Ling Xuzi of the Celestial Vault Divine Country still held a firm grip on the foremost position.
His handsome, otherworldly face was as placid as a still well, as if the solitary, will-tempering celestial ladder beneath his feet was nothing more than an ordinary hill in his own backyard.
In the increasingly heavy atmosphere, this composure was particularly striking, inspiring even greater awe.
However, not everyone could maintain such transcendence.
The brawny, great-axe-wielding warrior who had charged to the front with astonishing willpower in the early stages now had beads of sweat forming on his brow.
His tightly pressed lips and slightly furrowed brow revealed the immense pressure he was under.
Every step forward was a fierce tug-of-war against the wavering of his own heart and the sense of desolation.
Blood Slaughter Barton of the Alka Empire remained firmly in the middle of the first echelon.
A faint bloody aura rippled around him. With bloodshot eyes and clenched teeth, he was clearly on the verge of his willpower’s limit.
The resilient will he had forged in a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood was undoubtedly powerful.
But faced with the vast loneliness accumulated after a hundred thousand steps, he felt an unprecedentedly heavy burden.
But at this moment, the most eye-catching figure was the one who had maintained a constant rhythm all along—Li Wen.
He seemed completely unaffected by the drastic changes in his surroundings.
From the first step to now, approaching the one-hundred-thousandth, the frequency of his pace had barely changed, steady as a precision machine.
One step, then another, calm and resolute.
As countless contestants slowed drastically, struggling in agony, his method of advancing at a uniform speed created a powerful visual impact.
Unbeknownst to many, Li Wen’s rank had quietly climbed to the forefront of the second echelon.
And at a speed visible to the naked eye, he was rapidly closing the gap with the first echelon.
This seemingly slow pursuit appeared exceptionally astonishing in the latter half of the solitary staircase’s climb.
The viewing area for the Alka Empire had long been drowned in a tsunami of cheers and shouts.
Countless spectators, their faces flushed with excitement, screamed themselves hoarse cheering for Li Wen.
His every steady step was like a war drum beating in the hearts of the Alkans, causing the entire empire’s viewing space to erupt.
"Li Wen! Li Wen! Li Wen!"
"Steady! So steady! He hasn’t lost his rhythm from the very beginning!"
"He’s catching up! He’s about to overtake Barton and the others!"
"Our Alka is about to make history!"
The crowd’s emotions were completely ignited.
Barton’s tenacity made their blood boil with excitement.
But Li Wen’s demeanor—remaining utterly calm under immense pressure, as if taking a leisurely stroll—made them feel an unfathomable power and inspired a deep-seated trust.
Everyone firmly believed that this God of Slaughter, who had created a miracle in the Enlightenment Tower, was just as deceptively powerful in this contest of will.
The core of one’s will is to be unmoved by external things.
The clamor on the stairs, the fanaticism of the audience, the shifting ranks... none of it could cause a single ripple on the lake of Li Wen’s heart.
His powerful Primordial Spirit allowed him to perceive with extreme clarity the lonely, will-based power that saturated the stairs.
This power was like an invisible tide, crashing wave after wave against the dams of the climbers’ minds.
And Li Wen was immersed in it.
He actively guided this power, letting it wash over and temper his own will again and again.
’With the Martial Dao passive skill "Eternal Heart," I’m in no hurry at all. What place I take depends entirely on my mood.’
’After all, with the Eternal Heart, I have complete control and am immune to all negative buffs.’
’Even reaching the summit right now would be a trivial matter.’
’But I don’t plan on doing that. It would be far too high-profile.’
’I have to remember, tens of thousands of Immortal-level experts are watching us at all times, not to mention the Yanxin Semi-Saint who appeared earlier.’
’If I act rashly, I might get captured and vivisected by these experts.’
’Keeping a low profile, remaining steady, and using the rules to temper myself—that’s the wisest choice.’
’Let everyone see me struggle to climb, see me advance steadily by relying on my powerful will.’
