The heat is most unbearable in June and July.
The vicious sun and scorching weather seemed to turn the entire earth into a massive furnace.
「Iron Bull Town.」
It was noon, the Furious Sun blazing high overhead.
"PANT!!"
On a long flight of stone stairs, Qin Feiyang ascended step by step, his body drenched in sweat, gasping for breath.
The stairs inclined upwards at a forty-five-degree angle, nine hundred and ninety-nine steps in total, leading to an immense palace.
Under the scorching sun, each step had become searing hot.
Sweat dripped and evaporated instantly with a SIZZLE.
Qin Feiyang was only a fifteen-year-old youth, yet he possessed a maturity and composure uncommon for his age. He stood one meter seventy-five tall, his frame slightly thin, and his features handsome. However, his face was pale and bloodless, giving the impression of a frail young man afflicted by illness.
No, not an impression.
He was indeed sick.
And his malady was terminal.
He had only five days left to live.
Climbing nine hundred and ninety-nine steps in such harsh weather would be an arduous task even for a healthy person, let alone for someone as ill as him.
But these stairs were his only chance of survival.
More than that, they could change the destiny of his entire life.
「Five years ago.」
Qin Feiyang had been a prince of the Great Qin Empire, of noble status and extraordinary talent. At the mere age of ten, he had already become a Nine-Star martial master, hailed at the time as a once-in-a-millennium prodigy.
It could be said that from childhood, he had been in the limelight, the most promising among all princes to inherit the imperial throne. He was also the Emperor’s most favored prince.
However, at the peak of his glory, adorned with numerous accolades, a sudden catastrophe struck.
Because of this calamity, he was forced to swallow the ’Elixir of Misfortune,’ then mercilessly expelled from the imperial palace, driven out of the Imperial Capital, and left to drift to Iron Bull Town.
The Elixir of Misfortune was an exceedingly vile pill. Once consumed, not only would one lose all cultivation and be unable to practice ever again, but they would also be plagued by constant illness, living only until the age of fifteen.
In five days, he would turn fifteen.
Five years had passed.
The Great Qin Empire still stood majestically on this continent, a kingly power ruling over all lands.
And him?
He was struggling here merely to survive.
He refused to admit defeat!
Countless times, he had sworn in his heart that one day, he would return to the Imperial Capital and make every single person who had wronged him pay the price!
The palace at the top of the stone stairs was his only hope.
Gradually, his legs grew weak, aching unbearably. Every step upward was an immense effort.
Sweat poured from him; he was becoming dehydrated. His lips chapped, showing traces of blood. Dizziness began to set in.
He paused on a step, gasping for air, trying to recover his waning strength. Meanwhile, he looked towards the top of the stairs, his weak eyes filled with an unwavering light of determination.
At the summit of the stairs, a grand hall stood majestically, magnificent and imposing. The doors of the hall were tightly shut. Beside it stood a black stone stele, over ten meters tall, upon which two prominent characters were engraved:
—Elixir Palace!
The characters seemed as if etched with iron hooks and silver strokes, powerful and vigorous, hinting at a soul-stirring pressure.
This was a place countless people dreamed of entering. Because here, there were all sorts of pills. Some pills could cure a hundred poisons, dispel a hundred illnesses, and ensure a lifetime of peace. Some pills could cleanse the physical body, allowing one to be reborn and embark on the path of cultivation. There were even rumors of legendary Spirit Pills that not only possessed life but could also fly through the sky, tunnel through the earth, and overturn rivers and seas. If one were fortunate enough to consume such a pill, they could become a revered deity overnight.
Therefore, the Elixir Palace was a sacred place.
Every disciple of the Elixir Palace was a figure commanding awe and respect. Even the lowest-ranking Alchemists were endlessly flattered and courted by people hoping to obtain a single pill.
Qin Feiyang’s goal was a pill called the ’Marrow-cleansing pill.’
The Marrow-cleansing pill was the key to his rebirth!
To obtain the Marrow-cleansing pill, he himself had lost count of how many times he had come here. Yet, each time, his severe illness prevented him from reaching the summit and arriving at the Elixir Palace.
But this time, he had no path of retreat, no room to give up.
Because in five days, he would die.
If he wanted to live, he had to reach the summit!
He took a laborious step, gritting his teeth, and continued his ascent.
BOOM!
Just then, the tightly shut palace doors swung open rapidly.
A woman, appearing to be around thirty years old and dressed in a long red dress, strode out from the palace. She stood at the edge, looking down condescendingly at Qin Feiyang below, and said coolly, "Qin Feiyang, count for yourself, how many times have you come? Don’t you know when to give up?"
Qin Feiyang did not answer. Head down, he gritted his teeth and continued climbing.
He saw this woman every time he came. Her name was Ma Hongmei, a Steward Elder of the Elixir Palace. Of course, she was also an Alchemist.
Precisely because of her status as an Alchemist, this woman was conceited and arrogant, looking down on everyone. Over the years, she had humiliated him considerably.
So, he didn’t bother to speak, lest he invite further humiliation.
