Shi Lang gathered with the rest of the people after Elder Ji told the crowd to gather. He did not step up first. He wanted to see what these thirteen steps were all about.
Someone moved forward and stood before the steps. Shi Lang watched everything moving slowly, and the Elder said, "Step on those stairs and channel your spirit energy to climb up."
The disciple nodded and took a step onto the stairs. At the same time, his shoulders sank from a strong pressure. The young man barely stood on his feet a few breaths later.
The young man tried his best to move forward but could not after five minutes of stagnation.
Edler Ji said, "Step down. You can try again next year. You would suffer prolonged injuries if you tried to move to prevail."
The young man nodded and stepped down from the steps. The lady said, "You will be given the next chance next year because you were asked to test the steps without instructions."
The disciple nodded, and Elder Ji continued, "These steps test the quality of your spiritual energy. To pass this place, you must reach the seventh step, the admission requirement as an errand disciple."
Someone asked, "Elder, can I ask a question?"
The Elder nodded, and the young man asked, "Why are these stairs called the steps of virtue?"
The Elder replied, "What is the biggest virtue of a cultivator?"
The young man did not answer but shook his head. Shi Lang found none of the people answering it, so he whispered, "Spirit energy."
The people were surprised to hear this. They thought the young man among them was joking and wanted to ridicule him when Elder Ji nodded and said, "Correct, it is the spiritual energy of a person that makes him stronger."
The disciples immediately calmed down. They understood what he was doing. Elder Ji said, "Now you all can start taking the test."
The disciples all moved one by one, but none had yet crossed the threshold of the seventh step. Shi Lang was only watching things from the back of the crowd. He did not wish to climb just the bare minimum, but he wanted to see if there was a genius among these people and learn from them.
He was a nobody. If he were to showcase his ability abruptly, it would bring him more harm than good. Shi Lang did not make any noise. However, most of the candidates were almost done taking the exam when a young lady asked, "Elder, what if someone climbed the thirteenth step?"
Elder Ji glanced at the girl and said, "You will be selected by the leaders of one of the eight peaks."
The girl nodded, and the disciples were shocked. They did not expect such an outcome for climbing to the top of the stairs. The girl channeled her spiritual energy and stepped onto the second step.
She skipped the first step as if this trial was child's play. The next thing that shocked everyone was the petite girl climbing higher on the stairs. Shi Lang could not help but raise his eyebrows when he saw this. The girl was moving as if she was walking on the ground.
However, as she climbed higher, the pressure on her shoulders increased, and her back slightly leaned forward. Shi Lang thought, 'This girl must have some rich background.'
Raksha's voice echoed his thoughts, 'Indeed, she has the nature of water in her spiritual energy. To think someone with spiritual water attribute could defy the pressure of the Immortal Sovereign.'
Shi Lang was surprised when he heard this. He did not know that the pressure on the stairs belonged to an Immortal Sovereign. Raksha continued, 'Calm down, and it is not like you cannot handle this.'
The terran calmed down. He turned his focus to look at the girl and found her climbing the thirteenth step. She stood at the spot firmly, with her back straight. Elder Ji was surprised and asked, "What is your name?"
The girl reported, "Shu Xing."
Elder Ji raised thought for a second and asked, "Shu Family of the Vemon Swamp?"
The girl replied, "Shu Family, guardians of the venom swamp."
Elder Ji smiled and nodded. She liked the temperament of this young lady. Then she said, "Come down, and after the exam, you will have an audience with the Elders."
Shu Xing nodded and stepped down. Following her, many people steeled their guts and tried their best to climb to a higher stair. The difference between a genius and a commoner was so high that out of a hundred disciples, only five managed to cross the seventh step, and only ten made it to the seventh step.
Shi Lang understood why Spirit Heart Sect was seen as a threat. The quality of the disciples was much higher than those soldiers trained by the kingdoms.
As Shi Lang was thinking about what to do, a young man silently climbed the stairs smilingly. This guy reached the thirteenth floor too, and the time he took was lesser that of Shu Xing.
Elder Ji asked, "Your name?"
The young man replied, "Bai Linghu."
Elder Ji nodded and said, "You hail from the literary Bai family of the Terra Desert range?"
Bai Linghu nodded, and the people were surprised. Shi Lang did not know anything about the geniuses here. He intently watched the test continue, and Shi Lang stepped forward when only a handful of people were left.
He placed his hands behind his back and climbed the first step. The pressure on his body was heavy, but still not as heavy as to make him flinch. Shi Lang shook his head and quickly took the next step. The situation did not change much.
Elder Ji narrowed her gaze and mumbled, "Physically resisting the pressure. I wonder if this guy can climb the seventh step."
Shi Lang had predicted it earlier, and the seventh step was a trap. The pressure on the top of the staircase was the strongest, but the seventh step was the actual test. Shi Lang reached the seventh step in seven breaths, and his speed made the people shiver.
Many people have climbed the seventh step till now, but they were not nearly as carefree as Shi Lang was. Even the two geniuses were not like him. They had to use their spiritual energy to fend off the pressure. However, this guy climbing to the seventh step looked so easy to achieve.
Shi Lang did not stop. He channeled his spiritual energy, and the pressure vanished. Elder Ji was shocked this time. Never has she met a disciple who could dispel the pressure from the stairs like this.
Shu Xing and Bai Linghu were surprised as well. However, Shi Lang's spiritual energy spun even more intensely as he stepped higher. When he reached the tenth step, people could see faint traces of lightning sparks materializing over his body.
Elder Ji gulped and said, "Lightning Spiritual attribute."
Shi Lang furrowed his brows, and the lightning energy was being forced to materialize under the pressure of the stairs. The young man climbed faster and soon stood on the thirteenth floor.
Elder Ji nodded and asked, "What is your name?"
The terran clasped his hands and bowed to the lady as he said, "I am Shi Lang. Shi Family in the Tianxue City of Tian Kingdom."
The lady nodded and said, "Those who passed the test will follow Tie Shan to register their discipleship. As for you three, come along."
Shi Lang, Shu Xing, and Bai Linghu were the three in her mouth. The three people nodded and followed through a narrow passage between the cliff walls. The three people had no expressions and did not talk to each other.
Exiting the passage, they stood in a square where several guards were deployed. In the center of the square lay a teleportation circle. Elder Ji said, "This circle can send you anywhere inside the sect as long as you have the authority."
The three people nodded and followed the lady inside the circle. Elder Ji took out her token and showed it to the guard on duty as she said, "The Elder Hall."
The guard nodded respectfully, and after checking the arrangement of the circle, he activated the formation, and the four people vanished from the spot.
Shi Lang opened his eyes and looked around to find himself standing in another square. He spotted a grand building before them, and Elder Ji said, "Follow me. You will be meeting the elders of the respected peaks. I advise you all to be at your best behavior."
The three people nodded and followed Elder Ji inside the building and then to the gates of the so-called Elder Hall.
Elder Ji entered the room and asked the three of them to wait. Shi Lang was busy looking around the decor when Shu Xing asked, "You practice the art of lightning energy?"
Shi Lang nodded indifferently, and the lady commented, "Well, you must have encountered a good opportunity."
Shi Lang gazed at her face coldly, and without caring for her dignity, he said, "Did they not teach you that secrets of other cultivators are not to be dug into?"
Shu Xing was left speechless, and she wanted to say something when Elder Ji came out of the room and said, "Shu Xing, you go in first."
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