What does it mean to stand on the fifth tier of the staircase? Everyone present has reached it before, and the memory of that soul‑rending agony—the feeling your body is about to explode—is still vivid.
But reaching it is one thing—crossing five steps in one go is something else entirely! Even the First and Second Persons back then probably couldn’t pull this off...
The First Person took fourteen days to cross the Ninefold Heavenly Staircase; the Second Person did it in nine days. But now, Evan Chu...
Next, Evan Chu once again made everyone’s eyes go wide—their eyeballs nearly popped out.
He didn’t pause or rest at all—he just stepped forward again! The sixth tier of the Ninefold Heavenly Staircase!
Boom! The pressure on the sixth tier was even fiercer than before. Evan Chu slipped and dropped to one knee!
"Want me to kneel? Not a chance!"
Evan Chu growled in a low voice, Stellar Power surging through his whole body. Strength poured into his legs—he forced himself upright again. Bam!
He stepped forward once more—the seventh tier of the Ninefold Heavenly Staircase!
Seeing Evan Chu’s actions now, everyone sucked in a cold breath. Don’t you need to catch your breath? Don’t you need to gather your strength?
The pressure of crossing five steps in one go is way harder to bear than climbing step by step! There was once a genius youth who got the chance to take the Ninefold Stair Trial—his heart was proud beyond belief, so he tried to leap two tiers at once. In the end, he just gritted his teeth and refused to back down, but his body exploded and even his soul scattered and vanished!
But Evan Chu now—not only did he cross five steps in one go, he quickly stepped onto the sixth! Everyone saw Evan Chu drop to one knee under the massive pressure, and they thought, 'Now you’ll stop and recover your strength, right?'
But right after, Evan Chu stood up again and went straight to the seventh tier!
Both Mystic Ice and Mad-Blade were on edge, their nerves stretched tight—you could hear their heavy breathing. That seventh step, the seventh tier, had taken them tens of days to reach back then. But what about Evan Chu now?
From his first step to now, it’s taken him less than five breaths!
Sweat began to drip from Evan Chu’s brow as he endured the crushing pressure of the seventh tier of the Ninefold Heavenly Staircase. The beads rolled down his handsome face and quickly vanished on the steps.
“Such intense pressure!”
Clenching his teeth, Evan Chu still refused to give in.
Normally, at this point Evan Chu should have unloaded the pressure, sat down on the spot to rest, and waited until his strength recovered before moving on to the next tier.
But he didn’t—he just stubbornly held on. He doesn’t know that the tougher he acts, the stronger the pressure on the seventh tier becomes, and as time goes by, the pressure will multiply until it finally crushes him!
No! I can’t fall here. Lord Jun Yang said the First and Second Persons both crossed all nine tiers—I can’t be weaker than them! Besides, if I collapse on the seventh tier, everyone will just laugh at me for being useless!
Evan Chu poured all his Stellar Power into action, awakening hidden reserves deep within. A surge of new strength swept through his body like a warm current—he seized the moment and stepped forward again!
"Heavens! Is he really going to keep going?"
"How is this possible? Everyone runs out of strength eventually—we all know the pressure of the Ninefold Heavenly Staircase. The force of this next step will be thousands of times greater than before! If he’s crushed, not only will all his progress be wasted, he might be crippled for good!"
Kade Xing and Trenton Zhan both spoke up in turn. At that moment, Nightdream Ye seemed to realize something and turned to Lord Jun Yang.
"Did you forget to tell him during setup that you’re allowed to sit and recover your strength on each tier?"
"Uh... I think I really did forget..." Lord Jun Yang’s face suddenly changed as he remembered.
In his excitement, he’d completely forgotten to tell Evan Chu—through divine sense transmission—that it was allowed to sit and rest on each tier, or that the First and Second Persons didn’t climb all nine tiers in one breath!
"Damn it! You idiot, do you realize what a colossal mistake you’ve made? If he keeps going and gets crushed, do you know what we’ll lose? To ruin a peerless genius like this—how could you..."
Magnus Liao suddenly flew into a rage, grabbing Lord Jun Yang by the collar, ready to strike.
"Quiet! Keep watching, and remember your place!" Only after Nightdream Ye's furious shout did Magnus Liao finally let go.
"Hall Master... what if we tell him now—"
"It's too late. If we interrupt him now, he'll just become a cripple ahead of schedule. Even if he survives the Ninefold Heavenly Staircase, his future cultivation will be limited."
"All we can do now is wait."
Trenton Zhan and Lord Mystic-Ice both looked at Jun Yang, their faces dark. Was such a genius really about to fall? What a waste! But if he didn’t fall—could he really climb the Ninefold Heavenly Staircase in one breath? Or would he give up...
To be honest, everyone present hoped Evan Chu would give up now. His mental state would take a hit, but he’d still be the Frostbane Dynasty’s future top powerhouse—a peerless genius worth cultivating.
But would Evan Chu ever choose that path?
Watching Evan Chu step forward with unwavering resolve, seeing the stubborn, unyielding light in his eyes, everyone knew—this guy would never back down, even if it meant being crushed to death!
Boom!
As Evan Chu stepped onto the eighth tier, a sudden burst of blood mist erupted from his body. His skin split into bloody cracks, and blood poured out uncontrollably.
"Am I still too weak?" Feeling the terrifying force that could instantly knock him down and erase him, Evan Chu couldn't help but think this.
If the four Hall Masters and the Thrones outside could hear this, they'd probably cough up blood in frustration—No! You're not weak. We're the trash!
Right now, Evan Chu was swaying, barely able to stand. He looked like he might collapse at any moment, but the unwillingness in his heart only grew stronger.
I, Evan Chu, will not fall here! You think a mere Ninefold Heavenly Staircase can stop me? Dream on! One day, I’ll stand at the peak of the Star-River Dominion and look down on all heroes. So today, I have to succeed!
Evan Chu might not know he could sit down and rest, but he did know he could choose to withdraw. Only, from the very first moment he entered, he never planned on leaving alive.
Either die here, or stand at the top of the Frostbane Dynasty in the most dazzling way.
"The final step—either a golden-seed peerless genius is born, or an as-yet-unripe supreme powerhouse falls. Just one step left..."
As Nightdream Ye spoke, everyone held their breath, watching Evan Chu's eyes flash with brilliance as he started to take that final step...