Am I the old man who's always by my apprentices' side?

Chapter 257 Ascending the Immortal Path (Part 1)
Although the name "Cola Inn" was really absurd, Shi Yizhi and his companions still chose to stay there.

Because the other inns were even more shabby, only this inn was barely habitable.

Of the four, Shi Yizhi and Gao Wencai were both big spenders, so they both wanted separate rooms. Jiang Wanli, in order to save money, discussed it with Anderding and they decided to share a room.

Shortly after they booked the room, the Cola Inn was also fully booked.

"I'm really sorry, we can't set up a tent here. The courtyard at the Huiyou place is big, you guys can go and ask around, maybe they can set up a tent and make do!"

The owner of the Cola Inn forced a fawning smile and kept apologizing to the many guests in the lobby.

With three days to go before the Immortal Destiny Conference, not only is Ye Family Town full, but other nearby villages and towns, and even the Sword Forging Manor, which is criticized for its exorbitant prices, are also overflowing with people.

The Chang'an City teleportation station had to temporarily stop sending people to Baishi Mountain. Many people who had originally planned to teleport to Baishi Mountain were told that they could only be teleported on the day of the Immortal Destiny Conference. This forced them to stay in Chang'an City, and the southern part of the city has become much more lively in the past few days.

As Zhang Chengdao had predicted, there were many more people participating in the Immortal Destiny Conference this time than last time. Even the most arrogant Southern Chu Kingdom sent a large number of people who were clearly there on imperial orders.

In addition, people came from all the countries that were known, including Bohai Kingdom, Jinsha Kingdom, and Dachanghe Kingdom, whether large or small, famous or unknown.

Just like the Khwarazmian Empire, which was thousands of miles away from the Zhou Kingdom, there was also an Anderdinand.

In a sense, this could be described as a grand gathering of nations paying tribute.

……

Three days later, after finally enduring until the first day of the first month of the first year of the Immortal Era, just after midnight, Ye Family Town gradually became noisy.

Many impatient people decided to rush to the foot of Baishi Mountain overnight in order to avoid missing the Immortal Encounter Conference.

Shi Yizhi had originally planned to get a good night's sleep and recharge before heading to Baishi Mountain the next morning. However, seeing that more and more people were leaving the town, leaving only a few behind, he became somewhat anxious.

It wasn't until Gao Wencai knocked on the door and asked when he was leaving that Shi Yizhi gave up sleeping and discussed with Gao Wencai the idea of ​​going to Baishi Mountain that very night.

As soon as he opened the door, he saw Jiang Wanli and Anderding walking towards him from around the corner of the stairs. They were also unable to sleep because of the noise around them.

Jiang Wanli greeted them, "Brother Yi, Brother Gao, you can't sleep either?"

Shi Yizhi smiled wryly and said, "With this much noise, I'm afraid no one can sleep."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a loud thud was heard downstairs, followed by clanging and banging, as if some martial artists had started fighting each other again.

The reason I say "again" is because I've been seeing this kind of scene every day these past few days!
As the saying goes, wherever there are people, there is a world of martial arts. Anyone who has the confidence to participate in the Immortal Destiny Conference or can afford the high teleportation fee is either a member of an extremely wealthy family or a martial artist who is long-term off-the-job and does not farm.

Normally, a group of ten or eight people like this would cause trouble, but this largest inn in Yejia Town has at least several hundred guests!

If this continues, how can we expect things not to go wrong?

Shi Yizhi shook his head helplessly and sighed, "Well, Brother Gao and I are thinking that, to avoid any unforeseen complications, we should follow their example and travel through the night to reach Baishi Mountain first. What do you two think?"

Jiang Wanli quickly said, "Brother Yi and I are thinking the same thing! Brother An and I also think so!"

After exchanging these words, Jiang Wanli and Anderding looked at Gao Wencai again, only to see Gao Wencai shrug and say, "Brother Yi, I was the one who came to you. I had the same idea!"

In a few words, the four of them reached a consensus, settled their bills together, and set off on their journey together.

At this point, the map that had been bought at a high price from the small vendor a few days earlier came in handy.

According to the map index, it is less than 20 li from Yejia Town to the mountain gate of Baishi Immortal Sect, which is not far.

In fact, if you look northwest from where Yejia Town is located, you can already clearly see the giant mountain in the sky. Sometimes you can even see "immortals" flying through the clouds and mist of the mountain. Every time you see this, you can't help but be captivated.

The four of them walked twenty miles in just one hour. Along the way, they encountered many other travelers, and the group grew larger and larger. What were originally just two or three scattered travelers soon gathered into a huge group. However, the group was sparse, long, and disorganized.

The mountain gate of the White Stone Immortal Sect is built of bluestone. Although it is simple, it is very grand and stands on the original path leading up White Stone Mountain.

To get closer to the mountain gate, one had to go around to the east, and that's when the group from Ye Family Town ran into the people from Sword Casting Manor.

The two groups greeted each other and merged into a force of several thousand people, which soon stopped in front of the mountain gate.

Because behind the mountain gate was a bottomless abyss, and there was an invisible "wall" blocking the way, no one could actually go in, so everyone had to wait where they were.

After waiting for an unknown amount of time, as the sky began to lighten, "immortals" finally flew down from White Stone Mountain. More and more people gathered at the foot of the mountain. They inquired among themselves and discovered that many of them had just arrived through the teleportation station, their clothes still damp with the dew of the early morning.

The "fairy" who flew down from White Stone Mountain was dressed in scarlet robes, her hair was styled into two exquisite buns, and she wore a golden hairpin adorned with rubies. Her posture was extremely beautiful, like a goddess or fairy...

