Chapter 402
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
Chapter 402: Proud and Defiant!
The words spoken by the old man were undoubtedly provocative, sparking an immediate reaction among the outer disciples. Their blood began to boil, their nerves loosened, and their fighting spirit surged, their eyes gleaming with determination.
“I absolutely must reach the fourth level!” Zhang Qing’s eyes gleamed with excitement as he was inspired by the old man’s words. Clenching his fists tightly, his resolve was unshakeable.
“I hereby announce the Grand Swordsmanship Competition has officially begun. Let everyone ascend the Heavenly Stairs!” The old man raised his hand, his voice booming like thunder, before dramatically waving it downward.
“Boom!”
As his words echoed through the air, the atmosphere reached a fever pitch, soaring toward the heavens. A wave of breath surged, and figures appeared from all directions, eagerly climbing the Heavenly Stairs.
In Su Yi’s eyes, a brilliant light flickered. Surrounded by the mass of people, he too found himself drawn forward, rushing toward the Heavenly Stairs.
The Heavenly Stairs were massive, resembling a towering peak that could be ascended from all sides. There were over 20,000 outer disciples present, but despite the number, it didn’t feel crowded as they all surged toward the stairs.
Some had already stepped onto the Heavenly Stairs, ascending them with apparent ease, striding up the steep steps as if they could reach the top in a single leap.
“Success is guaranteed!” Many disciples’ eyes glinted with determination, their fists clenched tightly.
“Clang clang clang!”
As their feet touched the Heavenly Stairs, their bodies began to emit radiant light. Some glowed with crimson or green light, others were enveloped in black, gold, or blue.
These lights signified their attributes. Stepping onto the Heavenly Stairs immediately revealed their qualities, transforming the stairs into a vast Yuan Testing Stone.
The old man stood quietly off to the side, observing the disciples ascend the stairs. He fully understood what was happening.
Five years ago, these outer disciples had been rejected due to insufficient talent to become inner disciples. Even now, the odds of success were slim—perhaps one or two in a hundred.
Of the more than 20,000 outer disciples present, only a couple of hundred would pass the test and be selected as inner disciples. That was the maximum number.
While talent could be improved with resources and hard work, such improvements were often marginal.
Amid the crowd, Su Yi was jostled and found himself stepping onto the Heavenly Stairs. He moved forward.
“Boom!”
As his foot made contact with the steps, a tremendous force of collapse struck him, making his footing tremble and almost causing him to fall.
In an instant, Su Yi’s vital energy surged through his body, steadying his posture and firmly anchoring his feet to the ground.
At that very moment, four kinds of brilliance—black, green, red, and wind—enveloped Su Yi’s body. The light shimmered around him in a dazzling display.
As these four different lights swirled around him, a series of faint ripples appeared from the distant void.
“How can there be four different attributes surrounding him?!”
“Well, the wind attribute is fine, but the other three are chaotic and lack any clear order of importance!”
“How could this happen? Ah…”
From the surrounding mountain peaks, faint sighs could be heard, barely perceptible to outsiders.
Situ Liuyun and the Right Dharma Protector, looking up at the towering peaks, were both taken aback. Their expressions shifted dramatically.
“How could this be?!”
The Right Dharma Protector’s face twisted in regret. The four attributes indicated that Su Yi likely didn’t possess much talent.
“Wind is a special attribute, but he also has Earth, Water, and Fire attributes. The chaotic nature of these four attributes, with two of them counteracting each other, is troublesome. Ah…”
Situ Liuyun sighed. The conflicting elemental properties would likely hinder Su Yi’s cultivation, limiting his progress.
“What a shame… such a disappointment.”
The greater the hope, the harsher the disappointment.
“Four types of attributes? His talent seems average.”
“The four attributes are all over the place. His talent seems quite ordinary. Can Su Yi really defeat Jian Shiyi?”
The sight of Su Yi surrounded by the radiant four attributes drew the attention of the disciples around him, causing a brief stir.
However, at that moment, the disciples focused more on their own tests, determined to pass the trial.
“Hahaha, so he’s just a talentless individual!” A figure sneered from the crowd.
This was an outer disciple who had been beaten by Su Yi before. Upon noticing the attribute light around Su Yi, he smirked coldly, feeling a sense of satisfaction.
As the attribute aura continued to swirl around Su Yi, the surrounding conversations reached his ears.
“Boom!”
At that moment, the tremendous force of collapse pressed down upon Su Yi again, like a massive stone weighing heavily on his shoulders, threatening to crush him.
The crushing force intensified, seemingly preventing him from moving forward and taking another step.
Clearly, the force bearing down on Su Yi was much stronger than the pressure experienced by anyone else. This overwhelming force was even noticeable to onlookers.
“Those with mediocre talent cannot ascend the Heavenly Stairs and will be crushed down!” A disciple voiced, surprised. He had heard from his senior brothers that the Heavenly Stairs were mysterious: those with high talent faced less resistance, while those with low talent could not even step onto the stairs.
“It seems his talent really is too ordinary, and the Heavenly Stairs are rejecting him.”
Across the distant mountains, subtle movements and quiet sighs were heard.
“What a pity, good cultivation, but held back by limited natural talent.”
From atop the mountain, the Right Dharma Protector observed the scene on the Heavenly Stairs. The resistance was clearly affecting those with average talent.
Situ Liuyun remained silent, though his expression showed clear regret.
“Boom!”
On the Heavenly Stairs, Su Yi’s qi surged through his meridians with the sound of a flowing stream. With his qi, he resisted the overwhelming force, standing tall, head held high, and his body unwavering.
At that moment, Su Yi could clearly feel the immense pressure, as if the Heavenly Stairs were targeting him specifically.
“Are you trying to stop me? I will climb today, and nothing will stop me!”
The challenge from the Heavenly Stairs sparked Su Yi’s fighting spirit. He refused to submit. Just like when the Yuan Testing Stone of the Sacred Mountain had marked him as an insignificant disciple, now the Heavenly Stairs were doing the same.
Su Yi was rebellious, unwilling to bow down.
The Heavenly Stairs were meant to test battle power. If he insisted on ascending, what could they do to stop him?
