417 Chapter 417 Reaching The 100th Stair
After the 67th steps, Wen Shuren began to feel the pressure bearing down on him.
“The rumor is true. It does feel like a mountain is on top of my head.” He took a step while his whole body trembling like crazy. His forehead was covered in sweat, but he kept on going.
Suddenly, someone passed him. It was Shi Xiulan. She was struggling as well, but not as much as him.
Wen Shuren gritted his teeth. How could he be defeated by this woman?! No. He had to surpass her if not, the Xiulan Family would act all smug.
He forced himself to move faster and a few minutes later, he managed to stand beside her. He smiled, thinking that he could defeat Shi Xiulan.
Suddenly, another man passed him.
“Hello.”
It was Aldred.
Wen Shuren ignored him because this test required so much focus. He did not want to fail because of a foolish reason.
“Why are you sweating so much?” Aldred asked with a grin.
Wen Shuren was annoyed but he kept his focus.
“And why is your body trembling? Are you holding your pee?”
“I have just the thing for you. Here.” Aldred pulled out a bucket out of his inventory and put in front of Wen Shuren.
Wen Shuren glared at him. “Get the fuck out of my face, Bastard!”
Suddenly, the pressure on top of his head increased by ten fold and Wen Shuren almost fell to his knees. He gritted his teeth in anger. This man made him lose focus and almost failed him in this test.
Aldred laughed. “Well, see ya then.”
He then run up the steps.
Wen Shuren was shocked when he saw Aldred running so fast with ease. Shi Xiulan was surprised as well, but she took a deep breath and regain her focus.
“Aldred, wait for us!” His wives run up to catch up to him.
This scene made Wen Shuren’s eyes widened. The Silver Stairs test the will, spirit, mental, and talent of an individual. No one under the heaven is perfect. Some may have talent, but also lazy. Some have the will, but lack the talent aspect.
This stairs test all of that by bearing pressure on top of them. Only the talented, motivated, and disciplined individual could pass this test. But usually, it would take them a few hours to pass the test because each step was a struggle, each step was them breaking their physical and mental limit.
But why. Why do they made it looked like these stairs were nothing but ordinary stairs.
They had to be cheating!
“They are leaving us again. Men! Let us run after them!” Bartrem shouted before he led his soldiers upward.
More than 70 people, men and women ran up the stairs.
This shocked Wen Shuren even more. Not only him and his wives, but his entourage can also do this.
Wen Shuren shook his head. “Now I am more sure that they are cheating. Humph! See what the elders will do to you later.”
He laughed inside at the thought of them being punished.
Aldred and the others arrived at the 70th stairs.
“Why did you stop?” Mary asked.
“This test is too easy. I feel like there’s a catch.”
“I don’t know, Aldred. The others seems to have it a lot harder than us.” Mareona looked down where she saw the people barely able to take a step before their 2 minute time limit passed.
“Hmmm, why is it so easy for us then?” Aldred asked.
“Maybe we are just that good?” Ivette replied.
“Possibly.”
After that conversation, they walked up the stairs while chatting with each other.
The failed participants that were watching this were overwhelmed with emotions. The first emotion was shocked, then amazed, and then depressed.
They were shocked to see people could reach over 70th steps which was considered to be impossible, then, they were amazed at how easy these people do it. And lastly, they were depressed at knowing that there were far more talented people than them.
“I think I am going to quit being a cultivator,” a man said, sighing.
“Me too. The heaven is too high for me to reach.”
“I am going back to my farm. Even though I quit, at least I have enough strength to be respected back at my village.”
These conversations spread wide and far. Aldred’s didn’t even realize that his action caused a lot of dreams to be shattered.
After 2 minutes, Aldred managed to reach the 80th steps.
This made the elders felt some concern. They expect these people to be talented, but their talents were too damn high.
No one in the last 5,000 thousand years manage to reach the 80th steps.
“Even I only stop at the 74th step.”
“And they did it with food in their mouth!”
The elder was right. Aldred and the others were currently munching on kebabs and burger while they climbed the stairs.
After Aldred stepped onto the 90th step, the whole tower trembled.
“Oh, an earthquake?” Aldred asked.
“I think it’s the tower,” Stella replied.
Aldred looked down. “We’re quite high in the sky now.”
“Yep. Move forward Aldred. We almost reach the 100th stair.” Mareona pushed him gently.
When Aldred took the next step, the stair under his feet became silver. He took another step, and the same thing happened.
“Now, I see why it was called the silver stairs.
The elders trembled when they watched this.
“What do we do?” an elder asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Do we let them set foot on the 100th stair?”
“Why would we not?”
“What if the other sects heard about this? More than 78 people manage to reach the 100th step of the Silver Stairs? All of our enemies, and even our allies will point their swords at us, and split these talented people amongst themselves.”
The atmosphere grew tense after that. Talents were the most important currency a sect could have. The more talented disciple they have, the brighter their future would be.
But having a lot of talented disciple, yet lacking the power to defend it was like being a fat sheep for a lion to eat.
“So, what should we do?”
“I don’t know.”
…
Aldred had now reached the 98th steps. “Two more steps and we’re done.” He then took one step and then another finishing all 100 stairs.
Suddenly, all the stairs turned to silver, including the one at the bottom. And not only that, the pressure increased by twice, eliminating dozens of participants immediately.
And then, the stairs shattered one by one, beginning from the first stairs, all the way to the top making everyone fell.
“Air manipulation!” Aldred casted a wind spell that lifted him, his wives, and friends before gently putting them down.
“Daoist Aldred, what did you do?” Kang Huan approached him.
“I just reached the 100th stair.”
“Monster! I barely passed 40.”
Suddenly, five elders appeared and approached Aldred.
Wen Shuren laughed. “You damn cheaters! The elders are here to punish you.”
“Cheating? All I did was walk and run.”
“Congratulations!” The elders said at the same time. “You have passed the 100th stairs of which even the founder of this sect has never manage to do. For that, you will be regarded as the highest Core Disciple and can call upon the elders, and even the sect master whenever and wherever you want.”
Everyone gasped when they heard that.