At the foot of Myriad-Pill Mountain stood a grand archway carved from priceless snow-white spirit jade.
Rising up from behind that archway were the famous 9,999 White Jade Steps, winding all the way up through the clouds to the golden summit of the Myriad-Pill Pavilion.
For eight hundred years, those steps had been a symbol of absolute humiliation for every mortal kingdom in the Central Continent. Every thirty steps stood a ten-foot stone monument carved with two big red words: [KNEEL HERE].
Whenever a mortal emperor, a duke, or a wealthy merchant came to Myriad-Pill Mountain to beg for a life-saving healing pill, they were forbidden to ride horses, sit in carriages, or even walk normally. They had to take three steps, drop to both knees, and knock their forehead against the cold white jade all the way up the mountain! By the time a petitioner reached the top of the 9,999 steps, their knees were bleeding and their forehead was swollen like a rotten peach—and even then, the sect elders might just toss them a bitter leftover pill and charge them half their family fortune.
Today, standing behind the grand archway at the bottom of the stairs was Gate-Keeper Elder Hu (Rank 4 Peak Qi Gathering) along with five hundred arrogant White-Robe Pill Guards.
