“Limit…?” Mo Luo Xue half-closed her eyes, kneeling on one knee on the jade brick. She clutched her neck, where blood gushed out, flowing down her arm onto the jade steps. Strangely, Mo Luo Xue’s blood was absorbed directly into the jade steps the moment it touched them, leaving a strange red hue on the once pristine white surface.
The weight on her body had reached a terrifying level. Even half-kneeling, Mo Luo Xue could hear her spine groan in pain, as if a giant hand pressed her firmly to the ground, preventing her from moving.
“You’ve lost,” the man in the green robe said indifferently, reaching for his sword.
A flash of light! The green robe’s sleeve was suddenly cut open! A large piece of green fabric slowly drifted to the ground.
“What do you mean… Cheng Jing Yu?” The man in the green robe turned and glared at the man in white, unleashing a terrifying sword intent that swept across the entire mountain. Everyone held their breath.
“The bet isn’t over yet,” the man in white said, his expression unchanged. “Double down?”
The man in green simply stared at him and asked, “What do you mean?”
The man in white calmly looked at the man in green and said, “The trial isn’t over. She still has a chance to stand back up. So, I ask you, double down?”
The man in green nodded calmly, saying, “Bet! Since you’re giving her a free pass, I’ll accept.”
“Bet?” The man in white asked again.
“Bet,” the man in green said once more.
“You’re both acting crazy,” the man on the pine tree murmured. “Sword-Crazy, no need to be so desperate. Cultivation requires a firm Dao heart. Your Dao heart is wavering.”
The man in white slightly raised his head and said, “My Dao heart remains.”
The man on the pine tree sighed after a moment of silence. “Suit yourself.”
“The bet continues. I will give her another incense stick’s time. If no one can continue moving on the Pan Yu Immortal Path within that time, I will teleport everyone to the halfway point, where the second stage will begin,” the man in green said.
“One incense stick…?” The man in white nodded slightly. “Within that incense stick’s time, she will surely break through the one hundred-meter barrier!”
“Where’s your confidence coming from? Is she a reincarnated immortal?!” The man in green exclaimed. “That phoenix of the Heavenly Orphan Sect has driven you mad. Are you mad too?!”
“Yi Hao Ran!” The middle-aged man in black roared, his voice like a clap of thunder. “To speak ill of the Ten Great Immortal Sects’ Sect Masters, you have crossed the line!”
The man in green turned to the middle-aged man in black and said indifferently, “My words, what are you?”
“…!” The entire mountaintop fell silent. Time slowly ticked by.
“Time’s almost up,” the man in green said expressionlessly, his gaze fixed on Mo Luo Xue on the Immortal Path. “You’re about to lose.”
The man in white sat cross-legged and ignored the man in green.
“Ignorant.”
Time flowed slowly, as if an invisible hourglass was slowly emptying, grain by grain of time sand falling.
“Half an incense stick left,” the man in green said coldly.
Suddenly, Mo Luo Xue on the halfway point moved!
“What?!” Everyone gasped.
All eyes were fixed on her!
Under everyone’s gaze, Mo Luo Xue slowly stood up. She used acupressure to seal her meridians! Blood no longer flowed from her wound, but this acupressure technique came at the cost of suffocation!
Most failures were because of not persisting, not trying, not clinging, and then hypnotizing oneself to believe that everything was fate! Mo Luo Xue never believed in fate. Mo Tian Jiao had taught her: The heavens are meant to be defied!
Mo Luo Xue’s icy cheeks flushed unnaturally. She gritted her teeth and struggled to move forward, step by step!
One hundred and fifty meters… one hundred and forty meters… one hundred and twenty meters… one hundred meters!
Mo Luo Xue suddenly fainted, collapsing to the ground. Before her lay a piece of white jade steps, with a pair of clear footprints, one centimeter deep, etched into the almost transparent surface.
Before the one hundred-meter mark, she stopped.
“She failed…” the middle-aged man in black sighed.
“It’s over,” the man in red sighed.
“Who said… it’s over?” The man in white opened his eyes and looked at the halfway point with a calm expression. “This is clearly just the beginning.”
Everyone immediately followed the man in white’s gaze… there, before the five hundred-meter mark! Someone was approaching quickly!
Mo Yi, holding a palm fan, was frantically fanning himself. Sweat streamed down his hair. “Damn, this is killing me! What the hell is this mountain climbing? Four thousand meters, you’re going to kill me! You bastard!”
Mo Yi scanned his surroundings. On both sides, there were only lush trees and white jade steps. He scoffed and continued running.
Soon, Mo Yi saw a man kneeling ahead!
Mo Yi froze, subconsciously stopping and switching from a run to a walk. He quietly approached the man from behind.
“Brother, are you alright?” Mo Yi hesitated for a moment before placing his hand on the kneeling man’s shoulder.
“Who…” the man’s voice was weak and faint.
Mo Yi suddenly took half a step back. The man in front of him was as pale as snow! Under his knees, bright red blood flowed out, revealing the white bone fragments protruding from his kneecaps! The red jade steps below glowed crimson, as if they were basking in the sun.
“It’s not even New Year’s yet… and you want lucky money?” Mo Yi looked at the man with suspicion. Along the way, there had been many people like the man in front of him, but none had their kneecaps shattered!
“Immortals are forever separated! Immortals are forever separated! Hahahahaha!” The man looked at Mo Yi and suddenly roared towards the sky, his voice filled with anguish and resentment.
“I am the Prince of Yue! I should be the greatest talent in the world! I am second only to the Emperor, and in the future, I will lead countless armies! Why! Why am I breaking my spirit here on these red jade steps! I don’t accept it! The heavens, they must be defied!” The man roared, his heart torn apart. He trembled as he tried to rise again, blood spurting out from his legs.
Mo Yi stood by and watched the man struggle, the perfect spectator, neither encouraging nor discouraging him.
The man roared as he got to his feet. The invisible hand pressed down on his spine, but he resisted the unseen force with willpower so strong it defied human limits, and finally stood up!
The man laughed as he took a step forward. After countless attempts, he finally crossed the chasm! And with it came the shattering of his bones.
“The heavens wish to destroy me, I will destroy the heavens!” The man howled at the azure sky, his eyes wild with madness.
Suddenly, someone patted him on the shoulder. With a gentle breeze, the man smelled the scent of lavender, so peaceful and serene. Then, a voice slowly entered his ears.
“Brother, you’re busy. I’ll head off first.”
The man looked woodenly at the young man beside him, who patted his shoulder and then stepped over the red jade steps with ease, jogging up lightly.
“Calmness, the ultimate state of life. It is the rainbow after the rain, the courage in disappointment, the freedom of life, the elevation of the soul. To learn calmness is a kind of sentiment. To learn calmness, you will gain a sense of perseverance when you face setbacks, and maintain your true nature when you achieve success; to learn calmness, you will learn to bravely face all pain and cherish all happiness. To learn calmness is to embrace all things with equanimity!”
The young man’s voice drifted down, preaching life’s truths, teaching how to be at peace, yet subtly mocking this path of blood and struggle… My heart remains!
“…………” The man was stunned. He stared at the carefree back, speechless for a long time.
So, in his eyes, all this was a joke, a mere puddle on the road for him? All the chasms he faced were but small puddles to the youth.
Life… only needs calmness…