Deep into the very folds of space and time, 

a man who looked to be in his mid 50s with extreme light blonde hair, which bordered on white, flowed down to just above his lower back, his eye lids were shut and the aging of on an old veteran man could be seen from the wrinkled lines on his face and yet his body underneath his unassuming brown robe seemed to give off a powerful feeling like the gravitational pull of a sun with a magnitude of epic proportions. 

In truth Yun Ling had lived for trillions on trillions of years and he was at the apex of cultivation in his universe.

He had one of the strongest Daos ever created that made the vast majority of cultivators feel like ants compared to an overbearing foot of an elephant.

He had a cultivation level that was only spoken about in legends that felt too far away and surreal to be a legitimate realm,

and yet here he was on deaths door. 

No friends,

No family,

No loved one, nothing.

Despite reaching the absolute top he really felt like he had nothing to show except his overwhelming power, even then, there were a few existences that stood at the peak with him. 

"It seems it's time" Yun ling sighed, he could feel his death closely approaching. 

Although people were often given the title of being "immortal" or a "God" no one had ever truly become immortal and everlasting to the point where they last forever against the withering of the heavens on their body, although to mortals and low level cultivators, someone who was capable of living through every generation from the very start of their bloodline to now, may very well feel like a being who was truly immortal.

Yun Ling felt that all the power he had accumulated over time was imploding in on himself, he could feel his body breaking down under the weight of the heavens. 

He had been fighting against its restrictions for too long and he felt he finally needed a rest… so he let go.

An explosion that could only be described as something similar to the Big Bang occurred, the centre and starting point being where Yun ling had been, it kept expanding and expanding like there was no end to the life that it wanted to consume, like the heavens was trying to take back all the vitality and life that Yun Ling had cultivated into himself. 

When it finally stopped, on its seemingly tyrannical rampage. An uncountable number of lives had been ended. 

A few figures whos depths of power seemed unfathomable and vast, were snickering at the death of Yan Ling, they had warned him that the more he meditated on his Dao the more the heavens would restrict and press down onto him, he should just be happy that he had reached the apex and enjoy his time and live for as long as what the heavens would allow. Yan ling would ignore them and continue to chase after a Dao which could surpass the heavens, so he would become truly an immortal God that had to answer to no one, not even the heavens.

However it was only normal for others to hate and wish upon the downfall of another, especially in the cultivation world where it was constantly dog eat dog, if he had succeeded they would've congratulated him and thrown a party that would be remembered for the next 10 cycles of millions of years, most likely in fear for their lives. No one wants to be on bad terms with a being whose Dao had reached an untold level.

Time quickly passed, as it does, through hundreds of billions of years, Emperors fell and rose, new societies were built up and torn down. Races never before seen were introduced and took over entire eras of the universe and in the next they would be in the firing line of extinction.

In this particular era Humans were the supreme reigning race and had such a firm grasp, much so that it seemed the "Era of Humans" would never end. 

In a small sect named Heavens Abode, A rather mighty and arrogant name for such a small sect on the outskirts of a Higher world named Ku. 

A young boy sat outside with his legs crossed. The calming spring breeze made his long hair sway in the wind. 

If he was to stand, his hair would reach down to his lower back. His hair was a beautiful river of a strong dark brown which had highlights of black flowing throughout. 

His eyes were wide open and a resplendent array of colours that made the colours in the rainbow look bland danced in his pupils and flowed out over into his white irises giving his eyes an almost pulsing effect, it truly looked mystical. 

His skin was pure like the unblemished icicles formed from water that civilisation had never touched.

To call his face handsome would be far too much of an understatement, his face was surely one that a God had hand sculpted for his most important messenger, his mother would often say how good looking of a man he would grow up to be. 

Next to him was his father, who was likewise, sat down with his legs crossed with the same dark brown hair however, his was very short.

His face too was incredibly handsome but had a more masculine look than what his son would most likely fully grow into.

"Why are your eyes open, you are meant to be meditating" the boys father berated 

"I think I've consolidated my training enough… let me go play with sister and the dragons"

"It's only been 3 days…"

"3 days too long" Yan Ling shrewdly muttered before he got up and scurried away before his father could bend him over and spank his ass red.

"You-" Yan Lings father, named Raun Ling, was about to grab this unruly child but by design or coincidence his wife strolled over silently, in a beautiful white dress which was cut at her shoulders. It reached down to her feet and seemed to match her peerless white skin that looked to be made out of a milky white jade. 

She had jet black hair that flowed equally as majestically as Yan's in the spring breeze.

"Is there a problem?" she gently asked with a voice that sounded soothing and made you feel as though everything would be fine. 

Raun knew otherwise. 

A bead of cold sweat slowly made its way down his forehead as he laughed nervously. 

"You wouldn't be trying to make our child meditate for so long before his ceremony would you?"

she questioned again, this time with a slightly more threatening tone that would make any husband, adept in telling when his wife was unhappy, scared shitless.

"N-no no of course not honey, please don't say such silly stuff haha" the sweating on his forehead gradually became more profuse and intense.

A small boy which could only be described as demon incarnate at this current time opened his sly mouth and spoke in an almost smug tone "Yes he was mother, he was telling me how if I 'want to make the family proud for generations to come' I would need to mediate like this in the future to comprehend an impressive Dao that would 'shake the Ku world'" 

Yan had an evil smile and looked very comfortable being so haughty while standing behind his mother who doted on him. 

Rauna could only hold in his fury for this betraying little demon. 

His wife looked him in the eyes.

"Oh really." 

She slowly took a step forward towards her husband but before it even landed Rauna had already torn through space and disappeared to somewhere else in the sect. 

