Chapter 87: Surpa.s.sing
Jiang Lan was surprised by Miao Xiu’s decision.
Comparing their mental fort.i.tude and temperament?
It was not what he had expected.
But he had no problems with this.
He was still sufficiently prepared.
As long as what the other party wanted to compete with him in was suitable, he would agree.
“How does Fellow Daoist wish to compete?” Jiang Lan asked.
It was difficult to exhibit one’s temperament, so it was almost impossible to compare.
The Peaceful Void Lake did have some use in comparing one’s temperament but there was still some difference.
The current him was definitely different from the previous him.
As his cultivation realm was different, the pressure he would face would also be different.
He might not be able to reach where he reached previously.
Therefore, it was hard to use it to compare one’s temperament.
It was something that wasn’t physical nor could be gauged.
“Have you heard of the Stairway To Heavens?” Miao Xiu took out a white jade stone staircase and released it.
In an instant, the stone stairs expanded, and at the very top, there was a light disc floating in midair.
After the light disc appeared, the white jade stairs instantly disappeared.
“This is the Stairway To Heavens. If one’s heart is not confused, the stairs will appear. If one’s heart is confused, the stairs will disappear. During the process, there would be some attacks, some risks, and some mental tests. It would come based on one’s cultivation level. Therefore, there is no need to suppress my cultivation level. Throughout the process of ascending the stairs, we won’t interfere with each other. “Miao Xiu looked at Jiang Lan as he explained the usage of the Stairway To Heavens. He then asked.
“Do you want to give it a try? If you reach the top, it’s considered your win. ”
Jiang Lan had an answer in his heart.
This Stairway To Heavens was used to gauge whose heart was more steady, as well as how one would deal with sudden situations.
“He seems to be choosing what I am more skilled at to compete, but in reality, this might be what the other party is actually skilled at.” Jiang Lan thought in his heart.
But he had no reason to refuse.
“Okay.” Jiang Lan agreed.
The others were a bit confused. What was this match about?
It did not look dangerous at all.
Jing Ting frowned. If they were to compare their temperaments, he felt that this Junior Brother of his from the Ninth Summit actually had a chance of winning.
However, no matter how one looked at it, this Stairway to Heavens was not just a compet.i.tion of one’s temperament.
Jiang Lan did not have any experience either. Once he was attacked, he would panic.
However, he did not know what would exactly happen either.
He could only wait and see.
The others also watched. They weren’t sure what this match would be like, but if they didn’t fight, did that mean they had a chance of winning?
“Please.” Miao Xiu saw Jiang Lan make an inviting gesture.
Jiang Lan didn’t think too much about it, nor did he hesitate as he raised his foot.
The moment he lifted his foot, a staircase appeared in front of him for him to step on.
Ta!
His feet landed on the first step.
However, the moment his foot landed, Jiang Lan sensed an attack coming from above the disc.
It was extremely fast.
Boom!!!
This attack directly reached Jiang Lan’s back.
The ma.s.sive attack caused cracks to appear in the square.
This was an attack with the strength of a perfected Golden Core, a small realm higher than Jiang Lan’s cultivation on the surface.
At this moment, Jiang Lan maintained his sideway posture.
He only felt a stinging pain on his face.
Then, a small scar appeared on his face.
The attack just now touched his face, and he barely managed to dodge it.
After that, Jiang Lan didn’t pay much attention to it. Instead, he watched as the disc slowly ascended.
He did not even look at Miao Xiu.
“This…”
Everyone was shocked when they saw the attack.
This attack had come too suddenly. If it were them, they definitely wouldn’t have been able to do this.
“This attack is too strong, isn’t it? It doesn’t look like an attack that belongs to a late-stage Golden Core at all. And he didn’t even say that it would attack at the first step.”
“That’s right. If it were me, I definitely wouldn’t be able to avoid this attack. It’s too sudden.”
“Shameless. You didn’t explain the rules clearly and even let us go first.”
Jing Ting was also extremely shocked. If the Ninth Summit’s Junior Brother was talented enough, then… He would definitely become an extremely dazzling existence.
Be it the mental state he was in the moment he dodged the attack or after he had dodged the attack.
They were all extraordinary.
Miao Xiu frowned at Jiang Lan.
He thought that the other party would come to question him about the rules.
He swallowed the words “The attacks would come randomly” before it went out of his mouth.
Since the only disciple of the Ninth Summit was not eliminated, he would have to compete seriously.
He would not hold back.
Crus.h.i.+ng the confidence of such people was the most interesting.
Miao Xiu took a step forward and ascended five flights of stairs directly. A similar attack followed. However, he merely moved his hand and deflected the attack.
He had played this game since he was young.
“I feel like the Junior Brother of the Ninth Summit has been tricked. The other party seems to be used to playing with this.”
“I can tell as well. Since he just wanted to win, why didn’t he just make a move through a physical match? Why go through so much trouble?”
“Using one’s own forte to defeat one. Perhaps that’s what he wants to do.”
“…”
Jiang Lan had just taken ten steps when he saw Miao Xiu reach the twentieth step.
There were a total of 99 steps.
The first to reach the hundredth step was the victor.
Jiang Lan didn’t mind that the other party was leading.
He was currently on the eleventh step.
As he stepped onto the eleventh step, he realized that from here onwards, the steps had changed. It was as if something was trying to arouse his desire.
Jealousy, anger, arrogance.
But it was very weak.
It was more of a pressure, as if there was a mountain pressing down on him.
However, this pressure was nothing much. The main thing was that it would distract people and cause them to have stray thoughts, making them lose focus and their hearts to waver.
This would in turn cause their steps to become unstable.
Once one became unstable, one would be defeated.
Fortunately, the effect was weak.
Jiang Lan advanced step by step. It wasn’t fast, but he had successfully reached the twentieth step.
At this time, Miao Xiu was at the thirtieth step. His speed had slowed down.
“I don’t feel the attack yet, but I’m not sure if there will be any later. I will need to stay alert.”
Then, Jiang Lan took a step forward, arriving at the twenty-first step.
However, just as his foot landed, he felt that he had stepped on air.
But it was just a feeling.
Jiang Lan advanced past the twenty-first step to the twenty-second step.
Miao Xiu glanced at Jiang Lan and frowned.
“This is the first time he’s walking past the twenty-first step, yet he doesn’t seem to be affected at all. He’s quite capable, but how far can he go?”
Would he be able to pa.s.s the fiftieth step?
One had to know that from the twentieth step to the fiftieth step, all of human nature’s weaknesses were tested.
The slightest carelessness could lead to an eternal d.a.m.nation.
Miao Xiu continued.
However, he soon heard cries of surprise from below.
“So fast! The Senior Brother from the Ninth Summit has actually sped up?”
“Yeah, why did he suddenly accelerate?”
“He was so slow just now.”
“No, that Heavenly Human Race member is clearly slowing down. Why is the Senior Brother of the Ninth Summit speeding up instead? Has he become anxious?”
Miao Xiu looked at Jiang Lan again.
However, when he looked again this time, he discovered that Jiang Lan, who was previously left behind by him, suddenly appeared at his side at the same level as him, and then surpa.s.sed him.
“How… How did this happen?”