It was noon. At that moment, at the foot of the Grand Rainbow Heaven Mountain, in every direction, everything was filled with people. There were hundreds of millions, all gathered together like a massive anthill.
Practically all the greatest organizations in the universe were represented there. Everyone under ten thousand years old who truly had ambitions of reaching the peak of cultivation had prepared for this great moment.
Only a thousand of them would manage to have their names carved into history. Fortunately, according to the rules, the ten greatest organizations in the universe could only send 50 people to the tournament. That meant they would inevitably occupy only half of the spots. So all the other sects would still get a chance, even if it was small, to push their people through.
In every previous Celestial Tournament, 99% of the spots were always taken by the top 20 organizations of the universe. But around 10 lucky people from below that rank always appeared.
There were many stories about sects considered extremely low-level that managed to produce one exceptional person. That was because, in this universe, everyone knew that many inheritances were still waiting to be discovered. With every generation, new ones appeared, so the balance of power was always shifting.
Everyone around the mountain waited anxiously. Then Darian looked up and was the first to notice a golden and blue flying boat appearing in the sky.
The flying boat was several dozen meters long, shining everywhere with runes and strange symbols. A faint halo of light surrounded it, and at the bow, there were three people standing side by side.
Two of them were middle-aged men dressed in white, and the third was a very beautiful woman dressed in violet. Their hair, however, was colored like a rainbow.
'Chromaraics…' Darian muttered mentally. On top of that, the aura they emitted felt several levels higher than Gildor's cultivation. Most likely, they were at the ninth level of the Celestial Master Realm.
At last, people turned their attention to the sky.
Faced with the power and majesty of the three figures, all the young cultivators felt intimidated. Unconsciously, everyone held their breath.
From inside the flying boat, the beautiful Chromaraic woman stepped out, floating gently. She wasted no time and waved her hand, causing countless multicolored runes to appear and cover the sky.
*CRACK*
With a thunderous sound, the rocks of the mountain in front of everyone began to crack. From within the fissures, massive steps appeared around the entire mountain, looking as if they were made of white marble, forming a path upward.
They extended nearly 3,000 meters toward a point close to the middle of the mountain. It didn't reach the summit, but it was already imposing enough.
All the young people there, and even the elders who were watching from afar, were silent and tense. No one ever knew in advance what the test would be; every Celestial Tournament had something different.
There were 1080 steps in total around the entire circumference of the mountain; each step was 30 centimeters high. The beautiful woman took a deep breath and then spoke, her voice echoing throughout the entire city:
"The screening is very simple. You only need to climb. The first thousand will advance to the next stage."
As soon as that Chromaraic finished speaking, she waved her hand. Instantly, every step on the mountain lit up with an intense white light.
"BEGIN!"
Some of the inexperienced participants roared. They couldn't resist the temptation and immediately launched their movement techniques, rushing forward like a swarm of locusts flying toward the staircase.
The more experienced cultivators, however, realized that this wasn't just a race to the top; life was never that easy. So they didn't seem in any hurry as they slowly climbed the white steps, one at a time.
Watching the novices rush upward, those experienced cultivators tried to hide their smiles, eager to see how those idiots would suffer.
After the first disciples stepped onto the higher steps, a large number of runes began to shine across the staircase. As those runes pulsed, an immense pressure suddenly pushed them off the steps and threw them downward.
"AHH!"
Several who weren't prepared were violently flung away by that tremendous force, crashing against the ground. Many screamed in pain and broke multiple bones.
Seeing so many disciples defeated so quickly, some people shouted in alarm. But the truth was that it was something obvious. If the steps didn't have some unusual property, everyone would have reached the top in an instant.
The test really was simple. Those who failed right away just fell and broke a few bones. But… those who dared to go beyond their limits, if they were thrown from a very high point, the impact force would be many times greater. The higher they climbed, the stronger the repulsion became. The result would be nothing less than a very bloody death.
Because of that, everyone had to think carefully before trying to climb. If they overestimated themselves, once they reached a high point and hit their limit, they might not be able to come back down.
In the blink of an eye, dozens of disciples had already fallen to the ground. But those with more experience lowered their center of gravity by bending slightly. As they climbed the steps one by one, their speed gradually began to slow.
At that moment, the disparity in technique and ability became obvious to everyone. In just a few minutes, hundreds of figures began climbing smoothly together. For them, it was nothing more than a casual walk; the pressure of the steps might as well have existed only in name.
"The difference is huge!"
Obviously, they were all from the top 10 organizations of the universe. These people were exceptional talents who had grown up surrounded by the aura of geniuses. But now, compared to everyone else, the brutal gap was clear.
Still, that wasn't enough to discourage most people; it was simply the obvious reality. At that moment, several other figures radiating powerful auras rushed up the steps. Although they weren't as calm and relaxed as the elite group, their speeds were at least three times faster than the overall average.
After a few minutes, the 86 disciples and Darian finally began climbing.
Since there were millions and millions of people, there was a huge line just to start the attempt. With Darian right in front of them, everyone remained calm and followed closely behind him.
As soon as Darian stepped onto the first step, he felt his body sink, and his speed drop drastically.
With a snort, Darian activated the Golden Crow Bloodline, and a golden aura began burning around him like flames.
With just that, Darian connected to the Yang coming from the mountain, and then…
His body became as light as cotton, and he floated upward easily.
Everyone behind him saw that, and their eyes shone like stars. Darian turned around and spoke softly to them:
"In the Abyss Lake or the Golden Celestial Lake, all of you who were selected to be here pushed your bodies to the limit in order to withstand elemental pressure. This test is perfect for you. Just use your Bloodline to suppress the other elements and connect only with the one that suits you. There's no need for technique or anything like that, just control over the elements of life."
