Chapter 8

Benny ran away, and the outer disciples of the Xuan Yuan Sect naturally directed their anger at Lin Mu. Anyone could see that Lin Mu and that top-grade pig were in cahoots.

Lin Mu felt distressed, but in this situation, even if he had a hundred mouths, he couldn't explain himself. He had just emerged from the Great Wasteland, and his first act was to take the blame for a pig.

"Enough."

A stern voice interrupted the outer disciples' clamor. It was the elder on the left who spoke.

"Elder Li, you must do us justice. This kid actually dared to burn our house, showing no respect for the Xuan Yuan Sect. In my opinion, he should be killed outright."

One of the outer disciples said fiercely.

Lin Mu was exasperated. The situation had escalated to the point where it was now claimed that he had burned their house. This was a grave injustice.

The elder ignored the speaker and walked up to Lin Mu, his eyes half-closed. After a careful inspection, a look of surprise appeared on his face.

"You haven't even cultivated a single thread of internal energy, yet you managed to climb up from the bottom of the Ascending Dragon Steps?"

The elder's tone was full of doubt.

When he said this, the outer disciples also turned their gaze to Lin Mu. They had previously ignored him because of Benny, but now they saw that he hadn't even reached the third level of the Body Tempering Realm, yet he had climbed up from the bottom of the Ascending Dragon Steps and even came in first.

"Is this a joke? A guy who hasn't even reached the third level of the Body Tempering Realm is the first place? What a freak."

"Elder, there's definitely something wrong with this guy. I suspect he cheated. Arrest him and torture him."

Lin Mu rolled his eyes. He had run first, and now they wanted to torture him. What kind of logic was that?

"Silence."

Another elder spoke, walking up to Elder Li and saying calmly.

"This kid managed to climb the Ascending Dragon Steps without any internal energy. If he didn't cheat, he must have some other abilities. Let him participate in the second test and see if he can pass."

"That's fair. The second test can't be cheated. If he can't hold on, it means there's a problem."

Elder Li nodded.

"Hmph! Without any internal energy, how can he last half an hour in the gravity field set up by the Sect Master?"

"Half an hour? I bet he can't last ten breaths."

"This guy even had his dead pig set the fire. We can't let him off."

The outer disciples looked at Lin Mu with vicious, mocking, and hateful eyes. Lin Mu saw this but treated it as if a few grasshoppers were jumping in front of him.

"Alright, my name is Li Sheng. I'm in charge of your second test. You've probably already seen the stone chamber in the center of the training ground, right?"

Li Sheng said. The stone chamber in the center of the training ground had been noticed by everyone when they first entered. It was completely black, about ten feet in diameter, with a heavy stone door.

"Inside this stone chamber, the Sect Master of the Xuan Yuan Sect has set up a gravity field with fifteen times the normal gravity. The second test is to enter this gravity field and last for half an hour. Those who can do so will be considered qualified and have the chance to become outer disciples of the Xuan Yuan Sect."

Li Sheng explained.

"Fifteen times the normal gravity."

Lin Mu's eyes narrowed. Half an hour was fifteen minutes on Earth. For an ordinary person, it would be impossible to last fifteen minutes in a gravity field fifteen times stronger.

Fifteen times the normal gravity would likely crush anyone who entered it instantly. However, Lin Mu's body was strong, and he was curious to see what this gravity field was like.

"Each time, one hundred people will enter."

As Li Sheng spoke, he waved his sleeve, and a powerful, invisible true qi turned into a gust of wind, striking the distant stone door. The stone door creaked and opened automatically.

Inside the stone chamber, it was pitch black. Even though it was a clear day, the light from outside seemed unable to penetrate the stone chamber. Despite the door being open, the inside remained as if sealed.

The inner disciple at the first level of the Meridian Condensation Realm walked to the row of people closest to the stone chamber and waved his hand.

"Starting from you, one hundred people, follow me."

