Southwest of the Royal Capital, there is a canyon where the Primordial Energy is exceptionally rich. On the walls of the canyon, many fully functional cultivation caves have been carved out, with those deeper in the canyon harboring richer Primordial Energy.
The entire canyon belongs to the property of the Royal House.
Prince Murong Zhan is quite generous, allocating three caves located in the deepest part of the canyon to Zhao Letian and his two companions.
These caves are usually reserved for powerful Sect Martial Realm cultivators, filled with intense Primordial Energy and frighteningly expensive, not something ordinary Martial Artists can afford.
Of course, thanks to Prince Murong Zhan, Zhao Letian and his companions can stay here for free for three days until the assessment begins.
Inside the cultivation cave, Zhao Letian curiously examines his surroundings.
The ceiling and walls of the cave are inlaid with precious Fluorescent Gemstones, lighting the entire cave like daylight.
Apart from a living room and a practice room, the cave also includes a dedicated Alchemy Room, Artifact Refining Room equipped with strong ground fires, and a Beast Breeding Room for nurturing Spiritual Beasts, making it fully functional.
Regrettably, with only three days left until the assessment starts, Zhao Letian has no time to delve into Alchemy or Artifact Refining. He is fully focused on cultivating, hoping to use the rich Primordial Energy of this place to advance his cultivation to a new level.
Time flies, and three days quickly pass.
On this day, the Jade Pendants of Zhao Letian and his two companions simultaneously emit a trembling sound.
"The assessment has started, proceed to Sky-reaching Peak for assembly."
Zhao Letian, who was meditating, suddenly opens his eyes and checks the message from the Jade Token.
Apart from this message, a blue arrow appears on the Jade Token, pointing to a certain direction in the city. Thisversionwassourcedfrom*.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Quickly, Zhao Letian and his companions almost simultaneously fly out of the cultivation cave, rising above the canyon and following the arrow's direction indicated on their Jade Tokens.
"Sky-reaching Peak is a Royal Forbidden Land, right in this direction. Let's go."
Gedan gazes into the distance and then pilots the Flying Boat, carrying Zhao Letian and Mu Lei, heading over.
Half an hour later, Zhao Letian and his companions arrive at their destination.
Looking ahead, there is a huge lake on the ground, and above the lake, there is a mountain peak hanging in the air, narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, like a funnel.
Also arriving with them are hundreds of thousands of eligible young people, densely packed around the lake, all looking up at the inverted mountain peak in the sky.
"This is Sky-reaching Peak, said to be the necessary path to the Gray Wolf Secret Realm."
"Could it be that the entrance to the Secret Realm is on Sky-reaching Peak?"
"There are so many people; if everyone goes up, I'm afraid the peak won't hold us all."
Mu Lei looks around at the crowd and feels a tingling on his scalp.
"They definitely won't allow everyone to go up; I suspect there's a test awaiting on Sky-reaching Peak."
Gedan spoke with a concentrated voice.
"Could this test possibly just be mountain climbing?"
Zhao Letian thought to himself; near Sky-reaching Peak, a spatial restriction was set up, preventing one from flying straight up, which might be related to the test.
"The time has come, I will now directly announce the rules of the assessment. The first test is mountain climbing. On Sky-reaching Peak, an Array restriction is set up. Those who wish to ascend must withstand corresponding pressure. The stronger one's strength, the greater the pressure they must endure. This test evaluates whether your Martial Arts Heart is sufficiently steadfast. The first ten thousand to reach the top will be considered to have passed the assessment, and the rest will be eliminated. Those who rank higher will receive rewards. Remember, during the assessment, no fighting is allowed; otherwise, immediate elimination."
After waiting for a while, an old man in a grey robe from the Sect Martial Realm flew above the lake and spoke loudly.
Everyone listened intently, memorizing every word the old man said, and all began to muster their True Yuan Power, preparing to compete for the ten thousand spots.
"Brother-in-law, I'm a bit nervous."
Mu Lei said with a frown, as hundreds of thousands of people stirred up their True Yuan Power, creating a tremendous momentum like a surging ocean. Not just Mu Lei, everyone felt as if they were a tiny boat in this ocean, possibly capsizing at any moment.
"Keep a calm mind and just do your best."
Zhao Letian consoled him, but he was also somewhat nervous. These hundreds of thousands were all talented geniuses with an overwhelming aura, stronger than that of a million soldiers on a battlefield.
"Now, I declare, the assessment officially begins!"
After announcing the rules, the elder paused for a moment, then solemnly shouted,
"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! ..."
As soon as the voice fell, everyone turned into streaks of light, rushing towards the daunting Sky-reaching Peak like a shower of meteors, a truly magnificent sight.
"Splash! Splash! Splash! ..."
But unbeknownst to many, before they even got close to the Sky-reaching Peak, a sudden, immense pressure slammed many directly into the water below.
Zhao Letian also felt the pressure, his figure halted, nearly falling down, but ultimately, he marshaled all of his True Yuan Power to resist the crushing force, and dangerously clung onto the mountain face.
"Mu Lei, Brother Gedan, see you at the summit."
Zhao Letian turned his head to see that Mu Lei and Gedan were also clinging to the cliff, so he relaxed a bit and said with a smile.
"Good, see you at the summit."
Mu Lei and Gedan looked at each other and laughed, replying in unison. Not being smashed down by that pressure boosted their confidence greatly.
At the same time, while some fell into the lake, others continuously attached themselves to the mountain face, using both hands and feet, and started climbing upward with all their might.
"Crack! Crack! Crack! ..."
Zhao Letian's hands, like they were made of steel, firmly grasped the rocks on the mountain face, climbing swiftly upward. The enormous pressure enveloping him seemed not to affect him at all; soon, he surpassed many Martial Artists and moved into the sparsely populated leading group.
"That kid? Hmph, starting to climb so fast, you'll regret it later. The pressure higher up is beyond your imagination."
Not far away, one of the top ten young masters, Wanyan Zheng, was also climbing the mountain face, ahead of many others. In his sight, there were only a few people ahead.
Zhao Letian also noticed Wanyan Zheng, but he quickly dismissed him from his mind, unbothered.
Though Wanyan Zheng's cultivation level was much higher than his, in this assessment, Zhao Letian did not consider him a threat.
Because this test evaluates the Martial Arts Heart, and what he proudest of isn't his talent or Dragon Clan hereditary memories, but his indestructible, unwavering Martial Arts Heart; no difficulties or dangers could sway his will, his unwavering spirit was proudly unmatched across the world.