Family Cultivation: I can see the prompts

28: Climbing the Immortal Ladder TrialQingxuan Mountain is located in Qingzhou, off the Qingyun Mountain Range, in the middle of Zhao Country.

It towers into the clouds, its peak hard to see with the naked eye, and it is also the largest mountain in Qingzhou.

The foot of Qingxuan Mountain is densely vegetated, mostly with trees, while the peaks are covered in ice and snow year-round, cold as winter; just Qingxuan Mountain alone allows one to experience spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

Lin Shiming followed behind Lin Xianzhi, looking at the colossal peak before him, feeling an instant sense of awe, as if it were a divine mountain.

And he was but a drop in the ocean, a mayfly between fingers.

“At the foot of Qingxuan Sect, there are 108 steps of the Ascension Ladder; only by climbing them can you reach the Sect’s location!” Lin Xianzhi said from ahead.

With that, he walked forward first, and a towering staircase appeared before the two of them.

On the steps, there were quite a few Cultivators walking up, like Mortals climbing a mountain, which Lin Shiming found quite novel.

“This Ascension Ladder is one of Qingxuan Sect’s foundations; all Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining Cultivators are forbidden from flying up and must ascend step by step. You’ll understand its profoundness once you experience a single step!” Lin Xianzhi explained from the side, then waved his hand, signaling Lin Shiming to go up and try.

Lin Shiming didn’t hesitate; he nodded and went up.

However, as he took the first step, he felt his entire body suddenly become much heavier, and his spiritual power paused, then began to dissipate.

“This!” Lin Shiming exclaimed in surprise, quickly stepping back.

Gravity was a minor issue, but if the refined Spiritual Qi dissipated and vanished, then years of Cultivation would be wasted.

Yet, miraculously, when Lin Shiming stepped back, his Spiritual Qi recovered, and the previous sense of gravity and pressure all disappeared. If Lin Shiming hadn’t felt his spiritual power seemed to have condensed slightly, he would have surely thought it was an illusion.

“This staircase has the effect of condensing Cultivation Technique?” Lin Shiming asked with some surprise.

“This Ascension Ladder indeed has the effect of condensing Cultivation Technique, but non-Sect Disciples only have one chance to experience it. The second time one ascends the Ascension Ladder, there will only be gravitational pressure, and no progress in Cultivation Technique. This is also a gift from Qingxuan Sect, as a Golden Core Sect, to all subordinate Families or Loose Cultivators who pay homage!” Lin Xianzhi explained from the side, clearly having been here countless times before.

Lin Shiming understood the trick behind it; it was both a carrot and a stick, making one fear the Sect even more.

“Continue climbing. You can circulate the Green Wood Art to perform minor circulation Cultivation, controlling your Spiritual Qi so it doesn’t dissipate too quickly. I will be your Protector!” Lin Xianzhi suggested again.

Lin Shiming didn’t shy away; after taking a deep breath, he stepped onto the Ascension Ladder again. This time, he was prepared and no longer panicked as before.

Calming his mind, the Green Wood Art began to circulate within his body, but the minor circulation was not so smooth.

After all, the immense gravity was also a considerable resistance to him. After trying for ten breaths, Lin Shiming finally completed the smooth circulation of the minor cycle.

Spiritual Qi dissipated on one side and condensed on the other.

Lin Shiming began to continue climbing the steps.

Steps that would normally take a few minutes to walk, Lin Shiming spent a full hour on, only completing seventy-two steps.

By this time, his face was already drenched in sweat.

Besides that, more than half of his Spiritual Qi had already dissipated, and more Spiritual Qi was dissipating uncontrollably.

When he reached the one hundredth step, Lin Shiming felt his entire body was exhausted, and his Spiritual Qi had dissipated to its extreme, leaving only the Spiritual Qi that had just been circulated by the Green Wood Art’s minor cycle.

As he took the last step, all his Spiritual Qi recovered, and the gravitational pressure was released.

