"T-This must be some kind of misunderstanding! There’s no way some rude bastard like that could be the owner of the stairway!"
The blacksmiths refused to believe it, even though it was coming from a Divine Blacksmith.
"If you don’t believe me, go ahead and try using the stairway!" said the Divine Blacksmith.
The blacksmiths swallowed nervously before they approached the door and knocked on it, trying to enter it one by one.
However, the Nameless Stairway remained unresponsive to all of them.
Seeing this, the Divine Blacksmith suddenly pointed at one of the cultivators who had been waiting for the blacksmiths to finish and said, "You wanted to climb, right? Do it now."
Although the cultivator had already intended to climb, it still felt strange to be ordered around in such a manner. Yet, there was nothing he could do but silently nod and follow the Divine Blacksmith’s command.
When the cultivator reached the door and knocked on it, the Nameless Stairway opened for him, leaving the blacksmiths it had ignored completely stunned and speechless.
The next moment, the cultivator entered the stairway and disappeared inside.
Just as the door began to close, one of the blacksmiths suddenly shot forward and slipped into the stairway before it could fully shut.
"He went inside!"
However, a second later, the door opened again, and the blacksmith who had tried to sneak in was ejected like trash, leaving a trail of blood in the air.
The other blacksmiths gasped in shock and hurriedly rushed to catch him. After examining his condition, they sighed in relief upon discovering that he was not dead and had suffered only superficial injuries.
"How does the treasure differentiate us?" one of the blacksmiths suddenly questioned aloud.
The Divine Blacksmith, who had just consumed a recovery pill, responded with a grim expression. "Most likely through our association’s identification symbol."
Just as every faction possessed a distinct symbol that identified both the organization and its members—a symbol its members were required to carry on their bodies—the Indestructible Steel Association had something similar. Every blacksmith under its banner bore the same identifying symbol.
"So are you saying that unless we remove our symbol, which is akin to leaving the association, that we would not be able to use the new Stairway to Heaven?! That’s outrageous! Who the hell does that man think he is?!"
"He basically just declared war on the entire association! Even if he’s the owner of the stairway, he won’t get away with this!"
Soon, news that the owner of the new Stairway to Heaven had been identified began to spread, and Yuan’s name began echoing throughout the Nine Heavens again.
Meanwhile, Yuan and Mu Xuelian made their way to the Heavenly White Valley upon arriving in the Eighth Heaven.
"Lord Shiva asks why you’re bringing her to this place," Mu Xuelian said as they traveled through the endless mountain valleys.
"You’ll find out soon enough."
Eventually, they arrived at the location.
Yuan created a hole in the ground, revealing the tunnel he’d covered up before.
"Let’s go."
Without explaining, Yuan entered the tunnel with Mu Xuelian following closely behind.
Some time later, they arrived at the underground cavern with the massive sealed gate.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Cultivation Online