On the high platform, the elders watched the young man's humble plea and desperate attempt to distance himself, then glanced at the two children below who, despite their fear, stood their ground. For a moment, they were silent.
Seeing that the elders did not reprimand him, Lin Changkong felt slightly relieved. Taking advantage of this pause, he quickly turned and walked down from the testing platform.
He went straight to Luo Qinghan and Qin Hao.
When Luo Qinghan saw him coming down, her eyes reddened, and she was about to speak, but Lin Changkong raised his hand to stop her.
"Qinghan, Qin Hao!"
Lin Changkong looked at these two who came from the same village as him, his voice low yet more earnest than ever:
"Thank you, truly!"
He paused, then continued:
"But your talents are extraordinary, and your future is limitless. You cannot waste such gifts.
Join the sect, cultivate well, and achieve great things in the future.
We came here to become immortal cultivators, didn't we?
You must not abandon your bright future for my sake.
Don't be willful. Otherwise, all our efforts will be in vain."
"But, Brother Lin..."
Luo Qinghan's eyes were filled with pain, tears welling up, wanting to say "but what about you," yet Lin Changkong gently shook his head, interrupting her.
"Listen, Qinghan!"
Lin Changkong's tone softened, as he had comforted them countless times over the past eleven years:
"You don't need to worry about me; I'll be fine.
If you truly want to do right by me, then join the Azure Cloud Sect and cultivate well.
Once your cultivation is successful, then you can help me."
His gaze swept over their faces, becoming solemn:
"And what you're doing now, it only puts all three of us in danger, without any meaning.
Do you... understand?"
The last few words were spoken with weight.
Luo Qinghan and Qin Hao shuddered.
They were not foolish.
On the contrary, surviving in such a mountain village and avoiding so many dangers on the way here, they were far more mature than their peers.
They understood the deeper meaning in Lin Changkong's words.
This was not the mundane world of the common folk; this was the cultivation world.
A place where the strong were revered, and the weak were prey.
How could a great sect like the Azure Cloud Sect allow two top-grade spirit root geniuses to wander outside?
If they couldn't be used...
Luo Qinghan's face turned even paler, unable to continue the thought.
Qin Hao was silent for a moment, a maturity beyond his years appearing on his young face.
He looked up seriously at Lin Changkong:
"I understand, Brother Lin!"
He said each word clearly: "I will join the Azure Cloud Sect and cultivate well.
Once I succeed in my cultivation, I will find a way to change your talent; there must be a way."
Hearing this, Luo Qinghan also came to her senses.
She bit her lip hard, forcing herself to hold back her tears.
She understood.
Right now, she couldn't change anything.
She wasn't strong enough to help her Brother Lin.
"Brother Lin!"
She looked up, her beautiful eyes now burning with unprecedented determination:
"Qinghan understands. Wait for me. When I become stronger, in the future... it will be Qinghan who protects Brother Lin."
Seeing the light in their eyes, Lin Changkong finally felt at ease.
He showed a genuine smile, reaching out to ruffle Luo Qinghan's hair and patting Qin Hao's shoulder.
"Good, that's the way."
He said with a lighter tone:
"In the future, I'll rely on you two to look after Brother Lin."
Luo Qinghan looked at his familiar smile, and much of her worry finally eased. She nodded vigorously.
From afar, on the high platform, a beautiful elder watched this scene, her eyes flickering slightly.
She understood what the young man was saying; he was comforting those two children, persuading them to stay.
He was also... protecting them.
A young man with a mortal-grade spirit root, at such a time, thought not of pleading to stay but first ensured the safety and future of his companions.
Such a mindset...
She glanced sideways at the Steward Elder beside her.
The elder's expression remained calm, revealing no emotion, but he did not urge them either.
After saying all this, Lin Changkong did not look back.
He took a deep breath, turned around, and looked at the cloud-shrouded stone steps beside the mountain gate.
