After a long stretch of silence and sadness, Su Chen finally pulled himself together. His expression remained cold, but his voice carried a trace of suppressed frustration.
"System, you son of a bitch… answer me one thing," he muttered, staring at the empty screen in front of him. "This so-called Eternal Immortal Wind… is it really stronger than any inheritance in this Immortal Palace?"
He waited.
And waited.
The screen remained blank. No reply. Not even the usual sarcastic tone or mocking comment. Su Chen's shoulders slumped slightly as he sighed, ready to close the interface and move on.
But then—
[Ding! Notice: The Eternal Immortal Wind is far more valuable and powerful than any inheritance present in the Immortal Palace. According to the system's selection for completing Option 2, you are not required to obtain any inheritance. However, you may freely collect other treasures as you see fit.]
Su Chen blinked. "Huh?"
For a moment, he just stood there, stunned by the sudden message. Then his lips twitched.
"...So you can hear me," he muttered, eyes narrowing. "Tch. Acting dead until I curse you, huh?"
Despite the lingering pain in his heart, he couldn't help but smile a little. The system's reply didn't just confirm the immense value of the Eternal Immortal Wind—it also proved that the bastard had heard all his earlier swearing.
"Figures. Only shows up when I start throwing insults… shameless thing," Su Chen muttered under his breath, mood visibly improving.
He reached into his system storage space and retrieved a small jade bottle, holding it carefully in his palm. His eyes narrowed slightly as he studied it.
"So this is the Perfect Foundation Pill…" he muttered under his breath.
With a soft pop, he opened the bottle and gently tipped out a single golden pill. Without hesitation, he placed it in his mouth. The moment it touched his tongue, it dissolved instantly, spreading warmth through his entire body.
A wave of comfort surged through him—soothing, almost blissful. It was as if every meridian and vein was being gently cleansed and nourished. For the next half hour, he sat cross-legged, eyes closed, letting the medicinal power run its course.
When he finally opened his eyes and rose from the ground, a subtle change had taken place. He couldn't quite explain it, but something deep within him felt… different. Stronger. More complete.
He furrowed his brow.
"What exactly changed?" he murmured, clenching his fist slowly. "I feel like… something was added to my body. But what?"
"Ah… whatever," Su Chen muttered, brushing the thought aside. He took a deep breath and resumed his climb up the Heaven Stairs.
Boom… bloom…
With each step he took, the pressure grew heavier, like an invisible mountain pressing down on him. The air became thicker, the spiritual pressure more intense. He pushed forward, step by step, forgetting to count how many columns he'd crossed.
Then—
Swish!
A sharp noise tore through the air.
"Ahhh! Phoenix Fairy! Please don't throw me! Mercy—AHHHHH!"
A panicked cry echoed from above, growing louder by the second.
Su Chen looked up instinctively. His eyes caught a small figure hurtling toward him from the sky—black with streaks of gold. Reflexively, his hand twitched, almost reaching out to catch it.
But then he paused.
"Wait… this thing is clearly someone else's problem. I'm not catching random flying arrows meant for other people," he muttered with narrowed eyes, stepping slightly to the side.
The falling figure shot past him in a blur.
Su Chen caught a clear glimpse.
"…Da Huang?"
Indeed, it was the same talking crow he'd met before. But something had changed—his feathers, once completely black, now shimmered faintly with gold.
As Da Huang plummeted, he flapped his wings wildly and screamed,
"Master Fortune-Teller! Save meeeee!"
But before Su Chen could even think of responding, the bird had already vanished below, a fading speck in the distance.
Su Chen let out a small sigh, rubbing his chin.
"Such a pity… That crow is rich and easy to fool. Last time he even gifted me a pouch with ten thousand high-grade spirit stones…"
He clicked his tongue in regret.
"Well, he'll climb back up eventually. Probably."
Just as he turned to resume climbing, another distant voice reached him.
"Phoenix Fairy! Please spare me! ,I still owe money to a demonic duck! If I die, he'll curse my ancestors!"
Su Chen raised an eyebrow.
"…So there is a woman up there?"
He looked around, then muttered under his breath, "And my outsider aura isn't working anymore either… Tch, looks like my lucky days are over."
With a resigned expression, he continued his ascent.
He continued climbing steadily, the pressure increasing with every step. As he approached the upper levels, he instinctively tensed—half-expecting a surprise attack from above or maybe a chaotic battle playing out.
But to his surprise… nothing happened.
It was completely calm. Just like below. No fighting, no shouting—only silence and the constant spiritual pressure pressing down on him.
Still cautious, he ascended a few more steps. And then—he saw her.
Su Chen froze.
Up ahead, a woman sat calmly on the wide stair platform, surrounded by a swirling aura of red and white. Ethereal images of a phoenix and a dragon coiled around her, forming a majestic ring of divine energy. Her entire presence radiated a kind of sacred pressure, like an empress descended from the heavens.
Although her figure was obscured by dense qi, Su Chen could still make out the outline of her form. Even without seeing her face, he instinctively knew—this woman was breathtaking. The kind of beauty that could make men lose their minds.
"…But I'm not any man," he muttered under his breath, eyes sharpening. "I just want to live longer than anybody else… peacefully."
In his experience, the more beautiful they were, the more troublesome they tended to be. Arrogant, proud, always attracting drama like moths to a flame. And if she'd been dragged here by the Immortal Palace's trial, it could only mean one thing—
"A daughter of luck," he thought grimly. "With some kind of heaven-defying physique, no doubt… Which means: more trouble."
Deciding not to waste time, Su Chen calmly stepped onto the same stair she occupied, careful not to disturb her. He glanced sideways as he crossed her column, already preparing to move to the next.
[Dear readers,
Thank you all for reading and supporting the story!
If you haven't used your Power Stones yet… please consider throwing a few my way.
They really help keep me motivated to write more chapters—and maybe even write them faster! 😅
Don't be shy—I won't bite (but the system might). 😏]