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墨書 Inktalez
The path had completely disappeared, and from the mountainside to the peak, it was a steep incline going straight up and down. Climbing up was certainly difficult, but looking down was even more terrifying. The height was dizzying.
Li Hong jumped around on the steep slope like a nimble goat, constantly searching for suitable footholds for Bear Kid and Zhao Xuan behind him. Sometimes it was the roots of shrubs, other times it was the sharp edges of large rocks protruding from the ground. He made sure to firmly plant his feet on each spot and pointed them out to Bear Kid.
Bear Kid pulled Zhao Xuan along, shouting rudely, "This is where you step! Pay attention, it's right here! If you misstep, you'll meet the King of Hell! You're really useless; step firmly!"
Zhao Xuan didn't dare to retort or even had time to do so. He was sweating profusely, his hair sticking to his face and neck in damp strands, completely different from the elegant wealthy young man he had been when he first arrived. He clutched Bear Kid's hand tightly, afraid to let go, while using both hands and feet to climb up with all his might. Several times, Bear Kid lifted him by the neck like a chick and brought him to a safe foothold.
Despite this, the trio worked efficiently and gradually made their way to the front of the group.
Seeing this, many of the other youths below began to imitate them, spontaneously forming groups of two or three to help each other find footholds as they climbed up following Li Hong's lead. More and more youths stood up from the ground and joined the climbing team.
At the top of the mountain, Ling Panzai and Spirit Stone were hidden behind a large rock, looking down at this scene.
Ling Panzai said, "Elder Brother, does this count as a violation? We used to filter candidates this way, but no one has ever helped each other climb before!"
Spirit Stone smiled slightly and replied leisurely, "In my old opinion, this method isn't bad; it shows that these kids are quite united. However, we can't let them be too comfortable."
He turned his eyes and rotated his right hand in his sleeve before pushing outward with his palm.
Suddenly, a Whirlwind arose from the ground. The Whirlwind grew larger and with a loud rumble, a large rock at the top of the mountain began to detach from its position and tumbled downwards. The rock rolled faster and faster, creating an intimidating momentum as it kicked up dust, stones, grass roots, and wood chips that quickly approached Li Hong and the other two.
Hearing a strange noise above him, Li Hong looked up to see a large shadow rapidly descending upon them—the rock was heading straight for their heads.
He shouted, "Second Brother, get out of the way!" He shrank his body and quickly rolled sideways along the slope to avoid the falling rock.
Bear Kid reacted quickly as well; he intended to let go of Zhao Xuan's hand, but Zhao Xuan tightened his grip with both hands and yelled, "Senior Brother, help!"
Bear Kid was pulled by Zhao Xuan, slipping underfoot and landing on the ground, rolling like a gourd, tumbling down together with Zhao Xuan. The large rock chased after them as it rolled down, causing a series of thunderous sounds that shook the mountain.
The boys behind shouted in alarm, hurriedly trying to avoid the chaos.
Li Hong was in a panic. In this critical moment, he somehow found the insight and quick thinking to grab a sizable sharp stone in his hand. He lunged forward, lying flat as he slid down the slope.
The boys below were terrified, their faces pale as they shouted in unison, “Be careful!”
It turned out that Li Hong's movement looked like he was sending his own head directly into the path of the falling rock!
With a thunderous crash, the large rock made contact with the steep slope again, covering Li Hong's upper body. The timid boys were so frightened that they closed their eyes, unable to bear to watch.
The rock bounced again, but strangely this time it veered off to the side. A series of echoes rang out as the rock rolled down into Deep Valley, miraculously not crushing anyone.
As the dust settled, a figure wobbled and stood up. The boys clearly saw it was Li Hong! His head and face were covered in dust, but he wore a victorious smile, his teeth gleaming white in the sunlight. He raised his hand and tossed a sharp stone aside.
“Really impressive! Amazing!” The boys were shocked and began to cheer wildly.
On the mountaintop, two old Taoists watched with smiles on their faces.
Ling Panzai said, “Elder Brother, this Li Hong is extraordinary! In such a short time, he assessed the falling point of the rock and used its downward force to leverage it with a small stone. Not simple at all; he's a good seed!”
“Ha ha, my eyesight is certainly not wrong!” Spirit Stone laughed heartily. “Actually, the rock was already weakened by my shock; even if it hit someone, it wouldn't cause harm. The key is whether he has that kind of courage.”
