As for the test of walking on this road, it was somewhat similar to the test he had taken in the Mountain Sword Sect. The only difference was that this pathway also applied pressure to obstruct your movement.
It was said to be easier to traverse this pathway as both a body and qi cultivator...and that was true too.
Qi cultivators could only use their qi to offset the pressure, while body cultivators could use both qi and blood qi, which offset the pressure more efficiently. Not to mention..body cultivators were physically stronger, so they needed to use less qi to achieve the same effect.
Jiang Hao didn’t know how many cultivators here had cultivated their bodies too, but there would definitely be enough, as these cultivators had come from all over the world.
As for climbing the mountain...that was where the pressure truly reached a point where even those with a good foundation would feel the pinch.
But he doubted it would be a problem for him or his senior sister. Since this trial was made only for the Soul Sea realm, its obstructions would stop at that level. With their strength, it would be easy to cross. In fact, most of the top geniuses from the sects would be able to do it...this was how it had been in the past.
Just as they were talking, a bright light shone above them.
They all looked up, and an avatar of a human was being formed in the air. They didn’t know if it was male or female, as everything about it was blurry.
They all knew who it was. There was only one thing that could do something , the main consciousness. They all became attentive.
"Good to see that so many of you made it here. I have seen everything, so I must say some of you deserve to be here.
Usually, I don’t come to greet anyone. All previous trials were done with the same rules, so there was no need for me to come out and state the obvious.
But this time, there are some changes. The trial will be the same, with similar difficulty. The only thing I am going to add as a new rule is that the treasure distribution will depend on the number of cultivators who make it to the base of the mountain.
If there are fewer cultivators, then the quantity and quality of treasures received by those who reach it will be higher.
In simple terms, I am giving you the right to attack each other to decrease the number of cultivators who will reach the base of the mountain.
Yes, those who eliminate more will get even better rewards, and killing is totally allowed.
Just remember, you can only start attacking each other after you have crossed the 500-meter mark, and only if your intended target has crossed it too.
If done before that, then I will remove you from the trial.
Also, even if you reach the end line, you can stop others from crossing it.
Simple, isn’t it? Now be prepared. The barrier will be lifted in 100 breaths of time, and you will have 2 hours to reach the end line. May you succeed."
The main consciousness vanished, leaving more than half of the cultivators stunned to the core.
This rule was brutal for many cultivators.
Especially those who had formed groups to arrive here safely.
With only this single rule, the small trust they had built till now would no longer hold.
Trusting anyone would be impossible...even if you were from the same sect.
No doubt, everyone would want to eliminate as many cultivators as possible. Since the main consciousness itself said the rewards would be better, then it wasn’t talking about just a small increase...but one substantial enough to incite everyone’s greed.
The silence from the crowd was deafening. The most worried were those who knew they had only made it here by the luck of surviving with their groups.
As for those who were confident in their abilities, they were feeling satisfied internally, because they knew they could pass this trial...and that would be enough to earn them more treasures or resources than even the past cultivators who might have climbed halfway up the mountain.
"Well, that was interesting."
Ming Yue didn’t say more than that, but Jiang Hao understood her intentions.
The main consciousness had created a chance for them to gain as many resources as they wanted.
After all, it surely knew that if he and Ming Yue wanted, then no one could even think of passing this trial.
Now he was definitely sure that the main consciousness was favoring them...but why? Just because they were way above any genius it had seen till now? Definitely not.
There was definitely something odd here. Creating a rule just because they could benefit was too much of a favor for them.
Now, he had no doubt that the main consciousness would give them rewards far better than others, even if they just passed the trial casually. He even wondered that they might get them without passing the trials.
The only question that remained was whether they should accept this favor or not.
But was that even a question? He wasn’t a morally upright person. Since this wasn’t a favor they asked for but was given by someone’s own will, then why wouldn’t he accept it?
As for returning the favor, it would depend on what was asked of them. If he didn’t want to do it, then there would be no remorse on his side.
Others weren’t able to comprehend the real meaning behind the new rule created by the main consciousness. They were just happy to have better rewards, and some were too tense to even think about passing successfully now...thinking about reasons was not something they would do anytime soon.
The pathway to reach the base of the mountain was quite wide. It was so wide that half of the present cultivators could easily walk in parallel to each other.
They all waited for the hundred breaths to pass. Most, if not all, wanted to start the trial faster than others so they could reach the end line before anyone else.
Just a little behind Jiang Hao, Ming Yue, and Yi Lin stood the women from Yi Lin’s sect.
They were all looking at her with fierce expressions. The reason was simple... she was standing with Ming Yue and Jiang Hao, and as such, she was in the middle and closest to the barrier.
"How the hell did this bitch get to know them?"
"What’s the point of cursing right now? We already had an inkling when we saw Hunlang sitting with Jiang Hao."
"Damn it, we’ve obstructed her so much. If she reaches the end, she might be able to get more than enough to cultivate through the Nascent Soul realm easily."
The only woman who wasn’t speaking was their leader.