Chapter 7: The Entrance to the Cloud Stairway

Daisies?

Zora had not seen many flowers. She touched it briefly and then let go.

The streets of Brookside Town were currently a chaotic mix of people, all crowded together and tensely preparing bedding and provisions. Wandering the streets would only attract the attention of petty thieves. Those who were weaker generally finished purchasing their travel packs and then stayed behind closed doors, not venturing out until the day the trials began.

Zora spent her time idling indoors, occasionally going to the backyard to exercise. She sent Vane out to gather various bits of news. She had ventured out once as well, but she had no idea how to fish for information or subtly steer a conversation; everything she heard was simply what others were already discussing.

In the morning.

Vane was exceptionally intelligent and skillful. His second time styling her hair was clearly much more proficient; the double ox-horn buns were styled more beautifully and neatly. He had even learned to comb through her loose black hair smoothly at the beginning and end.

After passing a day, as dusk approached, Zora had the attendant bring meals to the room. After eating, they would light a single candle. He would speak while she listened, as Vane detailed every piece of information he had gathered throughout the day.

There were too many fragmented details; after listening for a long time, Zora only remembered a few striking ones. It didn't matter; she could just ask him directly when the time came. Before he began cultivation, it was absolutely impossible for him to find any opportunity to break the Master-Servant Covenant or the Puppet Threads.

Zora watched Vane, who was narrating fluently without pause, and asked the Oracle in her mind: "Is there any way?"

The Oracle: [...]

The Oracle: [Logically, his original role was a minor villain, though he eventually broke the plot line to become the arch-villain. The turning point is when he re-enters the Demon Realm. So, before that plot point, his opportunities should be limited to those of a minor villain. Besides, with your Puppet Threads and the Master-Servant Covenant working in tandem, it should be very hard to break through... But he is a genius, and the downfall of a genius is always the highlight. You must be careful; your vigilance is almost zero. It’s better to build a good relationship, don't you think?]

Zora automatically filtered this into one sentence:

Indeed, there are no opportunities.

Vane stood and spoke until his throat was dry, while she sat in the chair listening—was she really listening? He often felt that as she listened, she would start to drift into a daze. When Zora finished her cup, Vane would timely raise his hand to refill it. She didn't like tea and had never tasted alcohol, so the teapot had been filled with pure cold water.

In just two days, Vane had gained a thorough understanding of the general state of both the Immortal Cultivation Realm and the mortal lands. Consequently, he would speak in front of her every day from dusk until it was time for sleep.

On the first day, Zora went from watching him speak to propping up her chin and staring at the candlelight in a daze. On the second day, she was prepared; she finished washing up before he started speaking, and as she listened, she fell asleep instantly the moment it was time for bed.

The boy's clear voice vanished the moment her breathing shifted. The room suddenly fell silent, and the orange glow of the candle flickered, casting distorted black shadows on the wall like silhouettes from a shadow play.

Vane looked at Zora sleeping on the table, then at the bedding he had folded and the bed he had tidied after she got up that morning.

"..."

He wasn't sure if she was willing to be carried over, nor was he sure if she would reflexively kill him if he picked her up. But he was certain she wouldn't be angry for being woken.

So, Vane reached out and shook her shoulder. He didn't use much force, only pressing a small part of his fingertip against her.

Zora opened her eyes groarily, her cheek bearing a slight redness where it had been pressed against her arm. Vane woke her but didn't say anything. Zora stood up, turned, kicked off her boots, and lay down in the bedding, pulling the covers around her like a cocoon.

The boy blew out the candle, the darkness taking over. He then removed the small stick supporting the window and closed it, his movements seamless. The flow of cold air into the room was cut off, and it gradually grew warmer.

At night, she still slept on the bed while he lay on the cold floor guarding it. For two consecutive days, no blind thieves had intruded; it was peaceful.

Until the third day of the third month.

The December Sect was the premier sect of the Immortal Cultivation Realm. Such a grand sect naturally welcomed all kinds of cultivators, but it was the sword cultivators of the December Sect who were world-renowned. People said a December sword cultivator could cleave the golden sun and was invincible.

The one closest to ascension was the Sword Sovereign, Lord Wanghua, who presided over the sect. He had only one disciple under him, named Turi Qi, the head disciple of the sword cultivation lineage.

However, rumors also claimed that in recent years, there were few talented sword cultivators, and having taken the front lines in past wars against the Demon Realm, they had suffered heavy casualties and were in decline. This was supposedly why Turi Qi, whose innate talent was mediocre, could hold the position of head disciple.

But a starved camel is still larger than a horse. Even now, sword cultivators remained the main offensive force of the Immortal Cultivation Realm, and the December Sect was still the top sect. Today, as the recruitment opened, people from all directions arrived in groups. Looking down from above, they appeared like a dense mass of black ants crowding the entrance of the Cloud Stairway.

After all, the Cloud Stairway had no restrictions; it didn't care about your talent or age. Everyone wanted to step into the immortal realm, firmly believing that even the lowliest laborer in the sect would live better than a struggling mortal.

Zora and Vane walked there on foot. They didn't hurry to the most crowded opening time but waited for two hours before setting out.

On the way, they encountered two bandits. Seeing how young they were—somewhere between children and youths—and looking quite naive, the bandits grew malicious. Vane, carrying the heaviest and largest pack, raised a foot and kicked one of them far away. The man slammed into a tree, coughing up blood and losing the ability to move. He waited for Zora to heavily wound the other before following behind her.

