35 Upward, 13,000 Steps

Cyrus and Ling Jian'er were both emanating intense levels of soul-born aura. This allowed them to force their way forward, through sheer willpower, and counter the effects of the negative emotions.

Through their physical contact with the stairs, their minds were bombarded by concentrated bursts of a demented kind of willpower that sought to take complete control of their wills. Logean Wuji, who had stopped at around the 770th step, looked back and saw the two that had taken the second step. As for the others, they were yet to move.

'It's not surprising. Those two have souls that were made to rise in the face of hardships, going against all common sense in order to achieve their goals. I wonder who between them will be first.'

Cyrus looked to his left, his eyes bloodshot, and saw Ling Jian'er directly across from him. He sucked his teeth, then hurriedly raised his foot and placed it on the next step, rushing the process of acclimatization. Due to that, he was overwhelmed by the sudden increase in malevolence and started to sweat profusely.

Ling Jian'er powered through the barrage, noticed Cyrus was pressing on and decided to jump the gun as well. Before her body could properly adjust to the rampaging onslaught already bombarding her, she took another step and gave it way more than it could handle.

Together, they continued forward like this and brought further and further damage to themselves. By the time they reached the 10th step, they were both pale, bleeding from their eyes, drenched in sweat and out of breath. Their vision blurred and dimmed, their knees wobbled; they continued on.

20th step.

30th step.

100th step...

With no regard for their well-being, Cyrus and Ling Jian'er took step after step, driven by nothing but raw willpower spilling over from their souls.

It was not long after they arrived at the 100th step that the others started to show signs of movement. Ji Tianshan had overcome the overwhelming malevolence- had pushed through due to an unwavering courage. She looked at her brother. His eyes were dim, but still lively.

Looking forward again to find Cyrus and Ling Jian'er, she bit her lip and decided to press onward as well.

Ye Zhiyuan was completely lost, however she had Ye Zuliao at her side. Pixie and Zhou Hua were also near, and they were able to break out of the mind-lock. Ye Zuliao smiled at her, glanced at the faraway figures of Cyrus and Ling Jian'er, then took hold of Ye Zhiyuan's hand.

"Miss Prunes, Miss Hua. If you like, you can come with us."

Ye Zuliao smiled at her; Pixie was confused, as was Zhou Hua.

"Are you leaving? Giving up?" Zhou Hua asked, thinking they were going to walk away from the challenge of the staircase.

Ye Zuliao chuckled, shook his head, then ran his hands across his hair and removing the pin. The black strands, thick and curled, fell over his eyes and cast a shadow onto them, painting the image of a deviant.

"I'm going to the top and I'm taking my fellow tribesman with me."

Opening his mouth as wide as was humanly possible, and then some, Ye Zuliao inhaled with all his might. Tiny particles began to pour out of Ye Zhiyuan, coming straight from her rattled mind. She regained awareness just in time to see Ye Zuliao eat up the last of her assailant malice, then he smiled at her as it went down.

Pixie took his hand then Zhou Hua took hers; they both nodded at him.

"Good. Stand back and let Iron Stomach eat his fill!"

Now on the move were Ji Tianshan, Pixie, Zhou Hua, Ye Zhiyuan and Ye Zuliao. Bi Xue was rooted in place, as was Ji Haogui. Both of them seemed hopeless in the face of the unending stream of negative emotion, but the truth was not exactly so.

Logean Wuji, who had just taken his final step, turned around. He had long ascended past the clouds to arrive at the mountaintop, but when he turned around he gasped.

'King-Boy... Whirlwind Monkey... They're already on the 800th step? Huh? Zhiyuan, Zuliao, Pixie and Hua are on the 789th? Tianshan is on the 500th and those two are still on the 1st... Oh, I see. Bi Xue and Ji Haogui. Those two are surprisingly pure.'

Logean Wuji smiled and folded his arms behind his back. On the mountaintop were a set of mats laid out on the ground before a larger one. The embroidery on it was golden, reading "Logean."

Logean Wuji grinned as he walked over to this larger mat, his fingers running over the smooth thread and lingering on the golden letters. He thought back to his father and mother, who he once sat with on that very mat as they instructed a number of young Logean clan members. He had learned so much from them during that time, as a youngster.

It could be said that those were the years that shaped the man he would later become, however...

'Hm?'

At that time, something brought Logean Wuji out of his reverie. Four minutes had passed, and it was just about time for the official start of class. When Logean Wuji turned around, his eyes were met by four pairs of bright eyes belonging to Ye Zhiyuan, Ye Zuliao, Pixie and Zhou Hua.

Wide-eyed, he looked at Ye Zuliao and reeled in surprise.

"Just in time, aren't we Master," Ye Zuliao grinned cheekily, chose a mat and fell on it. Ye Zhiyuan and Pixie were a bit red-faced, possibly because they had relied on 'Iron Stomach' all the way, but they bowed and took a seat on the mats as well. Zhou Hua didn't seem to mind, so she bowed and took a seat at the back.

Looking down, Logean Wuji saw that Cyrus and Ling Jian'er were now on the 4,000th and 4,004th step respectively.

