Madam, please ascend.

Chapter 18: Asking for the Stone Steps
Zhuque didn't know how long she had slept. When she woke up, she saw Yun Yi climbing up the stairs in the air. Yun Yi walked with great difficulty, stopping to rest for a moment after each step.

But she was not drunk enough and could not see the stone steps leading to the way. She guessed that this blessing had nothing to do with her.

But it didn't matter. The Feitian Secret Realm was rich in spiritual energy and was a good place for cultivation. Zhuque simply sat cross-legged, absorbing and exhaling spiritual energy, and concentrated on cultivation.

Then she suddenly found that there were two more "guests" around her.

A little old man with a Ganoderma lucidum head and a beautiful woman with peach blossom petals covering her body, both of them were also staring at Yun Yi on the stone steps.

Suzaku was stunned for a moment, then said with forced composure, "Suzaku greets the two...seniors."

She couldn't help but take a peek at their cultivation levels. One was in the late stage of the Spiritual Transformation Realm, and seemed to be even higher than her own. The other was in the middle stage of the Spiritual Transformation Realm. Although not as strong as her, as a local monster, he was full of spiritual energy. If they really fought, she would have no chance of winning.

So Suzaku decided to show his respect first.

Zhi Lao Er was only three feet tall. He waved his hand with an air of superiority and said, "It's alright. Since you have the opportunity to come in, just focus on your cultivation."

Tao Sanniang looked at Zhuque's clothes with great interest and exclaimed, "Your clothes are really beautiful." After that, she changed into similar clothes for herself.

This peach blossom spirit was incredibly beautiful, with a peach blossom between her eyebrows as an embellishment. However, she was clearly unworldly, with her eyes revealing the innocent curiosity of a baby.

She didn't mind that the outfit was a bit revealing, she just felt curious and had fun, and her every move revealed an innocent beauty.

Seeing this, Suzaku finally felt relieved. The senior in the secret realm didn't seem like a bad person, so Yun Yi shouldn't be in danger. At the same time, she also felt an inexplicable joy at having escaped death. Fortunately, she hadn't tampered with the things in the immortal's mansion, otherwise she would definitely die.

On the other hand, Yun Yi didn't know that he had become the one that everyone was paying attention to in the secret realm.

He just kept walking with his head down, taking one step at a time, holding his breath and concentrating to clear away irrelevant thoughts, thinking only of moving forward.

The stone steps are much more difficult to walk on than ordinary stone steps. Every step you take feels like your whole body has been beaten. The pain is secondary, and the feeling of weakness is the most serious.

This is a mortal like Yun Yi who has no cultivation at all. If it were Zhuque who was in the late stage of the Spirit Transformation Realm, he would feel like he was carrying a heavy burden and would find it difficult to move forward.

The white monkey silently counted the time. Two hours had already passed. It looked down at Yun Yi from above, feeling that this mortal was on the verge of collapse, as if he would fall over at any moment.

But the amazing thing is that he can always recover and take another step forward.

Seeing that there were only a hundred steps left to the top of the mountain, which were also the last and most difficult hundred steps, he wondered if he could hold on.

Yun Yi gritted his teeth, struggling to hold on. He felt as if every part of his body was on the verge of collapse. But there was also a good thing. He had already reached adulthood, and his innate body had been contaminated, becoming an acquired body that was difficult to cultivate.

Therefore, the first thing he did in cultivating immortality was to reshape his innate nature and refine his essence into qi.

And this stone staircase has exactly this effect!
With every step Yun Yi took, he unconsciously improved his own bones and expelled the turbid energy in his body along with his sweat. Although he seemed to have only climbed a little over two thousand steps, in reality, his cultivation aptitude had undergone a drastic change.

The pain had long since numbed him, and he gradually felt his body grow light, though he couldn't move it. Lifting a leg took forever. Fortunately, the monkey wine he'd drunk earlier had taken effect, burning like a raging fire in his stomach, constantly bubbling and nourishing his withered body with spiritual energy.

Although Yun Yi had no cultivation, he had experience in cultivation in his previous life. He knew that if he could walk all the stone steps of asking for the way, the benefits of this alone would be terrifying enough.

So he used his willpower to persevere and was determined to complete the journey no matter what.

In his trance, he vaguely saw Song Xinci's figure. The graceful girl in white sat alone at the top of the Demon Sect, looking extremely lonely.

Sometimes Yun Yi would wonder if the girl practiced Taoism just to feel less lonely and bored, otherwise life would be boring.

She seemed to be greedy for power, but if you think about it carefully, she didn't do anything earth-shattering after gaining power, as if she just wanted to prove herself capable.

But who was she proving this to? During the great war between good and evil, how did she feel when she single-handedly destroyed the Qinglian Sect and killed Song Guanglin?
Unconsciously, the beautiful figure in his mind gradually turned into Yun Yi's previous self.

