With an increased urgency they increased the speed at which they scaled up the mountain. However, they quickly found out they couldn't rush through their way as they did the first half of it. There were way more insidious traps than Yu Mei could detect, the spirit beasts were cunning and more powerful. He Shan's poison came in handy in those moments but they were quickly burning through their resources.
A day and a half passed before they reached the 50-kilometer mark which they had managed to cover within a few hours in the first half of the mountain.
Their expressions became grimmer with every rise up the mountain. It felt like the difficulty doubled every kilometer and the variations were a lot. One place was swarming with spirit beasts of different kinds, another was filled with miasma, trap formations were almost everywhere and there were occasional inexplicable occurrences.
For example, at the place they had reached, they felt their cultivation base suppressed, even Yu Mei could no longer access her heart mirror. All they could rely on was their techniques to survive. Yu Mei was the one hit hardest by this since she basically relied on her natural physique to contribute to the team and also move up.
But because of the suppression, she was basically where she was at the start of the test, no cultivation, except this was even worse since she didn't even have her physique to rely on. Lucky for her, He Shan was a fish in such a setting.
For someone who survived only on pure skill, a setting such as this one was perfect for him since it not only affected them but the spirit beasts and other organisms in the area. However, things were still difficult for them since the spirit beasts in the area to adapt to such a setting had also honed their individual skills.
It was because of this that it took them almost six hours to cross the region which was a little less than ten kilometers.
By the time they came out of it, they were all haggard, especially Yu Mei, but thanks to the removal of the suppression, the vitality of their cultivation bases helped them recover.
Despite them regaining their cultivation bases none of them looked too happy about it. The first six participants had only taken seven days to climb the whole mountain, while for them at the rate they were going, they felt it would take two times that, and that was with them working together.
Surely among the first six participants to reach the peak, there must have been some who did it alone.
This comparison put a dark look over their faces, but they still kept going with the only positive thing being there was no announcement of other participants. The number was still at eight, and there were still seven free slots.
That little comfort got taken away when four hours and seven hours in, the ninth and tenth participant got announced respectively, leaving only five spots for immediate entry.
Though they didn't halt a step despite the announcement, some part of them knew at their pace, their odds of grabbing four of the remaining five spots were growing slim. Every minute that went by was another chance that an announcement could be made.
This reality made the already tough job of climbing the mountain even tougher.
....
"Do you hear that?" Yu Mei suddenly said as her remark made the group suddenly halt in their steps.
"Don't tell me you've heard other special noises?" He Shan warily asked.
The Zou siblings were just as wary too. They couldn't afford any detours. Even if they saw another special zone, they would not get into it.
"No, it's not that kind of noise..." Yu Mei said as she smiled bitterly when she saw the looks they were giving her.
"I'm using my ears, there's a fight that way...and the voices sound familiar.." said Yu Mei as she pointed to the northwest of their area.
"Whose?" asked Zou Liqin.
"One of them is that young blonde lady. I think her name is Yin Rong and the other is Lai Rou," answered Yu Mei.
The trio instantly recognized the two people. They both asked questions during the open Q&A initiated by Yang Qing. Lai Rou was the lanky youth who was afraid of taking the test with the other participants because of his iron body realm while Yin Rong was the seemingly combative yellow-haired girl who asked if it was okay to attack other participants.
Zou Yi had wanted to form a partnership with Lai Rou but the latter had already left with the first group before he had a chance to do so.
"So he made it this far by himself?" thought Zou Yi in disbelief.
"Yu Mei are they fighting against something or each other?" asked Zou Yi with a contemplating look.
Zou Liqin could already tell that there were gears already turning in Zou Yi's mind in regard to the situation.
Yu Mei tilted her head toward the northwest direction as she closed her eyes and focused her hearing in that direction.
"It seems like they are fighting each other, but I'm not too sure. We will have to go a bit closer to confirm it.."
Zou Yi went silent for a few seconds before he suddenly opened his eyes with firmness to them.
"What do you guys think of partnering with Lai Rou?" he suddenly asked.
Without waiting for their response he continued,
"At our pace, and even strength, I know you can all tell it would be hard for us to make it to the top fifteen.
While making it to the top fifteen doesn't matter as long as we reach the peak it's okay, even reaching the peak may not be assured for us, but adding Lai Rou to the mix will increase the odds.
The fact that he made it this far alone, is proof enough of how skilled he is.
My opinion is we team up with him and fight Yin Rong. We can kill two birds with one stone. We can eliminate one of the strongest contenders left and we can also gain Lai Rou's favor.
What do you guys think?" asked Zou Yi.
"I think it's the best option we have.."
The first support came from the unlikeliest of people, which prompted Zou Yi to throw a dumbfounded gaze in his direction. It was He Shan.
"What?" asked He Shan with an embarrassed expression from suddenly being stared at by the trio.
Zou Liqin and Yu Mei also expressed their support for the plan.
"If we are to really do these and stand a chance of winning, the best way to ambush someone is to do it instantaneously more so for a human.
If we are to strike, we can not wait for the opportune moment and stalk her. At her level, she will likely detect us.
The best chance is for us to strike immediately before she has a chance to register what is happening.
The moment we leave here we are charging straight for her, no planning for how or when to strike. The strike happens from here. Unpredictable and swift, otherwise we may be eliminated.
Strike with intensity, hold nothing back and don't think. We can't have that lag," said He Shan.
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