Chapter 141: The Confident Jiang Zihe

The crimson radiance of the protective vital energy surrounding the two Great Origin Sect disciples intensified. With wind whistling beneath their feet, they quickly ascended another five steps.

One should never assume that a Pulse Flow realm cultivator can entirely ignore a force of several thousand jin. On this Thousand-Step Ladder, each step increases the pressure by an additional hundred jin. While it may seem insignificant, the cumulative effect leaves the cultivator’s physical body no room to breathe, forcing it to endure increasingly immense strain. A Pulse Flow realm cultivator capable of striking with a force of ten thousand jin does not necessarily possess the physical resilience to withstand an attack of that same magnitude. Human flesh is inherently far more fragile than that of demonic beasts, and even with protective vital energy, that gap cannot be easily bridged.

After completing these five steps, the two Great Origin Sect disciples were already panting. Nevertheless, they were not overly discouraged. The selection for the Wind and Cloud Guard was notoriously difficult, a process of choosing the elite among the elite; the odds of joining were slim. They felt satisfied as long as they could pass a few assessments or at least demonstrate the demeanor expected of disciples from a major sect during the first round. Furthermore, if they could happen to trample the disciples of their old rivals, the Divine Sun Sect, they would have another achievement to record in their sect’s honors book. While crushing Divine Sun Sect disciples was not exactly a source of immense pride, completely humiliating their lone representative in the Wind and Cloud Guard assessment was an amusing prospect.

Both disciples shared the exact same thought: let the more powerful disciples handle the glory of bringing fame to the Great Origin Sect. They were simple men, only interested in stepping on the lone sapling of the Divine Sun Sect. If they could pull that off, they would be met with endless praise and accolades upon returning to their sect. They exchanged a faint smile, but before it could fully bloom, the sight in their peripheral vision stifled it instantly.

It was the youth named Luo Tian, the Pulse Flow realm cultivator from the Divine Sun Sect, walking up at a steady, unhurried pace.

Only three steps remained.

Although the two Great Origin Sect disciples knew there was still some distance between them and Luo Tian, judging by his momentum, it was hardly an obstacle. What was going on? The two exchanged bewildered glances. They had naturally heard rumors about the secret realm—that an outer sect disciple named Luo Tian from the Divine Sun Sect had risen abruptly, causing the Great Origin Sect to return in disgrace. It was a rare defeat for the Great Origin Sect in their recent confrontations with the Divine Sun Sect. But was this kid Luo Tian not being a bit too formidable? Not only had he broken through to the Pulse Flow realm so quickly, but his foundation was also incredibly solid. He hadn't even used his vital energy, yet he had managed to reach the fiftieth step! Was he a human or a demonic beast?

Luo Tian did not even glance at them, continuing his ascent with calm composure.

Watching Luo Tian’s back move slowly yet firmly upward, Ling Qinghe could not help but show a trace of surprise on his calm face. Some body-refining techniques did indeed show astonishing effects in the early stages, but such arts were difficult to master, and few people focused on them. Everyone knew that vital energy cultivation was the foundation for a cultivator; who would bother suffering through the hardship of specializing in body refinement? Was the custodian of the Divine Sun Sect’s library really that foolish? If he recalled correctly, that man was from the Han family.

After the fiftieth step, the crowd grew denser, with disciples from all four major sects concentrated in this area.

"Keep it up, Brother Cheng! We can't afford to fall behind!"

"Naturally. Which disciple of the Golden Light Pavilion isn't striving? But don't worry, no matter what, there’s still someone at the bottom to cushion our fall!"

"Who could argue with that? Just look at that fellow from the Divine Sun Sect, Luo—"

As he spoke, the Golden Light Pavilion disciple turned his head and saw Luo Tian walking up from behind.

"Isn't that Luo Tian?"

"That guy from the Divine Sun Sect? How... how could he reach this point?"

"Exactly! A Pulse Flow cultivator from a place like the Divine Sun Sect should be exhausted after twenty steps. How is he at fifty?"

"Look, he isn't even using his vital energy!"

By the fiftieth step, there was essentially a Pulse Flow cultivator struggling on every level. The pressure here was no longer light; charging ahead blindly could easily result in physical injury. These cultivators naturally observed the state of others; even if they couldn't reach the two-hundredth step, they didn't want to lag too far behind. Yet, while everyone else was fighting over every single step, Luo Tian—the most inconspicuous one, whom no one considered a rival—was simply walking up step by step. He hadn't even unleashed his vital energy.