Ling Panzai chuckled and said, “Now it's my turn to take the stage.” With a light push from his toes, he floated gracefully into the air.
The sudden accident shocked the boys, and many of them gathered their courage to stand up and continue climbing towards the summit.
As they were about to reach the top, the exhausted Zhao Xuan found some strength and shook off Bear Kid's hand to climb on his own for the first time.
Victory was in sight, but Li Hong, at the front of the group, suddenly stopped.
Before them was a sheer cliff, so high that its top was out of sight and so wide that it seemed like an impenetrable wall standing before them.
Ling Panzai's voice drifted over: "This cliff is actually only ten zhang high. Once you climb up, you'll reach the summit. Hurry up; it's getting late."
The dim sun had already sunk behind the mountain, and it was about to set. Only ten zhang remained. This should be the final test. Li Hong clenched his fists and focused on the cliff. Although it was straight up and down, there were small cracks running across it. Some of these cracks could fit a finger, while others could barely accommodate a toe. Li Hong raised his gaze and noticed that these small cracks extended all the way to the top, giving him hope.
He turned to Bear Kid and Zhao Xuan and said, "I'll go first. Make sure to watch my footholds." He wasn't worried about Bear Kid; as for Zhao Xuan, he would have to rely on himself now.
Li Hong leaped forward, gripping the stone wall tightly with both hands as he pulled himself up. His toes quickly found purchase in a small crack, and he began to climb upward like a large gecko.
Seeing Li Hong already a zhang high, Bear Kid turned to Zhao Xuan and said, "It's my turn now. Remember to keep your feet firmly planted before switching hands!" With that, he jumped up and followed Li Hong step by step.
Zhao Xuan was panting heavily, secretly lamenting his situation. He had thought it was just a mountain climb, but now he faced this perilous cliff. His strength was waning, his limbs felt weak; it was truly exhausting! But as he watched Li Hong climb higher, a boy behind him started pushing him forward. The boy shouted, "Li Hong has climbed that high already! If you don't follow now, you won't even see where to step! Are you going up or not? If not, I'm going!"
Zhao Xuan steeled himself; either way meant death. If he pushed through, he might be accepted into the Immortal Sect—he had to try!
He coldly turned around and memorized the face of the boy urging him on. He scoffed, "I'm going up now. Don't say I didn't warn you; I don't have enough strength. If you dare follow me where I've stepped, be careful I don't fall and land on your head—I'm not going to blame anyone for being my cushion."
The boy was left speechless.
Zhao Xuan flexed his fingers and leaped up, barely reaching that stone crack. He too began to climb upward like a large gecko. However, unlike the others whose postures were confident and steady, Zhao Xuan's form was awkward with his rear end sticking up high in the air—he was far from matching Li Hong or Bear Kid's skillful ascent.
Li Hong silently counted the distance: one zhang, two zhang, three zhang... already halfway there...
The sky grew darker, and Li Hong pressed against the stone wall, climbing up little by little. Just as he calculated that there were only four zhang left to the summit, his heart suddenly skipped a beat; he realized he could not see the color of the stone wall in front of him.
He did not know when the fog had rolled in. It came so strangely and suddenly, thick and dense, perfectly enveloping the stone wall around him. His vision could barely reach four feet ahead, and below he could vaguely see Bear Kid's round black head, but nothing else was clear. The mountaintop above and the distant scenery had all vanished.
At this time of year, it was indeed common for fog to rise in the mountains, but under such conditions, the stone wall would become incredibly slippery. They had to reach the top before the entire wall became damp.
Li Hong looked down and shouted, "Second brother, hurry up! The fog is coming!"
Below, Bear Kid responded dully and indeed picked up speed. Just as Li Hong was about to continue climbing upward, a figure suddenly darted through the thick fog past Bear Kid and quickly reached his side.
Li Hong was stunned to see it was Zhao Xuan. The boy's face and hair were drenched—he couldn't tell if it was sweat or water—and his clothes clung tightly to his body. He trembled uncontrollably, yet he climbed even faster than Bear Kid.
Zhao Xuan urged him on, "Hurry up! What are you staring at?"
Li Hong nodded and continued to climb. They should be nearing the top.
