seeing what other possibilities she could have. During the test, there was the risk of being attacked by others, as the elder said. And to make matters worse, she didn't have a home to return to, and even if she did, she couldn't remember how to get there! These thoughts made her spine in a circle.
"The time perception will change according to the individual, but I do not recommend staying too long. There is a risk of being trapped forever between the two realms, with no way to any of them. Heaven will try to punish those who carelessly broke the law."
Su Jing listened, being more and more inclined to remain here.
People began to step on the stairs, Zhu Taichang being one of the first. Some hugged and gave their goodbyes and blessings, while others went down the mountain road. Su Jing remained still, not sure about what to do.
By the time Su Jing realised, almost everyone had left, the sect people included.
All there was left was her and one random woman beside her.
At first, Su Jing thought it was Miss Feng, but with the curly head, she understood it was no one else but Bai Xiuying - the girl everyone was gossiping about.
Her sudden and unnoticed presence made her be startled. Since when was Bai Xiuying beside her?
She wondered why she didn't leave first with the winners, but looking at the food between her fingers, Su Jing roughly understood.
Bai Xiuying's unruly hair had a unique form, medium in length and styled with two silver accessories to keep it in place. Her small, fair face was exceptionally beautiful, and her red eyeliner emphasized her deep green eyes—an unusual colour that hinted at her incredible abilities.
Probably sensing Su Jing's gaze, Bai Xiuying turned her head and greeted her with a bright smile.
"The young cultivator should go first since you came earlier than me."
With one last bite of her meal, the wind gently ruffled her hair. Su Jing rubbed her fingers together nervously, unsure of how to respond. This was the first time she had spoken since "waking up", and her voice was simply not going out.
Bai Xiuying did not seem to find Su Jing weird for not saying anything, idly yawning while searching through her sleeves. She then threw something towards Su Jing.
Su Jing caught it, discovering it was a cream.
"If you let them like that, you'll eventually get scars. That's a big tragedy for a girl."
Su Jing was surprised by the sudden gift, looking at how the cold recipient was instantly relaxing her muscles, even by simply holding it.
"Thank you..."
Bai Xiuying continued to watch her while chewing, leaving Su Jing even more embarrassed. Her voice felt a bit feathery, and it was weird hearing it.
"Ahaha", Bai Xiuying chuckled silently, leaning closer to Su Jing, "you don't have to be so awkward with me. Fate has bought us to meet here so that maybe was for me to help. "
Su Jing only lifted the corners of her mouth while making a few steps in the back. She unconsciously felt intimidated by such a pretty face up close.
"Miss Bai is right, but it would be impolite to not express my thanks clearly..."
Su Jing hovered her head as a sign of respect, holding her hands together as the elder did at the selection. She somehow felt out of breath by saying all those long phrases.
The girl just looked at her as if pondering something.
"You don't have to worry about all that," she said, motioning for her to look up. "I'm Bai Xiuying. You already seem to know me, which isn't surprising. I've heard people talking about me too, so it's no wonder you've heard of me!"
Hearing her name, Su Jing was surprised that this girl was so eager to befriend her. She bit her lip and unconsciously looked down at her elegant shoes, not knowing how to adequately react to her words.
"You can call me Su Jing."
Bai Xiuying nodded.
"So, Older Sister Su, I'm sorry if I disrespected you as a junior."
Bai Xiuying opened her tightly clenched hand and extended it towards Su Jing. Resting in her palm was a delicate ice butterfly, its movements mesmerizingly beautiful. As Su Jing looked at it, she realized that this was what Bai Xiuying had been diligently crafting all this time.
"This is for you, older sister - whether you remain here or go up the stairs, that's your choice alone. No one can force you. This qi essence may help when you encounter danger since you weren't accepted by the sect and the two realms are vast and full of unknowns."
Su Jing looked at how the strange white butterfly flew in the air, landing on her left wrist and transforming into a bracelet. Bai Xiuying smiled and turned towards the stairs with her arms behind her back.
"I wish you good luck, but now I have to go. I am already very late."
Before Su Jing could thank her, she made a big leap over the first stairs, waving her hand.
"May fate bring us together!"
In a few seconds, Bai Xiuying couldn't be seen.
Su Jing remained staring at the point where she disappeared, the bracelet getting heavier on her wrist.
"Ah, really, this girl..."
She retracted her hand, feeling again how the loneliness was cornering her. Unconsciously, she liked talking to someone, even though they were a stranger.
A few seconds passed, only the wind being heard.
Su Jing opened the cream and spread it fast on her open skin, instantly feeling how the coolness was easing the continuous burning sensation from before. She had no knowledge or memories of medicine, but it was obvious that this medication had a miraculous healing process.
