Sword of Immortal Annihilation

Devoid of Passion and Principle

*Riding the wind, I shall ascend to the azure clouds.*

Chu Ran lightly tapped his toes, treading on emptiness and riding the wind, soaring upward on the whirlwind.

The ten-thousand-*zhang* immortal stairs were like level ground beneath his feet.

He seemed to tread upon clouds, standing with hands clasped behind his back high in the air, his robes snapping, his sleeves fluttering.

Swiftly, he traversed from the foot of the immortal stairs to the midway point.

**Before the Jade Purity Hall of the Shangqing Sect**

Superior Immortal Yueci's expression turned grim. Staring at the cool, aloof youth in the Qiankun Mirror, he said in a heavy voice, "So reckless! So arrogant!"

↑ Completely forgetting how lavishly he had praised the person just moments ago.

Sitting beside him, True Person Changhe's handsome, immortal-like face was cold. His serene gaze remained fixed, unmoving, on the youth riding the wind straight upward in the mirror.

Since the Ascending Immortal Stairs were used by the Shangqing Sect to select disciples, they were inevitably extraordinary.

Since the Shangqing Sect's founding, no cultivator had dared to fly through the air over the Ascending Immortal Stairs.

Even True Immortals of superior immortal rank had always respectfully walked up step by step.

After all, seated within the Shangqing Sect's Daoist Palace was the Shangqing Heavenly Venerable, whose cultivation had reached the realm of a Sage.

No one with any sense dared to put on airs before a Sage.

As for Chu Ran—

Of course, he wasn't putting on airs. With his meager cultivation, any random cultivator from the Shangqing Sect could finish him off.

Nor would anyone believe he was deliberately flaunting his pride, challenging the Shangqing Sect's authority.

After all...

A mere third-level Qi Refinement junior cultivator—even if you lent him the courage of the heavens, he wouldn't dare.

Everyone merely thought him young and brash, arrogant and ignorant.

These were the Ascending Immortal Stairs personally created by the Shangqing Heavenly Venerable when the Shangqing Sect was founded!

The immortal stairs were imbued with trials of inner demons and illusions, used to test a cultivator's heart, wisdom, and willpower.

Additionally, they contained an immeasurable, imposing aura. Every cultivator passing through the immortal stairs would be suppressed by an aura far exceeding their own cultivation level. Anyone weak-willed, hesitant, or indecisive would be overwhelmed and subdued by this supreme, powerful aura.

↑ The above only applies to cultivators who honestly walk the Ascending Immortal Stairs.

As for those like Chu Ran who take unconventional paths, flying overhead for a shortcut, well...

The always arrogant, domineering, and peerless Shangqing Heavenly Venerable will let you know the consequence of arriving at this venerable one's domain and not descending to pay your respects!

In the eyes of Superior Immortal Yueci and the disciples behind him, Chu Ran was the very model of "if you don't seek death, you won't die."

Because he wasn't honestly climbing the stairs, he now not only had to undergo the dual trials of the inner demon illusions and the intimidating supreme aura, but also... well, also endure the punishment personally set down by the Shangqing Heavenly Venerable aimed at all immortals and cultivators who show him disrespect and irreverence.

Superior Immortal Yueci stared at the youth in the mirror, feeling three words in his heart: *I've lived long enough to see this.*

There really *was* someone who dared to fly over the Shangqing Sect's head.

Damn it, and it's actually just a Qi Refinement-level youth!

The expression on Yueci's handsome face quickly contorted. He could only hope the Heavenly Venerable wouldn't bother with an ignorant youth and would spare him... *He's just a child!*

But regardless,

Chu Ran would still have to experience the inner demon illusions and the supreme aura, just like the youths climbing the stairs below.

If he didn't pass these two trials...

Superior Immortal Yueci looked at the youth riding the wind through the air in the mirror, silently calculating the distance between the youth in the air and the ground. Well... if he fell, it would basically be a splattered mess, the kind even a great Luo Immortal couldn't save.

This really was...

