Space rippled and cracked open as a man stepped out from the darkness, suddenly appearing above the Sect Elders who were observing the entrance exam below. Sensing the abrupt presence, all the Elders looked up. Then, slightly joining their hands, they bowed down and greeted, "Welcome, Sect Master!"
The current Sect Master of the Jade River Sect, Lu Wancheng, nodded. "Please rise. There is no need for such formalities between us." All the Elders present straightened up and looked at his smug face while cursing him in their hearts.
Looking down at the stairs, Lu Wancheng saw an interesting sight. While others were either struggling or sprawled on the stairs, a group of a dozen or so kids were steadily climbing up. But the most interesting thing was not the group itself; it was the fact that only a few of them had broken a sweat, their breathing just slightly uneven. Moreover, they were nearing the thousandth step, nearly halfway up the mountain.
"This won't do," Lu Wancheng announced. "The test has been too peaceful till now. Let's give them a few special challenges so they'll split up and compete properly."
"But Sect Master, won't it be unfair to them?" The Fourth Elder spoke up. "Only they will be receiving such 'special' treatment."
"What is unfair about it?" Lu Wancheng said with a matter-of-fact tone. "From what I observe, these disciples are the best we have seen in the past several decades. That warrants properly judging their character to see if there are any spies among them sent from other sects."
The Fourth Elder wanted to rebuke him but found no words. The other Elders just shook their heads, knowing full well that the Sect Master simply wanted to watch the kids suffer and enjoy the looks of despair on their faces. Yet all the work fell to them, as usual. They really hated this man!
Down below on the stairs, after crossing the thousandth step, a white wall suddenly fell in front of the group. Everyone's gazes went up, but there were only a few drifting clouds. The wall was nearly twice as tall as any one of them. Right in the middle of the wall was a small jade door. Clearly written on the wall were the words: Only one person can pass at a time. The interval of the door opening will increase with each successive person.
"What is this?!" Lingling exclaimed in puzzlement. "Wasn't the test only about climbing the stairs?"
"Maybe the sect's higher ups are not pleased with how leisurely we are doing things," Rong Ning speculated. The aloof girl Tian Yao also nodded at these words, further lending them validity.
"So, what should we do now? Do we fight to determine who goes first? Or do we talk it out?" asked Gu Da, who was accompanying Gu Yichen. Even as he spoke, he had already clenched his fists, ready for a fight. His words created a deafening silence in the previously lively atmosphere. Nobody said anything; they were busy planning their own methods.
Xiaomeng suddenly moved forward, and everyone tensed. But they didn't attack, as she was moving toward a corner of the wall. Approaching the wall, she touched it and felt a cool sensation under her palms. The surface of the wall was neither slippery nor rough. Moving back a few steps, she rushed toward the wall and jumped. Her right foot struck the wall, cushioning the impact before redirecting her momentum upward. Still, she was only able to reach halfway up the wall.
Seeing this, Tieshan moved ahead and locked his fingers tight, moving his hands forward. "Try again," he said to Xiaomeng. Without wasting another word, Xiaomeng moved back and rushed ahead. Taking support from his muscular hands, she also used a special technique to apply more pressure with her legs. This time, she was nearly able to touch the top of the wall.
Moving back, she tried again for the third time and was able to barely cling to the wall with the tips of her fingers. Using her extraordinary strength, she pulled her body upward with great difficulty. While doing so, the increased pressure of the step was also pulling her down. But after a lot of struggling and flailing, and with support from below, she was able to climb up. Standing atop the wall, she gazed down at the others.
Seeing Xiaomeng climb the wall, the others followed one by one. The first to go were the girls. Xiaomeng flattened herself on the wall, lowering her hand. Whenever someone wasn't able to reach high enough, she would catch their hand and pull them up. With support from both above and below, the climb became much easier.
In no time all the girls were standing atop the wall, except for Tian Yao, that is. She just stood aside in silence, watching everyone struggle as if it didn't concern her. When her turn came, she simply walked up to the wall. Then, without any warning, she jumped. And her jump easily carried her up onto the wall. All those standing above and below were left slack-jawed.
