‘Reckless fool!’
Mu Fan saw every move the green-robed elder made with perfect clarity.
In his heart, he had already marked the man as a mortal enemy.
To obstruct a cultivator’s path was akin to murdering their parents.
How could Mu Fan not be enraged by the green-robed elder’s repeated provocations?
Especially since Mu Fan was counting on this grand competition to return to the Inner Sect, the elder’s interference filled him with even more resentment.
Ignoring the shocked and suspicious stares from the crowd, Mu Fan stepped forward again.
Just as before, the moment he released his aura, the Spirit Brilliance Bell shattered once more.
The once-noisy martial arts arena was now eerily silent.
The green-robed elder’s face was livid.
In the distance, Feng Yuan ground his teeth so hard they audibly clicked, wishing he could kill Mu Fan on the spot.
“Keep going!”
Mu Fan looked up at the dumbfounded elder and barked out the words.
“Hmph!”
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
One boom followed another, echoing across Wood Source Peak.
The green-robed elder, whose face had been a mask of vicious resentment, now looked at Mu Fan with a flicker of fear.
‘He couldn’t understand what on earth was going on!’
Up in the pavilion, even the dimmest observer could now tell that there was something suspicious about Mu Fan’s talent assessment.
“Why have you stopped?”
After a moment with no further action from the elder, Mu Fan frowned.
‘Heh, I was actually starting to enjoy this.’
“Th-there are no more!”
The green-robed elder looked at Mu Fan’s mocking face, swallowed nervously, and stammered.
An uproar erupted.
The moment he spoke, the entire crowd went wild.
“Then how is this scored?”
Mu Fan frowned and asked.
“Naturally, it counts as you passing.”
Before the green-robed elder could speak, Shen Muyao spoke up from the pavilion.
‘Passed, huh?
Fine by me.’
Hearing this, Mu Fan nodded nonchalantly, then turned his gaze back to the green-robed elder.
“Does the elder have any objections?”
“N-no.”
Facing Mu Fan’s scrutiny, the green-robed elder replied, his guilt apparent.
“Much appreciated.”
Mu Fan gave the elder a knowing look, then turned and walked off the arena stage.
GULP!
As Mu Fan descended the stage, the crowd watched him, their expressions no longer filled with the mockery and disdain of before.
“Hmph!
That piece of trash is just lucky.
I refuse to believe he’ll have this kind of luck in the second round!”
Luck won’t do him any good!”
However, Ying Weiwei and Feng Hao simply chalked it all up to luck, their gazes dripping with contempt for Mu Fan.
“Ahem, the second round, the willpower assessment, begins now!”
After he spoke, the main peak of Wood Source Peak, which had been wrapped in thick fog, revealed its true form.
Atop the main peak, a staircase reaching high into the clouds came into view.
“This is the Heaven-Reaching Ladder.
It exerts a unique suppressive force on cultivators.
The moment you step onto it, the test begins.
Ascend one hundred steps, and you will pass the second trial.
But be warned, do not push yourselves too hard.
You alone will be responsible for the consequences of any mishap!”
The green-robed elder glanced at the disciples below, gave an almost imperceptible nod toward Ying Weiwei and Feng Hao, and then continued speaking.
The Heaven-Reaching Ladder was a divine artifact forged by the Taiqing Sect at immense cost, far more precious than the Spirit Brilliance Bell.
The staircase was typically open for disciples to climb and temper their willpower.
SWISH!
As the spiritual formation before them dissipated, figures rushed impatiently toward the Heaven-Reaching Ladder.
THUD!
But some were too hasty.
One disciple, in their carelessness, was immediately crushed to their knees by the pressure.
“Everyone, slow down, don’t rush!”
Someone shouted a warning, and the others began to ascend the Heaven-Reaching Ladder one by one in a more orderly fashion.
The most outstanding among them climbed with ease, their expressions unchanged, as if the pressure were nothing.
Of course, there were also those who nearly buckled and retreated the moment they set foot on the first step.
“A true prodigy.
He’s climbing as if it’s flat ground.”
A disciple looked up at Feng Hao, who was leading the pack, their eyes full of admiration.
“I never thought this Senior Sister, who’s usually so unassuming, would show such incredible talent today!”
To everyone’s surprise, Ying Weiwei managed to keep pace with Feng Hao, staying right with the lead group.
‘Strange!’
Mu Fan frowned, watching Ying Weiwei climb with an unruffled expression.
He was filled with doubt.
He knew her better than anyone.
Her talent was barely passable, and her willpower was remarkably weak.
For her to perform like this now… it was highly suspicious.
‘Could it be him again?’
He glanced at the green-robed elder, and a theory formed in his mind.
‘That jade tablet in his hand… can it control the pressure each person feels?’
‘Looks like I need to be careful this round,’ Mu Fan’s heart grew heavy.
He hadn’t expected Feng Yuan’s influence to be so great that he could make an Inner Sect elder do his bidding.
HUMMM!
However, the moment he set foot on the first step, Mu Fan’s body lurched downward.
A terrifying, mountain-like pressure slammed into him.
‘Damn it!’
Mu Fan’s expression soured.
‘This pressure is clearly many times stronger than everyone else’s!’
‘Heh, ten times the normal pressure.
I refuse to believe he can make it to the hundredth step!’
From his perch in the distant pavilion, Feng Yuan watched Mu Fan, his eyes full of mockery.
‘Fine!’
Mu Fan gritted his teeth, struggling to turn his head and glare at the green-robed elder, who feigned composure.
Spiritual Qi erupted from his Dantian, surging through his entire body.
“Hmph!”
With a cold snort, Mu Fan suddenly felt the pressure on his body lighten, and he lifted his foot and slowly started walking upwards.
‘Hm?
He can still move?’
The green-robed elder was shocked when he saw this.
The jade tablet in his hand flashed, and the pressure on Mu Fan increased by another five times the normal amount!
‘Damn you!’
A nameless fury ignited in Mu Fan’s heart as he felt the sudden increase in pressure.
‘One day, I’ll make this old bastard pay!’
Though the pressure multiplied, Mu Fan wasn’t discouraged.
Instead, the setback only strengthened his resolve.
He would fight this injustice to the bitter end!
Spiritual Qi surged around his body.
Mu Fan no longer hesitated, his speed even faster than before.
Ten steps!
Twenty steps!
Thirty steps!
Forty steps!
In less time than it takes to drink a cup of tea, Mu Fan—enduring a pressure others couldn’t possibly imagine—had already caught up to the lead group.
“What’s going on!
How can he be so fast!
Could it be…!”
Ying Weiwei was already staggering.
Now, seeing that Mu Fan was about to catch up to her, her face changed drastically, and she shot an ugly look down at the green-robed elder.
And just ahead of her, Feng Hao also stared at Mu Fan in utter disbelief.
「Below.」
The green-robed elder’s expression grew increasingly grim.
He even began to wonder if the pressure he’d placed on Mu Fan was truly fifteen times the norm.