’That will attract less unnecessary trouble than leaving everyone else in the dust.’
’My goal has always been the final ranking and the Source Net’s resources, not some pointless, momentary fame.’
「...」
「The Central Building.」
While Li Wen and the others were striving to climb the staircase, inside the magnificent, dark-gold building, the Immortal experts sipped on rare Spiritual Liquid, their gazes occasionally sweeping over the live projection of the solitary staircase in the void.
Beside Chen, several Immortals on good terms with him raised their glasses again, their voices filled with sincere congratulations.
"Chen, congratulations! The Alka Empire is guaranteed two spots in the top one thousand this time. It’s a sure thing!"
"That’s right. When the Enlightenment Tower trial ended, that little fellow Barton was ranked 1124th, so breaking into the top thousand was still up in the air."
"But looking at his performance on the solitary staircase now, with that ferocity and resilience, the willpower trial will definitely earn him a lot of points. That spot is secure!"
"As for Li Wen..." another Immortal said, shaking his head with a smile, his tone one of absolute certainty.
"Forget the top thousand—a spot in the top hundred, or even higher, is already in the bag for him. Even if he stumbles a bit in the later trials, based on his achievement in the Enlightenment Tower alone, the Source Net will definitely make an exception and place him in the core training program."
Facing his old friends’ congratulations, Chen wore a calm smile and nodded slightly.
"Thank you for your auspicious words. Li Wen and Barton have indeed not disappointed the Alka Empire."
Though his tone was level, the unconcealable relief and joy in his eyes could not be hidden.
The Alka Empire had been quiet in the universe’s genius battles for too long. The embarrassment of coming away empty-handed for so many sessions was finally being washed away.
Securing two spots in the top thousand in a single go, especially with the terrifying potential Li Wen had displayed, was enough for the Alka Empire to hold its head high among the many advanced civilizations of human space, its prestige soaring.
For Immortal beings like them, who stood at the apex of the universe, aside from peerless opportunities that could lead to higher realms, what they cared about most was face and the glory of their legacy.
Their long lives had given them an obsession with "reputation."
An Immortal’s face was sometimes more important than the rarest of resources.
The glory of the Alka Empire was his glory—Chen’s glory.
「...」
Time passed quietly, and another half a day went by.
The scene on the solitary staircase had become incredibly sparse.
Of the tens of millions of contestants, fewer than ten thousand were still persevering.
In that half-day, the top geniuses of the first echelon had advanced less than ten thousand steps.
Their speed was more than ten times slower than before.
Even Ling Xuzi, who held the top spot, experienced a visible stagnation in his body every time he lifted his foot to take the next step.
It was as if he were fighting against invisible shackles, needing to struggle in place for a moment to gather enough willpower before he could successfully move forward.
The transcendent aura that enveloped him was also finally showing signs of fatigue.
Barton’s rank, against all odds, had surged upward again in this difficult latter half, breaking into the top one hundred.
This was undoubtedly another piece of good news that lifted the spirits of the Alka Empire’s citizens.
However, the focus of every spectator’s gaze now converged on another figure—Li Wen.
His speed, from beginning to end, had not changed!
One step, one stair.
It was so steady it was unnerving.
Against the backdrop of countless contestants struggling, slowing, and stalling, his uniform pace was equivalent to a terrifying form of acceleration.
His rank had skyrocketed, and he was now firmly within the top one hundred and fifty.
He was now only about thirty spots away from Barton!
He climbed step by step, unwavering, his figure appearing exceptionally straight and tall on the sparse staircase.
That uniform rhythm drew countless gazes, filled with shock, admiration, or jealousy.
The cheers in the Alka Empire’s viewing space reached a new crescendo.
It was almost enough to shatter the spatial barriers of the Virtual Cosmos.
Everyone’s hearts were captivated by that steadily advancing figure.
They awaited the next moment when he would surpass Barton and charge toward an even higher rank.