They had all experienced how much strength it took just to jump up and catch the edge of the wall. And here this girl was able to accomplish the impossible with such ease. Tian Yao met everyone's gaze with her calm eyes and went to stand at the edge. A clap from Rong Ning brought everyone back from their stupor, and they continued to help the remaining boys climb.
The first boy to climb was Gu Yichen. After helping him up the wall, Xiaomeng stood up. "Take care of yourself," she said, then went aside to rest. With no other alternative, Gu Yichen had to take her place. But from his expression, one could tell how reluctant he was. Before long, nearly all the boys were up as well.
Looking at the remaining Tieshan, Gu Yichen's expression grew more pained. His hand was already hurting from all the hard work; if he helped this brute, he didn't know whether his hand would survive this ordeal. But he couldn't let the name of his clan be disgraced. Clenching his teeth, he closed his eyes and waited for the pull to come.
Even after some time had passed, nothing happened. Opening his eyes, he glanced below and didn't see Tieshan. Looking back, everyone else was also gone from the wall. Then he remembered that one person could still enter through the door. Hurriedly getting down from the wall, he chased after the others.
"Haha..." Lu Wancheng smiled while viewing the antics of the kids. "So young, still so bright," he said in a cheerful voice. However, the elders standing beside him could tell that the laugh was not really a laugh. "Since the new disciples are so intelligent and hardworking, we should also not disappoint them." And so, the poor elders had to get to work preparing more props for the test.
After the thousandth step, the group did not encounter anything abnormal like before for quite some time. While climbing they also came across the young master who had been busy stealing a fiancée before. He and his new fiancée were both stopped at the eleven hundredth step and were sitting cross-legged with their eyes closed, their bodies and souls being tempered. The group quietly walked past them.
During this time, Xiaomeng had discovered an interesting fact. Each step contained a fixed amount of tempering. If someone's body was able to bear it, then they would be tempered in a shorter time with a higher degree of pressure. And if someone was weak, they would have to endure slow tempering for a longer time.
Due to this, even though their group was moving fast, they didn't lose much. They just had to stay on a single step for a few breaths and receive all the tempering in that short time. And with each stair they climbed, they were getting stronger than before. However, the strain was accumulating, slowly becoming visible with each step.
When the group reached the twelve hundredth step, a mirror stood beside the stairs. If you want to proceed up, you will have to face your deepest desires, was written on its clear silvery surface.
Ignoring it, Tian Yao bypassed it. Suddenly, the text was erased, and her image appeared in the mirror. She was sitting cross-legged in meditation with her eyes closed. Everyone waited for something to happen, but nothing did.
Xiaomeng followed behind, thinking it was safe. Suddenly, as she passed the mirror, the image changed to her. She was sitting down at an expansive table with a large bowl in front of her, her chopsticks moving with lightning speed as she snatched meatball after meatball and stuffed them into her mouth. Looking at the scene, her own stomach growled. Keeping a straight face, she simply ignored it and moved on.
Rong Ning followed after her. In the mirror, she was sitting on a regal throne, wearing a bright red dress, reprimanding those beneath her for doing a poor job. Behind her came Lingling, who was a seductress with a trail of silhouettes following her. Looking at this, Lingling's face turned beet red, and she ran to hide behind Xiaomeng, who consoled her with pats on the head.
The process continued as everyone passed the mirror one by one. Some scenes were funny, while others were heartwarming, but none were anything that would make someone hated or isolated. During Gu Yichen's turn, he was being carried in a palanquin pulled by four flood dragons, showering others with his wealth. "A gentleman should help others," were his only words in response to this, delivered with a righteous expression.
At the end, it was Tieshan's turn. "Ha... ha... ha..." Suddenly, the mirror went black, and strange huffing noises came from it.
At first, everyone was confused, exchanging puzzled glances. Then, as a certain understanding dawned, the older kids' eyes widened. Some turned away with flushed cheeks, while others shot Tieshan looks of pure disgust. Gu Yichen's fan froze mid-wave, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. Lingling only blinked in confusion. Even Rong Ning's composed expression cracked slightly. As for Tian Yao, she was Tian Yao as usual, unaffected by anything.
And the subject of their attention, Tieshan, just tilted his head and asked, "What happened?"