At first, Qian Renxue's steps still seemed light.
But—
When she reached the six-hundredth step,
a crushing pressure like a mountain slammed down, bending her spine in an instant.
Bright red blood spilled from the corner of her lips.
She clenched her teeth,
and stubbornly pressed on.
One Spirit Ring after another rose beneath her feet.
But after barely climbing another hundred steps,
her flawless, beautiful face had already gone pale as paper.
The blood dripping from her lips
stained the divine staircase of pure light-imbued Spirit Power, leaving a trail of scarlet footprints.
Boom—
Her strength gave out.
Qian Renxue tumbled from the divine stair.
In that instant,
six surging streams of Spirit Power burst forth from the temple's corridor,
like invisible hands,
catching her securely and setting her gently back on the ground.
Supporting herself, she crossed her legs and sat, silently circulating her Spirt Power to recover.
Moments later,
she launched herself once more at the stairway to the heavens.
And so it went.
Cycle after cycle.
She had endured for months already.
"Alas…"
In the shadowed corridor of the temple,
six thrones had been moved here.
On them sat six figures,
watching the trial unfolding in the temple's center,
each letting out the same sigh.
"Why has Xue'er suddenly become so obsessed with becoming a god?"
"At first we thought it was good news, but seeing her state now… it worries me."
"It's because of that Li Zhexian, of course!"
The moment Guang Ling uttered that name,
the other five worshippers fell silent.
For a while, none of them knew how to respond.
By reason—
looking across the entire Douluo Continent,
whether in identity, talent, or propriety,
they had never thought any of the younger generation worthy of Qian Renxue.
And yet—
A Spirit Ancestor nearly killing a Titled Douluo outright…
Even if that Titled Douluo had been spent and wounded…
Such a feat was unheard of!!!
"Alas…"
Another sigh slipped from one of the worshippers.
The eternal flames on either side of the corridor flickered,
and the gentle, hazy radiance of light attribute spread outward.
The air rippled like a pond touched by a stone—
and from the wavering glow,
a figure appeared silently.
Even the six worshippers, each above rank 95,
had not sensed him beforehand.
Seeing that golden-haired back,
the six worshippers straightened sharply from their thrones.
Even the ever-carefree Guang Ling reined in his levity,
standing solemnly.
"Grand Worship!"
The golden-haired figure did not turn. His form was wreathed in a soft halo.
His aura was calm and restrained, yet suffused with a divinity that made even Titled Douluo shudder.
The six exchanged glances.
At last, a handsome man in azure robes stepped forward:
"Grand Worship, Xue'er has abandoned the infiltration plan and begun the god trial so early… is this truly no problem?"
The golden-haired figure answered, his voice warm as light itself:
"If she abandoned it, so be it."
"To begin the God Trial earlier is not a bad thing."
The man in azure's lips moved, as though to argue,
but in the end, he swallowed the words.
Then—
At the center, an elder over two meters tall, hair and beard all white, furrowed his brows and asked gravely:
"When Xue'er begged us to act on her behalf, why did you forbid it?
The stirrings of youthful affection are natural!
Across the continent, aside from Li Zhexian's remarkable gifts,
who else could catch Xue'er's eye and be a worthy match?"
At those words,
the tension in the other five Douluo eased.
Yes—
that was comfortable to hear.
And only Old Brother Golden Crocodile would dare to speak it aloud.
The golden-haired figure was silent for a long time,
then finally said softly:
"The Angel Nine Trials, each step is perilous."
"This first trial, 'Ascending the Stairway of Light,' was originally meant to begin only after Xue'er reached the Spirit Sage realm."
"That youth, Li Zhexian—his talent is world-shaking, truly fit for Xue'er."
"Yet the Angel God's inheritance does not demand severed ties or ascetic solitude—but neither may its divine radiance be bound solely to one mortal heart."
"In the Angel God Trial, there is a trial that pierces the heart through the fetters of mortal emotion."
"What I have done…"
"Is only to cut away one thorn on Xue'er's divine path in advance, lessening the weight of what is to come."
His words rippled outward, luminous,
leaving the six Worships silent.
Their very existence within the Worship Hall was for the sake of the Angel Temple.
To aid Qian Renxue in achieving godhood—this was their lifelong, unwavering mission.
Their expressions grew complicated. In the end, all they could do was let out a long, quiet sigh.
Perhaps…
This was fate.
"Do not disturb her trial any further."
As the golden-haired figure's voice faded, the six thrones themselves rippled like reflections upon water, then slowly dissolved into nothing.
Within the vast and solemn temple…
Only Qian Renxue's solitary figure remained.
She did not know how much time had passed before she slowly opened her eyes, a faint golden gleam vanishing from within them.
She could hold on no longer…
Months of relentless endurance had driven her to the brink, her flame nearly extinguished.
Her lips trembled slightly as she drew in a deep breath.
Then, from her storage soul tool, she carefully drew forth an object…
It was a rose carved of pure light.
Tied to its slender stem…
Was a small, yellowed grasshopper woven from straw.
A daze flickered across her golden eyes.
Her jade-like fingers softly brushed the petals, then lingered with tender care upon the tiny straw craft.
"Are you… doing well?"
Qian Renxue had thought—
that by driving herself into madness with cultivation, she could wash away this gnawing longing.
But only now did she realize—
That man was already rooted deep in her heart.
How could she not think of him?
How could she forget?
The five-year promise…
She had overestimated herself…
"After meeting you, that one year disguised as Xue Qinghe… was the happiest time of my life…"
"Yet from this day forth, Xue Qinghe no longer exists in this world…"
"Li Zhexian will surely be heartbroken…"
"After all, he always thought I was his brother…"
Her gaze drifted once more, unconsciously, to the straw grasshopper.
Her golden pupils began to blur—
Then, like ripples struck by a stone, her eyes quivered violently.
Her breath grew sharp and uneven.
"No… not right…"
"That day… that day Li Zhexian returned from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and came to find me in the palace…"
"I was buried in scrolls while he wandered the hall… looking around…"
"He must have… must have seen it!"
"He saw this Dawnlight Rose! And this straw grasshopper!"
"The Dawnlight Rose he gave to Xue Qinghe, the straw grasshopper he gave to Qian Renxue!"
"He must have seen them placed together!"
Qian Renxue murmured under her breath, her vision of the rose and grasshopper blurring.
"Li Zhexian…"
"Have you known all along?!"
"Known that Xue Qinghe was Qian Renxue?!"
Her long-suppressed yearning surged to its breaking point.
"The northern frontier is bitter cold…"
"The Slaughter City seethes with peril…"
Whoosh—
Two pure, flawless angelic wings unfurled behind her.
Qian Renxue lifted her head, eyes on the nine hundred ninety-nine steps of radiant light that pierced the heavens.
On her pale, peerless face, tears shimmered like stars.
"I must pass the first trial of the Angel God!"
"I must go to help Li Zhexian!"
"I must go to his side!"
In the howling wind and snow of the northern wastes, even time seemed to slow.
In the blink of an eye—
A year and five months passed…