In his continuous climb, Su Chen had already reached the 950th step.
When he looked down from this height, the crowd below seemed no different from ants—tiny, insignificant dots. Along the way, he had encountered many cultivators, and most of them… had ended up being toyed with by him in some way or another. His first task was nearly complete—just one more objective remained.
But now, as he continued upward, the pressure he had been ignoring all this time finally began to weigh heavily on him. Each step felt like lifting a mountain.
"...Looks like I'll need to fully activate my physique."
Boom—
A four-petaled lotus mark glowed brightly between his brows, and seven-colored qi burst from his body like a divine tide. His cultivation robe fluttered as if caught in a storm, spiritual energy rising around him like mist.
In that moment, he felt an unparalleled surge of power rushing through all twelve of his meridians. The oppressive weight that had been bearing down on him instantly vanished.
With newfound strength, Su Chen accelerated—his pace now swift and effortless. Not a single soul could be seen between the 950th and 999th steps.
"Tch, as expected. These low-level background characters can only struggle on the lower steps," he sneered inwardly, his tone dripping with disdain.
But the moment he stepped onto the 996th stair—
His eyes narrowed.
There, at the very top, sat a figure shrouded in radiant golden light. The man was cross-legged, enveloped in pure Buddhist energy. His expression was calm—serene, even—as if the immense pressure of the Heaven Stairs didn't affect him in the slightest.
Even though he couldn't clearly see the figure's face, Su Chen already had a good idea of who it was.
He had heard the rumors—how the so-called Great Buddha Reincarnation, Lin Yu, had supposedly reached the 1000th step of the Heaven Stairs. So it wasn't all that surprising to find someone sitting there, bathed in golden light.
What puzzled him, though, was something entirely different.
According to most accounts, no one had ever made it past the 500th step. But Su Chen had personally seen several cultivators struggling around the 720th step. Clearly, that so-called limit was nonsense.
So the real question was—
If no one could reach this high, and the upper steps were supposed to be empty… then how did anyone even know Lin Yu had reached the 1000th?
"Does this place have some kind of hidden announcement mechanism? Or is someone deliberately spreading these rumors to boost Lin Yu's reputation?" Su Chen wondered.
Normally, he wouldn't bother with pointless speculation—especially when it had nothing to do with him. But now that he had reached the 1000th step himself, curiosity got the better of him.
"Well, since I'm already here," he muttered, eyes narrowing, "might as well ask this Lin Yu directly."
Meanwhile, Lin Yu sat cross-legged on the ancient Heaven Ascension Staircase, clothed in simple Buddhist robes. His head was shaved clean, and his expression calm as he meditated in the lotus position. The crushing pressure of the heavenly path bore down on him, but he used it to temper his body, refining his flesh and bones through the powerful [Supreme Vajra Body] technique.
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open.
A flicker of golden light flashed across his pupils as he looked down the stairs. He had sensed something — or someone — approaching.
A figure was slowly ascending the steps, yet their entire form was shrouded in seven-colored qi. Even their silhouette was obscured—no face, no clothing, just a radiant blur of chaotic light.
Lin Yu's expression turned grave.
"…What the hell?" Lin Yu muttered, brows furrowing.
"Master," he called inwardly, "do you see this? Who is that?"
A tired, childish voice echoed in his mind. "Mmm… after helping you climb all this way and build your Supreme Vajra Body, I've burned through most of my power. I can't see through that guy."
"Can't see through him?" Lin Yu's tone sharpened. "You're a immortal weapon sprit!"
"Yeah, and now I'm a half-dead ghost babysitting a teenager on heaven stairs," the voice shot back dryly. Then it grew serious. "…But I will say this—his physique… it's odd. He's in sync with heaven and earth. Like a walking natural phenomenon. But…"
"But what?"
"…He feels familiar. Very familiar."
Lin Yu blinked. "Familiar how?"
A long pause.
"…The kind of familiar that makes me want to dig a hole and hide. You should prepare for the worst."
Lin Yu stared down the staircase, narrowing his eyes, still staring at the approaching figure wrapped in multicolored qi.
He didn't know who this person was—only that their presence had made even his master feel uneasy. A familiar feeling mixed with danger… yet Lin Yu didn't feel afraid. Not at all.
From the moment he set foot on the Heaven Stairs, he had come to understand a few things.
Here, body cultivation was sealed at the Core Formation realm—one could rely on brute strength alone and special techniques. And the people climbing these steps weren't ordinary either. Most of them were geniuses, the cream of the crop in the outside world.
That included the person currently making their way up.
Lin Yu could tell that the approaching cultivator had an extraordinary physique—something rare, maybe even freakish. But so what?
He had endured months of agony cultivating the Supreme Vajra Body Technique, grinding his flesh and bones under spiritual pressure day after day. He hadn't done all that just to be outshined.
On the same level? He wasn't afraid of anyone.
As the mysterious figure drew closer, Lin Yu slowly stood up, brushing dust off his robes. His joints cracked slightly—not from age, but from how tightly his body had been compressed under the staircase's pressure.
His eyes didn't leave the glowing figure for a second.
If things got ugly... he was ready.
Just as Lin Yu finished steadying his breath, a voice drifted up the staircase—lazy, mocking, and all too familiar.
"Heh… I didn't expect Brother Lin Yu to still be alive."
The figure stepped forward, the swirling seven-colored qi around him fading away like mist. As the light dispersed, it revealed a young man with a relaxed posture, a smirk on his face.
"It's good to see you survived Old Jack," Su Chen said, grinning as if they were old friends reuniting instead of near-enemies. "I really thought you'd end up as fertilizer for demonic herbs."
His eyes swept over Lin Yu's shaved head and monk robes.
"…And now you've joined the Sect of the Bald Donkey. Incredible. You've really moved up in the world."
His voice dripped with sarcasm, but there was a casual, fearless confidence in his tone—like he wasn't standing in front of a enemy, whose life he had, once sold to a demonic Cultivatior, but an old classmate who had taken a weird career turn.
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