As a Core Elder of the Five Elements Tower, Fang Xuanhe held significant power within the Sect. It was not difficult for him to apply for the qualification for Han Xuanji to go to the Five Elements Altar.
Although the Five Elements Altar was publicly declared a Forbidden Land and not open to outsiders, rules are static while people are dynamic.
The so-called "not open to outsiders" was merely a restriction against ordinary Cultivators who had neither background nor talent.
Han Xuanji was an S-Rank Prodigy exceptionally recruited by the Hun Family, and his own comprehension of the Way of Laws far surpassed his peers. Furthermore, Hun Qianling had sent someone ahead of time to pull strings and greet the Five Elements Tower. Thus, Fang Xuanhe only needed to make a brief report to easily secure the qualification for Han Xuanji to brave the Five Elements Heavenly Ladder and enter the Five Elements Altar.
The two of them walked one after the other through layers of corridors, bypassing several stone tablets engraved with Five Elements Dao patterns, and soon arrived at the area where the Five Elements Altar was located.
This was a restricted area deep within the Five Elements Tower, far from the noise. The Eternal Power of the Five Elements lingering in the air was dense to the extreme, with spiritual light interlacing to form a faint curtain of light that enveloped the entire area, exuding an air of solemnity and majesty.
Looking up, a magnificent staircase stood in the center of the light curtain—it was the Five Elements Heavenly Ladder.
The staircase was paved entirely with Five Elements jade, and every step shimmered with a faint spiritual light. The five colors—white, green, blue, red, and yellow—flowed in alternating layers, reaching straight into the clouds. There were a total of three thousand six hundred and fifty steps, so high that the end was nowhere in sight. Even before getting close, one could feel an invisible pressure that inspired awe in the heart.
The movements of Han Xuanji and Fang Xuanhe quickly caught the attention of many Disciples from the Five Elements Tower.
At this moment, many Core Disciples of the Five Elements Tower were on duty here, along with some outside Cultivators who had come to brave the staircase—all of whom were Genius Disciples from various major forces in Qianhun City.
Upon seeing Han Xuanji, some people immediately began to whisper.
"Who is that? To think Elder Fang would personally accompany him to the Forbidden Land?"
"Looking at his aura, he's not simple!"
Hun Hao was quietly following not far away. Hearing the crowd's discussion, a mocking smile curled at the corner of his mouth as he said:
"What do you mean 'not simple'? He's just an ordinary person who was lucky enough to be rated as an S-Rank Prodigy."
"Oh? Then Brother Hun Hao, why weren't you rated as S-Rank?"
A Cultivator in white within the crowd mocked:
"The fact that someone can become an S-Rank Prodigy is a testament to their ability. Is it your place to say such things?"
"Wang Lin, you!"
Looking at the white-clad Cultivator, Hun Hao was suddenly choked with rage.
"What about me? Is there something wrong with what I said?"
Wang Lin gave Hun Hao a cold look. He didn't know Han Xuanji well enough to judge him, but he simply couldn't stand Hun Hao's behavior, which felt beneath the dignity of a descendant of a great Family.
"Just wait and see. Do you dare to make a bet with me?"
Anger also rose in Hun Hao's heart as he spoke resentfully.
"Why wouldn't I dare?"
Wang Lin's expression remained unchanged, seemingly not afraid at all. The crowd watched the two of them argue, finding it quite entertaining.
"Tsk tsk, Wang Lin is certainly generous. This Five Elements Heavenly Ladder is incredibly difficult to climb. Even among us Core Disciples of the Five Elements Tower, few dare to try it lightly. This Prodigy who relied on connections to get his position—he probably won't even make it past the first hundred steps, right?"
"Exactly, Brother Wang is so magnanimous. Why don't you bet with all of us too?"
Discussions broke out one after another, and many Five Elements Tower Disciples looked at Han Xuanji with gazes full of indignation.
