Chapter 2436

The Ascension Ladder beside them was indeed specially crafted by the Black Emperor. Its purpose was to serve as a final assessment for disciples before they left the sect, ensuring their personal safety. Furthermore, this ladder could solidify one’s state of mind. The Black Emperor had made them climb it no less than ten times specifically to strengthen their mental fortitude.

When Zhuge Hongwen and the others heard the news and arrived, they were struck by the transformation. The once barren wasteland now looked like a dream, beautiful and ethereal. They rubbed their eyes in disbelief. Was this really the empty, desolate land from just days ago? All they could do was watch Zhu Yanyi and her companions, hoping for some explanation.

Zhu Yanyi coughed lightly. "This place will serve as the character assessment center and the trial for those wishing to leave the sect alone. Every disciple must undergo a character assessment. To leave the sect independently, one must pass the Ascension Ladder trial ten times. Only then can you go out alone. You, as Hall Masters and teachers, do not need to accompany them. Once a disciple passes the ten climbs, it proves they are ready for independence."

Zhuge Hongwen looked around and said, "Sect Master, your speed is truly impressive. It’s already finished." Although she knew Zhu Yanyi had been planning something, she hadn’t expected it to be completed so quickly.

"It’s alright. We weren’t actually that fast; we discussed it quite a bit in between," Zhu Yanyi said with a smile. She then looked at Zhuge Hongwen and the others. "Would you like to try?"

"Sure." Zhuge Hongwen and the others nodded. Without trying, they wouldn’t know what it was like, so it was good to experience it.

Zhuge Hongwen, Ouyang Tianyun, Si Haitao, and all other management members, except for Sect Master Zhu Yanyi, entered the character testing formation.

Zhu Yanyi activated the formation. Zhuge Hongwen found herself transported back over two hundred years, into that calamity.

She was back in the disaster where she had been betrayed by a friend. At this moment, Zhuge Hongwen realized she actually had a heart knot. She had always believed she had no such issues and thought she had forgotten the events of two hundred years ago. But now she knew the truth: the knot was hidden deep in her heart, unknown to others.

She realized that if not for this moment, she would never have discovered this flaw. She might have only understood it when she went mad from cultivation deviation and died.

Seeing this, he felt anger at first, but then slowly calmed down.

She thought of the Azure Sovereign Sect. Because of the sect, she knew she hadn’t lost all opportunities despite losing her eyes.

Although his eyes had minor flaws, they undeniably opened a new door for him.

The Azure Sovereign Sect was a big family. If he hadn’t experienced that past, he wouldn’t have joined. Only by joining did he realize how correct his choice was. This was the best outcome.

As he cleared his mind, spiritual energy surged into his body. He broke through the peak of the Immortal King realm and smoothly entered the early stage of the Immortal Saint realm.

Perhaps sensing someone was advancing, tribulation clouds gathered.

Zhu Yanyi looked at the sky and said to the Immortal Emperor, "Move the tribulation clouds to the barren area nearby. Let them go there to enjoy the lightning after they come out. Do not damage the scenery here."

The Immortal Emperor looked at the clouds, thinking of his hard work, and didn’t want the scenery ruined. He nodded and pointed to a spot where the weeds were still growing. The tribulation clouds waited there, ready to strike once the people emerged.

Zhuge Hongwen came out first. He was immediately sent to bathe in the tribulation lightning. Then, others emerged one by one. Some broke through their cultivation levels, while others did not, but everyone’s state of mind was solidified.

When everything was over, Zhu Yanyi said, "From now on, this area is the Tribulation Zone. Only our Azure Sovereign Sect has this exclusive place. So, come here for tribulations in the future. It saves you from destroying our sect’s public property."

Zhuge Hongwen was speechless. The tribulation clouds were fixed here? But thinking about it, it seemed not bad.

Others, except Ouyang Tianyun, were stunned. Honglian said, "The tribulation clouds can actually be fixed?"

Zhu Yanyi smiled slightly. "I have a friend who is friends with the tribulation clouds. That friend is good friends with the clouds. I told my friend, and my friend told her friend—the clouds. Then the clouds agreed to my friend’s suggestion and promised to drop lightning in this fixed place."

This chain of friendships left everyone dizzy. The problem was, what exactly was a "friend of the tribulation clouds"?

Except for Zhuge Hongwen and Ouyang Tianyun, everyone else felt they didn’t understand Zhu Yanyi. They all looked at her, hoping to read something from her face.

However, Zhu Yanyi showed no sign of wanting to explain. Instead, she wore an expression that said, My friend is great.

Fine. Meeting such an eccentric Sect Master, they were quite exasperated.

Zhu Yanyi changed the subject with a smile. "Do you still want to try the Ascension Ladder?"

"Yes." Zhuge Hongwen spoke first. "Since we tried the testing formation, we should naturally try the ladder too."

"Then go ahead and try," Zhu Yanyi waved her hand.

The Ascension Ladder had different levels, a technique of the Black Emperor. The difficulty increased based on each person’s cultivation. For example, the difficulty for an early Heavenly Person was that of a late Heavenly Person. For a late Heavenly Person, it was that of an early Immortal. It escalated by two stages. Therefore, Zhuge Hongwen’s difficulty was that of a late-stage Immortal Saint.

The difference between early and late stages in the Heavenly Person realm was small, but for Immortal Saints, the gap between early and late stages was absolute and difficult. Besides Zhuge Hongwen, Honglian and Si Haitao were at the peak of the Immortal King realm, so they faced the difficulty of a mid-stage Immortal Saint.

Zhu Yanyi felt that as long as they could persist, it was good. So, she watched them struggle to climb the ladder.

To leave alone, one needed to climb the ladder ten times. Just thinking about it was terrifying.

But since the Black Emperor said so, there must be a reason. So, Zhu Yanyi raised no objections.

For this, Zhu Yanyi gathered all disciples of the Azure Sovereign Sect to watch the spectacle. What insights they gained from the spectacle depended on their own aptitude.