The Immortal Ascension

Chapter 4: Bone Refining Cliff

Hall Master Yue addressed the crowd loudly, "Listen up, everyone. Follow the path through the bamboo grove, and you will reach the Bone Refining Cliff of the Seven Mysteries Sect. The first section is the bamboo grove, followed by the rocky cliff area, and finally, a mountain cliff. Only those who can reach the summit will be admitted into the Seven Mysteries Sect. If you fail to arrive by noon, you won't become an official disciple, but if your performance is noteworthy, you may be accepted as a provisional disciple."

Han Li naturally didn't understand the meaning of "provisional disciple." All he knew was that he had to move forward and climb the mountain. He glanced ahead and saw a relatively gentle slope covered with bamboo of varying thicknesses. It didn't seem too difficult to climb!

Han Li looked around at the other children. He didn't want to lose to his peers, and the atmosphere among the children suddenly became tense.

Hall Master Yue glanced at the rising sun and said, "It's about time. Get ready to start! Don't be afraid. Your Senior Brothers will be behind you to ensure your safety."

Han Li turned to look at the young men behind him. So these were the Senior Brothers, probably disciples who had been accepted before. If he could join, would he get to wear the same impressive robes?

While lost in thought, Han Li noticed that the other children had already dashed into the bamboo grove. Seeing this, he hurriedly followed.

The bamboo grove seemed vast. As soon as the thirty or so children entered, they quickly scattered. Han Li was closely followed by a tall, lean Senior Brother who remained silent and expressionless, trailing behind him. Han Li felt a bit intimidated and didn't dare to speak to him. Instead, he kept his head down and slowly made his way up the slope.

The bamboo grove didn't look too challenging at first, but as time went on, it became increasingly exhausting. Han Li's legs grew heavier with each step, and eventually, he had to use one hand to pull himself forward by grabbing the bamboo stalks to conserve energy.

After persisting for a long time, Han Li was utterly exhausted and had to sit down on a mound of dirt, gasping for breath.

Taking a moment, Han Li glanced back at the tall Senior Brother. Despite the steep terrain, the Senior Brother stood motionless, not a speck of dust on him, as straight and steady as the bamboo. He was quietly watching Han Li from a short distance below.

Seeing the Senior Brother's cold gaze, Han Li felt a pang of fear and quickly turned his head back. Hearing the sound of heavy breathing ahead, he realized that some of the faster climbers were also taking a break. After resting for a short while, Han Li hurriedly continued his ascent.

The slope became even steeper, and Han Li's strength was dwindling. To avoid losing his balance, he had to bend over and crawl on all fours. Fortunately, his clothes were sturdy enough, or else his knees and elbows would have been scraped raw.

Finally, Han Li was nearing the end of the dense bamboo grove, but the last stretch seemed increasingly difficult. The ground was becoming rockier, and the bamboo was thinning out.

Han Li could no longer rely on the bamboo stalks to pull himself forward. The final part of the journey was a slow, grueling crawl, inch by inch.As soon as Han Li stepped out of the bamboo forest, he was greeted by a vast open space. Directly in front of him was an enormous rock, upon which several slender figures were slowly climbing. Behind each of them followed a Senior Brother dressed in the same attire. Without hesitation, Han Li hurried towards the massive rock wall.

The surface of the rock was composed of layered sedimentary rock, heavily weathered in places where it would crumble upon touch. However, there were also many sharp, protruding fragments. In just the time it took to eat a meal, Han Li's hands were already covered in wounds, and his clothes at the elbows and knees were torn, with several cuts on his skin. Although the wounds were small, the fine gravel embedded in them added to the pain.

The leading climbers were already far ahead. Remembering the words of his family and his uncle, Han Li gritted his teeth and continued his arduous ascent.

Before setting out, Han Li's father and uncle had warned him that the entrance test would be extremely challenging. If he didn't persevere to the end, he would have no chance of joining the Seven Mysteries Sect. At this point, Han Li no longer cared much about whether he could join the sect. A fierce determination had taken hold of him, and he was driven by the urge to catch up with the others.

Han Li looked up with effort. The person leading the climb was Wu Yan, who was more than a year older than Han Li and had practiced some martial arts, making him much stronger than the other children. It was no surprise that he was at the front.

Han Li glanced back and saw several figures still moving behind him. Taking a deep breath, he quickened his pace.

Despite exerting all his strength, he couldn't close the gap with the leaders. His body grew heavier, and as the sun climbed to the zenith, Wu Yan had already reached the end of the rock wall.

There, a sheer cliff rose over thirty zhang high, with more than a dozen thick ropes hanging from the top, each knotted at intervals. Wu Yan was now climbing one of these ropes, slowly making his way towards the summit.

Han Li looked at Wu Yan ahead and felt a pang of discouragement. He knew he couldn't catch up with the leaders, and time was running out.

As this thought crossed his mind, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his elbows and knees. His limbs weakened, and his grip on the rock faltered. His entire body began to slip, and his heart pounded in fear. He quickly pressed his body tightly against the rock wall, not daring to move.

After a while, he calmed down and reached out to grab a protruding rock edge. He tugged at it a few times to ensure it was secure before feeling reassured.

Han Li instinctively glanced back and saw the Senior Brother behind him crouching with arms outstretched, ready to catch him if he fell. Seeing that Han Li was safe again, the Senior Brother slowly stood up.

Han Li felt a surge of gratitude. If he had truly fallen, all his previous efforts would have been in vain! After a brief rest, he slowly moved forward, making his way towards the thick ropes hanging from the cliff.Finally, Han Li arrived at one of the unmanned hemp ropes. The sun was almost directly overhead, with less than half an hour left until noon. At this moment, Wu Yan had already reached the top of the cliff and was looking down. Just as Han Li reached the bottom of the rope, he happened to see Wu Yan raise his arm and extend his little finger, giving a slight gesture to those below. Then, Wu Yan burst into a fit of wild laughter before leaving.

Han Li felt a surge of irritation in his heart and quickly grabbed the rope, beginning to climb.

However, Han Li had already exhausted every ounce of strength in his body. Now, he could barely even hold onto the knots of the rope.

When he finally managed to climb up to the last knot and sat down on it, he felt completely drained, unable to move even a single finger. With great effort, he turned his head to look behind him and saw some children still sitting by the stone wall, panting heavily. It seemed they, like him, had used up the last bit of their strength.

Han Li could only smile bitterly in his heart. He had underestimated this test. Fortunately, he wasn’t the last one. He turned his head again and saw the cold-faced Senior Brother. After hesitating for a moment, Han Li decided to muster his strength and climb a bit further. Although he knew he couldn’t possibly reach the top before noon, it would be too embarrassing to just stay where he was!

Han Li stretched his slightly stiff hands and used the little strength he had just recovered to slowly move up the rope. But at this point, his hands were completely unresponsive, and he couldn’t grip the rope at all. After fumbling for a while, he still couldn’t make any progress.

(End of Chapter)