Covering the Sky: Simultaneous transmigration, but both clones are women.

Ye Chen stepped forward to follow.

The view inside the mountain gate is even more spectacular than what you see from the outside.

The palaces and pavilions stand in rows, with upturned eaves and glazed tiles that gleam golden in the sunlight.

The bluestone-paved path was wide and flat, with exotic flowers and plants planted on both sides. Ye Chen couldn't name some of them, but judging from their shimmering appearance, they were clearly not ordinary plants.

In the distance, a waterfall cascades down the cliff, its roar echoing and spraying mist that forms a rainbow in the sunlight.

Several cranes circled above the waterfall, their graceful postures and melodious calls filling the air.

"Junior Brother Ye."

Jiang Ming, who was walking in front, suddenly spoke. His voice was not loud, but it carried a profound meaning.

Do you know the story behind this mountain gate?

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow: "I'd like to hear the details."

Jiang Ming stopped and turned around, his gaze falling on Ye Chen's face.

"This place is a pure land personally opened up by Ge Hong, the founder of the Lingbao School, and it has a history of more than a thousand years."

His voice was steady and clear, as if he were telling an ancient and solemn history.

"The patriarch once preached and taught here, attracting cultivators from all over the world, making it a place of great prosperity."

"It's a pity that the essence of heaven and earth gradually became thinner and thinner. Although my Lingbao Sect found another secret place to leave this place, this ancestral land has never been abandoned."

He paused, his gaze becoming deep.

"The rules here stipulate that only highly accomplished elders and sages are permitted to come here to preach and teach, and to enter and leave the former pure land of Lingbao. Ordinary people are not allowed to enter!"

When Jiang Ming said this, his tone was calm, as if he were stating a simple fact.

But Zhou Yuan, listening from the side, already had a slight smile on his lips.

Those eyes glanced sideways at Ye Chen, with a hint of anticipation for a good show.

Liu Qing frowned slightly, glanced at Jiang Ming, moved her lips, but ultimately said nothing.

Although Meng Chuan remained expressionless, his inner thoughts drifted out.

[What the senior brother said... wasn't he just trying to discourage the newcomer?]

However, his cultivation level is indeed too low. What was the sect leader thinking, actually accepting him as a disciple...?

Hearing these heartfelt words, Ye Chen suddenly felt enlightened.

He certainly understood the meaning behind Jiang Ming's words.

This pure land is not open to just anyone, so what gives you the right to be a newbie in the Bitter Sea Realm?

However, Ye Chen was not annoyed.

Without these clowns playing the villains, how could his extraordinary qualities be highlighted?

He raised his head, his gaze passing over Jiang Ming's shoulder and landing on a stone step inside the mountain gate.

It was a short staircase, about thirty-three steps, paved with bluestone, the edges of which had been worn smooth and rounded by time.

On both sides of the stone steps, several ancient pines lie like coiled dragons, their branches gnarled and twisted, their needles emerald green, gleaming faintly in the sunlight.

Legend has it that these ancient pine trees were planted by Ge Hong himself. More than a thousand years later, they remain evergreen and vigorous.

And those thirty-three steps...

There seems to be a description of them in the original work!

"Senior brother."

Ye Chen spoke, deliberately fixing his gaze on the stone steps, "That is..."

Jiang Ming followed his gaze, a barely perceptible glint in his eyes.

"That's the path to immortality."

His voice held a newfound seriousness. "It is said that in ancient times, this was the most common test. Even the Daoist acolytes serving the immortals were able to walk up and down the thirty-three steps; otherwise, they could not freely ascend and descend the mountain!"

He paused, then turned to look at Ye Chen.

"What, Junior Brother Ye, are you interested in giving it a try?"

Zhou Yuan's eyes lit up, and he quickly chimed in, "That's right, Junior Brother Ye! Since you're already here, why not give it a try? This is a rule from our Lingbao Sect's ancestral land; all new disciples have to do it!"

