"Senior, let's start with the final trial!" Kai shouted as soon as he entered the game.
This woke up Lilith who was sitting patiently. She hurriedly stood up and went to stand beside Kai.
"You are back!" She said with a smile.
"Told you I would return!" Kai replied with a smile.
The next moment the space before them distorted and a familiar old man came out with a deep frown on his face.
'Just how disrespectful can this brat be?! If not for his insane talent I might have just killed him out of anger!' He internally thought.
"Are you sure you are ready for this! I don't want to scare you, but this trial will hurt a lot! And by a lot I mean that you'll probably wish that you were dead!" Old Man Hanxian said with a grin.
Kai gulped with fear; after experiencing the hellish pain in the first trial, he didn't wish to experience such a thing ever again.
But then after remembering Arya's situation, he knew he had to do whatever he could to help! He couldn't just peacefully enjoy the game when his sister is working hard and on top of that getting harassed by some shitty bastard.
He also knew that because he was so useless Cecilia wasn't able to leave his side and aid Arya. Shifting all the pressure on Arya. He clenched his fist, a glint of determination flashed through his eyes.
Old Man Hanxian smiled on seeing this. 'I have watched him since the start, but this is the only time he looked like that! This is the look someone of his caliber should have!' He inwardly praised.
"I am ready senior!" Kai said with a serious expression. He didn't dare to underestimate the last trial.
Old Man Hanxian nodded with a faint smile.
He waved his hand, and the entire area trembled. Without even seeing it yet, both Kai and Lilith could feel the profound aura that suddenly appeared, they both felt an invisible pressure weighing them down as if they were in the presence of a mighty ruler.
A golden staircase with 9 steps, each exuding a dangerous aura appeared within their sight.
"This treasure is passed down by the founding ancestor of our sect. A relic known far and wide as the 'Heavenly Steps.' It is composed of nine divine steps, each carved from a stone that shimmers with a deep cosmic hue, a blend of midnight blue, violet, and faint silver veins that glint like frozen lightning."
"The surfaces are smooth and cold to the touch, yet they radiate a soft, pulsing glow, as if alive and watching."
"Each step you take on it, it will strike you with a heavenly tribulation along with an immense increase in the pressure you must already be feeling. It doesn't matter what your cultivation is in front of this relic as it doesn't measure your strength! It measures your will, or in other words… your potential!!!" He completed explaining and looked at Kai with a profound look.
"How is willpower related to potential?" Kai curiously asked.
"Willpower will decide how you react in various situations and the amount of pressure you can handle from different challenges and such. How you stay determined with an unwavering heart will determine how much you grow. Thus, determining your future potential." The old man explained
Kai nodded in understanding. His words did make a lot of sense.
"You can still give up you know, considering your extraordinary performance so far. I will let you leave alive. It will be a shame if you died here pitifully." He said with a mocking grin.
Kai didn't bother with superfluous words, and he stepped towards the intimidating stairs. When he first looked at it, he had a feeling as if the stairs themselves were mocking him!
Old Man Hanxian smiled on seeing this. "Just so you know, even I was only able to climb 6 steps! The founder had climbed 7 steps. He was a Great Emperor of his own era, stronger than even I, he reached the apex of cultivation and made our sect the greatest in the world!"
"You need to climb at least 4 steps to pass the trial, gaining a portion of my inheritance, while if you climb all the 9 steps I shall hand over all my precious possessions to you!" He said and then walked aside to have a clear view of the sight he was about to witness.
Lilith also floated and stood beside the old man. Her eyes were filled with worry. 'Do your best Kai!'
Kai now stood just in front of the 1st step; all the steps were so massive that he would need to launch himself off the ground with mana just to reach the next step.
He took a deep breath and prepared himself.
'Here goes nothing.'
*Woosh*
He gathered mana around his feet and propelled himself towards the step with incredible speed.
*Thrum!!!*
As he landed on the first step, he could instantly feel the sudden increase in pressure but apart from feeling a little uncomfortable he didn't experience any pain.
Just as he thought it was over and was preparing to take the next step.
*Rumble*
A large number of clouds gathered above him as the entire area went dark, an ominous presence shrouded everything.
"Shit!" Kai wryly smiled.
*Crack*
A lightning strike came crashing down directly like a roaring dragon at the unprepared and unprotected Kai.
"AAAHHH!!!!!!" Kai screamed in agony. The area around him instantly scorched with flames rising from everywhere.
Lilith shuddered upon hearing Kai's terrific scream and even Old Man Hanxian's body instinctively trembled as if remembering a haunting memory!!!