Superior Immortal Yueci wore an expression of unbearable horror. *Why must you court death so!*

In contrast, the Immortal Lord Changhe sitting beside him had a cool, detached expression on his handsome, otherworldly face. His brows didn't move, his serene gaze fixed on the youth in the mirror.

Seemingly unmoved, seemingly cold-hearted and unfeeling.

The disciples behind him, seeing the Immortal Lord's expression like this, had no doubt that if this youth really fell to his death, the Immortal Lord's expression wouldn't change in the slightest.

Just as Chu Ran passed the midway point of the immortal stairs—

Superior Immortal Yueci and the numerous disciples behind him before the Jade Purity Hall held their breath simultaneously.

Their eyes remained fixed, unmoving, on the youth in the mirror.

The trials of the Ascending Immortal Stairs progressed from bottom to top, becoming increasingly difficult the higher one went.

The inner demon illusions and the supreme aura essentially began to exert their full force around the midway point of the immortal stairs.

Everyone thought that at this moment, Chu Ran would inevitably face the threat.

If his heart was resolute and he could pass these two trials, then he would be temporarily safe.

If not, once ensnared by the inner demon illusions or crushed by the imposing aura, he would immediately lose his senses and fighting spirit.

Then, falling from high in the air...

*The scene would be too beautiful, I dare not look!*

However—

They were disappointed.

They saw Chu Ran, when passing the midway point of the immortal stairs, didn't pause his steps in the slightest, his figure showing no stagnation. As if nothing were amiss, he continued upward all the way.

—It was as if he encountered no obstruction at all.

*This is impossible!*

Superior Immortal Yueci stared at the Qiankun Mirror, his face full of disbelief.

The inner demon illusions and supreme aura on these Ascending Immortal Stairs were personally set by the Heavenly Venerable back then.

He still remembered the time when the Shangqing Heavenly Venerable sat within the Jade Purity Hall atop the mountain, his voice transmitting across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths: "This venerable one establishes a sect here to preach the Dao and resolve doubts. Today, I accept disciples. Regardless of origin or cultivation, any who can pass the trial of these immortal stairs and come before me within three days shall be accepted as my disciple."

This event shook the world at the time.

The name Shangqing Heavenly Venerable was known throughout the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths—a direct disciple of the Dao Ancestor, a Sage.

The reaction of the countless cultivators across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths back then was probably something like, *Heavens, no! The Shangqing Heavenly Venerable is accepting disciples!*

People spread the news far and wide. Countless cultivators gathered at the foot of the Shangqing Sect's mountain, wishing to pass the immortal stairs and become a disciple of Shangqing.

↑ The spectacle was no less crowded than a National Day train station, though still not quite matching the Spring Festival travel rush...

Later, this precedent was passed down.

The Shangqing Sect's disciple recruitment continued using this method, though the difficulty of the Ascending Immortal Stairs was reduced.

Otherwise, using the standard for a Sage accepting disciples to recruit ordinary disciples, the Shangqing Sect would never receive a single disciple in this lifetime.

Superior Immortal Yueci was just a minor cultivator with cultivation below Foundation Establishment back then. He didn't catch the good old days, but he had heard the rumors about the Ascending Immortal Stairs being harder than reaching the blue sky. Leaving aside how devastating the situation was when the Shangqing Heavenly Venerable accepted disciples back then, even in later times, each time the Shangqing Sect recruited disciples, less than one in ten of those who could successfully climb the immortal stairs and arrive before the Jade Purity Hall made it.

At most, one out of ten made it up.

And yet this youth—

He seemed to encounter no obstacles, proceeding smoothly all the way.

*Could the formation of the immortal stairs be broken?*

Superior Immortal Yueci widened his eyes, that thought flashing through his mind for an instant.

*No, no, with the Heavenly Venerable presiding, how could the formation have problems?*

He hurriedly shifted the scene in the Qiankun Mirror. The mirror flickered.

It reflected countless youths standing in place on the immortal stairs, their expressions either pained, confused, struggling... already trapped in illusions, unable to break free.