"Is it forbidden to kill people at will in the December Sect?" Zora said as she walked.

Vane: "As long as there is a valid reason, it is permissible. If not, it’s fine as long as you aren't caught."

She nodded in response.

The two continued east, the crowd thickening around them, and soon reached the entrance of the Cloud Stairway. Initially, Zora felt nothing. The road beneath her feet was extremely wide, enough for dozens of people to walk abreast. By the roadside grass, there were a pair of milky-white stones; one was engraved with "Above the clouds hangs the ice wheel," and the other held the December Sect's entry pledge.

The moment she stepped across the line between the two stones, ripples suddenly appeared before Zora's eyes. The ordinary scenery of the road became a blur beneath the ripples. She instinctively grabbed the hand of the boy beside her to avoid getting separated.

Unexpectedly, this was exactly what Vane had in mind; her life was his life, so he had to be cautious. Thus, the two of them looked straight ahead, hands interlocked tightly between them. They moved closer to each other until their arms were touching.

Zora heard exclamations from all around as everyone who stepped into the boundary was astonished by the change in scenery. Amidst the tension, Vane discreetly glanced at their joined hands, then looked composedly at the center of the ripples.

Within a few heartbeats, dozens of people were caught in the formation. Then, the view before them gradually cleared, and they seemed to have reached the true entrance of the Cloud Stairway.

Before her vision fully cleared, Zora saw a blurry figure attacking her with a weapon. Zora released her grip, and Vane reacted just as quickly. Both kicked the person heavily in the abdomen. The middle-aged man rolled several times on the ground before stopping, clutching his stomach and coughing.

Zora looked around. Everyone carrying packs was moving forward, fearing to be a step slow. The wide road turned into white floor tiles, leading all the way to the Cloud Stairway.

Before them was a towering, majestic green mountain shrouded in white mist. Strands of white clouds were entwined with lush green trees, creating a scene of ethereal beauty. A wide staircase road had been carved into the mountain, a full hundred meters wide, and people were constantly surging up, covering the jade-colored steps.

The peak of the mountain was invisible; several hundred meters up, the white mist grew so thick that it merged with the clouds in the sky. Looking up the stairway, it narrowed into a single point at the furthest extreme of vision. Its height and suspension were terrifying. The mountain became an unknown; its height was unimaginable. The unknown brought a tremor to the soul. Countless people lingered at the foot of the stairway, eventually giving up without touching a single step.

"Ah! Give me back my pack!" Occasionally, someone in the crowd would scream, chasing after someone who had stolen their belongings.

"It seems this is the entrance to the Cloud Stairway. Once you step on, there is no turning back," Vane said, looking at the mountain that seemed like an immortal realm, his gaze unreadable. He then looked at the man on the ground who was unable to stand after being kicked. "Likely some people didn't have enough money to buy food and clothes, so they planned to rob those who just entered the formation and are still disoriented."

"Oh," Zora responded. She wasn't tall and was currently submerged in the sea of people, so she took Vane's hand again. "Lead the way."

"..."

The boy followed the crowd forward. Zora was forced behind him, pressed against his pack. She saw a person nearby crying after losing their belongings and suddenly felt that the pack on his back was more important. She let go of his hand and grabbed the large pack Vane was carrying, bunching up a small fold of the fabric where it was a bit empty. She didn't pull hard, lest it tear.

Vane looked back, and after confirming she was still there, he continued forward.

By the time they reached the stairway, the crowd had thinned out significantly; some were hesitating and had turned back. As Zora stepped onto the Cloud Stairway, the mist from the surrounding woods suddenly drifted over, circling her ankles once before dissipating.

When she looked back, the previous scene was gone. Instead, there was only the identical staircase narrowing into a point below, with no visible end, making it impossible to retreat.

Some screamed, some stopped to watch in wonder, and some simply forged ahead. Zora let go of the pack and stepped forward to walk alongside Vane.

Zora: "How long does the shortest trip take?"

Vane: "Three days and three nights."

"And the longest?"

"Exactly until the end of the fifteenth."

They walked in silence for an unknown amount of time. People around them either sat down to rest or suddenly stood in a daze. Although there were ninety-nine layers of illusions, not everyone would trigger them; it was purely a matter of luck. Some only triggered one, while others triggered twenty and died directly within the illusions.

Suddenly, a black mass rolled down from above at high speed. Vane kicked it aside. The mass stopped rolling and sprawled out limp—it was a person. Their face was covered in blood, seemingly injured by the steps, and their limbs were twisted unnaturally.

Vane looked down and observed: "They died while rolling down."

The Cloud Stairway was too high and too long. Once you stepped on, the way back became an endless descent of identical steps. At least there was a destination ahead; going back would only lead to a never-ending journey. Once a person began to roll straight down, it was impossible to reach flat ground.

Zora touched the boundary at the edge of the steps. It felt like a transparent jelly-like substance, preventing people from entering the woods, forcing everyone to follow the single path.

"Let's go." Zora paid no more attention to the boundary or the dead body on the ground. She bypassed Vane and continued forward.

The boy looked up. The blue hair ribbons on her head were fluttering slightly; he had tied them himself that morning. After pausing for a few heartbeats, Vane followed her at a steady pace.

Accompanied by the misty green mountains, the heavenly staircase descended from the immortal gates to the human world. To anyone looking from afar, the two figures on the vast stairway were like two drops of ink, slowly moving upward.