In less than half an hour, the Star Lords had been forced back to the stairs.
"How many steps have you reached?"
"I'm at the eighteenth step."
"I'm at the ninth step."
"I'm at the thirty-second step!"
"These stairs are a bit weird. The weaker one is, the more powerful the Heavenly Tribulation will be, but that's not always the case. Some of the stronger ones encountered the laws at the beginning too."
Everybody frowned and talked to each other.
The other Star Lords had made a judgment after witnessing their extraordinary strength when they resisted the Heavenly Tribulation on the stairs.
"The guys who retreated at the first ten steps were all rather weak, but the leader of the Heavenly Fist Alliance is quite strong. His power of faith has been perfectly integrated with his small world. He's definitely an expert among the Star Lords, yet he was stopped at the first ten steps. It doesn't make sense …"
The Alliance Master's eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and her eyes were filled with confusion.
The ancient stairs were indeed so weird that they couldn't figure out what was going on.
"There must be a pattern to the Heavenly Tribulation. It's not random."
"That's right. No matter how many times I go up, the intensity of the Heavenly Tribulation on every step is the same!"
"I'm thinking, since it has nothing to do with our strength, is it possible that the ranking is based on age?"
"Age?"
The Star Lords looked at each other in bewilderment. That was indeed a possibility.
"How old are those of you who have reached the thirtieth step?" asked a Star Lord immediately.
At this moment, everybody had been divided into several groups. The first group consisted of six people who had reached the thirtieth step. One of them had reached the fortieth step.
"Before asking others, it's best to report it yourself first." He was also in the first group, and he didn't feel comfortable being asked about his age, even though he was a man.
"Humph, there's nothing to hide. Age is just a number for us. We don't care how old we are unless we're ten thousand years old!" Said a Star Lord with a snort. He was in the second group and had only reached the twentieth step, but he had shown great strength. He had observed a few people in the first group.
He didn't think that he was any weaker than them.
Also, according to the previous discussion and information, the stairs weren't based on strength. Therefore, he wouldn't care even if the leader of the Thousand Feathers Alliance and the others were in the first group.
"Everyone, this is the only way to get to the other side. I hope you can cooperate with us. If we can find the pattern of the Lightning Tribulations on the stairs, we can pass through the Lightning Tribulations area as soon as possible and search for treasures on our own."
"After all, we're here to search for treasures, not to fight. Don't you think so?"
Said someone.
The others were disdainful and didn't bother to talk to him, but they didn't refute him.
Everyone present was a Star Lord, and none of them would listen to anyone. You want to order them around? Unless you're an Ascendant State Overlord!
"Not bad indeed. Everyone, let's talk about our ages. It'll be fair this way," someone suggested. Then, he said, "I'm a bit old. I'm more than nine thousand years old this year. I don't remember exactly how old I am."
"I think I'm more than six thousand years old." Another Star Lord said.
"If we count my physical age, I should be about twelve thousand years old."
"What do you mean by counting your physical age?"
"I've entered some secret realms with a strange flow of time and stayed in those secret realms for a period of time. It can be said that a thousand years in the cave, a day in the world, only a few short years have passed in the Federation, and I've been in there for thousands of years. In that case, my physical age has naturally increased by thousands of years."
"If that's the case, it should be."
"Tsk tsk, you've all lived for a long time. I've just reached three thousand years old this year, and I'm preparing for my birthday!"
"I'm more than five thousand years old, about five thousand and six hundred years old."
"It seems that everyone here is a younger brother. I've lived for a hundred thousand years, haha."
Very soon, everybody announced their ages. The Star Lords had a lifespan that was close to immortality. They could change the flow of time and reshape their bodies with the small worlds. They were almost immortal as long as their faith was strong. It was easy for them to live for hundreds of thousands of years. Such a lifespan was enough for them to laugh at the changing civilizations on certain planets.
"Humph. What's so great about being old? You're still a Star Lord just like me, not a god!"
"Exactly. It's been a hundred thousand years, and you're still a Star Lord. I would've become a god a long time ago if I were you."
