I Tame Beasts by Feeding

Locking eyes with the person across the distance, Yu Changsheng’s gaze hardened.

’Huang Suyu...’

’Looks like he really is going to make a move on me during this Inner Sect trial,’ Yu Changsheng thought. ’But...’

With that, after a brief pause, he broke into a smile directed at Huang Suyu from across the crowd—a smile that looked utterly sincere.

Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought the two were old friends.

Huang Suyu was visibly stunned. After staring back at Yu Changsheng for three seconds, he finally turned his head away, his expression chilling slightly.

’Interesting... I hope you’ll still be able to smile when the time comes.’

Many people in the crowd noticed this exchange, their gazes toward Yu Changsheng filled with curiosity.

Yu Changsheng simply let out a loud laugh, shot a glare at the onlookers, and declared proudly, "What are you looking at? That’s my brother, Huang Suyu, the peerless genius of Sword Control Peak! I’ll have you know, he’s a Foundation Establishment Cultivator!"

"You’d better not mess with me in there, or I’ll have my Brother Huang wreck you!"

Upon hearing this, those who didn’t know any better subconsciously took a few steps away from Yu Changsheng, giving him a wide berth. They had, after all, heard of the great Huang Suyu.

"Hmph."

Yu Changsheng snorted coldly.

Just then, Wang Luyi began to distribute Jade Tubes to the crowd.

"These are Teleportation Jade Tubes. They have the ability to record your floor on the ladder and to teleport you. This first trial is not without its dangers. Anyone who cannot last for three hours and wishes to withdraw need only crush the Jade Tube to be automatically teleported out."

Wang Luyi explained casually as over a thousand Jade Tubes floated down before the disciples.

Yu Changsheng grasped the Jade Tube and looked up at Wang Luyi, his eyes narrowing slightly, but he said nothing.

’My Jade Tube has probably been tampered with... but it doesn’t matter. If Wang Luyi and Huang Suyu are really working together, they have plenty of other ways to come after me.’

’I’ll deal with whatever they throw at me. You want to finish me off in here? Funny, I was thinking the exact same thing...’

A few moments later, Elder Cao announced the start of the Inner Sect trial.

"The Inner Sect trial now begins! Disciples, ascend the Heaven-Ascending Ladder and seek the path of immortals!"

At the command, the thousand-plus disciples surged toward the main peak’s Celestial Ladder in an orderly fashion. Fortunately, the ladder was massive, more than large enough to accommodate them all.

Yu Changsheng and the others also set off. With Miao Wenlun and Sun Shihan by his side, he stepped onto the first step of the Celestial Ladder together.

The moment he stepped on it, Yu Changsheng felt his body grow heavy. A pressure squeezed in from all sides, as if he were carrying someone on his back.

However, it was only the first step. After taking a moment to feel it out and finding it completely manageable, the disciples ascended to the second step.

Without hesitating, Yu Changsheng ascended, his face calm and his pace steady and unhurried.

The first step... the second step...

The thirtieth step... the fortieth step... the ninetieth step... the ninety-ninth step...

Yu Changsheng climbed ninety-nine steps without feeling much resistance, his expression as calm as ever.

As his foot landed lightly on the one hundredth step, Yu Changsheng felt his body grow heavier, but the effect wasn’t significant. By circulating his Cultivation slightly, he could basically ignore the hindrance.

In contrast, some of the disciples around him with weaker Cultivation were already covered in sweat, gritting their teeth and struggling to move.

’We’re only at the hundredth step, and they’re already this exhausted. They really need more practice.’

Yu Changsheng shook his head and looked up. The lead group was already approaching the thousandth step, and Miao Wenlun and the others were up there as well. He alone was taking a leisurely stroll, his unhurried pace putting him in the very last group.

But Yu Changsheng didn’t mind. He might be slow, but each step was firm and steady.

One hundred steps... two hundred steps... three hundred steps...

In the blink of an eye, he had passed over nine hundred steps. This was where the largest group of people was gathered, each one inching forward agonizingly slowly.

He saw them, drenched in sweat, breathing heavily, their legs trembling as they lifted and lowered them. But with the three-hour mark still far off, no one chose to give up. They all gritted their teeth and forced themselves onward, one tiny step at a time.

Yu Changsheng’s expression remained unchanged. While he felt the pressure, he was still far from his limit.

’Hm? This pressure... it isn’t just physical?’

Yu Changsheng was a bit surprised. As his foot landed on the next step, he suddenly felt a faint suppressive feeling on his Divine Soul.

But with his miraculous strength, the feeling vanished with a single thought. After carefully examining it for a moment, Yu Changsheng discovered that this spiritual suppression came from the same source as the physical pressure around him. It was just that, compared to the sheer scale of his being, this bit of pressure on his Divine Soul was like a mayfly trying to shake a great tree.

’This Heaven-Ascending Ladder is truly ingenious. It can hone the body and temper the Divine Soul. Excellent. If I keep climbing and endure this environment, my body and Divine Soul are bound to break through.’

Yu Changsheng marveled. Looking at the pale, dazed faces of the disciples around him, he felt a sliver of pity. No wonder the elimination rate for this trial was so high.

There might be some with strong bodies, but improving one’s Divine Sense is far more difficult than improving the body. With the exception of a cheater like himself, many people were probably in for a world of hurt in this trial.

Meanwhile, Yu Changsheng’s leisurely stroll made him stand out in the crowd. The gasping figures all around him glared at him.

"This guy’s a pretty convincing actor. Does he really think this is a sightseeing trip?"

Some, on the verge of collapse, sneered at Yu Changsheng under their breath.

"But you have to admit, he’s probably got some real strength. His pace hasn’t slowed at all, and he looks steady. The question is how long he can keep up the act."

Others clicked their tongues, casting envious glances at Yu Changsheng.

"It’s just an act. He’s probably trying to get the Elders’ attention. If he were really strong, he’d be way up at the front already. Why would he be down here slacking off with us? Just you watch. He’ll show his true colors at the thousandth step!"

Some just looked at him with disdain, scorning his behavior.

They had a point. The lead group was already nearing the three-thousandth step. His section was at the very bottom.

The thousandth step was a major threshold. With every thousand steps, the pressure would double. Ignoring the stares around him, Yu Changsheng calmly stepped onto the thousandth step as everyone watched.

As his foot landed, a doubled pressure crashed over him like a tidal wave. For a split second, his Divine Sense was also faintly suppressed.

Yu Changsheng’s pace faltered for a mere instant, but that was all. He stepped onto the 1,001st step without slowing, his face not the least bit flushed, his breathing perfectly even. He showed no sign of faltering or weakness.

It was only a thousand steps. To Yu Changsheng, it was nothing.

"What?"

The others struggling around the thousandth step stared, their eyes wide with disbelief.