Tian Yao shot one final look at the others. They were all gazing at her with stunned expressions. Turning around, she began to climb the last two hundred steps.
All the kids stood frozen, unable to process what they'd just witnessed. Finally, Gu Yichen broke the silence, "He was not a cultivator, right?"
After a slight pause, a reply came from Tieshan, "He probably was. He seemed pretty strong."
"And he was still thrown down with a single kick? Did I see that right?" Yichen continued.
"We all saw that," Rong Ning answered, unable to mask the trembling in her voice.
"Is she still human?" These words from Gu Yichen silenced everyone once again. Gu Da remembered how he had raised the topic of fighting in front of the wall. Fortunately, the situation didn't develop in that direction, or else he could easily imagine himself having a nice conversation with the open wind while falling down the side of the mountain.
Xiaomeng really wanted to shout, "You should all look in the mirror yourselves!" but her ragged breathing prevented her from doing so. Slowly, she climbed one step. This brought the others out of their reverie.
Looking at her, they were all reminded that this was not the time to dawdle around. The next moment, they all hurried up the stairs.
Above the serene clouds, Sect Master Lu Wancheng trained his gaze on the First Elder. "Exactly what are you feeding her?"
Even the First Elder was baffled by the recent events. How would he have known that a seemingly talented girl he had picked up on his journey was such a monstrosity? He could only reply with a small smile. "Nothing special. Just a few spirit herbs every now and then." But Lu Wancheng's doubts were not completely dispelled. For now, he decided to let it go.
On the stairs below, the group trailed behind Tian Yao. Just slightly ahead of her, two more kids were climbing the stairs. The group had not seen these two previously, which could only mean that they were ahead of them from the start.
"How did they get through the special test?" Lingling voiced the question on everyone's mind.
Suddenly, they started to notice the weird aspects of the 'special tests' they had been given every two hundred steps. If everyone else had also taken them, there would definitely be stragglers left behind. But due to the urgency of the tests and the increasing difficulty, this had slipped their minds. Thinking back, it was definitely strange.
"Are we really being targeted?" She voiced the conclusion everyone had reached. Yet, nobody opened their mouths to affirm it.
"We'll know… when we go… up," Xiaomeng said while huffing. Among everyone present, she looked like she was struggling the most. Everyone nodded at these words and began to climb the last stretch with renewed vigor.
Tian Yao left the others behind, rapidly climbing up. She had promised that old man that she would come first, and she intended to keep her word. As she neared the two boys ahead, who were competing and cursing each other, they also took notice of her. For a brief moment, they were both mesmerized by her, but the pain from their strained bodies brought them back to their senses.
Suddenly, they both tried to climb faster, but were easily overtaken by the beautiful girl when only the last hundred steps remained. When they looked back, they saw more test takers catching up. Rong Ning and Gu Yichen were quickly closing the distance with others following closely behind. And at the end of the trail were Xiaomeng and Lingling.
"You should… go ahead," Xiaomeng said between small breaths. Her clothes were soaked in sweat. If not for the fact that there was no lake nearby, someone might have mistaken her for someone who enjoyed walking around after swimming.
Lingling gave her a worried look. "Don't worry," Xiaomeng replied in a reassuring voice. "I'll catch… up soon." Giving her one final look, Lingling also began to climb faster. Looking back, there was no other person visible for more than a hundred steps. Gripping her fists together and tightly gritting her teeth, Xiaomeng continued.
The pressure was crushing her body. If not for her special body training technique, she would definitely be out cold with froth coming out of her mouth like those she had passed. Even in the Upper Realm, she had not faced such harsh trials. She had been loved dearly by her parents, who always prevented her from doing anything dangerous or too straining on the body, making her path of cultivation very smooth.
For the first time in her life, she was facing true hardship, and it certainly didn't feel sweet.
"Heave ho!" Sudden sounds came from ahead. Slowly raising her head, Xiaomeng saw Tieshan sitting down with his hands clasped behind his head, doing a duck walk on the stairs.
Suddenly, Xiaomeng felt something break in her mind. Never! I will at least not be behind this bastard.
And so, an elegant lady finally learned to curse. The person responsible for this was completely unaware, busy trying to train his body more in the last stretch.
Observing everyone's struggles with a smile, Lu Wancheng said while looking at the two boys whom Tian Yao had overtaken, "Seems like the Grand Elder trained his grandsons well. He will be surprised by the result once he comes out."
The Elders could only nod at this. They gave empathetic gazes to the First Elder. The Fourth Elder was even smiling a little. The First Elder just let out a small, silent sigh as the clouds shifted around them. "Yes, he would definitely be pleased with the outcome," he said.
The Third Elder said thoughtfully, "It's rare to see such resilience in the younger generation. This test was designed to weed out the weak, yet here they have turned it into a competition to determine who is strongest."
"The first three positions are already determined," the Second Elder chimed in. "Let's look at how the remaining ones fare."
