Yuan swallowed nervously as he watched the faint light gradually approach his direction.
“Master… Is it really you?” The childish voice continued to resound in the darkness.
“I think you’re mistaking me for someone else. This is my first time in this place.” Yuan said.
“No…”
Once the light was right in front of him, it started transforming until it took the shape of a human with a child-like figure.
A few moments later, a cute little girl with long, glistening black hair that dragged on the floor stood before him.
She stared at him intensely with her sharp golden eyes and continued to speak, “While you have a different appearance, your soul is the same. You are definitely my Master. I will never mistake my Master for someone else.”
“You don’t remember me, Master?” She asked him after a moment of silence.
Yuan narrowed his eyes at this little girl and sighed inwardly, ‘She’s definitely talking about one of my past lives, right?’
After another moment of silence, Yuan asked, “Who or what are you?”
“Tian’er is the guardian of Stairway to Heaven.”
“Guardian? Like its Master?”
“No, Tian’er is merely a guardian. I protect this place and uphold its integrity. Master… You are the real Master of the Stairway to Heaven. You really don’t remember?”
“What? I am the Master of this place?” Yuan was left baffled by this information.
Just what kind of person was he in his past life? How did he become the Master of the Stairway to Heaven that connects the Nine Heavens?
“Alright… Before we continue this conversation, where did my friends go? They entered this place with me.” Yuan asked about Meixiu and the others.
“They were transported to another place as spectators because they are not participating in the ascension. They will be able to watch you clear the trials once it begins,” she said.
“I see… That’s relieving to hear.” Yuan released a sigh of relief after learning that they were safe and sound.
“Okay, let’s get back to our conversation— Can they also hear me right now?” He suddenly asked.
“No, they cannot hear us right now.”
Yuan nodded and continued, “Can you tell me the name of your Master?”
“Tian Yang,” she quickly responded.
“I knew it…” Yuan sighed again.
Tian Yang was the name of the handsome man in his dream— the first one he ever met.
“You probably won’t believe me when I say this, but I am actually a reincarnation of Tian Yang, hence why I have the same soul as him…”
Tian’er didn’t react to his words and spoke in a calm voice, “I believe the Master.”
“Wait… Since you knew my past self, can you tell me about him? I am missing some— a lot of my memories because of my reincarnation, so it’ll be great if you can refresh some of my memories.”
Tian’er shook her head and said, “I don’t know much about Master— perhaps even less than you since the Master never spoke of his life outside this world.”
“If that’s the case, can you tell me what you know? Anything will do— even your relationship with him.”
Tian’er nodded, “The Master created me after becoming the Master of the Stairway to Heaven, and I have been tasked with guarding this place ever since then. He also gave me the name Tian’er, his surname, as a way to symbolize his creation.”
“What do you mean you were created?” Yuan raised his eyebrows.
However, she merely tilted her head in a puzzled manner, seemingly unable to explain it.
“How were you created?” Yuan changed his wording.
“The Master snapped his fingers and created me,” she replied.
“Uhh… So you’re not really human?”
She shook her head, “My form consists mostly of the Master’s spiritual energy, so I am neither human nor living.”
“I see… That’s very interesting…”
Yuan suddenly realized something.
“Wait a second… If I am the Master of the Stairway to Heaven, does this mean I don’t need to take the trial to ascend?”
Tian’er nodded, “That is correct. As the Master of the Stairway to Heaven, you can use the treasure as you will.”
“That’s great—”
However, Tian’er continued, “But Master— Tian Yang also said that I cannot allow anyone to ascend if they have never completed the trial before— even if it’s the Master himself.”
Yuan raised his eyebrows.
Why would his past self make this rule that also affects himself? Did his past self predict that he would reincarnation and challenge the Stairway to Heaven in the future?
“It’s unfortunate, but I’m also relieved that I cannot just skip the trials. I have been anticipating doing them for a while now, and skipping them would ruin my fun.” Yuan smiled.
“Anyways, what else can I do in this place as its Master? Can I adjust the difficulty of my trials? What about the rules? Can I change that as well?”
“You can do all of that, but you can only do it when you are not actively challenging the Stairway to Heaven.”
“I understand. Anyways, I have been standing around for long enough. Let’s get the trials started. We can talk more later.” Yuan said a moment later.
Tian’er nodded before disappearing into the void.
A few moments later, Yuan could see a staircase slowly being revealed before him.
The staircase was semi-transparent and was glistening like the sea when being struck by sunlight, and unlike the one outside, this staircase was definitely made for humans.
Yuan began climbing this staircase without hesitation, and with every step he took, another step would appear at the end of the staircase.
It was unknown how long he walked this staircase for, but he gave up counting after walking 500 steps.
The staircase eventually stopped extending diagonally and began extending horizontally, creating a smooth path for him to walk on.
After walking for a minute, Yuan could see a massive arena in the distance, and the path would lead him to this arena.
Once he stepped foot on this arena, the staircase behind him disappeared, and a semi-transparent wall would cover the whole arena like a closed stadium.
Tian’er’s voice resounded a moment later.
“Welcome to the first trial in the Stairway to Heaven, Master.”