He felt as light as a swan, and his Spiritual Qi was as condensed as iron.

Lin Shiming was also surprised to find that the Spiritual Qi in his body had increased slightly; just this short climb was equivalent to half a month of arduous Cultivation.

In an instant, the vastness of Qingxuan Sect expanded even further in Lin Shiming’s heart.

A Golden Core Sect truly was incredible, capable of turning decay into wonder.

While marveling, Lin Shiming also looked back at the other Cultivators, many of whom were Family elders bringing young Disciples to climb and Cultivate, deepening his feelings even more.

This trip to Qingxuan Sect, just this one gain, had already satisfied him immensely.

Indeed, having an elder in the Family is like having a treasure; an ordinary Loose Cultivator would never have such an Opportunity.

“Not bad, only two hours to ascend the Ascension Ladder. Your Spiritual Qi condensation and perseverance are no worse than those of excellent Sect Disciples!” Lin Xianzhi was clearly very pleased and couldn’t help but praise him.

“Seventh Grand Uncle, you overpraise me. A mere flight of stairs, and Shiming was already flustered; it truly doesn’t deserve the words ‘not bad’!” Lin Shiming gave a wry smile. After ascending the Immortal Ladder, Lin Shiming actually understood his own shortcomings: his physical body was weak, and his spiritual power was not refined enough. And knowing that the Green Wood Art was inherently superior in Spiritual Qi refinement, yet still being like this, was truly unacceptable.

“Young man, there’s no need to be overly modest. Yu Qing brought Shijie here three years ago, and he was no better!” Lin Xianzhi spoke again, which made Lin Shiming quite stunned for a moment. His elder brother had also been here, and what was most surprising was that his speed was inferior to his own, despite having Three Spiritual Roots.

In an instant, Lin Shiming’s mind seemed to conjure up the image of his elder brother panting as he climbed the steps.

“Let’s go. Now to the Sect’s reception area; we are going to pay our respects to Master, the elder!”

After walking another hundred meters along the stone path, they finally arrived at Qingxuan Sect’s reception area.

Qingxuan Sect’s reception area was a grand hall, from its plaque to the threshold of its pavilion, all incomparably magnificent, adorned with Dragon carvings and embroidery, extraordinarily opulent.

Several Disciples dressed in Qingxuan Sect Daoist robes were receiving various Loose Cultivators and Families one by one.

Most Loose Cultivators wished to pass Qingxuan Sect’s test, hoping to ascend to heaven in one step and become Sect Disciples, while most Family Disciples, like the Lin Family at this moment, had strong connections within the Sect.

After Lin Xianzhi and the others announced themselves, a Sect Disciple threw out a sound-transmitting spiritual talisman to communicate.

Soon, a specialized Cultivator led Lin Shiming and the others towards the inner part of the mountain gate.

Their destination for this trip was a cluster of purple pavilion buildings; Zi Xuan Sanren’s Immortal Cave pavilion was located here.

Upon reaching the entrance, a Daoist Disciple of similar young age seemed to have been waiting for a long time.

“Junior Brother, Master is inside!”

“Thank you, Senior Brother Xie!” Lin Xianzhi cupped his hands, then took out a small pot of High Grade second-tier spirit wine from his Storage Pouch and handed it to the latter.

“Junior Brother, this is…?”

“Senior Brother has always been quite attentive to Junior Brother. Junior Brother hasn’t paid his respects for thirty years, so I specially brought a small pot of wine as an apology. I hope Senior Brother won’t mind.” Seeing this, the latter finally accepted it, his nose subtly twitching, a wider smile on his face.

Lin Xianzhi then continued to lead Lin Shiming into the hall.

Inside the hall, Lin Shiming quickly saw an old man in purple robes, with an ethereal aura and a head of white hair.

“Your Disciple brings his descendant to pay respects to Master!” Lin Xianzhi cupped his hands, and Lin Shiming immediately spoke:

“Shiming pays respects to Zi Xuan Sanren!”