"Luo Tian, how did you get up here?" Feng Renliang asked. Although he was struggling, he remained in the second tier of climbers; he didn't dare fall too far behind, fearing that if he lost his pace for a moment, he would never catch up. Seeing Luo Tian climb from the very back to this point, he was filled with curiosity.

"I walked up," Luo Tian replied earnestly, his pace never once faltering.

The four major sects—the Great Origin Sect, Golden Light Pavilion, Thousand Waves Gate, and Void Mountain—each had between five and eight disciples present, with one or two "pillar" figures representing each. Unlike those lingering around the fiftieth level, these elite disciples were not only trailing closely behind the first tier but showed no signs of slowing down. Even past the hundredth step, they did not appear overly strained.

However, Jiang Zihe’s speed began to taper off after the one-hundred-twentieth step. This was not due to a lack of stamina, but because the gravitational pressure at this level was immense; charging ahead too recklessly would put too great a burden on his body. The Wind and Cloud Guard assessment consisted of three stages; if one exhausted all their energy on the Thousand-Step Ladder just for a show of strength, they might perform poorly in the later stages. A wise man would not do such a thing. Jiang Zihe had great confidence in his strength, but he was no fool, so he paced himself while he could still handle the pressure. He glanced back at the line of people behind him with a slight shake of his head. Though they were competing on the same stage, they were destined to be nothing more than his foils. That was the way of the world: some were protagonists bathed in light, while others were merely the green leaves meant to set off the flowers—worthless in comparison.

Although the overall speed of the participants was slowing, one person was an exception: Luo Tian, whose pace had actually increased slightly. Crimson protective vital energy erupted as he stepped onto the seventieth level.

This was already the upper reaches of the second tier. It was undoubtedly incredible that the Divine Sun Sect disciple, who had started in last place, had reached this position. How could someone from the Divine Sun Sect accomplish this? Yet, no matter how unconvinced the other cultivators were, none dared to stir up trouble here. Ling Qinghe was watching from below; anyone who disrupted the order or violated the rules would never be admitted into the Wind and Cloud Guard. Even if they wouldn't have made it anyway, no one was foolish enough to leave a bad impression.

With his vital energy protecting him, the increasingly heavy gravity felt much lighter to Luo Tian. Seeing him move faster and faster, as if he were in a rush to be reincarnated, the disciples of the four major sects couldn't help but whisper, praying that he would be crushed to the ground.

Further ahead were the true elites from the four major sects and various powers within Wind City. There were only a dozen or so, but they were far ahead of the others. By the time Luo Tian reached the hundredth step, Jiang Zihe had already reached the hundred-and-fiftieth, and none of those behind him were below the hundred-and-thirtieth. The pressure here exceeded ten thousand jin, and no one dared to disregard it, so every cultivator was circulating their vital energy to resist the crushing force.

*A bunch of trash!* Jiang Zihe thought with disdain as he glanced at those attempting to catch up. Even though Luo Tian had shown signs of a sudden surge, he remained unbothered. Regardless of his sect, in terms of sheer cultivation, he was unrivaled. Who could be his opponent?

Still, by the one-hundred-and-fiftieth step, even Jiang Zihe, who had reached the Yellow Light Transformation stage of the Pulse Flow realm, felt the strain. This did not shake his confidence; two hundred steps were no problem at all. If things went well, reaching two hundred and fifty, or even two hundred and seventy, was possible. He felt a surge of excitement thinking about the rewards for taking first place. *It’s a good thing Jiang Zhenglong disappeared; otherwise, with his personality, he would surely have tried to snatch a share of the benefits from me.*

"That Luo Tian has already reached the hundred-and-twentieth step, and his speed is still increasing?"

"Did that guy take some kind of drug? How else could this happen? It’s like seeing a ghost..."

"I’m telling you, there’s something wrong with that Luo Tian. A place like the Divine Sun Sect is only fit to produce trash."

The young cultivators in the second tier, whether out of shock or jealousy, watched Luo Tian’s receding back with complex emotions.

Ling Qinghe narrowed his eyes. He recalled what Liu Changtian had said before leaving, but he soon shook his head slightly. Perhaps Luo Tian had genuine talent and worked hard, but unfortunately for him, his destiny was ill-fated. No matter how excellent his results were, he could never become a member of the Wind and Cloud Guard. It was truly ironic; if he hadn't come from the Divine Sun Sect, he wouldn't have been targeted.

A faint smile touched the corners of Ling Qinghe’s mouth.