"What do you know? Do you think you can become a god just because you want to? Becoming a god requires the approval of the heavens. You may be a Star Lord when you're only a few thousand years old, but there's a ninety-nine percent chance that you'll be stuck there for the rest of your life! "
The Star Lord who had lived for a hundred thousand years said coldly, "Only one in a hundred can become a god. I became a Star Lord when I was less than two thousand years old, but look at the result? You still have a long way to go. Humph! "" That's true.
I became a Star Lord when I was two thousand years old, too. It's been thirty thousand years, but I've only made a small progress. The gap between the Star Lord and the Ascendant State isn't as simple as you think. It's a hundred times more difficult than advancing from the Star State to the Star Lord State. Do you think the Ascendant State experts who dominate the universe can make it so easily? "
Another Star Lord chimed in.
The other Star Lords slightly changed their expressions after hearing that.
Many of them didn't become Star Lords until they were two thousand years old or even later. So, they would have to stay at that level for tens of thousands of years, or even a hundred thousand years?!
It was unimaginable!
"A bunch of old fogies. Hehe." The leader of the Thousand Feathers Alliance sneered with disdain after hearing what they said. "I'm only eight hundred years old this year, and I've been a Star Lord for more than a hundred years. What you're talking about is just the norm. Geniuses always break the norm!"
In other words, all of you are mediocre people!
The others all changed their expressions and became angry.
The Star Lords who had lived for tens of thousands of years all glared at him.
However, they couldn't help but change their expressions when they thought of the age he mentioned. A Star Lord in seven hundred years? This was indeed rare and could be called a rare genius!
"I'm six hundred and twenty-nine years old this year."
At the side, the tall and sturdy female overlord said.
She looked at the leader of the Thousand Feathers Alliance with disdain on her gorgeous face. Do you really think you're the only one who's young? I'm even younger!
She was quite proud of herself. After all, she had a lot of space to grow and a lot of space to grow. That was her capital!
The leader of the Thousand Feathers Alliance slightly changed his expression. Six hundred?
He slightly narrowed his eyes. He had seen the female overlord attack a few times, but the power of faith was already overwhelming. It didn't look like she had only cultivated for a few hundred years.
It had to be noted that the power of faith had to be collected.
Collecting them required time, and the longer it took, the more they would be able to collect!
That was unless you had a very strong believer who could provide you with the overwhelming power of faith!
"Haha, you're all weaklings."
The leader of the Ouhuang Alliance couldn't help but laugh and say, "I'm only five hundred and eighty years old. I must be the youngest Star Lord here. Haha, it seems that all the Star Lords I've seen are older than me. Tsk, tsk. Is cultivation so difficult? Can't you just eat and sleep?"
The others were stunned. Five hundred and eighty?
He's not even six hundred years old?
It must be noted that it was difficult for many people to reach the Fate State at such an age!
Some geniuses even found it difficult to reach the Star State at such a young age!
This fellow definitely had an extremely terrifying talent for cultivation!
The leader of the Thousand Feathers Alliance's lips twitched when he heard that. He didn't expect that the moron he had always disliked would be so young. Didn't that mean that the guy was even more talented than him?
That's so unfair!
The female overlord's expression slightly changed. She frowned and snorted.
She wasn't happy that the guy was a few decades older.
Even though several decades would pass in the blink of an eye, and the difference in their cultivation was not too obvious, they were still lagging behind.
"Are you done?"
The leader suddenly asked.
She had a weird expression, mixed with excitement and pride. There was disdain and arrogance in her eyes, as if she were looking down on everyone else. Her lips had already curled, indicating that she couldn't wait any longer.
So, you're all so lame!
Back off. It's time for me to broaden your horizons!
"Huh?"
The others looked at her. The leader of the Thousand Feathers Alliance had a bad feeling when he saw the excitement on the girl's face. He became even gloomier.
"Why? You're younger than me?" The leader of the Ouhuang Alliance looked at her in surprise.
It was the first time that he had met a Star Lord younger than him.
The teasing and playfulness in his eyes were replaced by solemnity.
Even though he looked like he was out of tune and was full of nonsense, his heart was extremely calm. He knew what his age meant.