The difficulty of the Five Elements Heavenly Ladder was famous. Even among the elite Disciples of the Five Elements Tower, few had succeeded. For an outsider rumored to have "gone through the back door" to dare to try it was, in their eyes, undoubtedly a case of overestimating his own strength.
Having set the bet with Wang Lin, Hun Hao was overjoyed, and his gaze toward Han Xuanji became full of playfulness.
'Han Xuanji, I want to see how you make a fool of yourself today. If you can't even pass the Five Elements Heavenly Ladder, let's see how you'll maintain your face as an S-Rank Prodigy.'
At this time, Fang Xuanhe had already led Han Xuanji to the foot of the Five Elements Heavenly Ladder. He turned to look at Han Xuanji and advised in a serious tone:
"Little Friend Han, I have already told you the rules of the Five Elements Heavenly Ladder. The stronger the cultivation, the greater the pressure. Since you have just entered the Eternal Dao Lord realm, the difficulty might not be too great for you, but remember not to be too eager for success. You need to invoke your own Dao Principles and merge them with the Five Elements dao-rhythm of the staircase to move forward steadily.
If you cannot hold on midway, you can give up. Do not force yourself, lest you damage your dao foundation."
Fang Xuanhe truly wished Han Xuanji well and did not want this good talent to be cut short. Many people had braved the staircase with full confidence, only to end up with a shattered Dao Heart. The more formidable the Genius, the harder they fell when they crashed.
Han Xuanji nodded slightly, his expression firm: "Thank you for the reminder, Elder Fang. This Junior understands."
He had walked from the Lower Realm step by step to this day. Perhaps he hadn't suffered too much, but even if he failed today, it was impossible for his Dao Heart to sink into despair.
This was also the advantage of a Transcender who came from Primordial Chaos; compared to the Prodigies born in the Eternal Continent, their mental advantage was immense.
After speaking, he looked up at the towering Five Elements Heavenly Ladder. There was no fear in his eyes, only deep anticipation.
Meanwhile, the surrounding discussions still hadn't ceased, and Hun Hao was staring intently at Han Xuanji from the shadows.
Everyone was waiting to see what was really going on with this rumored, unworthy S-Rank Prodigy of the Hun Family.
Arriving at the Five Elements Heavenly Ladder, Han Xuanji took a deep breath. The Eternal Power within his body circulated slightly as he mobilized his Five Elements Dao Principles, slowly lifting his right foot and stepping toward the first step of the Five Elements Heavenly Ladder.
As soon as his sole touched the cool Five Elements jade, Han Xuanji felt a massive pressure surge toward him.
The Five Elements power wrapped around him like a tide, and the scene before his eyes suddenly shifted. It was as if he were in the middle of Chaos, with five-colored ribbons of light flowing around him, interlacing and colliding with each other, emitting a low, rumbling sound.
This was the first trial of the Five Elements Heavenly Ladder. Many people couldn't even keep their minds steady and were unable to stand firmly. Han Xuanji steadied his mind and did not rush to climb up. Instead, he closed his eyes and carefully sensed the flow of this dao-rhythm.
Just then, a cold and mechanical System notification sound quietly rang in Han Xuanji's mind:
[Detected Nine-Star Sign In location 'Five Elements Heavenly Ladder'. Sign In? (You can Sign In here a total of twelve times.)]
Han Xuanji's heart stirred slightly, but his face remained calm without the slightest ripple.
The Five Elements Heavenly Ladder had existed here for countless years, having been braved by countless Prodigies and stained with the dao-rhythm of many Cultivators, including many powerhouses who later ascended to the realm of Eternal True God. Its dao-rhythm was so profound that being rated as a Nine-Star Sign In location was within his expectations.
Although a Nine-Star Sign In location was slightly inferior to the Ten-Star Sign In rewards of the Purple Soul Grotto-Heaven, it was perfect for him now.
What he needed most urgently at the moment was to comprehend the Five Elements Dao Principles and condense the Five Elements Eternal Dao Principles. This Nine-Star Sign In location could be said to be a perfect match, far more valuable than those irrelevant Ten-Star Sign In rewards.