Those who were called took a deep breath, their faces showing tension. This was the second and final test. If they could last half an hour in the gravity field, they would become disciples of the Xuan Yuan Sect and rise to prominence.

Some of their faces still showed excitement, imagining their future in the Xuan Yuan Sect, where they would thrive. Clearly, they didn't understand what the gravity field meant.

The stone door was large enough for twenty people to enter at once. Under the guidance of the inner disciple, the first twenty people entered. As soon as they stepped through the stone door, a series of thuds could be heard from inside.

However, these sounds quickly disappeared. The remaining people rushed in, and at first, thuds could be heard, but then they stopped. All one hundred people entered, but the stone door remained open, and no one could see or hear anything inside.

Lin Mu was not among the first one hundred. His position was in the last group.

People outside stretched their necks to see inside the stone chamber but saw nothing. About two minutes after the one hundred people entered, one person crawled out, drenched in sweat, his veins bulging. He lay on the ground, gasping for breath.

"What's going on?"

Those who hadn't entered the stone chamber yet felt a cold sweat. The person who crawled out had already reached the fourth level of the Body Tempering Realm but could only last two minutes.

In the following time, more people kept crawling out of the stone chamber. None of them walked out; they all crawled. After they came out, they lay on the ground, gasping for breath.

This scene was terrifying, and the previously relaxed hearts of the onlookers became tense.

Half an hour passed, and about seventy people had come out, meaning about twenty people were still inside.

In the next five minutes, the remaining twenty people also came out. Most of them could walk, but they were clearly in poor condition, trembling, drenched in sweat, and breathing heavily.

"What is this gravity field? Out of one hundred people, only about twenty passed the test."

The people who hadn't entered the stone chamber yet had a completely different mindset. Their previous excitement and enthusiasm were gone.

Li Sheng smiled and took a few steps forward, saying loudly.

"Very good. Twenty-seven people passed the first round. The rest, although they didn't pass, have benefited greatly from the gravity field. You need to experience this benefit on your own. Don't waste time. The next one hundred, go in."

As Li Sheng spoke, the dozens of outer disciples who had been standing there pulled the people lying on the ground to the side. Lin Mu finally understood that these outer disciples were here to do the heavy lifting.

The next one hundred people had a similar outcome. About two minutes after they entered, someone crawled out. After half an hour, only twenty-six people passed the test.

"Everyone left, go in."

Li Sheng smiled at the remaining 103 people, his gaze finally landing on Lin Mu.

Lin Mu didn't look at him and was the first to walk towards the stone chamber. His face showed no sign of tension.

Lin Mu walked confidently to the entrance of the stone chamber, took a step, and entered.

The fifteen times gravity hit him without warning. Even Lin Mu couldn't help but stagger, but he quickly regained his balance.

"Such powerful pressure."

Lin Mu was surprised and walked to a corner of the stone chamber, sitting down cross-legged. The stone chamber looked pitch black from the outside, but inside, there was a faint light.

As soon as Lin Mu entered, a dozen figures appeared at the entrance of the stone chamber. They all stepped in at the same time.

Ah~

Everyone let out a cry of shock. Under the sudden pressure, they all fell to the ground. Lin Mu now understood why there were thuds when the previous groups entered.

"Damn, this pressure is almost bursting my blood vessels."

Someone cursed, quickly using their internal energy to resist.

Thud, thud~

The sounds of people falling continued. Those who entered found a spot to sit and tried their best to use their internal energy to resist the pressure. They were all breathing heavily and drenched in sweat.

In the entire stone chamber, Lin Mu was the most relaxed. The fifteen times gravity was initially uncomfortable, but after adapting, he felt invigorated.

"This gravity field is indeed powerful. Training under this pressure can have unimaginable effects on the body. Unfortunately, fifteen times is too light for me. If it were fifty times, it would be much more beneficial."

Lin Mu felt his muscles and cells vibrating under the pressure. His already incredibly strong body became even more solid.

"This gravity field was created by the Sect Master using a special technique. If I could obtain this technique, it would be far more valuable than any martial skill."

