Everyone was surprised by this cloaked figure suddenly finishing the hedge maze.
This cloaked figure had gone through without being tricked by the array of the hedge maze even once.
This array had been made specially to fool those in the hedge maze into going in the wrong way. This was an array that would even fool some of the elders, though they would eventually be able to find their way.
So this was not a weak array.
But this cloaked figure had been able to make his way through without any impediment.
There were some of the guests from the other sects that were doubtful of this, but since the members of the Love Sect didn't move, they couldn't say anything.
There were also some of the elders that doubted this, but the elder who was in charge of this array shook his head to show that there was nothing wrong with the array. This elder was one of the Golden Core Realm Cultivators from the Hidden Dragon Sect.
Since even he said that there was nothing wrong, then there shouldn't have been a problem.
After all, the only way that he could be fooled was if someone was stronger than a Golden Core Realm Cultivator and if they were, why would they enter this trial like this?
They had also tested the bone age of this cloaked figure and had verified his identity before letting him in. So they knew that there wasn't a problem with this cloaked figure.
The only thing that they were wondering now was how he had done it.
They had no choice but to hold in their curiosity for now since even if the cloaked figure had broken through the hedge maze, the exam wasn't over yet.
He still had to reach the peak of the mountain and before that, he had to break through the final trial that had been set for them.
Right before the peak of the mountain, there was another array that had been prepared.
This wasn't like the other ones, this was one was an array of pure power.
It would create a force that would push away anyone that tried to approach the peak. Unless they could push through this force, they would never be able to reach the peak.
In short, this was a strengthened version of the pressure that was found all over the mountain.
Only with a strong body would one be able to push through.
The other trials all tested the minds of the kids, but this one tested their bodies to see if they were strong enough to become cultivators.
After all, physiques were also important when it came to cultivation.
As expected, the cloaked figure struggled when it came to this.
He was smart, being able to figure out all of the traps that the hedge maze had, but he wasn't able to push through this final array with ease.
He was an intellectual character that lacked stamina.
But as long as he persisted, he would be able to break through.
After all, eventually his body would adjust to the pressure from the array unless his talents were just too weak. But if that was the case, he never would have made it this far in the first place.
So they weren't worried about him passing and just waited to see if he could beat the others.
The ones that were trapped in the hedge maze were slowly making their way through after all.
It would only be a matter of time before they did make it through.
…
After two hours passed, the next person finally made it through the hedge maze.
But even though two hours had passed, this cloaked figure still hadn't made it through the final array yet.
There were one hundred steps in this array and he had only made it to the fiftieth step.
It took him several minutes to even take a single step forward at this point.
The next person that made it through the hedge maze wasn't the little girl as one would expect. It wasn't even the blue haired young man or the purple haired young woman.
Instead, it was the strict looking young man.
He had been able to make it though because he had suddenly remembered the token that Senior Brother Ying had given him.
After remembering it, he pulled it out and the path had been lit up in front of him.
Otherwise, with the way that he had been going, he would have been trapped in that hedge maze forever. His personality really didn't help him when it came to this hedge maze.
He was the perfect victim for the traps of the hedge maze…
The token that Senior Brother Ying gave him would allow him to freely move through one of the arrays that had been laid down as a trial.
That was his reward as the person who had listened through everything that Senior Brother Ying had said.
It was a good thing that he had obtained this or he might have really been disqualified.
Senior Brother Ying also let out a sigh of relief when he saw this.
He had already decided to take this strict looking young man as a disciple, so if he had been knocked out by this poor performance in the hedge maze, it really would have been bad for him.
After the strict looking young man had passed through the hedge maze, he didn't hesitate to go further up the mountain.
He was a bit confused when he saw the cloaked figure just standing there on those steps, but he didn't hesitate to get onto those steps.
He moved up those steps much faster than the cloaked figure did, but he stopped at the thirtieth step.
It was there that he felt the pressure become too much for him and he had to stop himself from moving.
The cloaked figure couldn't help turning back to look at the strict looking young man before turning forward again.
After turning back, the cloaked figure forced himself to take that next step.
When he stepped onto that next step, his legs started to crumble under him, but he forced himself to stand strong in the end. With this, he was able to stand firmly on the fifty first step.
The strict looking young man was also incited when he saw this and he forced himself to move onto the next step as well.
The two of them paused for a second to look at each other before focusing on climbing the steps again.
It seemed that having a rival had incited the feelings of competition in them and now they both wanted to do all that they could to beat each other.
With them motivating each other, the cloaked figure was able to move up five steps while the strict looking young man was able to move up fourteen steps.
That was just the difference in physiques between the two of them.
But it was also during this time that someone else came out of the hedge maze.
It was the little girl who had been slowly making her way through.
When she saw the two of them on the steps, she was also incited and started making her way up.
It seemed that she too had a competitive side to her, but her disadvantage was her physique and she wasn't able to keep up with them.
She was only able to go up fifteen steps before struggling to move any further.
It seemed that this was her limit.
The little girl could only grit her teeth and make her way up slowly.
As more time passed, there were more people that came out of the hedge maze.
It was the blue haired young man and the purple haired young woman who came out at the same time.
The two of them stared at each other before turning to look at the ones already on the steps. Without hesitation, they also moved onto the steps and tried climbing up the final bit of the mountain.
They were able to go up twenty two steps before suddenly stopping, right where the little girl was currently standing.
In terms of physiques, they were quite good, though they couldn't compare to the strict looking young man.
There were a few more that also came out of the hedge maze in the end that also tried to climb the final few steps, but there was something against them.
The time.
Senior Brother Ying had said that only those that reached the peak of the mountain before the end of the day would be able to pass the first trial.
It was already the middle of the afternoon.
They wouldn't have much time before the sun set and the time limit was reached.
So not only did it become a chicken race between those that passed through the hedge maze, it was also a race against time.
So even if they barely moved during their climb, it was still exciting.
Everyone wanted to see just what the final results would be.
Time passed minute by minute, second by second.
They slowly moved up the steps at a snail's pace, going up one step every several minutes.
During all of this, the sun was slowly setting in the sky above them.
As the sun came closer and closer to setting, they could feel the tension in the air which just made it even harder for them.
Finally, the sun had set and the results had been decided.
In the end, the ones that passed were…
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