Everyone took a deep breath, excited. Even the six that Darian hadn't trained directly had received a test from him in order to come to the Celestial Tournament.
If it weren't for that, Gildor and the Queens would have sent hundreds of people each. But Darian said he would only bring those who could completely control the element of the Lakes for at least one hour, lightly merging with it.
Everyone protested, saying it was something completely absurd. They weren't entirely wrong, since that was something only people in the last realm of cultivation could usually accomplish.
But with all the things Darian had given to the two sects, all the powerful figures were shocked in the end. At least 20 young people from each power managed to reach the goal.
Far from the mountain, Gildor and the Queens stared nervously at their 87 disciples.
All of them paused for a second just before stepping onto the first stair. Soon, the women radiated a bluish aura as the Bakunawa Bloodline activated. The men released an intense golden flame.
Then…
"!"
Those four almost cried out.
In the next second, all 87 began climbing easily. They weren't fast, but their steps were incomparably calm, as if they were walking on clouds.
Although the staircase contained a terrifying, repulsive force, it came from the seven elements of life. But even young cultivators who specialized in one of those elements would find it impossible to do what Darian's group was doing.
It wasn't just because they had powerful Bloodlines and inheritances within their bodies. The reason they could do it was because they had been pushed beyond their absolute limits inside the Lakes. In those places, the elemental level was just as strong as the one on this mountain.
If they had been trained in a conventional way, going to their limit and then stopping to preserve themselves, they would now be like everyone else, struggling to take a single step upward. But now, all of them could neutralize the other six elements of the mountain and climb the stairs as if they were on a casual walk.
The minutes passed.
Everyone watching from afar was stunned. Among the disciples climbing swiftly was that large group that looked like a single block; the distance between them and those from the universe's top 10 wasn't that big.
Soon, several figures near the middle of the mountain exchanged bitter and furious looks. They could see the few hundred people climbing near them. Their eyes fixed coldly on Darian.
Darian climbed another step and saw a demonic figure at the same height. It was the same Demon he had seen at the entrance, the one who had challenged him after he punched the old man.
At that moment, the Demon spoke. "Human boy, you have a bit of skill. Looks like I underestimated you."
Darian slowly turned toward him. The Demon seemed quite relaxed. Apparently, he hadn't exerted much effort.
"Thanks. You're not bad either," Darian replied casually.
Hearing Darian's relaxed tone, the Demon snorted coldly. "Let's see how long you keep that arrogance."
As they approached the middle of the staircase, from that point on, almost everyone was moving from side to side, advancing extremely slowly.
The reason for that was obvious to the more experienced cultivators. Who said the test was only about climbing while enduring pressure? Everyone assumed there must be some kind of trap, so they were being extremely cautious.
'Go on, keep climbing that fast. I want to see what happens when you get defeated.' The Demon cursed inwardly.
He came from a very rare race called the Spiritual Demons, and obviously had extremely developed soul power and absurdly sharp senses.
He was certain that only he and those from the top 10 could precisely sense where the traps were hidden among the steps, allowing them to completely avoid them. Those figures slightly above them had already passed through the traps without triggering them.
If someone wasn't careful, it would be easy to suffer a humiliating defeat. Although he didn't think that alone would be enough to defeat someone like Darian, that failure would already be enough to make him feel much better about himself. On top of that, he wanted to see Darian's face after watching several people from his group die violently.
Several others nearby, just below them, saw that Darian and his group weren't slowing down and smiled slightly; they felt a small sense of pleasure at someone else's misfortune.
"That human boy probably doesn't know there's a trap waiting for him… he's leading so many people… clearly guiding them straight into the abyss without realizing it," someone murmured quietly, far too distant to be heard.
At that moment, Darian stepped onto a stair and noticed something different.
But… he didn't slow down or say anything to the people behind him. He simply stepped onto the next one.
Up in the sky, the three Chromaraics were also silently observing everything. At that moment, their eyes changed and focused on Darian at the same time.
They were all surprised. He had stepped into a trap, but it hadn't activated. That… should have been impossible for his level of cultivation. But it clearly wasn't a malfunction. What the hell just happened?
The group right behind Darian was climbing almost side by side when suddenly the white steps lit up and a violent current of energy began flowing toward them.
It came from all directions, trying to strike them across a wide area.
In that very second, the eyes of the six chosen by Darian shone.
Without exchanging a single word, they all moved in different directions, forming a circular formation with six points. At each point stood a man radiating Yang, and beside him a woman radiating Yin.
"ACTIVATE!"
With a synchronized roar, they activated a Yin and Yang formation.
Whether in the sky, on the flying boat, or among the people far from the mountain watching from across the universe, everyone widened their eyes at the same time.
A black and white light barrier appeared halfway up the mountain, sealing off every direction.
"They managed to use that under the mountain's pressure!"
The older spectators exclaimed. Then they turned to look at Gildor and the Queens, who were watching nearby.
Those four felt the gazes on them and puffed out their chests proudly. But… internally, they had no idea what that was or how the disciples had done it. It was obviously something Darian had personally taught them.
The fierce wave of energy slammed into the Yin and Yang barrier, producing a dull sound that echoed across the mountain.
It lasted only three seconds, and then everything disappeared.
The formation dispersed, and everyone inside continued climbing as if absolutely nothing had happened.
Darian nodded in satisfaction internally. The six were attentive and focused on even the slightest change, just as he had taught them.
Everyone watching now fixed their attention on that group.
A few minutes later…
"Heavens…" Vymara stammered.
Myna was completely stunned. "That can't be… they really…"
"Hehehe, good job!" Minril exclaimed excitedly beside Gildor.
As for the spectators, they were all completely in disbelief. All 87 of them… they were approaching the disciples of the top 10!
