Lin Chen looked up, glancing at the woman.
He recognized this female Cultivator from the academy; though they had never deeply interacted, he had heard a little about her.
Everyone in the academy said her Heart-Nature was gentle, she never argued with anyone, acted with humility and generosity, and often helped some Disciples who were struggling financially, earning her much affection.
Seeing her step forward now,
Lin Chen's heart stirred slightly, and a long-lost warmth quietly arose.
He silently took the teacup, drank it all, and said in a hoarse voice, "Thank you."
The tea tasted slightly astringent and bitter.
But Lin Chen's heart was moved, as if he had swallowed all the humiliation and pain accumulated over the past few days.
The woman smiled faintly, but a complex expression flashed in her eyes.
However, she said nothing more and turned to leave.
Lin Chen's gaze was profound, looking at the brilliantly golden Ascension Road not far ahead, the ambition to reach the top burning fiercely in his heart.
"Today, I, Lin Chen... Lin Chuan! Will climb to the very top, step by step!"
He no longer hesitated, stepping onto the Ascension stairs... In the pavilion above.
Jiang Ye was just sipping his tea, watching "Lin Chuan" drink the tea without any precautions, his golden eyes narrowed slightly, and the smile on his lips deepened.
"Tsk, he actually drank it?"
"Yao'er, Yan'er, Xuan'er, come sit down, it's showtime!"
The three women sat down in order, their faces filled with curiosity.
Hong Yan giggled as she leaned closer, asking in a low voice, "Young Master, what did you give him? Looking at your posture, it's probably not simple, right?"
Jiang Ye's lips curved into a playful smile, his fingertips lightly tapping the teacup, as he chuckled lazily, "This Young Master specially had the Spirit Medicine Pavilion in the clan refine a laxative, with its effects multiplied several times... Tsk, it pours out from the Heavenly Spirit, and flows from the mouth! Shocking Heaven and Earth, making ghosts and gods weep."
"Even a Saint Realm Cultivator can't withstand this stuff!"
Hong Yan was stunned upon hearing this, her beautiful eyes widening slightly, then she couldn't help but laugh, quickly covering her lips, "Young Master, you're so naughty ~"
Guan Yunyao and Qing Xuan were dumbfounded.
But they still couldn't help but be curious, their gazes following "Lin Chuan's" figure.
On the Ascension Road.
Lin Chen stepped onto the Ascension steps one by one; at first, his breathing was steady, and though his face was ugly and distorted, his movements were clean and precise.
Many Cultivators watching were surprised and nodded secretly.
"Tsk, that ugly ghost isn't climbing slowly at all."
"Yeah, although his appearance is a bit disgusting, his speed on the Ascension Road is faster than many Sect Geniuses."
Lin Chen's expression stiffened upon hearing this, a wave of embarrassment rising in his heart, but he forced himself to suppress his anger and continued to climb.
Upon reaching the tenth level,
his face suddenly changed, and his brows furrowed deeply.
A sudden surge of bloating pain rose from deep within his abdomen, as if something was churning violently inside his body!
"Hiss... What's going on?"
Lin Chen endured it, his face ashen, large beads of sweat rolling down, his expression extremely ugly.
He circulated the Spiritual Qi within his body, trying to calm the turbulent waves in his abdomen.
Gritting his teeth, he continued to climb upwards.
In the pavilion above.
Jiang Ye rested his chin on his hand, his golden eyes narrowed slightly, almost unable to hold back his laughter.
"Here it comes, here it comes, the effects are kicking in."
Hong Yan and Qing Xuan were already covering their mouths, laughing so hard they were shaking.
And Guan Yunyao's pretty face was very strange; she turned her head slightly, showing a hint of disgust and discomfort, "This... this is too disgusting!"
On the Ascension Road, Lin Chen was already utterly exhausted, his face ashen.
He felt the mocking, ridiculing, disgusted, and contemptuous faces around him, and his heart was filled with waves of humiliation and anger.
He felt utterly mortified.
"I... I... might as well... just die!"
"Ah...!"
"Ugh—!"
Lin Chen once again spewed forth a torrent.
He completely collapsed on the steps, like a puddle of mud, his body convulsing, covered in filth, looking utterly wretched.
His face was down, afraid of being seen.
The spewing continued.
"Enough... Enough!"
Lin Chen's mind completely collapsed, all his strength drained away like a tide, and after one last violent expulsion, his eyes rolled back, and a stream of bile-mixed filth dribbled from the corner of his mouth.
The next moment, the world spun.
He fainted.
A group of Cultivators laughed, clutching their stomachs and rolling around, while many female Cultivators, while covering their noses in disgust, couldn't help but snicker.
"Ugh! The Ascension Road has been turned into a stinking ditch for the first time!"
"Hahaha, I'm taking this recording stone back to my Sect to show my Senior Brothers!"
"Quick, record it! This recording stone will sell for a fortune!"
More and more Cultivators began to follow suit, the light of their recording stones flashing one after another.