They might stay as Star Lords for tens of thousands of years in the future, but they were still in the early stages. Becoming Star Lords as soon as possible meant that they were more talented!
Their future depended on their opportunities. Maybe some people were more talented, but what if they died prematurely?
Maybe some people were less talented, but they suddenly had an epiphany after being enlightened by a great master!
"Heh!"
The girl smiled in disdain. Her lips were crooked, and her posture was indescribably arrogant.
She pressed her hand on her eyebrows and said in an extremely cold and demonic tone, coupled with the sudden change in tone, "This Goddess is eighty-nine years old this year!"
Silence!
Silence!
Everybody looked at each other in bewilderment, as if she were a lunatic.
Eighty-nine?
Eighty-nine?!
All the Star Lords were shocked. The Star State experts in their small worlds widened their eyes, and their jaws almost hit the ground.
The girl was only eighty-nine?
Fine, eighty-nine was no longer a girl, but she was still a fetus when compared to the lifespan of a Star Lord. She hadn't even been born yet!
"How is it possible?"
The leader of the Thousand Feathers Alliance had expected that, but she still blurted out in shock when she heard how young she was.
Even if she had started training in her mother's womb, it would be impossible for her to become a Star Lord in less than a hundred years, right?
Besides, the girl's power of faith was extremely abundant. She wouldn't have been able to find believers in such a short period of time. How could she have collected the power of faith?
"Heh!"
The girl was quite satisfied by everyone's reaction. She put on a disdainful smile and ended the story.
Su Ping was speechless at the sight of the chuunibyou girl's … granny's delight.
Eighty-nine?
Are you sure?
She's already so old, yet she's still so immature. Is she any different from a kindergarten kid?
But soon, Su Ping was relieved.
The younger she was, the more talented she was, and the more diligent she was in training!
Nobody in the world could succeed if they didn't work hard enough because of their talent. That was the law of reality!
If he focused on cultivation, he would indeed be considered a child in other aspects. His mind was not mature yet.
"Eighty-nine … I was still in the Void State back then."
"My grandma lied, didn't she?"
"I was already considered a super genius when I reached the Fate State a hundred years later, but …"
All the Star State warriors felt sad and speechless.
Comparisons were always odious.
The other Star Lords looked at each other and fell silent.
Eighty-nine … If it's true, then you're really awesome!
Although age didn't represent strength, many people were still awed by such a terrifying talent. The leader of the Thousand Feathers Alliance was partly right; geniuses would break the rules. Maybe the girl wouldn't have stayed in the Star Lord State for tens of thousands of years, or even longer, like them.
After a moment of silence, everybody returned to the topic at hand. As everyone's age was reported, they were divided into three groups. They suddenly realized that age seemed to be a possibility!
It wasn't absolute, but it was a possibility!
Apart from the person who had reached the fortieth floor, who was two thousand years old, the others, such as the leader of the Thousand Feathers Alliance and the leader of the Ouhuang Alliance, were all very young.
However, there was a problem with the second group based on age.
Some of them were thirty thousand years old, and some were seventy thousand years old. In the third group, those who had only made it to the top ten floors were seven or eight thousand years old.
"Age doesn't seem to be absolute, but the younger ones are indeed closer to the front."
"I think it has something to do with age, but it has to do with age … Wait, is the ranking based on talent?"
Everybody was shocked. They had been to a lot of secret realms. Some of them had been left by ancient experts, and the talented ones would be selected to inherit the secret realms through trials.
It wasn't rare at all. After all, the concept of "inheritance" was a genetic instinct of human beings, or intelligent creatures!
Like reproduction, it was also a form of inheritance.
It was a habit that had been carved into the soul.
"Is it possible that the stairs are determined by talent? Is the Divine Residence's legacy on the other side of the stairs? "
Someone couldn't help but speculate. The others' eyes glowed with excitement when they thought of that.
The Divine Residence's legacy? Right on the other side? They didn't even dare to think about it!
"It might not be a legacy. Maybe it's just a test. In any case, let's have a try with our battle pets!" someone suggested.
The others had no objections. Someone summoned their battle pets and sent them to the stairs for the test.
