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"A test of will?"
The sea of candidates exchanged glances, solemnity etched in their eyes. To reach their current stature, each genius bore a will surpassing mortals. To ascend as a powerhouse, one could lack supreme talent or mighty backing, but will and perseverance were non-negotiable.
Cultivation's path was tedious, often desolate. Seclusion spanned months at its briefest, decades at its longest. Emerging, one found oceans turned to fields, loved ones vanished weak-willed souls despaired, their drive extinguished. Thus, every cultivator here grasped will's critical role, daring not to underestimate the impending trial.
Sporadic gazes drifted toward Lan An and his wives, wondering if their prodigious talents matched their resolve.
"I'll be concise here are the rules," the Chief Elder declared, nodding to the Seventh Elder.
The Seventh Elder, Liu Qi, bowed respectfully, his voice booming, "This mountain is Heavenly Weight Mountain, a Mid Spirit-Grade treasure. Its ninety-nine steps harbor the oppressive aura and gravitational force of a Tribulation Stage master the Fourth Principal of Sacred Lotus Academy, its forger. Pressure escalates with each step, from base to summit."
"Within three incense sticks' time, those reaching the sixty-ninth step advance. Those who fail are eliminated from this enrollment!"
Liu Qi's words struck like a cosmic blast, shattering the candidates' composure. Faces paled, minds reeled.
"Joking? Tribulation Stage aura?" The thought reverberated in countless hearts.
What did Tribulation Stage signify? No cultivator could be ignorant. It transcended mortal bounds, a step toward immortality. For eons, none had witnessed such power; some dared speculate the continent lacked Tribulation Stage masters. Their might could raze the land a clash of such titans spelled doom. As the proverb went, when titans war, ants perish a truth stark here.
Thus, Tribulation Stage masters were elusive, their traces mythical.
"Fear not! The aura's intensity rises gradually you won't face a Tribulation Stage's full might," Liu Qi reassured, sensing their dread.
The crowd exhaled, yet remained vigilant.
"I neglected to mention," the Chief Elder added gravely, "Heavenly Weight Mountain seeks the Fourth Principal's heir. Though he passed eons ago, whoever reaches the ninety-ninth step inherits his legacy!"
His words ignited fervor. Faces flushed, eyes blazed with zeal. Joy, awe, and myriad emotions intertwined.
A Tribulation Stage legacy—an allure too vast.
In the Academy plaza, quota-admitted geniuses roared:
"Damn it! Had I known, I'd have joined the trials!"
"Need you say? A Tribulation Stage legacy who wouldn't crave it?"
"Curse it, I'm not reconciled! Even a slim chance is worth trying!"
"Relax, the ninety-ninth step sounds impossible no one's reaching it."
"True enough!"
Their egos soothed, they prayed no one claimed the prize.
Lan An's lips curved faintly. With his system, a Tribulation Stage legacy paled beside his and his wives' peerless arts. Yet, for the Youth Overlord quest, he vowed to conquer the ninety-ninth step a testament to his supremacy.
His wives, seeing his fiery resolve, smiled, clasping hands in solidarity.
Nearby, a young woman of twenty, veiled in thin silk and swathed in layers like a mummy, concealed her form, fearing scrutiny. Her starry eyes, radiant as the night sky, fixed on the mountain's peak, burning with ambition. One of few with eighty percent Spiritual Energy purity, she stood apart.
Deep within her mind, a gentle, maternal voice spoke, "The Spirit Emperor's legacy, Tuyen Nhi you must seize it!"
Tuyen Nhi nodded resolutely, transmitting, "Master, was the Fourth Principal called Spirit Emperor?"
"No, that was his title. His true name is long forgotten, even by me," the voice replied.
"The competition is formidable I'll give my all," Tuyen Nhi said, glancing at Lan An and his wives with gravity.
"Though their talents are supreme, in will, I trust you won't falter," her master encouraged.
"Master, conceal yourself well don't let the Chief Elder detect you," Tuyen Nhi urged.
"Rest easy. I'm but a faint soul fragment only a Tribulation Stage master could sense me," the voice sighed.
"Don't grieve, Master. Once I become a Seventh-Grade Alchemist, I'll forge you a new body!" Tuyen Nhi vowed.
"You're a good child. I look forward to it," the voice said warmly, brimming with affection.
Tuyen Nhi clenched her fists. Without her master, she'd be a naive girl from a minor clan. Her master, body shattered by foes, survived as a frail soul within her. Tuyen Nhi swore to restore her swiftly.
The Chief Elder's voice rang, "The second trial begins—ascend!"
Liu Qi produced an incense stick, igniting it.
"Up!"