"It is almost time. I am going back now. Take care of the things here." Lu Wancheng had disappeared from his place as soon as the words were spoken.
During the last stretch, the kids who had previously been climbing easily were struggling to go even one step further. Along with the increased pressure, their bodies had also grown exhausted from the continuous climbing. Some were bent down, some hunched over, and some were using both hands and legs to barely crawl up one step at a time, like cats or dogs.
Lingling made her way through the others. Her arms were shaking, her legs threatening to buckle with every step. But somehow, she pushed through and reached Rong Ning and Gu Yichen, who were taking the lead among them.
By now, Tian Yao had already climbed the last step and completed the test. At the end stood a large red door. Inscribed on the jade board above it were the words: Jade River Sect.
Touching the door with both her hands, Tian Yao used her full strength for the first time. The large door swung inward and opened. Finally, she entered the premises of the sect.
Standing before her was the old man, welcoming her. Looking back, she saw the two boys from before and, behind them, her previous group making their way up steadily. She observed them for a moment, their struggling forms, the desperate determination, then turned away, not giving it a second thought.
Moving toward the old man, she said, "I'm going to my room. Don't disturb me till tomorrow." Leaving his stunned self behind, she made her way to her dwelling. Although she had not been a formal member of the sect before, she had still lived and roamed inside it and was familiar with its layout.
The First Elder only came to his senses after she had disappeared around the corner. "She is just shy," he said with a wry smile toward the other Elders who had just appeared.
"Seems so," the Fourth Elder commented in a mocking voice.
"At least, it's better than someone who is finding it hard to even bring one more good disciple to join his peak," the First Elder shot back.
"Let's stop arguing." The Second Elder interrupted the squabble. "The other disciples will be coming up soon. You don't want to show them something so unsightly, right?" His words smoothed the tension, and the two Elders fell silent, making the atmosphere more peaceful and serene.
Soon, the two grandsons of the Grand Elder entered through the door. Looking at the elders, the pair slightly bowed. "We greet the Elders."
"En, not bad. You may rise," the Third Elder said. "Since you have completed the test, you are now official disciples of the Jade River Sect. From now on, you should abide by the rules of the sect and strive to bring glory to the sect."
"Disciple understands," the brothers said in unison, their loud voices spreading in the open area. Then, they went to their assigned quarters to freshen up and rest.
Following behind them was Lingling, her hands and legs shaking, her clothes wet with sweat. Right behind her came Rong Ning and Gu Yichen. The trio collapsed onto the stone platform as soon as they entered. Only after taking a few breaths and clearing their minds did they notice the four Elders standing ahead. They hurriedly got to their feet and bowed deeply, "We greet the immortals."
A slight smile lit up the faces of the Elders present. "Good, good. You may all rise."
The trio straightened up. Just then, among the group of formal disciples standing behind the elders, a younger man and woman dressed in the sect attire came forward and led the trio away. Lingling cast one last worried glance at the door before following them.
In the time that followed, more and more examinees completed the test and were led away. Finally, the last one was Tieshan, and for fifty steps below him, there was nobody visible. After sending him off, the Second Elder said, "Let's go. We only have to welcome the disciples on the first day." The others nodded in agreement.
"Let me check one last time," the Second Elder added, and his divine sense spread through the stairs. Suddenly, his happy smile froze in place.
Looking at the anomaly, the other elders asked what had happened.
"We can't leave until the last moment," he said.
Hearing this, all the elders spread their senses, and their eyes widened. And so, they continued standing there.
Soon, the evening sun set, and the spiritual lamps were lit inside the large courtyard, illuminating the darkness. The elders were still standing and chatting away. Time continued to pass, and just as it neared midnight, a hand rose from below the stairs. Slowly, with the support of that hand, someone wriggled onto the last step. The person's body and clothes were completely covered in dust. It was hard to even recognize the examinee's face.
Looking around with a dazed expression, Xiaomeng saw that she was now in a wide courtyard lit by spirit lamps. At last, she had completed the test and succeeded in climbing to the top. Even she didn't know why she had pushed herself so far through the pain, crawling up one step at a time.
Through her blurred vision, she glimpsed the elders' white robes in the distance, which her mind tacitly ignored. While lying down on her stomach, she took a few deep breaths. The pressure on her body and soul had completely disappeared. Slowly getting up with a shaking and creaking body, she began to walk forward.
Her gait was completely unsteady, like a drunkard. It seemed like she would fall at each step, but she didn't. Finally, after a dozen steps, she had passed by the Elders, thinking of them as white pillars. And after a dozen more steps, her body gave way, her mind went dark, and she fell forward.
Just before hitting the floor, an invisible force enveloped her and lifted her body. Handing the unconscious girl to the female disciple beside him, the Fourth Elder ordered, "Take her to my disciple and tell her to give this child a medicinal bath and some rejuvenating decoctions."
After that, all the Elders disappeared from the courtyard, and the female disciple carried an unconscious Xiaomeng away.