The Growth of a Titan

51  Chapter 51- Attentive Gaze

A slight wind blew Sol's robes and hair while he stood in front of the staircase. He was currently looking at the furthest steps he could see.

He couldn't help but feel awe as the stairs were giving off a grand feeling.

As he was looking at it, Sol recalled a story he had read in one of the old books his Master gave him.

"The Jade Emperor ascends the Heavenly Staircase, and the path to Immortality opens. Thus allowing mere Mortals to have a place in the Gods' Heavenly Realm; becoming Immortal beings."

Sol muttered the short passage as he looked at the staircase.

'Perhaps they created this staircase to resemble the Heavenly Staircase in those legends. Are they saying that the Martial Alliance Academy is as great as the Heavens?'

Sol then recalled the clothes the youths from before were wearing, that had a golden dragon soaring to the heavens. He had long speculated they were Martial Alliance disciples.

"I want a robe like that."

Sol thought the robe looked cool looking with its symbolism, so he really wanted one.

With eager eyes, Sol raised his foot and began climbing.

However, Sol's eyes suddenly blurred.

A familiar restricting feeling appear in his chest before his vision cleared.

When Sol looked around, he saw that the mountain had disappeared and the staircase transformed. Now it was glowing with a golden glow, while at the top there was a fog.

This fog swirled and tumbled, it look like something profound and mysterious was hiding inside of it.

"So they did create this based on those legends!"

Sol exclaim as he looked around curiously.

"But is this the same staircase? It felt like I was teleported. Strange. I still saw people climbing the staircase before I started. How come they weren't teleported?"

Sol stood on the first step and began scratching his chin.

"Ah! Unless this is…"

In the outside world, the old supervisor stationed at the bottom of the mountain watched as the youths climb the steps. Immediately Sol stick out like a sore thumb, and he turned to him.

"That's a first."

This old supervisor thought Sol was stuck on the first step, but he never heard of someone being stuck on the first step before.

The old supervisor rubbed his beard and looked at Sol with a peculiar gleam in his eyes.

"This staircase was created to test a person's mental fortitude and determination. As long as one could climb to the peak, then the Academy will acknowledge that person as a Special Disciple. However, wasn't there a rumor that says it also tests someone's Innate Talents? Could this boy be so talentless he couldn't even pass the first step?"

This old supervisor did not have a high position in the Academy and neither was his cultivation anything special compared to the Pavilion Masters and elders.

But regarding seniority by how long someone had been in the Academy, he was only below a few people. He was also alive when Martial Alliance Academy was first built, so despite not having a high position his opinion mattered quite a bit in the Academy.

He had seen many disciples climb the staircase, and since it had been built, only a few unique individuals had managed to climb it successfully.

But never had he seen someone unable to pass the first step.

"Ah, he's moving."

The old man said surprised as he saw Sol starting to climb the staircase normally.

Well, normal was a bit of a stretch.

"What is that boy doing?"

While Sol was climbing the staircase, his head was lowered; his eyes fixated on each step he climbed.

"Haha, I can't believe runes like this exist!"

Sol's eyes were glowing with a dark hue as he observed the flashing runes on the steps.

He had discovered that he hadn't been teleported, the feeling was merely an illusion.

Sol had also discovered that his bloodline ability could penetrate the illusion and see the other youths climbing the steps as well as the runes hidden on the staircase.

While climbing and observing the runes, Sol felt a familiar stinging sensation in his mind like when he was trying to observe his Master's spatial runes.

However, the pain was minimal compared to then.

'Is it because of my ability? It looks like it isn't just limited to seeing things from afar. Oh! I should probably give it a proper name. But what should I name it?'

As Sol climbed step after step, he tried to come up with a name for his ability.

"How about All Seeing Eyes? Ugh…"

Sol immediately cringed when he heard himself say that out loud. It sounded way better in his head.

"It must have a name already if it's an ability from my bloodline. I wish Father was here, he would have known."

Unbeknownst to Sol, as soon as he thought about his Father, in the world of illusions, images of his village's destruction and his Father's death were seen.

However, when his foot landed on the hundred first step, the illusions vanish.

Sol paused and looked up.

He felt that his body had suddenly become heavier.

Looking back down at the runes on the step, Sol muttered.

"The runes changed into Gravity Increasing Runes?"

"I probably shouldn't use my ability anymore, my head is also starting to feel numb as well."

17:58

After saying this, Sol then began climbing the stairs once more; his body's weight increasing with Sol released his ability and saw that he was no longer in the illusion. He could also see a few people just ahead of him.

After a while, Sol realized something and he became nervous.

"Ah, did I just cheat? It looks like the illusion runes were a test."

Sol took a quick glance around to see if anyone was looking at him.

When he saw no one was looking, he breathe a sigh of relief.

"I probably shouldn't use my ability anymore, my head is also starting to feel numb as well."

After saying this, Sol then began climbing the stairs once more; his body's weight increasing with every step.

Meanwhile, the old man who was watching Sol all this while had a dumbfounded expression on his face.

"That child, how did he pass the first illusion test so easily?"

The old man had climbed the steps before, so he knew what type of images would appear in the illusion.

It would be difficult for anyone to not show a reaction when experiencing past trauma.

"This child is either strong-willed, or his method of looking down worked. But it's not enough to just ignore the illusions, there are benefits in experiencing one's trauma in situations like this."

On the staircase…

Sol easily withstood the increasing pressure on his shoulders; he was about to reach the two-hundred and first step.

He drew a lot of jealous gazes from the youths he passed, but Sol could only scratch his cheek and smile bashfully.

Just as Sol was about to step onto the two hundred and first step, he thought to himself.

'I wonder what type of illusions will be shown.'

Sol's foot landed on step two hundred one, and immediately his vision blurred. He felt the sensation of being teleported once again.

Sol continued to walk and he looked around curiously.

Soon, the first illusion appeared inside the clouds that were to the side of the stairs, and Sol froze.

"Oh…"

Sol's paused steps resumed after a while, and as he walked, the sound of familiar screams were heard all around him.

A complicated expression appeared on Sol's face as he watched the images that were being shown to him; he chose not to look away.

In fact, his gaze was attentive as he watched, like he was afraid of missing a single scene in the illusions.