Ji Tianshan was on the 2,075th step and her pace had quickened drastically. Bi Xue and Ji Haogui were still on the first step, unmoving as they had been from the start. Eyes glittering, Logean Wuji decided to peer deeper into the abyss of their minds and see exactly what they were doing.

Bi Xue stood in the dark of her mind, her soul bright and unshakable, yet not on the offensive. Ji Haogui was the same, despite his sheepish mannerism. They both stood against the negativity, facing much more than what they should have been on merely the first step.

Normally, as you progressed along the staircase, the malice entering your mind would multiply. If at first it started at 1, it would become 5, then 25, then 125 and so on. This fivefold increase was merely the lowest difficulty.

The amount of malicious energy that Bi Xue and Ji Haogui were braving right now, on the first step, was equivalent to that of the very last step, the 13,000th. It was already miracle enough that, without cultivation, Ye Zuliao had been able to devour the staircase's negative energy all the way to the top. Not only his share, but the share of two others as well.

This meant that his ability was truly inherent- a natural, bloodline ability.

It was also understandable for Ling Jian'er and Cyrus to have made it beyond the 4,000th step, and it was even within expectations for Ji Tianshan who fought through it with bravery and courage alone. Yet, in the case of Bi Xue and Ji Haogui, Logean Wuji was at a temporary loss.

He kept observing, looking closer. They were both communicating with the malice of the hellions, trying to appease them somehow. This was impossible, as the stair existed for a single purpose. It was not allowed to change by the law of Logean Wuji's word, yet it was swayed by these two.

Ji Haogui's soul released a softness that reversed the effects of the hellion's malice coming from the staircase, sending it back into the stair case. Bi Xue coldly braved it all, unaffected as the entirety of the energy standing against her disappeared. She stood unshakeable, not through will but through the nature of her existence; Ji Haogui stood, not against it but in order to ease its suffering.

Together, they conquered the staircase without even having taken another step.

Logean Wuji brought them to him, expression one of warmth. He quickly hid it from them as they opened their eyes, gave them a brief explanation of what they had accomplished, then sent them to choose their seats. Out of pure coincidence, they walked to two mats that were near each other and sat down.

That made six students that had made it up and three that were still on the way.

Two blood-soaked freaks were all but running up the stairs along with one girl with the strength of mind to swiftly overcome the negativity of each step in record time. Cyrus and Ling Jian'er might be faster, but they were stacking up the ill-effects and thus were damaging themselves both internally and externally. Ji Tianshan was quickly eradicating the effects as she moved on thanks her ability to remain clear-headed and not succumb to fear, anger or hatred.

Logean Wuji stood at the top of the stairs, his back to the six that had made it, and said, "Those three are something else."

His students did not know what to say, so they remained silent.

"Say, who do you think will make it first among them? Cyrus was ahead, but now Ling Jian'er has taken the lead. Tianshan is also not too far behind, and her speed has increased."

Logean Wuji smirked at the six students behind him, intriguing them with his words.

"I think Tianshan will... make it up first," Ji Haogui said in a low voice.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Before anything, what are we betting here, Master?" Ye Zuliao held his tongue, finding an oppurtunity.

"Oh? How about this, Zuliao. Whoever among you guesses correctly will receive a free pass the first time they mess up on an assignment. What do you think?"

"I'm in. I vote for Cyrus." Pixie immediately declared.

"So am I, and Tianshan is still who I'm betting on." Ji Haogui was a bit louder now, and definitely a lot more excited to see his sister win.

Ye Zuliao licked his lips, marched over to Logean Wuji's side and looked down. When he realized he couldn't see a thing, he laughed awkwardly and then made his bet. "Whether I die or not in the near future depends on you, Monkey. I bet on Ling Jian'er!"

"I do too," Ye Zhiyuan smiled.

Bi Xue bit down on her thumb as she weighed the possibilities, then she said, "I bet on Cyrus."

Zhou Hua frowned, deciding to say, "I would rather not."

Logean Wuji nodded, then he turned around and looked back down at them. They all waited in silence. Ye Zuliao returned to his mat, looking in the direction of the stairs and licking his lips as if he could taste victory.

The thought of getting off easy when he inevitably messed up an assignment was too liberating a thought. It felt like a weight was lifted off his shoulders, even though he hadn't yet won. Not having to wander the insane world around them for a month was bait enough.

That was when he, and the others that had bet, realized that Logean Wuji had not stated what would happen if they were to lose. They all looked at each other, thinking the same thing as if by fate.

Ye Zhiyuan reached over and prodded Ye Zuliao, encouraging him to ask on their behalf. He gulped, then opened his mouth to speak.

"Master."

"Yes, Zuliao," Logean Wuji smiled and turned around, eyelashes batting like some smooth-skinned enchantress.

"What happens to those of us that are wrong?"

"Your punishment goes from one month... to three."

Jaws hit the floor at terminal velocity as five tiny, figurative earthquakes rocked the mountaintop.

"Master," Pixie probed, "can we alter our bets?"

Logean Wuji chuckled, though it sounded like the baleful, mischievous cackle of a crazed witch, "Ku, ku, kuu. Not a chance, my dear Pixie."

Thunder flashed within one of the cloud masses behind him, drilling it into their minds that their lives depended on those they had bet on. They all got up and rushed over to the stairs, looking down even though they could not see beyond the thick clouds.