I have an Apocalypse City
Chapter 1168 - Chapter 1168 Chapter 1170 Climbing the Ladder_1

Chapter 1168: Chapter 1170: Climbing the Ladder_1 Chapter 1168: Chapter 1170: Climbing the Ladder_1 Song Jian paused slightly before continuing to ascend. Sure enough, when he climbed another ten steps, the weight his body had to bear increased by another ten kilograms.

“Phew, this method is a bit rudimentary, but it’s truly straightforward and effective. At the very least, it should weed out more than ninety percent of the people, right?” Song Jian thought to himself. Ahead of him, he could vaguely see numerous figures steadily climbing toward the mountain peak, and behind him, there were still many people making their way to the stone steps.

Song Jian took a deep breath; the stone staircase had tens of thousands of steps. The weight he had to carry would get heavier and heavier, and the longer it took, the less likely he would succeed.

With that in mind, Song Jian couldn’t help but quicken his pace, striding toward the staircase above.

Duan Jian stood at the foot of the mountain, watching Song Jian climb step by step. A smile appeared on his lips as he recalled the embarrassment he felt when he reached the summit. Back then, he couldn’t even stand up and had to crawl on all fours to climb the last few steps.

“That time, only three people reached the top!” Duan Jian whispered to himself, quite pleased with himself for standing out among thousands.

“Heh heh, looking at your sleazy smile, are you remembering how pathetic you looked when you reached the top? Tsk tsk, you were like a dog, crawling on all fours to the last step, drenched in sweat as if you had just been fished out of a pool. It’s hilarious to think about it now. You should have had a camera then to capture that moment, hahaha!” A disgusting laugh came from behind Duan Jian.

Turning his head, sure enough, it was Gu Luo, accompanied by Xin Ling, arriving at the foot of the mountain.

“Gu Luo, your appearance back then was no better than mine. What right do you have to laugh at me?” Duan Jian retorted with a face ashen with anger.

“Heh heh, no matter how disheveled I was, I didn’t use my hands. I climbed to the summit using just my two legs!” Gu Luo said with a proud look on his face.

“Hmph, sure, you didn’t use your hands, but your knees were all worn through the skin. If it weren’t for Elder Changqing, your legs would have been useless!” Duan Jian sneered, “Out of the three of us who reached the summit, only you got treated. Otherwise, the grass on your grave would be three feet tall by now!”

“Cut it out, you’re just jealous that Elder Changqing took a special interest in me!” Gu Luo said nonchalantly, “What do you say, are you interested in a bet to see whether your favored disciple can reach the top, or whether mine does?”

Duan Jian glanced at Xin Ling, snorted coldly, and said nothing. Xin Ling, who possessed the Ancient Moon Sword Physique, had infinite potential. Even if she couldn’t pass this level of the Ascent to Heaven Stairs, a mentor would be willing to take her as a disciple. Once she caught the eye of a mentor, all it would take is a plea to remove the pressure from her, and she could easily reach the summit.

“So what, is finding a disciple with the Ancient Moon Sword Physique that impressive?” Duan Jian said sourly.

“Heh, go ahead, be envious and resentful. The Ancient Moon Sword Physique is, of course, remarkable!” Gu Luo said smugly: “But I won’t be accused of bullying you. In the first challenge of the Ascent to Heaven Stairs, the Ancient Moon Sword Physique won’t be of much help. If Xin Ling can’t reach the top on her own, consider her defeated, how about that?”

Duan Jian furrowed his brows, looking at Gu Luo with a puzzled expression: “Are you that confident?”

“Of course!” Gu Luo stepped forward and said, “I, Gu Luo, am not just good with words, my eyes have never deceived me! If you’re scared, then forget I said anything. After all, aside from your sword technique being slightly better than mine, your other skills are nothing to boast about!”

Duan Jian narrowed his eyes and stared at Gu Luo for a long while before finally squeezing out a sentence, “Fine! I’ll compete with you. If you win, I will avoid you by three lengths wherever you appear, and when I see you, I will respectfully call you ‘Senior Brother’. But if you lose, I want your three days’ worth of qualification to enter the Sword Spirit Pool!”

“Sword Spirit Pool?” Gu Luo’s expression changed. It was well known that the Sword Spirit Pool was no ordinary place. Within the Imperial Sword Sect, it was one of the three great blessings. Even ordinary people had a certain chance of comprehending a sword physique when entering the Sword Spirit Pool. The longer the duration of the entry, the greater the chance of comprehension. Even for someone like Xin Ling, who already possessed a sword physique, there was a chance to elevate her own sword physique after entering the Sword Spirit Pool!

The qualification to access the Sword Spirit Pool was extremely precious. Gu Luo had completed a very difficult task for the sect and had been rewarded with three days’ worth of access to the Sword Spirit Pool!

Seeing Gu Luo’s hesitation, Duan Jian sneered, “What, are you scared? If you’re scared, just pretend I didn’t say anything. After all, besides swordsmanship, there’s just too much you are inferior at…”

“I’ll take the bet!” Gu Luo shouted angrily, his face flushed with rage, “Just three days, I’ll bet one day at most with you!”

“One day it is, hmph!” Duan Jian let out a cold snort, turned around with a sweep of his sleeve and no longer continued to look at him, instead gazing toward the stone steps.

As he watched Duan Jian’s composed demeanor, Gu Luo couldn’t help muttering to himself. After a long moment, he turned to Xin Ling, who had been standing by his side, and said, “You’ve seen the stakes of my bet with him. If you can help me win this game, I’ll give you all three days of access to the Sword Spirit Pool. By then, your Ancient Moon Sword Physique is certain to advance further.”

“Really?” Xin Ling’s eyes lit up, and with a joyful face, she bowed to Gu Luo, “Thank you, mentor. I will definitely reach the mountain top on my own capabilities!”

“Good, go on, don’t disappoint me!” Gu Luo nodded with satisfaction.

Within the Imperial Sword Sect, both Gu Luo and Duan Jian were just ordinary disciples, without the qualifications to take on disciples. It was only due to the game system’s obligatory requirements that a large number of ordinary disciples had been sent out by the Imperial Sword Sect as professional mentors.

In reality, there was no direct master-disciple relationship between mentors and players. They were merely there to help players with their first job change, and the skills they taught were various and sundry, disjointed and not systematic. Moreover, the core techniques of the Imperial Sword Sect were not passed on to the players.

Nonetheless, these ordinary disciples also had the task of recruiting outstanding disciples for the Imperial Sword Sect. Among the many players who changed jobs, the task was to select the most excellent one to participate in the sect’s admission assessment. Once they passed, not only would the Imperial Sword Sect gain fresh blood, but these ordinary disciples would also have the merit of recommendation. And if they recruited an exceptionally talented disciple, there would be additional rewards.

Gu Luo managing to find Xin Ling, who possessed the Ancient Moon Sword Physique, meant that an extra reward was practically guaranteed, which was the source of Duan Jian’s ongoing resentment. He felt that Gu Luo had stumbled upon good fortune by sheer luck.

Watching Xin Ling swiftly climb step by step, Gu Luo couldn’t help but reveal an excited smile on his face. After glancing at Duan Jian, he let out a chuckle and started walking nonchalantly toward the stone stairs.

Duan Jian took one look and snorted coldly. He actually followed behind him. One after the other, they slowly made their way towards the mountain top.

…

PS: Thank you to “Traces of Life” for the reward of 100 starting coins~

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