Lin Mu's eyes gleamed. He had just reshaped his body and found it difficult to cultivate internal energy. His goal was to make his body an invincible powerhouse and find a way to break through to the Meridian Condensation Realm.

This gravity field was a treasure for cultivation, but the gravity was too weak. If he could obtain the technique and use it himself, the benefits would be unimaginable.

"It seems I must enter the Xuan Yuan Sect."

Lin Mu decided. Initially, he wanted to enter the Xuan Yuan Sect to better understand this world and cultivation. Now, he had a real goal: to obtain the technique for the gravity field.

His reshaped body, due to consuming a powerful corpse, was incredibly strong. Even a Meridian Condensation Realm expert would not match his physical strength and durability.

Of course, if Lin Mu were to fight a Meridian Condensation Realm expert, he would still lose. These experts controlled the elemental energy of the world, had abundant spiritual energy, and powerful martial skills. They could use spiritual energy to control magical treasures, making them incredibly strong.

This was why, despite his strong body, Lin Mu's overall strength was only equivalent to the second or third level of the Meridian Condensation Realm.

"Ah, I can't take it anymore. If I keep going, my blood vessels will burst."

After two minutes, someone couldn't take it anymore and was the first to crawl out.

This situation spread like a plague. After the first, the second quickly followed. By the time half an hour had passed, only about thirty people were left in the stone chamber.

Another five minutes passed, and the remaining twenty people also came out. The last one to leave was the wealthy young man who had been overtaken by Lin Mu. He was breathing heavily and, before leaving, turned to look at Lin Mu, who was still sitting calmly on the ground, and gave him a thumbs up: You're amazing!

Outside the stone chamber, Li Sheng smiled as he looked at everyone, but his smile quickly froze when he noticed a missing figure.

"Where is Lin Mu?"

Li Sheng asked.

"He's still inside."

The wealthy young man said.

"What? This guy has no internal energy, yet he can last this long? How is that possible?"

"It's impossible. There must be something fishy."

The outer disciples had been waiting to see Lin Mu's downfall but were surprised by his endurance. They wanted to accuse him of cheating, but in this gravity field, cheating was impossible.

"I want to see how long this kid can last."

Li Sheng looked at the dark stone chamber, his eyes gleaming.

Half an hour passed, and Lin Mu didn't come out. An hour passed, and he still didn't come out!

"He's defying the laws of nature. This is impossible. He must be dead inside."

An hour passed, and even Elder Li Sheng's forehead was sweating. A fifteen times gravity field, and a kid with no internal energy had lasted an hour without coming out.

"He's not dead."

Li Sheng said. The gravity field was set up by the Sect Master and wouldn't kill anyone. If someone couldn't withstand the pressure and fainted, the gravity field would automatically eject them.

Since the gravity field hadn't ejected Lin Mu, it meant he was still alive and well.

"I don't believe he can last another hour."

Another elder said in surprise.

Inside the stone chamber, Lin Mu found it incredibly comfortable and didn't want to leave. He yawned and leaned against the wall, falling asleep.

An hour, another hour, and another hour passed, and there was still no movement inside the stone chamber. The people outside felt like they were going crazy.

"Four hours, and he's still holding on."

"Is this guy a monster?"

Even the two elders, including Li Sheng, couldn't take it anymore. Even with their sixth-level Meridian Condensation Realm cultivation, they could only last four hours in the fifteen times gravity field.

"I don't believe he can last another hour."

Another elder said in surprise.

Inside the stone chamber, Lin Mu was so comfortable that he didn't want to leave. He yawned and leaned against the wall, falling asleep.

Four hours, another four hours, and the stone chamber was still silent. The people outside felt like they were going crazy.

"Four hours, and he's still holding on."

"Is this guy a monster?"

Even the two elders, including Li Sheng, couldn't take it anymore. Even with their sixth-level Meridian Condensation Realm cultivation, they could only last four hours in the fifteen times gravity field.