In the end, Su Jing only inhaled and exhaled rowdy, trembling while approaching the stairs.
If she tries this, maybe there will be a chance to unwrap her amnesia.
Staying here and doing nothing seemed more disadvantageous to her. So, fearful and quite determined, Su Jing lifted her right foot, pressing on the first stair.
A weird thrill passed through her body when her shoe touched the stone as if she was on top of the world. The surroundings also curbed unnaturally a little, making her question if she had inhaled some kind of hallucination gases.
It was quite... dreamlike?
Then came the second, the third,...the fiftieth step...
Something attracted her to move up, to encounter it, however, with every move she took, the knees felt heavier and heavier. Su Jing crouched, wanting to catch a break.
Su Jing thought she walked more than one hundred stairs, but when she looked back, she was surprised.
She moved two meters! The heavens must be joking!
It wasn't clear how long had gone by, but eventually, Su Jing lay on the stairs, breathing unevenly, feeling utterly uncomfortable. Her back ached more than ever, and all she wanted was for this torturous ordeal to end.
"Did I overlook some common trick that everyone else knew?"
Remembering how Bai Xiuying made at first multiple jumps and how the others climbed without worries, she wanted to swear. How did they start to run? It's difficult to even lift your foot!
The elder mentioned different time durations, but nothing about the need for a fit body!
The night long ago started, inflicting a big fear in Su Jing's heart. She was alone, without weapons or someone to protect her. She debated many times whether to go down and wait till morning - or wait for someone to reach her altitude, but on second thought, Su Jing dropped these ideas.
Tomorrow the stairs may disappear, and if someone bad sees her, who knows?
Su Jing got up lazily when she thought her breath eased down, the moon's gentle light illuminating the path ahead.
Su Jing was in no mood to appreciate the stars, but couldn't help but notice how they started to look weird. Why were they so angular and even positioned?
Did god feel bored and decide to generate automatically the rest of the map? Contemplating more deeply, since she first stepped on the stairs this landscape seemed to stretch out strangely...
"Am I inside some kind of magic puzzle?"
Looking up, Su Jing saw how something started to move up the stairs. Startled, she thought it was an animal, but soon she realized it was a person climbing...down?
To be more exact, he was floating!
Towards her!
For a second, Su Jing didn't know how to react. She unconsciously started sweating.
Was she failing the test so badly that someone sent the grip reaper after her? To get out of the way? It was ridiculous!
Su Jing looked again at the man or woman — her eyesight was too bad to distinguish, capturing how they wore white clothing and had long, ground-level black hair.
Seeing them getting closer and closer, Su Jing panicked, not knowing how or what to say, so she crouched back on the ground behind some rocks, putting her hands over her head while closing her eyes.
Entering a brainstorming about how to escape, she didn't realize the person in front stopped before her. Su Jing suddenly felt intense pressure on her head.
Slightly opening her eyelids, she saw their light clothing, a bit faded - almost unreal.
Su Jing didn't have much time to think because the person continued to move, babbling some strange things.
By the tone, Su Jing was sure that it was a male!
"Five hundred seventeen, five hundred eighteen, five hundred nineteen, five hundred twenty... "
He stopped, and Su Jing was sure he was looking at her.
"Five hundred twenty-one, five hundred twenty-two..."
The man's mutter was dimming as he was descending slowly, without making a sound.
Su Jing didn't dare to move. Was he a ghost? She looked behind, already not seeing his shadow anymore.
If he even got a shadow.
Remembering how transparent the corners of his clothes were, Su Jing highly doubted that.
An eerie breeze started to caress her body, making a howling sound in the now so-silent mountain. It was as if all creatures disappeared.
Su Jing began to find the idea of dying in the wilderness more attractive, rather than staying here, having psychological pressure on top of the head.
If she had known this place was haunted, there would have been no second thought in leaving this damn mountain!
All the determination to finish this challenge was switched with dread. Su Jing tried to escalate the stairs faster, fearing the ghost dude would come back.
But all for nought.
Her speed was the same, even slower she could say!
Su Jing got on all fours and gripped the steps with her hands, trying to pull the rest of the body up. For sure, she looked absurd, but now the aspect wasn't a priority.
For a period, things seemed to go back to normal. Su Jing succeeded in climbing a lot - although her skin started swelling and having wounds from there to there. The knees were especially sore.
About that ghost? Su Jing didn't see it anymore, and something nabbed her that maybe she was delirious for real.
Wanting to take a break, she lay down, dozing off for a few minutes.
The stress from today was too much for her to bear. Even the anxiety of encountering that spirit couldn't stop her from hitting the sack.