Of course, in the eyes of everyone preparing to participate in the Immortal Destiny Assembly, Murong Ruyan's attire already made her appear as a "fairy." "The White Stone Immortal Sect is built in the heavens. If you wish to participate in the Immortal Destiny Assembly, you must ascend the 'Ascension Steps.' If you cannot ascend, then you have no chance with my White Stone Immortal Sect!"

Originally, the task of guiding these people down the mountain should have been done by Chang Ping'an, but Chang Ping'an was temporarily sent out to inspect the teleportation stations in various places, so Murong Ruyan had to take over.

Looking at the crowd of people crammed together in front of her, she showed some impatience, but still managed to say all the necessary information: "There are 'Immortal Fortune Gifts' on the 'Ascension Steps,' but the 'Immortal Fortune Gifts' are limited. If you want to take one, you'll have to rely on your own abilities."

"However, if you take the 'Immortal Fate Gift' and end up not having the strength to climb the 'Ascension Steps,' then you will naturally be unable to participate in the Immortal Fate Assembly. If you unfortunately fall on the 'Ascension Steps,' then all the 'Immortal Fate Gifts' you took before will have to stay on the 'Ascension Steps' and you won't be able to take them back."

"Of course, you may also take the 'Celestial Fate Gift' and leave, giving up the Celestial Fate Assembly. This is entirely up to you."

After speaking, she waved her sleeve, and a distorted "water curtain" appeared behind the White Stone Immortal Sect's mountain gate. It looked somewhat similar to the "secret realm" from the last Immortal Destiny Conference, and the distorted golden steps within the "water curtain" could be vaguely seen—

"Presumably, the steps inside are the so-called 'Steps to Immortality'."

Jiang Wanli cautiously refrained from rushing forward, instead speaking to Shi Yizhi and the others from within the crowd.

Gao Wencai stared at the golden "water curtain," stroked his mustache, and said, "It doesn't sound dangerous. It's just climbing steps. It can't be harder than climbing a mountain, can it?"

Shi Yizhi replied, "I don't know. Since it is a test for seeking immortality, it should not be too easy."

Anderdin shouted, "Why worry about so much? Let's go in and try it and see!"

The four had only exchanged a few words when someone in the crowd started by diving into the "water curtain," and the others immediately followed suit, one after another, like dumplings being dropped into a pot.

Fearing being left behind, Gao Wencai urged everyone on and went in first. Addin, who was nearby, followed him in.

Jiang Wanli, however, glanced at Shi Yizhi and politely gestured, "Brother Yi, let's go in too! Please!"

Shi Yizhi nodded awkwardly and entered the "water curtain" side by side with Jiang Wanli.

Upon entering, he discovered that the scene "inside" was completely different from what Shi Yizhi had imagined. Instead of people climbing the steps together, he found himself all alone on the seemingly endless golden staircase.

Even though he had clearly entered with Jiang Wanli, at this moment it seemed as if he was the only one left in the entire world.

This feeling is somewhat unsettling—unlike modern machines that have been honed by various AAA titles, people in this era can only accept things and scenery in a way that conforms to the logic they can understand.

The appearance of a scene that defies long-held, objective understanding can cause immense panic among people.

For example, the water flowing in the sky, and the endless golden steps appearing out of thin air.

Shi Yizhi looked up and carefully examined the fish swimming in the "sky" and the water that seemed ready to pour down at any moment. After forcing himself to calm down, he finally stepped onto the first golden step.

There seems to be nothing wrong.

Then comes the second level, the third level...

When I reached the thirty-sixth level, the view suddenly opened up before me.

At least in the thick fog, the dazzling golden steps were no longer visible, but instead transformed into a flat golden ground.

Could it be that we've already finished walking?
As soon as Shi Yizhi thought this, he saw several more people appearing one after another in the thick fog. Some looked familiar, while others seemed unfamiliar, but they should all be here to participate in the Immortal Destiny Conference.

Just as Shi Yizhi was seeing others, they were also seeing him.

One of the martial artists snorted coldly and said, "Interesting. It seems that the White Stone Immortal Sect really wants us to fight each other!"

Shi Yizhi looked in the direction of the voice and saw a martial artist whose identity could not be discerned from her clothing—she was neither from the Taiyue Sword Sect nor the Yuxu Sect, nor did she resemble the people from those powerful factions in Jiangnan who liked to wear the long robes favored by scholars. She could only vaguely tell that she wielded twin swords, as she carried two exquisite silver twin swords on her back.

After scrutinizing the martial artist who had spoken, Shi Yizhi followed the other's gaze and discovered that on the flat, golden ground, lay a wooden box with the character "礼" (li, meaning "gift" or "gift") carved on it. It was clearly the "Immortal Fate Gift" that the immortal had mentioned earlier.

There was only one "Celestial Fate Gift," but there were nine people around at the moment. No wonder the martial artist had said something earlier.

Shi Yizhi's expression darkened as he looked at the people around him, his mind racing with thoughts.

The purpose of the "Ascending the Immortal Stairs" is to climb all the golden steps. This "Immortal Fate Gift" is clearly a deliberately placed "temptation." Although a box doesn't seem heavy and won't affect climbing the steps, if nine people are fighting over a single wooden box, the time and effort wasted is hard to say...

This is a conspiracy.

Anyone who isn't stupid will choose to give up the "celestial gift" and climb the steps first!

Because in the Immortal Destiny Assembly, nothing is more important than joining the White Stone Immortal Sect!
However, it is not easy to completely disregard the "Ceremony of Immortal Affinity," otherwise the people in front of us would not have stood here in unison instead of continuing to move forward.

(End of this chapter)