One foot, two feet... Suddenly, Zhao Xuan let out a startled cry. Li Hong turned just in time to see Zhao Xuan slip beneath him and plummet downward.
Without thinking, Li Hong stretched out his right hand with all his might and managed to grab Zhao Xuan's collar. With a tearing sound, the collar ripped apart, and Zhao Xuan continued to scream as he fell. Just a few feet down, however, he suddenly stopped as if someone below had caught him.
Through the thick fog, he could vaguely see Bear Kid, like a hero from legends, holding Zhao Xuan's right foot with one hand, keeping him suspended in mid-air. Zhao Xuan was saved but looked pale as ash, weakly leaning against the stone wall unable to move.
The fog was too thick to see Bear Kid's expression clearly; he could hear his teeth grinding together as he clearly exerted all his strength to hold onto Zhao Xuan.
Li Hong decisively commanded, "Quickly give me your right hand!"
Zhao Xuan struggled to extend a hand, but Li Hong gripped his wrist and pulled with all his might, yet he couldn't budge him. Concerned that Bear Kid was under too much strain, Li Hong held onto Zhao Xuan's hand but couldn't let go.
The three of them were stuck in mid-air against the stone wall.
No matter how Li Hong urged Zhao Xuan, he just couldn't move his legs. Below, Bear Kid remained silent; Li Hong couldn't see his expression, but the fact that he couldn't speak indicated that Bear Kid was struggling immensely.
In a panic, he looked down at Zhao Xuan and shouted, "Hurry up and turn around! Grab the stone wall and climb up! If this drags on, we'll all be in trouble because of you!"
Zhao Xuan had his eyes tightly shut, leaning against the stone wall. After a long pause, he finally replied, "My legs are weak; I really can't climb anymore..."
Seeing Zhao Xuan in such a pitiful state made Li Hong want to slap him. He was anxious but could only restrain himself and said, "I will not let go. You just need to turn around and step on the stone wall!"
"I still can't move..."
Suddenly, Bear Kid below let out a muffled groan. Someone exclaimed, "Whose blood is this? It's splattered all over my face!"
********
The second brother had already sustained internal injuries, and an unnamed fury surged up from Li Hong's feet. He coldly said, "Are you really not going to climb by yourself?"
Hearing the change in Li Hong's tone, Zhao Xuan trembled and asked cautiously, "What do you want to do?" Despite his fear, he remained stubbornly leaning against the stone wall.
The anger surged to Li Hong's head as he coldly laughed, "Nothing much. Second brother, let go! This kind of coward isn't worth risking our lives for!" With that, he released his grip on Zhao Xuan's wrist. All of Zhao Xuan's weight fell onto Bear Kid.
Bear Kid's body trembled but still held onto Zhao Xuan's feet tightly.
Li Hong shouted, "Second brother, let go now!" He kicked out forcefully at Zhao Xuan's chest, landing squarely on target.
A long, mournful cry echoed as Zhao Xuan fell backward into the thick fog, disappearing from sight. Li Hong did not glance at Zhao Xuan; instead, he focused on identifying the figure of Bear Kid. Gradually, he could see that Bear Kid was still in place.
Li Hong let out a long sigh of relief and said clearly, "Second Brother, put in some effort; we’ll reach the mountain top soon."
Before long, Li Hong firmly climbed to the summit and reached out to pull Bear Kid up. Bear Kid had blood smeared around his mouth and his face was pale. Li Hong patted his back, and the two collapsed onto the ground.
In mid-air, Ling Panzai frowned and said, "This kid has a ruthless heart." He pondered for a moment and continued, "Although Zhao Xuan is exhausted, his potential is still considerable. Moreover, he is a descendant of that person; we cannot afford to let him go. Elder Brother, what do you think we should do about that Li Hong kid?"
Spirit Stone remained silent, twisting a few yellowed mouse whiskers as if lost in thought.
Ling Panzai added, "We might as well take him in; after all, he has passed the test. If he continues with this mindset in the future, well, at most we can let him sit on the sidelines. Our Nine Li Sect is never short of talent even if we lack Elixirs!"
Spirit Stone suddenly asked, "What would you do if you were in this situation? If I were in danger alongside an outsider, would you save me or that outsider with whom you have no ties?"
Ling Panzai was left speechless.
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