CHAPTER 54:Ranked Ninth!

The tenth-ranked world is already so powerful it can contend with the Heavenly Dao. What about the ninth-ranked?

At this moment, people from all across the worlds are filled with anticipation.

Even the supreme realms of the Extreme Dao in the world of Shrouding the Heavens wear expressions of interest.

Amid the surging emotions of all heavens and realms, the rankings of the Heavens and Myriad Worlds begin to update again.

Countless beings who have yet to appear on the list are full of expectation.

Is it our turn this time?

A golden light flashed.

In the evolving image of the Heavens and Myriad Worlds' rankings, the sound of an ancient Qiang flute echoed solemnly.

A low and hoarse voice followed, narrating slowly:

"Since ancient times, those who obey the heavens have been the darlings of heaven and earth. But behind every darling, lies the body of an ant. My path is not to follow the sky, but to defy it."

In the next moment, the dark image began to open and gradually became clear.

Atop a mountain, a majestic cultivation sect stood proud, shrouded in mist and surrounded by circling cranes.

At its entrance hung a plaque bearing three ancient characters: Hengyue Sect.

A peasant boy with a plain face and simple clothes knelt at the foot of the sect and began to ascend the stone staircase toward the mountain gate.

The stairs were steep, uneven, and flanked by perilous cliffs.

But the true challenge wasn't the danger—it was the sheer length. One could not see the end of the climb, much like the cultivation path where the road ahead was endless, shrouded in uncertainty.

Such a daunting journey bred despair.

Among the hopefuls who tried to ascend were many teenagers aspiring to join the sect. Yet one by one, they gave up.

Only this simple boy pressed forward, gritting his teeth. His knees bled, his feet blistered, and every step brought searing pain. Yet he did not stop.

When his feet could no longer move, he used his hands to pull himself upward, trembling with effort.

"Is this a mortal?"

"This scene reminds me of my own initiation into Taoism."

"This boy has incredible perseverance."

A powerhouse from the myriad realms watched and murmured with admiration.

Though this world lacked the overwhelming grandeur of the gods and demons world that preceded it on the rankings, it resonated deeply with many who recalled their own humble beginnings.

They found themselves immersed in the image.

The scene continued.

Beside the boy, companions dropped away one after another. Still, the boy said nothing. He simply climbed, his coarse clothes soaked in blood, stuck to his wounds.

Even the slightest movement brought unbearable pain. But he didn't stop. Not even for rest.

No one knew how much time passed.

"Children's hearts are strong, but the Dao is ruthless. Futile, futile..."

A long sigh echoed from the mountain's summit.

A sallow-faced middle-aged man descended lightly onto the stone steps. Watching the struggling teenagers with empathy, he paused when he reached the simple boy.

He had seen six boys already, but this one was the most pitiful.

Covered in blood, his knees and feet ruined, using his hands to crawl, he was the embodiment of raw determination.

The man asked gently, "Child, what's your name?"

But the boy, focused entirely on the endless stairs, didn't hear him. In his eyes, there was only the path. Nothing else mattered.

The man was moved. He reached out and pressed the boy's head, murmuring, "Your perseverance is outstanding. But your aptitude is too ordinary. Missed, missed..."

Three days later, the bloodied boy finally reached the summit.

Yet his name was not on the list of those allowed entry.

The boy gave a miserable smile and collapsed.

The first image shattered.

Time passed.

The second image appeared.

It was the Vermillion Bird Star, in the Sea of Ten Thousand Demons.

The once-fallen boy was now a Golden Core cultivator.

In the Great Zhao Dynasty, he was already a well-known powerhouse.

But his situation was dire.

He had offended the Teng family, a major clan of the dynasty. They issued a brutal order: kill ten thousand demons in one hundred days or die.

Hundreds of cultivators in the Sea of Ten Thousand Demons hunted him relentlessly.

He could only flee in desperation, haunted daily by the threat of death.

Fortunately, a woman named Li Qiuwan remained by his side.

One day, Li Qiuwan refined a supreme Cold Pill but collapsed from exhaustion, her life hanging by a thread.

"Don't move. I'll carry you through this."

The boy, now named Wang Nixian, gently carried her on his back.

That day, Wang Nixian stepped into the Extreme Realm.

That day, the Sea of Ten Thousand Demons ran red with blood.

That day, Wang Nixian became a name known throughout the cultivation world of the Great Zhao Dynasty.

The second image shattered.

Then the picture began to accelerate.

The true might of this world gradually emerged in the eyes of the great powers across the heavens and realms.