“Darling, you can use the bathroom now.” Chu Liuxiang left the bathroom with nothing but her towel that was loosely wrapped around her slim body.
“I also changed the water in the bathtub for you.”
“Thank you.”
Yuan calmly entered the bathroom shortly after.
Inside the bathroom, Yuan tossed a handful of medicine leaves into the bathtub.
And while he waited for the water to soak the medicine, he went to take a quick shower.
Once the bathtub was ready, Yuan entered it and began absorbing the medicine, tempering his body for the next hour.
By the time he left the bathroom, Chu Liuxiang was already deep asleep while wearing her see-through pajamas.
Yuan focused on her sleeping face for a moment before going to sleep himself.
‘I wonder if they managed to trade treasures with the giants safely…’ He wondered about the Huang Family as he fell asleep.
Of course, he knew that it was only a trial, but everything felt so real that he couldn’t help but think about it.
The following morning, right as the sun peeked over the horizon, Yuan was woken up by the sound of his door being knocked on.
Fortunately for Chu Liuxiang, she was a heavy sleeper, so it didn’t wake her up.
“Did something happen, Jinxi?”
Yuan already knew who was knocking on the door before even opening the door because of his Divine Sense.
“Let’s spar,” she said to him with a calm face.
“You’re really eager today…” A bittersweet smile appeared on Yuan’s face.
“Sorry, but can you give me a few more days? I don’t think I will have the energy to spar with you properly in my current state.”
He would normally be willing to train with Li Jinxi and the others, but he was just too exhausted after what he experienced in the Stairway to Heaven.
Although she was reluctant, Li Jinxi nodded her head and said, “Fine, I will give you a few more days. I haven’t had a good training session for the past week because you had holed up in your room.”
“What about the others?” Yuan raised his eyebrows.
“They’re too weak to satisfy me. Only you can satisfy me, Yuan.”
“I see… Anyways, I will spar with you again in a few days after I rest up.”
“Okay. See you later.” Li Jinxi left without making any commotions shortly after.
Yuan immediately went back to his bed and fell asleep mere seconds later.
A few hours later, Yuan woke up to the smell of Meixiu’s cooking even though the kitchen was very far from his room.
He nudged Chu Liuxiang awake and said to her once she was conscious, “Meixiu made breakfast.”
“You can go ahead without me. I’m going to skip breakfast to sleep a little longer,” she said in a tired voice.
“Okay.” Yuan didn’t say anything else and went downstairs after washing his face.
“Where’s Chu Liuxiang?” Meixiu asked him.
“She’s sleeping in.”
“Oh! Yuan! You’re back! Congratulations on defeating the Stairway to Heaven! It’s all over the news and the forums.” Wang Ming said as he sat down at the dining table.
The other members showed up around the same time and all sat around the table.
“How difficult were the trials?” Wang Ming asked a moment later.
“They were pretty difficult.” Yuan said, and he began recalling his experience in the Stairway to Heaven to the people at the table.
“Wow… I don’t think I would be able to do what you did if I were in your shoes. Those are some incredible feats.” Shi Lang said.
“Anyways, because you defeated the Stairway to Heaven, we can ascend without needing to wait until we’re all Spirit Grandmasters. Thank you for that, Yuan.” Wang Ming said afterward.
“Wait… What did you just say?” Yuan raised his eyebrows after hearing Wang Ming’s words.
“Hmm? Ever since your ascension, countless players have stormed the Stairway to Heaven so that they can also ascend.” Wang Ming said.
“What? Why would they do such a thing? One should be at least a Spirit Grandmaster before they challenge the Stairway to Heaven. These people are only wasting their time.” Yuan said, completely unaware of the situation.
“Huh? You didn’t see the announcement?” Wang Ming looked at him with a questioning face.
“What announcement?”
“The one after you ascended. There were multiple announcements on that day, and one of them mentioned that the Lower Heavens and Spirit Heavens have established a connection because of your ascension, allowing all Players to ascend without restrictions.”
“Wait a second… Without restrictions? Does this mean they can ascend the Stairway to Heaven without needing to do the trials?” Yuan asked with a dumbfounded look on his face.
“That’s right. Thousands of Players have already arrived at Spirit Heaven through the Stairway to Heaven, and none of them needed to do any trials. However, the Players can only ascend. They cannot return to the Lower Heavens afterward, which is the only downside.”
Yuan was speechless after learning this information.
Why did the Stairway to Heaven suddenly open its doors for everyone and allow all players to ascend for free after he’s done all of the hard work? If he waited a little longer to challenge the Stairway to Heaven, would he have also been able to ascend without taking the trials? Could this be Tian’er’s doing?
“Unbelievable… I had to endure so much bullshit to ascend, but everyone could suddenly ascend without such hassles immediately afterward? There’s no way this could be a coincidence…” Yuan cursed in a low voice.
“Wow, I think this is the first time I’ve heard you curse, Yuan. Although I understand your feelings, I also believe this to be a good thing, as it allows the Players more chances to catch up. You’re too far ahead, after all.”
“Haaaa… Whatever…” Yuan sighed a moment later, “What’s done is already done, and it’s not like I have any control over it. Anyways, the food is getting cold. Let’s continue after breakfast.”
Thus, they stopped talking and began eating.