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Translator: CinderTL
Whoosh~
In the boundless world of clouds and mist, Jiang Ye's eyes snapped open.
"Martial Dao Heavenly Ladder," he murmured, gazing at the majestic staircase before him. Without hesitation, he strode forward.
First layer.
Second layer.
Third layer.
Soon, he reached the fifth layer.
"Sixth layer," Jiang Ye continued his ascent, the increasingly oppressive pressure failing to slow him down.
Before long, he stood on the vast platform of the sixth layer.
[You have reached the sixth layer of the Martial Dao Heavenly Ladder.]
[Initiate the sixth layer assessment immediately?]
"Yes!" Jiang Ye thought to himself.
The moment his thought solidified, the surrounding scenery began to shift rapidly.
I wonder what form this sixth layer assessment will take? Jiang Ye mused, a flicker of anticipation rising within him.
In the next instant, his consciousness plunged into darkness.
Whoosh~
When he opened his eyes again, Jiang Ye's gaze was blank. He looked up and found himself standing in a chaotic stable.
"Where am I?"
"Who am I?" Jiang Ye's eyes were filled with confusion, as if his memories had been erased by an invisible hand, leaving him completely blank about his past.
Just then, a flood of complex information surged into Jiang Ye's mind.
[You are an orphan who grew up in the sect. Due to your poor aptitude and lack of parents, you have always been the sect's lowest-ranking servant.]
[After reaching adulthood, you became the sect's horse-breeding slave. Your status is utterly insignificant, making you an easy target for abuse by other disciples.]
Along with the information, vivid images began to surface in Jiang Ye's mind.
These scenes depicted 'Jiang Ye's' countless days and nights in the sectāhis daily routines, his interactions with others, and the constant humiliation he endured. They felt utterly real, as if Jiang Ye had personally experienced them from childhood to adulthood.
As these images merged with his memories, Jiang Ye quickly accepted this identity.
He was a horse-breeding slave in the sect, his status utterly lowly, the lowest rung of the sect's hierarchy. He spent his entire life confined to these stables.
"Horse-breeding slave."
"I'm a horse-breeding slave?" Jiang Ye's memories felt overwhelmingly real, leaving no room for doubt.
Yet, deep within his mind, he sensed something hidden, as if a sealed presence lay dormant in the depths of his consciousness, separated by an immeasurable distance, like two distinct realms.
Just then, a message materialized:
[Challenge the sect saintess and trample her underfoot.]
"What?"
"Challenge... the sect saintess?" Jiang Ye's spirit trembled as he read the words.
The sect saintess was an incomparably revered figure within the sect.
He had once glimpsed her from afarāshe shone like the radiant moon, utterly pure and ethereal, untouched by worldly defilement.
Within the sect, even a fleeting glance from a horse-breeding slave like him would be considered blasphemy against the holy maiden.
Challenge the sect saintess?
Any horse-breeding slave who even entertained such a thought deserved a thousand deaths.
And to trample her underfoot? This was utterly unthinkable, a crime beyond redemption.
"How could such a thought even cross my mind?" Jiang Ye felt a surge of terror. This notion was sheer madness.
To trample the holy maiden underfoot? Any horse-breeding slave who dared entertain such a thought should immediately take his own life.
Just then, a sharp voice rang out:
"What are you doing? Slacking off instead of working?"
A youth in luxurious robes strode in, raising his whip with a vicious snap.
Crack! The whip struck Jiang Ye's back with brutal force.
Despite the searing pain, Jiang Ye offered no resistance, immediately resuming his work. He had endured countless days like this, his spirit long numb.
"Vile slave," the youth sneered, his condescending gaze treating Jiang Ye like livestock. "If you dare slack off again, I'll break your legs."
Jiang Ye offered no complaint, toiling diligently like an old ox.
Yet deep within his heart, a new thought began to stir:
Must I endure this life forever?
In the past, as a lowly servant born into the lowest rung of society, he would never have dared entertain such a notion.
But for some reasonāperhaps influenced by the earlier messageā
In Jiang Ye's heart, an unyielding thought persisted, like a voice whispering that his life shouldn't be like this.
But whenever he recalled the messageā
"Challenge the sect saintess and trample her underfoot?"āJiang Ye couldn't help but tremble with fear.
He quickly suppressed the thought, afraid to dwell on it further.
Time flowed on.
Jiang Ye continued his monotonous work in the stables, day after day, just as he had for decades.
Yet the message lingered in his mind, constantly reminding him to challenge the holy maiden.
From initial shock and terror, Jiang Ye gradually grew numb, his spirit dulled.
As time passed, he grew accustomed to the message's presence.
Unconsciously, Jiang Ye lost his former fear of the words "challenge the holy maiden."
When he thought of it again, his heart remained calm.
"Challenge the holy maiden? It doesn't seem like much," Jiang Ye murmured, shaking his head. He had grown used to the message's presence.
But just then...
The message quietly changed:
[Challenge the sect saintess and trample her underfoot.]
[Time remaining: 30 days.]
"What does this mean?"
"Thirty days remaining?" Jiang Ye stared at the new information, momentarily stunned. "What will happen after thirty days?"
"Will this message disappear?"
"Or... will I die?" Jiang Ye frowned, finding the whole situation absurd.
Just then, the stable doors swung open with a whoosh.
A youth in luxurious robes strode in.
"Your good days are coming," the youth said, looking down at Jiang Ye with condescension. "In a month, the sect will send you to the frontline battlefield. Make sure you perform well for me."
"Frontline battlefield?" Jiang Ye's expression froze.
Then, disbelief flooded his face.
As a horse-breeding slave, the lowest rung of the sect's hierarchy, he possessed no combat ability whatsoever.
Being sent to the frontline battlefield? That meant being used as cannon fodder, a guaranteed death sentence.
But before Jiang Ye could dwell on it further,
Crack! The youth lashed out with his whip.
"Are you deaf?"
"Didn't you hear what I said?" the youth in luxurious robes snapped coldly.
"I heard you," Jiang Ye replied hastily.
"Keep working this month," the youth rebuked. "If I catch you slacking off, you'll face severe punishment!"
With that, the youth flicked his sleeve and strode away.
Jiang Ye watched him depart, a flicker of icy resolve surfacing in his eyes.
But soon, an overwhelming sense of urgency surged within him.
"One month."
"No wonder they said I only have thirty days left," Jiang Ye thought grimly. "If I can't crush the holy maiden beneath my feet within these thirty days, will I die?"
A wave of terror washed over Jiang Ye's heart.
Even those who lived at the lowest rungs of society still clung desperately to survival.
"I don't want to die."
"But challenging the holy maiden..." Jiang Ye's eyes were filled with inner turmoil.
He was just a horse-breeding slave, the lowest of the low in the sect, utterly powerless.
Challenging the holy maiden? He'd be nothing but a laughingstock.
"What am I supposed to do?"
"What should I do?" Jiang Ye's heart was filled with anxiety.
He didn't want to die.
After a long silence, he resolved, "Either way, I'm going to die. I might as well fight." The anxiety in his eyes vanished, replaced by unwavering determination.
Life returned to its usual rhythm.
(End of the Chapter)
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