The scene flickered again. This time, they saw many people kneeling on the jade-white immortal stairs, weeping bitterly, trembling uncontrollably, some even fainting directly from fright.

...

Seeing this, Superior Immortal Yueci's brows finally relaxed.

*Seeing these youths still suffering so miserably put his mind at ease.*

It seemed the immortal stairs' formation wasn't broken. Then... the problem must lie with that youth!

The Qiankun Mirror flickered once more.

The scene switched back to Chu Ran riding the wind, soaring upward on the whirlwind.

Superior Immortal Yueci stared at him, thinking, *What kind of freak is this!?*

To be unaffected by the inner demon illusions and the supreme aura, passing through unimpeded.

The Immortal Lord Changhe sitting beside him, his gaze fixed on the youth in the mirror, finally slowly spoke: "The firmness of his heart, the lack of passion and principle... it's rare to see in this era."

Hearing this, Superior Immortal Yueci was instantly startled.

He turned his head, looking at him, and said, "A firm heart—no dispute there. But 'devoid of passion and principle'..."

Those words couldn't be spoken carelessly!

Labeling a perfectly fine youth as "devoid of passion and principle"—that's not a good reputation.

Immortal Lord Changhe's expression was faint as he said, "Even one with a heart as firm as the Sword Master felt a moment of confusion when ascending the immortal stairs."

"Even a steadfast Dao Heart can gather dust. Only one devoid of emotions and desires can have a heart free of worldly dust, making illusions and imposing aura have no effect on him." Immortal Lord Changhe said slowly. "The trials of the immortal stairs fundamentally arise from the heart and are born from desire."

"How can a person be without emotion? Without a heart? Without desire?"

Hearing this, Yueci felt even more shocked.

He looked towards the youth in the mirror, a scrutinizing light appearing in his eyes.

It was indeed as True Person Changhe said...

Could this youth truly achieve being devoid of emotion, desire, heart, and yearning?

After a long moment—

"I don't believe it," Superior Immortal Yueci spoke up, his voice stern. "How can there truly be someone in this world devoid of emotion and desire? That would no longer be a person, but merely a piece of wood, a stone, not a human."

Immortal Lord Changhe didn't refute his words upon hearing this, merely keeping his gaze fixed on the youth in the mirror.

His thoughts were precisely opposite to Superior Immortal Yueci's. So-called emotion and desire are merely relative.

When emotion reaches its utmost depth, it becomes emotionless. When desire reaches its utmost firmness, it becomes desireless.

Immortal Lord Changhe thought to himself, *This youth must be someone who loves with profound depth, whose desires are simple, whose heart is single-minded, leaving no room for anything else.* That's why he remained unaffected by the immortal stairs.

↑ That's right, young man Chu Ran is someone who loves himself with such profound depth, single-mindedly focused on just surviving. Beyond that, he doesn't care about others' life or death, nor about others' feelings.

*You love me, you don't love me. You hate me, you don't hate me...*

In a word, *what the hell does it have to do with me?*

At this moment—

A disciple standing behind Immortal Lord Changhe spoke up, trembling and fearful: "Immortal Lord, that should be 'without desire or yearning'..."

*Devoid of passion and principle* isn't used that way!

It's clearly a commendatory term, yet you've used it as a derogatory one. What a sin!

Hearing this, Immortal Lord Changhe turned his head. His serene gaze glanced at the disciple with lofty coldness, his handsome, otherworldly face wearing an expression of "*This youngster is beyond teaching!*" coldly looking down.

"..." The disciple behind him.

*Immortal Lord, this disciple kowtows to you!*

# *Mysteriously Self-Confident* #

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**At this time.**

Chu Ran continued using the "Treading Emptiness and Riding the Wind" technique, heading towards the very top of the Ascending Immortal Stairs.

The youths diligently enduring the supreme imposing aura, gritting their teeth with pale faces, suddenly felt a fierce gust of wind sweep past overhead.

They all raised their heads, and then—

Their expressions were like this: Σ(°△°|||)︴

*Good heavens!*

*What am I seeing!?*

*There's a ghost!*