However, his attitude only infuriated Ma Hongmei more.
A mocking smile touched her lips. "It’s not that I, your Elder, look down on you, but no matter how many times you come, the result will be the same. You’d better get lost quickly, don’t be an eyesore here."
"Elder Ma, you can close your eyes if you don’t wish to look," Qin Feiyang retorted, halting. He looked up at her, a spark of anger in the depths of his eyes.
Ma Hongmei laughed in fury. "Oh, so you think you’re right, do you? Fine, I’ll tell you plainly: even if you reach the summit, I will not give you the Marrow-cleansing pill."
Qin Feiyang’s hands clenched involuntarily.
Ultimately, he suppressed his anger and continued climbing.
He had no other choice; when one is beneath the eaves, one must bow their head. Besides, Ma Hongmei wasn’t the only Alchemist in the Elixir Palace; he could find another.
Time trickled by.
It was unclear whether it was Ma Hongmei’s provocation or his innate desire to survive, but in the time that followed, he did not pause, gradually nearing the summit step by step.
Two hours later, he was only fifty steps from the summit.
Although he was physically and mentally exhausted, his head groggy, and every step sent a tearing pain through the muscles in his legs, his heart blazed with fervor!
Only fifty steps remained, and he would reach the top!
Reaching the top held immense significance for him. It not only meant he could survive but also that he could cultivate in the future.
Only by becoming stronger would he be qualified to seek answers and unravel the doubts in his heart!
He looked at the summit, his gaze firm, his fighting spirit soaring!
This time, I must succeed!
Forty steps! Thirty steps! Twenty steps! Ten steps!
He reached the summit in one breath, his strength instantly deserting him. He collapsed to the ground, greedily gulping air.
"Well, well, it’s a miracle today. You actually managed to crawl up," Ma Hongmei, who had not left, remarked with considerable surprise upon seeing Qin Feiyang reach the summit.
Then, a cold glint flashed in her eyes, and she kicked out at Qin Feiyang.
Qin Feiyang cried out in shock and anger, "Elder Ma, what are you doing?"
"Sending you down, of course," Ma Hongmei chuckled maliciously, her kick landing on Qin Feiyang’s chest.
THUD! BAM! CRASH!
Immediately, Qin Feiyang was sent tumbling down the stone stairs like a rubber ball, accompanied by painful screams.
"Ma, I curse you to die a miserable death!" he roared hysterically, his voice full of venomous hatred.
He had finally reached the summit after so much effort, only for this woman to be so vicious. Wasn’t she clearly trying to cut off his path to survival?
"You dare curse me? Truly courting death! I’ll kill you now!" Ma Hongmei’s eyes glinted with murderous intent. She was about to pursue him and eradicate the problem at its root.
"What happened?"
But just then, a resonant, authoritative voice called out from within the palace.
Following this, a middle-aged man emerged. He was seven feet tall, clad in purple robes, and moved with the gait of a dragon and the stride of a tiger. His eyes were sharp, and he exuded an air of authority without being angry.
Ma Hongmei’s brows furrowed. She turned to the middle-aged man and bowed. "Greetings, Third Palace Master."
The Third Palace Master nodded. Looking at Qin Feiyang, who was still tumbling down, he frowned. "Why is he here again?"
Ma Hongmei smiled. "Still after the Marrow-cleansing pill, what else?"
The Third Palace Master asked in confusion, "Then why is he rolling down?"
Ma Hongmei said with schadenfreude, "He brought it upon himself. I repeatedly advised him not to continue climbing, but he wouldn’t listen. And the result? He exhausted his strength, his legs gave out, he lost his balance, and just rolled down."
Hearing this, Qin Feiyang was overcome with such rage that he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Seeing this, Ma Hongmei sneered.
These stone stairs had nine hundred and ninety-nine steps. Rolling down like this, there was no chance of survival. If no one rescued him, she wouldn’t even need to dirty her own hands; this little whelp would fall to his death.
As the one in peril, Qin Feiyang naturally understood this too.
However, when he reached the top, his entire body was already sore and exhausted, his limbs unable to move. Now, tumbling all the way down, he was battered and bleeding, his hands already broken; there was no way for him to stop himself.
Am I going to die like this today? No! I must survive... I must return to the Imperial Capital alive... Those who betrayed me, I will make them repay me a thousand, ten thousand times over...
Qin Feiyang roared wildly in his heart, his eyes turning bloodshot as if dyed in blood, his entire being radiating a fierce aura. Though his hands were broken, he still hadn’t given up.
The unwillingness and fury in his heart transformed into a wellspring of strength.
He abruptly flipped over, facing the sky, his back against the stone stairs, and began to slide downwards. His feet, like a pair of brakes, pressed hard against the steps.
He intended to use this method to lessen the impact and slow his descent!
A hundred breaths later, he finally stopped, lying on the stone stairs.
But his back and his feet, from the violent friction against the stone, were already raw and bloody, the flesh torn open. Even his spine had shattered.
The heart-wrenching agony, like a tidal wave, assaulted every nerve in his body. The pain was unbearable, making him wish for death!

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