With his back straight, he stepped forward.
Lin Changkong took a deep breath and walked towards the Heaven Ascension Steps.
However, just as he took his first step, a voice that had been sealed for fifteen years suddenly exploded in his mind without warning.
[Charging complete, Harmony System activated, binding to host Lin Changkong...]
Lin Changkong's steps suddenly halted.
[Activation successful!]
[The host has the following two choices!]
[Choice one: Immediately gain Great Emperor cultivation, one supreme emperor weapon, and a set of Great Emperor-level attack secret arts. The system will disappear, and cultivation will permanently remain at the Great Emperor Realm, unable to advance further.]
[Choice two: The host will experience a comprehensive perfect advancement by one cultivation level each year. No restrictions, no upper limit, continuous enhancement possible.]
The golden, illusory panel, visible only to him, quietly hovered before his eyes.
Lin Changkong was stunned.
Fifteen years.
From the first day he crossed into this world, he had been waiting.
Waiting for a golden finger, waiting for an old grandfather, waiting for everything a web novel protagonist should have.
He waited one year, two years, five years, ten years... until he almost despaired, thinking he was just an ordinary passerby in this world.
Now, at his most desperate, most humble moment, about to fight like a stray dog:
It came.
Lin Changkong's eyes reddened in an instant.
Not because of the choice, not because of those tempting rewards.
But because he finally saw hope.
Fifteen years of anxiety, fifteen years of silent perseverance, at this moment, all had meaning.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and looked at the two choices.
Great Emperor cultivation.
He didn't know exactly how powerful a Great Emperor was, but he knew all too well what the title "Great Emperor" meant in the web novel world.
It was the pinnacle of existence, capable of boiling seas and burning rivers, plucking stars and seizing the moon, shattering mountains and rivers with a single thought.
If he chose this, he could turn around now and trample all those high and mighty elders underfoot.
What top-grade spirit root, what Azure Cloud Sect, could be destroyed with a flick of the finger.
However...
In the depths of Lin Changkong's eyes, a trace of caution that only a transmigrator would understand flashed.
He was too familiar with the web novel tropes.
There are always stronger people, and higher heavens.
Defeat the small ones, and the older ones come; defeat the older ones, and the ancestors appear.
He had no idea how deep the waters of this world ran.
The Great Emperor Realm sounded impressive, but who could guarantee there were no higher realms above it?
Who could guarantee there were no hidden ancient monsters in this world?
What if?
What if he chose the first option, the system disappeared, and his cultivation was permanently stuck?
What would he use to fend off a more terrifying foe if one appeared?
And the second option...
Advancing one cultivation level comprehensively each year. No restrictions, no upper limit.
What did this mean?
It meant that as long as he didn't die, as long as he had time, he could become infinitely stronger.
If one year wasn't enough, then ten years; if ten years weren't enough, then a hundred years. If a hundred years weren't enough, he still had a thousand, ten thousand years.
The river flows east for a hundred years, west for a hundred years; who knows how many steps the immortal path has, but one day, he might soar to the clouds.
As long as he lived long enough, one day, he would become truly invincible.
Lin Changkong didn't hesitate for long.
He chose the second option.
However, after making the choice, he didn't rush to enhance his cultivation.
New text appeared on the golden panel:
[Choice confirmed. Current level: Mortal (upgrade transformation prepared). Time until next automatic enhancement: 365 days.]
Lin Changkong felt reassured, knowing he would soon officially enter the Qi Refining Stage.
From then on, one level per year, steady and sure, with no bottlenecks.
And now...
He looked up at the cloud-shrouded stone steps before him, seemingly leading straight to the heavens.
Three thousand Heaven Ascension Steps, inscribed with formation arts, capable of weighing on the heart and refining the body.
Around him, the disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect and those participating in the test were watching him, their gazes filled with sympathy, mockery, and schadenfreude.
On the high platform, the elders were also watching.