What am I pursuing?
A woman, a partner who can practice the great way together, a love that will never be separated?
Power and strength, to satisfy your own desires?
Yun Yi shook his head. None of these were what he wanted. He had always been Song Xinci's puppet, without any ideas of his own.

But now he has figured these things out.

What he wants is to escape from the cycle of reincarnation and roam freely between heaven and earth!
Unconsciously, Yun Yi had already walked up the stone steps. He raised his leg as usual, but missed the step. He stumbled and fell directly onto the grass on the top of the mountain.

The white monkey laughed and threw over another bottle of monkey wine.

Yun Yi took the drink and drank it all, then turned and looked down the mountain. Only then did he realize how far he had come. Looking down from the top of the mountain, all living things seemed insignificant.

The white monkey said, "You are practicing too late. You need to climb the stone steps a few more times to reach the destination."

Yun Yi smiled bitterly and said, "Come again?"

"Don't be discouraged. Old Nangong was the same way back then. He laid a solid foundation before he could become an immortal!"

"Indeed, I've learned my lesson."

Yun Yi solemnly bowed to the white monkey. The white monkey was very satisfied with this and let out two excited monkey calls, showing that it still had the heart of a child.

The white monkey continued, "Before he died, Nangong said that his great Dao was 'natural and spontaneous'. I don't quite understand it. He also said that even those with good fortune might not understand it, so those who come here don't necessarily have to inherit his great Dao."

Yun Yi deeply agreed: "Indeed, Senior Nangong's great path seems too obscure to me right now, and it's difficult to comprehend."

"In that case, I will teach you some other skills. Nangong Feitian is good at using a sword, and it just so happens that I can use it too."

As the white monkey spoke, he whistled, and then a sword flew from the sky and fell into his hand.

The monkey is smaller than the sword, and its palm can only barely grasp the hilt, so it looks a bit funny. However, the momentum it inadvertently reveals is not to be underestimated.

The sword could hardly even be called a sword. It was dark blue in color, without a tip. From a distance, it looked like a rectangular blade. The blade was densely covered with dragon scales. While it looked simple and unadorned, once in motion it resembled a wildly dancing black dragon.

In short, this is a sword that looks like a sword but is not a sword. It is flat, square, and has no edge. It is as wide as a palm and three feet long. It looks more like a giant ruler.

The white monkey said leisurely, "The sword is called 'Square and Circle'. Please take a look."

After saying that, the white monkey began to dance with the sword. The sword looked extremely heavy, and when he danced with it, it seemed as if the person moved with the sword, staggering left and right, but there was an indescribable charm and beauty in it.

Moreover, monkeys use swords differently from humans. They have many imaginative ways, such as grabbing the hilt with their feet, or throwing the sword in the air like a juggler, using their hands and feet. Every time they catch the sword, they swing the sword and then throw it again, repeating this process.

The square sword was swung in circular trajectories, and the momentum of each sword became stronger and stronger. In the end, Yun Yi could not even open his eyes and could only squint and try his best to see the monkey's sword dance.

The name of the sword is Fangyuan, which means the sky is round and the earth is square. It actually created a domain by swinging it again and again.

Extremely scary!
With a sword chant, the sword dance abruptly stopped. The white monkey planted the sword on the ground, then stood on the hilt. He said triumphantly, "What I just demonstrated was the White Ape Sword Technique, a technique I created myself. You must memorize it. As for the Fangyuan Sword Intention, I'm afraid it will be difficult for you to comprehend it with your current level of cultivation."

He looked at the gourd on Yun Yi's waist and added, "When you advance to the Qi Refining Realm, you can study the sword intent in the gourd first."

Yun Yi was surprised and asked, "Senior Monkey, do you recognize this gourd?"

The white monkey said proudly, "I don't recognize him."

Yun Yi: “…”

"But I know that the little guy inside is a life-long sword intent, and it consumes one point every time it is used."

Yun Yi was extremely surprised to hear this. He had never expected Song Guanglin to actually give him his innate sword intent. What a generous gesture! He hadn't realized that in this life, he had facilitated the reunion of the Song father and daughter, not only bringing peace to Song Xinci's heart but also allowing Song Guanglin to find a new path. This was why he had given up the Qinglian sword intent he had cultivated for so many years.

Yun Yi asked again, "How can I use it so as not to waste my sword energy, or to replenish its vitality?"

The white monkey replied, "Of course, it's until you can use 'Square and Circle' skillfully. Once the sword's will is attached to the sword, it will not dissipate."

At this point, it changed the subject: "Of course, if you can transform yourself into a sharp sword, then the sword's will can also be attached to you. From then on, man and sword will become one, and you will be unstoppable!"

(End of this chapter)