Yan could only giggle to himself seeing the supreme leader being such a coward. 

"Thank you mother" he laughed freely while hugging tightly onto his mother's side.

She responded with a gentle smile on her face "Anything for my little angel."

"He's no angel"

the 'unknown' criminal who dared to speak those words scurried away again like he wasn't there in the first place.

Yan's mother pretended as if she hadn't even heard it and continued,

"don't worry baby when I catch that father of yours, I'll make sure he doesn't speak such ill words with that vile mouth of his again"

A sinister light shone in Cynthias eyes, Yan could only pray for his father.

Though, now he was thinking about it, he could only pray for him outside all the time his father had allocated for him, towards meditating and training that was so gruelling it would make even war veterans cry home to their mothers. 

Then there was also the time Yan himself allocated to spending with his sister, who looked after the dragons of their sect and then also the time he had allocated with his mother, listening to stories of her adventures as a young cultivator throughout her life, the stories held certain profundities and building blocks of becoming a capable cultivator. 

Seems as if his father wouldn't be getting a lot of prayers after all…

Yan could only give him a quick 3 second prayer in the moment and hope it would be enough for him to survive.

Today was the day of Yan Lings awakening ceremony, everyone who wanted to become a cultivator and pursue a Dao to break through the limits of heaven and the shackles of mortality would have to step onto the 'Stair Way To Heaven'. 

This wasn't its true name but it was what cultivators collectively called it. 

The Stairway consisted of 100 giant steps that lead up into the sky and every 10 steps u would have to face against a cultivator created by Heavens will. The difficulty of the opponent fought would increase each time. 

Every step taken along the 10th, 20th, 30th ect, the heavens would unseal part of the 6 obelisks of talent, these included:

Your Mental Realm talent

Your Bloodline Talent

Your Meridian Talent

Your Body Talent

Your Spiritual Sea Talent

Your Weapon Talent 

The steps after the 90th would completely push each of these talents to their very limits, guaranteeing one who is capable of such a feat, to be an unparalleled genius in their eraa completing the 100th step… well, no one knew what happened when this was accomplished as it had never occurred before.

The Stairway can only be participated in once u turned the age of 15. 

15 was also the most suitable age to take part as your opponents that the heavens would select for you would be the same age as the challenger of the stairway. If you were to challenge it as a 25 year old, the heavens would be unsealing parts of your talent for the first time, however the heavens would put you against the standard of someone who had been cultivating for 10 years already, making it incredibly more difficult the older you are. Hence why it was most normal to participate during your 15th birthday. 

Aside from this the Stairway would have different levels of rewards for completing it depending on the era which you climbed Stairway. 

These were ranked from Lower, Middle, Higher and Peak. 

Depending on the overall power of the people alive in the current era the Stairway would reflect the same standard of power bestowed to the challengers.

Right now the Era Of Humans was a Peak era and there was a multitude of powerful beings and uprising stars in the current world so the difficulty of the Stairway would be very challenging, however the heavens was always fair. 

The more difficult the task,

The better the rewards.

This was also one of the main reasons that Rauna had been working Yan so hard. He felt that if he didn't, Yan may not stand a chance against the opponents that the Heavens formed. 

Fate was also one of the main factors. Even if you were capable of fighting all the way up to 100th step. If your talent was not fated to be more than 5 steps u simply wouldn't be able to take that 6th step. You would sooner bleed from all seven orifices than succeed in taking that step.

Ofcourse like most things there were exceptions of people breaking through their fate and taking more steps than what was fated for them, thought it was not common.

Cynthia, Yans mother, looked down to the boy clinging onto her side.

Although Yan was already quite tall for a 15 year old boy standing at 5'11, his mother was still taller than him at nearly 6'1 as she was a woman who had already stepped deep into the path of cultivation and both her specific body an bone talents enhanced her height.

"Are you ready for the Stairway? When your sister participated she made it all the way up to the 72nd step and is now a once in millennia genius in Beast Taming." 

As Cynthia spoke of her daughter Syla, one would be able to see the warmth and care that she held for her.

"You don't need to try so hard okay?"

she continued

"Syla is more than happy to take care of the family affairs in the future"

Yan snorted, he felt like he was being ridiculed 

"I won't struggle much, no cultivator at my age can push me as hard as father has"

"My sisters fate for talent was incredible and my fate won't be any different" 

Yan was very confident, his confidence bordering on the line of arrogance however it did not come from no where.

Despite still being a mortal he was capable of fighting the older children at the first realm, Node awakening Realm. Many of these were at the peak of this realm as well. 

He almost didn't take the Stairway too serious as he truly felt that he was already beyond it.

His mother was aware of this but as such the nature of most mothers, she worried for her son despite all the evidence that pointed towards the obvious being that her son would be successful on his journey up the Stairway.

"As long as you remember a few of my stories I'm sure you'll be just okay" she said while pinching his face.

Yan smiled warmly at his mothers worries.

Eventually they made their way together through the sect, to head to the formation used for transport. 

Along the way people would smile and bow towards the wife of the supreme leader and her handsome son. Yan would wave back and many of the young girls would whisper and giggle as he did. 

Raun had also joined them some part of the way, Cynthia hadn't forgotten her punishment for him but since they were still in public and it was a special day for Yan. She decided to postpone it, albeit with great reluctance.

When they reached their destination usually one would have to pay an exorbitant amount of spirit stones to use the formation however, as the main family of the sect this was not required of them and they could use the formation free of charge.

Moments before the formation was to be activated, the overbearing aura of a giant ruby red dragon, that exuded a mighty pressure that made those with weaker bloodlines feel the need to turn their heads and avoid eye contact, washed over the central area of the sect as it sped towards the formation.