Chapter 47

Time ticked by, and the group climbed higher and higher.

Shangguan Liuyun, who was in first place, had already reached the 85th floor. His hands were no longer burdened, and his whole body was glowing with spiritual light as he took each step upward, showing that even eight times the pressure was not easy for him.

The second-place contestant was far behind him. Duan Fei stood on the 71st floor, his handsome face covered in sweat. He gritted his teeth and glanced at the figure ahead, then moved his feet with great difficulty.

Jiang Yulong, who was right behind him, panted heavily and said with a growl, "I will definitely reach the top before you!"

...

Lin Xuan stood on the 55th floor. He had already absorbed a considerable amount of lightning power, and the spiritual energy in his body had turned a blue-green color, with occasional electric arcs flashing.

Crack!

A small burst of lightning power exploded in Lin Xuan's hand, numbing his arm.

"Truly one of the most violent forces in the world!" Lin Xuan rubbed his arm; he had just fused with it and couldn't control it completely yet.

"Once I finish these 99 stone steps, I should be able to convert all the spiritual energy in my body into lightning power," Lin Xuan said with a smile, his current spiritual energy being incredibly abundant.

"Lin, Lin Xuan..." Just as he was about to step onto the 56th floor, a weak voice came from behind him.

"Huh, it's you!" Lin Xuan turned around and saw the shy girl, Yin Qingyi, behind him.

Yin Qingyi wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand and said softly, "Go on ahead, I can manage on my own."

Lin Xuan smiled, "Hang in there, I believe you'll catch up to me soon!" With that, he stepped onto the 56th stone step and closed his eyes again.

When he opened his eyes again, he found Yin Qingyi standing beside him, secretly watching him.

"Ah! You're awake," Yin Qingyi said, blushing.

"Yep, let's go." Lin Xuan stepped onto the next step, and Yin Qingyi followed suit.

After a few more steps, Lin Xuan noticed that Yin Qingyi was always in sync with him, not showing any signs of strain. Despite Lin Xuan's slow pace, he had become much faster at fusing and digesting the small blue arcs after multiple fusions. He had already left many people behind, but Yin Qingyi could still keep up.

Lin Xuan smiled and stepped onto another stone step with her. By the 79th step, over 90% of the spiritual energy in Lin Xuan's body had become lightning-based, and by then, most of the people ahead had already passed the test.

When the first person successfully passed, the first test entered its countdown phase, ending in one hour. The other disciples who had already passed were resting on the mountaintop, looking down at those still climbing with smug expressions.

"Look, that's Lin Xuan, daring to challenge Senior Jiang Yulong!" Among the disciples below, Lin Xuan was the most watched.

"He's only on the 79th step now. Looks like he's not that strong," many people wondered.

Lin Xuan ignored them and stepped onto the 80th step.

The next moment, his body trembled. A golden arc of lightning drilled into his body, causing the blue arcs to go wild.

"Oh no!" Lin Xuan's face changed. He could clearly sense the power contained in the golden arc, which was stronger than all the blue lightning he had fused before.

One misstep, and he could be in an irreparable situation!

"Look at that waste of space's face, ha, it's hilarious!" Many of the Divine Might Group disciples pointed at Lin Xuan and laughed.

Just reaching the 80th step and he's already like this; he probably won't make it to the end. Many disciples shook their heads.

On the mountaintop, everyone except Shangguan Liuyun, who was sitting alone with his eyes closed, was watching the disciples below. Jiang Yulong looked at Lin Xuan with disdain, thinking he was a complete waste, not even worth his attention.

Tang Yu, however, watched with wide, worried eyes, "That shouldn't be the case; how could that guy be so weak?"

When she saw Yin Qingyi beside Lin Xuan, she pouted and huffed.

"Are you okay?" Yin Qingyi saw Lin Xuan's pale face and tugged at his sleeve. The next moment, a faint golden current rushed toward her, quickly touching her hand.

"Ah!" Yin Qingyi let out a soft cry. The tip of her sword pointed downward, and countless strange runes quickly formed around her, directing the golden current to the ground.

All of this happened in an instant, and the other disciples didn't notice, or if they did, they didn't care. Who would pay attention to a disciple who could only stay on the 80th step?

However, in the clouds above, several figures were seated, including the middle-aged man in purple. He suddenly opened his eyes and frowned, "The lightning on Thundercloud Mountain seems to be getting restless?"

"Restless? What restlessness? Thundercloud, you're being too sensitive. How could those little guys down there cause any disturbance to Thundercloud Mountain?" said another figure, a middle-aged man with a mustache.

Thundercloud scanned the area again with his divine sense but found nothing unusual, which dispelled his doubts.

Below, Lin Xuan slowly opened his eyes, a flash of golden light passing through them. It had been a close call; the golden arc had almost exploded inside him, but he managed to suppress it.

"The lightning power here is too violent. With your current strength, it's best not to absorb any more," Old Ji advised.

"Understood." Lin Xuan nodded inwardly. The spiritual energy in his body had completely transformed into lightning-based energy, with a hint of gold, making it twice as powerful as before.

"Did I hurt you?" Lin Xuan asked Yin Qingyi apologetically.

Yin Qingyi shook her head, then her face changed, "Oh, time is almost up!"

"Let's go then!" Lin Xuan said.

The two began to climb with renewed effort. The pressure no longer affected Lin Xuan, who had fused with the lightning from Thundercloud Mountain. Although Yin Qingyi moved more slowly, she didn't seem to be struggling.

"Are you a sword array master?" Lin Xuan asked, watching Yin Qingyi's unique sword techniques.

"Um." Yin Qingyi still held her sword in reverse, the tip pointing downward, forming a translucent sword array around them.

"This can redirect the pressure elsewhere," Yin Qingyi explained.

The two walked at a leisurely pace, chatting as if they were on a date rather than taking a test.

Finally, just before time ran out, they stepped onto the last step and passed the test.

"Hmph! Wasting so much time, what a waste of space!" some of the Divine Might Group disciples sneered.

"I suggest some of you scram. You probably won't pass the second test now."

"If you're looking for a fight, I don't mind sending you off!" Lin Xuan's lips curled into a cold smile, "Do you want me to throw you all down the mountain right now?"