Liu Qing frowned, finally unable to hold back any longer, and said, "Zhou Yuan, Junior Brother Ye is only at the Bitter Sea Realm, and you're already letting him ascend to the Immortal Ascension Path?"

"What happened to the Bitter Sea Realm?"

Zhou Yuan said confidently, "I just said that even the Daoist acolytes who served the immortals in ancient times could complete the journey. Surely Junior Brother Ye isn't even inferior to a Daoist acolyte?"

Liu Qing opened her mouth as if to say something, but looking at Zhou Yuan's excited face, she ultimately kept quiet.

She turned to look at Ye Chen, her eyes filled with sympathy.

Ye Chen didn't care.

He looked at the thirty-three steps and silently estimated their number in his mind.

Ascending the Immortal Path is essentially a test, examining a cultivator's aptitude, foundation, and understanding of heaven and earth.

Those with high cultivation levels walk with ease, while those with low cultivation levels have to rely on their true abilities.

His current cultivation level is at the Bitter Sea Realm, and he hasn't even reached the Life Spring Realm yet. Logically speaking, it would be almost impossible for him to complete all thirty-three steps.

But according to common sense?

His Heavenly Demon Scripture is an Emperor-level cultivation technique. Even the founder of the Lingbao Sect, Ge Hong, seems to only have the cultivation level of a Great Sage.

It wouldn't hurt to give it a try.

"OK."

Ye Chen nodded, his tone calm, "Then let's give it a try!"

Zhou Yuan was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting him to agree so readily.

Jiang Ming didn't show much expression; he simply stepped aside slightly to make way.

"Junior Brother Ye, please."

Ye Chen stepped onto the Ascension Staircase.

The stone steps are short, with thirty-three steps, paved with bluestone, and the edges are as smooth as a mirror.

The ancient pines on both sides cast dappled shadows, and when the wind blows, the pine needles rustle as if whispering.

Ye Chen stood in front of the first step and took a deep breath.

A crisp mountain breeze swept through the pine forest, brushing against his cheeks, carrying the rich, mellow scent unique to ancient trees. It felt as if the passage of time in this pristine land had cleansed him completely.

Lift your foot, then land.

The first step made a very light sound on the bluestone, like a fallen leaf landing on the water, creating only a very faint ripple.

Step two, step three.

The dappled shadows cast by the ancient pine trees flowed over him like a river of time.

Step 5, Step 7.

The wind picked up, making the hem of his Taoist robe flutter, but he still walked with ease and grace, as if he were strolling in his own backyard.

Step nine: Stand still.

Ye Chen stopped, looked down at the bluestone steps beneath his feet, then looked up at the remaining twenty-four steps, a slight smile playing on his lips.

That's all there is to it!

At the foot of the mountain gate, all was silent.

Jiang Ming's eyes narrowed, and his pupils trembled slightly.

Zhou Yuan and Liu Qing exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes.

Even Meng Chuan, who was usually expressionless, stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

"Nine steps..."

Zhou Yuan muttered to himself, his voice slightly hoarse without him even realizing it, "He took nine steps... and he didn't seem to be struggling at all!"

Liu Qing turned to look at Jiang Ming, her lips moving slightly: "Senior brother, when you first walked up the Ascension Steps, how many steps did you take?"

Jiang Ming did not answer.

But his expression already answered for him.

Beneath that composed mask lay a complex mix of emotions that were difficult to articulate.

He took thirteen steps!

Moreover, that was the result of him exerting his full cultivation in the Dao Palace Secret Realm. After completing the journey, his legs were so weak that he had to rest for a full hour to recover.

The novice in front of him, who was only at the Bitter Sea Realm, was able to take nine steps in one go, as if he were strolling through a back garden.

"He must have used some kind of method!"

Zhou Yuan suddenly spoke, his voice rising a few decibels, filled with the defiant indignation typical of a young man, "How could someone in the Bitter Sea Realm possibly take nine steps? They must have cheated!"