Chapter 9: Brother Bai, Care for a Pill?

Where the handkerchief passed, the deliberately applied pallid makeup was quickly wiped away, revealing the natural complexion beneath.

His skin was fair as well, but it was clear, luminous, and healthy.

His features had always been exceptionally fine to begin with, and now that the disguise was removed, a faint air of refined elegance shone through.

The Inner Sect Disciple guarding the mountain gate looked into his clear eyes and let his furrowed brow relax slightly.

He swept his spiritual sense over Bai Chen's body, found nothing unusual, gave a nod, and stepped aside to clear the path.

"Once you enter the mountain, follow the stone steps straight up to the plaza of the Spirit-Gathering Hall and line up in order to have your Spiritual Root tested."

Bai Chen bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Senior Brother."

The man gave a slight nod and turned his gaze back to the crowd still waiting to ascend the mountain.

Bai Chen wasted no more time and quickened his pace to catch up with Chen Jinbao ahead of him.

Seeing Bai Chen approach, Chen Jinbao immediately grabbed him and hurried forward a few steps up the stairs, glanced back with lingering unease, then looked at Bai Chen.

"Goodness, I thought that Senior Brother wasn't going to let you up the mountain! Thank goodness, thank goodness!"

He looked Bai Chen up and down, clicking his tongue repeatedly.

"I say, Brother Bai, I genuinely thought you were in poor health before — how did you pull that off? It looked so convincing!"

He raised his hand to poke Bai Chen's cheek to see if it was real or not, but just as he lifted it he remembered how rude that would be and pulled it back, letting out a couple of awkward chuckles.

"Speaking of which, Brother Bai, you're actually quite handsome — the most good-looking man I've ever seen. It's truly a shame to have such fine looks hidden away."

"What made you think to disguise yourself like that?"

Chen Jinbao's mouth rattled on without pause, and even after they had climbed more than a dozen steps together, Bai Chen couldn't get a word in.

Finally, when Chen Jinbao paused to ask his question, Bai Chen sighed and said: "Unlike you, Brother Chen, I don't come from a wealthy family with people to protect me on the road. Traveling alone, keeping a low profile saves trouble."

"That makes sense."

Chen Jinbao nodded slowly, then patted his round, plump belly and laughed:

"My father told me not to flaunt it either, but this belly of mine can't be hidden no matter what. Wherever I go, it's like I'm carrying a giant pumpkin around — no one would believe me if I said I was poor."

Bai Chen glanced at the belly bouncing under Chen Jinbao's pats and smiled. "Being wealthy is nice — you live comfortably."

Chen Jinbao shook his head, however.

"My family's business does have some connection to the immortal sects, but no one has ever actually stepped through those gates. The mortal world's silver means nothing inside a cultivation sect. If I don't get in, so be it — but if I do get in…"

He rubbed his belly and let out a sigh.

"I'm afraid this belly of mine will be gone before long."

Bai Chen raised an eyebrow slightly. "The way you talk, it sounds like you're rather attached to that belly fat?"

"Of course," Chen Jinbao laughed heartily. "After all, it's been with me for over a decade — we have a bond."

The two chatted and laughed as they climbed step by step.

At first the stone steps were relatively gentle, and Chen Jinbao could still ramble to Bai Chen about amusing stories from home, as well as all manner of rumors he had heard about the Hexu Sect.

But the higher they climbed, the steeper the steps became.

No matter how wide the mountain steps had been built, it could not change the fact that the mountain path was treacherous.

They had barely made it halfway before Chen Jinbao was struggling.

The vigor he had shown earlier had largely drained away, and the smile on his face had collapsed.

His mouth hung wide open as he gasped in ragged, broken breaths, and his feet felt as though they were weighed down by a thousand pounds of stone, making it nearly impossible to lift his legs.

Beads of sweat the size of soybeans rolled down his cheeks, and the front of his robe had long since been soaked through.

"Huff… huff… I can't go on… rest… let me rest a moment… Brother Bai, go ahead, don't wait for me…"

Chen Jinbao braced his chubby hands on his knees, legs trembling as he gasped for air.

He pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat — the gold-embroidered cloth was soaked through in an instant.

Worried about wasting Bai Chen's time, he waved his hand to urge Bai Chen to go on ahead without him.

"I can't move either, as it happens."

Bai Chen raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, took several deep breaths, and let his gaze sweep slowly from the mist-shrouded mountain above down to the steps below.

The crowd on the mountain steps had long since lost the orderly appearance it had when they first entered the gate.

Earlier, at the mountain gate, over ten thousand people had been guided by Hexu Sect disciples into ten separate lines, marching neatly up the stone steps in a rather impressive display.

But now, having covered only half the distance, the steep steps and the thin mountain wind had ground away everyone's fighting spirit.

More than half the people could no longer hold on.

The ten originally neat columns had long since become a crooked, broken serpentine trail split into seven or eight segments.

Ahead, a sparse scattering of people were still pressing on in twos and threes, gritting their teeth.

Every one of them had a flushed face, sweat-drenched robes, and unsteady steps that seemed to float on cotton — clearly pushed to their absolute limits.

Bai Chen took in the scene, quietly rubbed his aching thighs, and sighed inwardly.

In terms of height, this mountain leading to the Spirit-Gathering Hall looked far less imposing than Mount Tai.

Back in the day, when he had climbed Mount Tai — the treacherous Eighteen Bends and all — he had made it to the South Heaven Gate in half an hour.

He had been exhausted, yes, but never like this — as if every ounce of strength had been drained from him, making even lifting a foot a monumental effort.

And this body was only sixteen years old, with the Robust Physique talent to boot.

Before this, he had traveled from his hometown all the way to Shunhe Quarter, running and pressing forward the whole way, and had barely broken a sweat over the course of a full day.

But now the sweat was pouring out of him as if connected to a water main, gushing in torrents.

His clothes were soaked through, and every muscle in his body was protesting.

What's more, he could clearly feel that the higher he climbed, the more intense this sense of exhaustion became.

Something was off.

Bai Chen glanced down at the flowing spiritual energy patterns on the stone steps beneath his feet, and a sudden thought struck him.

Could it be… that this mountain stairway was actually an Array Formation?

Perhaps something like a gravity array had been set up here, growing stronger the higher one climbed.

That would both test the physical endurance of prospective disciples and silently filter out those who lacked the resolve to persevere.

Bai Chen looked up ahead.

Earlier, there had been at least ten thousand people in front of them.

After all this climbing, they had overtaken quite a few, and now fewer than a thousand were still pressing on ahead.

It was at this moment that Bai Chen gained a genuine appreciation for his Talent Traits.

The fact that he and Chen Jinbao had managed to overtake so many people and only stopped now was likely thanks to their respective talents.

If Chen Jinbao hadn't had his "Abundant Brute Strength" talent, a man of his build would probably have been unable to move at the foot of the mountain.

Since they had already stopped, Chen Jinbao simply plopped himself down on the steps and then fished a small porcelain vial from his robes.

The vial was decorated with delicate cloud patterns and had an air of refinement about it.

He pulled out the stopper and tipped out two round, plump, brownish pills, holding one out toward Bai Chen.

"Here, Brother Bai — these are the Spirit-Calming Qi-Replenishing Pills my father prepared for me. They're specifically for restoring stamina, better than osmanthus cake. Have one."

A pill for restoring stamina?

Bai Chen looked at the pill, his heart stirring slightly, then waved his hand and politely declined.

"No need, Brother Chen. I can still hold on."