003. So what if it's a Heavenly Staircase? I'll climb it all the same.

Wang Yu fell into deep thought. Climbing the Heavenly Ladder, huh? It sounded extremely difficult, and the consequences were dire—one misstep could leave him a vegetable. Wang Yu decided it was better to back down. So he made up his mind not to climb. Leaving the Confucian Sect? No big deal—there were so many other sects to choose from. The Daoist Sect, the Mohist Sect, the Legalist Sect, the School of Names, the Yin-Yang School, and even, to his delight, the House of the Bedroom Arts. Why not just join another sect? There was no need to hang himself on this particular tree. The world was vast, and beautiful flowers bloomed everywhere—why be fixated on a single one?

With that, Wang Yu resolved not to climb. He turned to Tao Yuan and said, “Dean, I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you. I don’t wish to climb the Heavenly Ladder.”

Hearing Wang Yu’s decision, Tao Yuan sighed inwardly. He patted Wang Yu on the shoulder. “So be it. This is also for the best. Preserve your life and usefulness. In the future, there may yet be a chance to return to the Confucian Sect.”

Seeing the disappointment that Tao Yuan tried so hard to hide, Wang Yu felt a pang of guilt. This dean was truly a magnanimous elder—a real Confucian scholar. As for Master Zhu, his mind was so narrow that he was unworthy of such a title.

Zhu Bingli couldn’t help but sneer when he heard Wang Yu’s decision. “Not only are you disrespectful, but also cowardly. A person like you isn’t fit to become a formal disciple of our sect—being an outer disciple is already a disgrace to us. I now doubt how you even entered the outer sect in the first place. I suspect some people have abused their authority for personal gain.”

Zhu Bingli’s words dripped with sarcasm and insinuation, clearly aimed at Tao Yuan.

Wang Yu burned with anger. What was with this guy? Refusing to let go? Not even offering a chance to apologize, but slandering him wantonly and using him as a tool to attack Dean Tao? Though Zhu Bingli’s words were malicious and unpleasant, the truth remained: Wang Yu had neither passed the debate nor dared to climb the Heavenly Ladder. Coupled with his earlier conduct, it wasn’t entirely unfair for Zhu Bingli to label him as disrespectful and cowardly.

“In the future, I will report to the Headmaster and demand a thorough investigation into the abuse of power in recruiting outer disciples. Dean Tao, I hope you will cooperate when the time comes.”

Tao Yuan fell silent, unable to refute the truth.

But Wang Yu could not contain himself. His nature was that of a master contrarian, an unrivaled debater—one who simply could not tolerate implicating Dean Tao because of himself.

He shouted at Zhu Bingli, “You old wretch! You may look dignified, but inside you’re petty and malicious. A benevolent man shows mercy—any village woman knows that. Yet you, a so-called grand scholar, cannot grasp it. All your years of study have gone to the dogs! Slander me if you wish, but to insult someone as magnanimous as Dean Tao? You are truly beneath contempt!”

After venting his anger, Wang Yu felt a sense of satisfaction.

Zhu Bingli was so furious he nearly exploded, his rage blazing to the heavens—he wished he could crush Wang Yu with a single finger.

By now, Wang Yu had no intention of staying in the Confucian Sect. He simply did as he pleased, caring nothing for whom he offended.

Before Zhu Bingli could act, Wang Yu continued, “Isn’t it just the Heavenly Ladder? Fine! I’ll climb it today!”

These words immediately stifled Zhu Bingli’s urge to act, nearly choking him with frustration.

When Wang Yu uttered those words, no one in the entire sect dared lay a hand on him. For to attempt the Heavenly Ladder was to risk death; anyone with the courage to do so deserved the respect of all.

Zhu Bingli finally managed to regain his composure, though his face remained dark as he looked at Wang Yu. “A gentleman’s word must be kept. Since you have declared your intent, you cannot turn back. Otherwise, you would be challenging the authority of the entire sect, and the consequences will be beyond your imagination.”

Tao Yuan seized Wang Yu’s arm. “Hongjian, don’t be impulsive. There’s no need to do this on my behalf. As Dean, I forbid you from climbing the Heavenly Ladder.”

Wang Yu’s courtesy name was Hongjian, taken from the Book of Changes—“The wild goose gradually approaches the land; its feathers may be used for ceremonial purposes.” Tao Yuan had given him this name, hoping Wang Yu would know how to advance and retreat, following his heart without overstepping propriety. Clearly, Tao Yuan held high expectations for him. This was a realm the Sage himself had only reached at seventy.

Wang Yu smiled at Tao Yuan. “Dean, do you think I can back down now?”

Tao Yuan looked at Zhu Bingli’s face, dark yet tinged with triumph, and his heart grew heavier still.

Wang Yu broke free from Tao Yuan’s grasp, strode forward, and with a mocking glint in his eye, faced Zhu Bingli. “Old Zhu, watch carefully and see what talent truly looks like!”

Without caring for Zhu Bingli’s livid face, or his seething rage that bordered on murderous intent, Wang Yu shouted, “Come! Prepare everything! Today, I will climb this so-called nine-deaths-one-life Heavenly Ladder and see what it really is!”

With that, Wang Yu made his way toward Mount Tai.

The entire Confucian Sect was situated atop Mount Tai; indeed, the mountain itself was essentially the sect’s domain. To climb the Heavenly Ladder, one naturally had to start at the base.

At the foot of the mountain stood a building called the Hall of the Heavenly Ladder, the place responsible for its activation.

Climbing the Heavenly Ladder was a major event. No matter which student attempted it, the Headmaster himself had to preside—this was a rule set by the Patriarch, and no one dared defy it.

Naturally, someone went to inform the Headmaster.

The current Headmaster was Yan Yan, a Grandmaster of the Confucian Sect, a hair’s breadth from the realm of the Second Sage.

Yan Yan placed great emphasis on ritual and music, holding the principle of propriety in the highest regard. This was why someone like Zhu Bingli was favored—Zhu was his disciple and had inherited the essence of his path of ritual.

The path of ritual was vast and profound. The Patriarch devoted his life to self-restraint and returning to propriety, expanding ritual from drumming and music, and the worship of ancestors and deities with fine jade and wine, to encompass the entire system of social institutions, norms, and traditions.

Thus, ritual held a place of great importance within the Confucian Sect.

When Yan Yan heard someone wished to climb the Heavenly Ladder, he frowned slightly.

In truth, Yan Yan did not fully agree with his teacher’s institution of the Heavenly Ladder. He believed it encouraged some students to harbor thoughts of ascending in a single bound, hoping to bypass rank and claim greater resources and benefits—contrary to the spirit of ritual.

Therefore, Yan Yan harbored deep dissatisfaction toward those students who sought to climb the Heavenly Ladder, seeing them as restless, fame-seeking, and unworthy of cultivation.

Yet, the rule had been laid down by the Patriarch, and Yan Yan dared not break it, for it went against his principles. To honor one’s teacher and the Way was among his fundamental values; to violate that would be to destroy all his cultivation.