Nearly five thousand cultivators roared, soaring toward Heavenly Weight Mountain. Lan An nodded to his wives, and they ascended hand-in-hand.
"Hmph, so ostentatious!" many muttered, envious.
Tuyen Nhi stepped lightly, her form featherlike, landing on the mountain.
As candidates touched the first step, their faces shifted. Their cultivation equalized at Early Nascent Soul Stage. Transformation Stage masters like Mu Zi Yin suffered most.
Confusion reigned until the Chief Elder explained, "Heavenly Weight Mountain's array balances cultivation at Early Nascent Soul. Those below are elevated; those above, suppressed. Only physical strength may be used no treasures, no Spiritual Energy to resist, no flight. Violators are disqualified!"
Clarity dawned. The Academy prized talent, often mandating equal cultivation in contests.
"The pressure's light," some noted, feeling a slight weight, barely perceptible.
"Let's go!" Lan An led his wives to the second step.
"Oh?" The crowd murmured, sensing added pounds still manageable.
Steps three through twenty saw most advance, pressure and gravity rising but not yet daunting.
"Not too tough," many thought.
Their optimism crumbled.
At the thirtieth step, pressure crashed like a mountain, the aura unmistakably Late Nascent Soul. With cultivation capped at Early Nascent Soul, this was oppressive.
Sweat beaded on many brows.
Lan An and his wives reached the thirty-fifth step. As a body cultivator, Lan An felt merely weighted, like carrying stones effortless. His wives' cheeks flushed, but their robust physiques kept them steady.
Nearby, Tuyen Nhi ascended leisurely, showing no strain.
The fortieth step brought intense pressure, akin to a Transformation Stage master's focused aura. "I can't go on!" a youth collapsed, sweat-soaked, face flushed grotesquely.
His fall triggered a cascade. Thud thud thud! Countless candidates crumpled, faces pale, frothing. Early Nascent Soul against Mid Nascent Soul was taxing Transformation Stage aura was unbearable.
The Chief Elder, wordless, whisked the defeated through spatial rifts out of Sacred City.
"Heavens, step forty's this brutal? How can we reach sixty-nine?" Despair crept in.
Suppressed cultivation and mounting pressure sowed surrender. Yet, they trudged on, driven by Academy dreams.
Beyond the fortieth step, pressure rose incrementally, each step an eternity. Many paused, adapting before advancing.
"One incense stick burned!" Liu Qi announced, lighting the second.
"Damn it, hurry!" Candidates gritted teeth, summoning strength.
Huff… splurt! Some, unadapted to shifting pressure, spat blood, collapsing. The Chief Elder cleared them.
Tuyen Nhi, at the forty-fifth step, bore Mid Transformation Stage pressure. Sweat dotted her brow, but she pressed on without gasping. "Master, your endurance training shines today!" she transmitted joyfully.
"Don't grow complacent the path is long, and you trail them!" her master chided.
Tuyen Nhi nodded, eyeing Lan An's group ahead with complex emotions.
Lan An frowned, noting Li Zhu Luan and Bai Su Mei's labored breaths. Without Spiritual Energy, the aura far surpassing their cultivation strained them. "Don't worry, we're fine!" they reassured, smiling confidently despite fatigue.
Liu Shi Qin and Mu Zi Yin endured better, concealing strain. Lan An, a body cultivator, felt merely encumbered negligible.
"Onward!" he urged.
Step by grueling step, eliminations mounted. Most, rushing higher, couldn't adapt to shifting pressure within time limits, collapsing or flying off.
Fewer than three thousand remained.
At the fiftieth step, Late Transformation Stage aura descended—a hell for Early Nascent Soul cultivators. Many fell, yet rose, driven by indomitable will, bodies numb but ambitions unyielding.
"Huff!" Li Zhu Luan panted, her dainty feet leaden, yet she soldiered on for her future. Her sisters bit back groans. Lan An steadied them, advancing resolutely.
They led the ascent toward the sixty-ninth step's glory.
Behind, Tuyen Nhi gasped, trailing their pace, her competitive spirit undimmed, burning fiercely.
Nearby, a few with high Spiritual Purity struggled upward, their resolve wavering.
Some faltered, their will extinguished. Enduring escalating superior auras was mental torture, time relentless. How could they endure?
The Chief Elder's gaze was frigid, expelling quitters.
Dozens… hundreds… thousands fell. Fewer than two thousand persisted.
At the sixtieth step, a new, horrifying aura descended. Li Zhu Luan and Bai Su Mei nearly collapsed. Mu Zi Yin and Liu Shi Qin's chests heaved, gasping violently.
Even Lan An's brow glistened with sweat.
Without Spiritual Energy, his arsenal was limited. His face grave, he uttered softly, "Void Refining Stage aura it's here."