Chapter 4 - Dao Seeking Canal (2/2)

The climbing became much harder from there.

Shiao Chen struggled for air, and he felt his lungs were burning. Great drops of sweat broke out from his forehead and fell into his eyes, burning like hell. The next second the sweat was washed out by icy water, so he could see a lit clearly.

The higher he arrived, the slower he climbed. He lowered his body as close to the bottom as possible with an effort to decrease the impact of the current, so he was basically immersed in the water. He used both his hands and feet to grasp the rocks and ledges at the bottom, trying his best not to fall. The clothes wrapped his knees and elbows were soon worn out, and bare skin was quickly cut by the ice in the water and rocks at the bottom. Blood spilled out from the cuts was soon washed clean by the icy water.

The other teenagers also struggled. Climbing the 200-meter long channel was as difficult as touching the sky. Cutting wounds increased with the passage of every second, and blood added red to the water.

The Dao Seeking Canal looked like an evil blood river from the distance, while the teenagers were like small fishes swimming against the current, miserable yet horrifying.

Even the several cultivators of Luoyun Valley couldn’t help but reveal complicated looks.

“One hour till the end!”

The cultivator responsible for timing shouted. His voice, amplified by his true force, spread all over the mountain. Several strong teenagers were not far from the top then, but the current became more torrential and the small pieces of ice grew to big ones.

All of a sudden, a crushed ice crashed on the forehead of one of the teenagers and blood spurted out at once. He lost his balance and was washed down by the current.

At the same time, the cultivator in charge of safety flew to the channel and took the boy safe to the bottom of the slope.

Elder Wu shot a emotionless glance at the boy and instructed, “Treat his injuries and send him home after he recovers.”

The boy, whose head was covered with blood, pleaded in a weak voice. “Immortal, please give me another chance. I beg you. I was so close.

“I am telling you the truth. I was just one way from the top. Why can’t you give me one more chance? Why?” The boy’s mind collapsed and burst into a rage of tears.

Elder Wu furrowed his brows, and snapped, “Cultivator requires both talent and opportunity! When the crushed ice hit you, you have lost your opportunity. Demanding is useless. Now leave us!”

A cultivator bowed in a respectful way, held the boy in his arms and fly away.

Seeing what had happened, the teenagers who were still struggling got despaired.

“Aa, I’ve run out of time!”

“Half of the distance has already taken me 3 hours, and the current runs faster and its temperature gets lower with every stop up, I think I’d better give up!”

“Forget about it. I am done. I am so tired!”

One by one, the teenagers cried in despair. They all stopped climbing, just holding tightly to the rocks, waiting.

All these whispers were heard by Shiao Chen, but he did not listen. At this moment his mind had long been disintegrated, yet he was still moving up bit by bit when others had all given up, all for the sake of his unyielding will.

His palms, elbows and knees were all badly mutilated. His face, arms and chest were covered with numerous wounds made by ice. However, neither the torrential cold water nor the sharp pain all over his body could stop him, not even the despairing wailing of other candidates.

He had only one belief in his heart. Keep climbing. Keep moving. Never stop!

Nothing could stop him. He must succeed. He must make his parents proud. No one should look down upon them any longer.

He must succeed. He had to!