Chapter 354: Step Onto the Altar or Not?

Although under the extremely powerful pressure of the Divine Soul, these Registered Disciples were all very uncomfortable. But it was not long before they began to move their bodies with difficulty, swaying forward like zombies, moving slowly.

Under the heavy pressure, their Divine Souls seemed to have lost the ability to flexibly control their bodies.

Duan Rong and the other three were in the middle of the line.

Duan Rong's Divine Soul was powerful, and his perception was also more delicate than the crowd of Registered Disciples around him.

He clearly felt that with every step forward, the descending Divine Soul pressure increased by an imperceptible amount; although the increase was small with each step, adding it up all the way along, the total was immeasurable.

As the line moved forward, some people had already begun to tremble like chaff.

Soon, at the very front of the line, someone had already begun to cross the White Line. Crossing the White Line meant that the first assessment was passed.

But it was not that those walking in front had an advantage.

Because the intensity of the Divine Soul pressure at the White Line was constant; no matter who you were, as long as you could withstand the intensity of the Divine Soul pressure there, you would definitely be able to cross it.

Conversely, it was absolutely impossible. In this, there was not the slightest room for trickery!

Among the group at the very front of the line, there was a fair-skinned and weak-looking youth who saw that with one more step forward, he would be able to cross that White Line.

He looked at the line mark on the ground, which seemed to have been sprinkled with white lime, and his gaze flickered slightly.

Only by crossing this line would the first assessment be passed!

He lifted his right foot slightly, but the moment he lifted it, a great fear suddenly surged from the depths of his Divine Soul.

That fear was like an abyss, instantly enveloping him, and even crushing him.

Death! That was death!

That fear was like death itself, and so real.

In fact, the moment he lifted his foot, his body had only tilted forward slightly.

Just by this slight bit, at that very moment, his Divine Soul should have shattered and he should have died, but on the Altar, the sound of Jiang Hanyan's zither saved him.

Although he did not know it was the sound of Jiang Hanyan's zither that saved him, the death-like fear in his heart was filling his entire body so realistically.

His face turned pale without a trace of blood almost instantly. His senses told him that he could not walk forward anymore; even if he moved half a step further, a great terror would surely occur.

However, the White Line was right before his eyes, within inches—how could he let it go?

Give up right here and return home in dejection?

On the youth's bloodless face, two pitch-black eyes revealed a look of hesitation and uncertainty.

But he looked ahead and saw three people who had already crossed the White Line and were still slowly moving their bodies, and his eyes suddenly sharpened.

Perhaps it was actually fine?

Perhaps that great death-like fear was merely his illusion, his Heart Demon, and crossing this step would break through the Mysterious Barrier!

He suddenly bit his lip, letting that terrifying feeling drown him, and with a ruthless look in his eyes, he took half a step forward; the toe of one foot had already stepped on the edge of the White Line.

And at the very moment his foot landed, he suddenly felt a sense of being pulled away; the scenery before his eyes became a blur, and in an instant, he fell to the ground with a thud.

The moment he lost consciousness and collapsed, a figure flashed to his side as fast as a ghost, hoisted him up, and flashed out of the line.

That person carried the unconscious youth out of the line and placed him on the ground beside a large blue stone, where three people were already lying, all unconscious and unresponsive.

On that large blue stone, the leader of the Inspectors overseeing this assessment stood with his hands holding the Copper Chime behind his back, his cold gaze sweeping over the crowd of Registered Disciples who were moving their feet with difficulty.

Many Registered Disciples had already fainted and fallen before even reaching the vicinity of the White Line.

There were also some who had only walked a short distance before standing there, lingering and unable to move forward, and in the eyes of these people, there was a look of intense fear.

Duan Rong and the other three also saw that they were almost at the vicinity of the White Line.

As Duan Rong walked, he observed Xiao Yu's state from time to time.

After stumbling along this short distance, Duan Rong could already see that Xiao Yu had the weakest Divine Soul among the four of them.

He was somewhat worried at this moment whether Xiao Yu would be able to cross that White Line.

Seeing that the White Line was not far away, Duan Rong deliberately slowed down and followed behind Xiao Yu to the side.

Xiao Yu saw Duan Rong out of the corner of her eye, and a warm current surged through her heart.

She knew that Duan Rong was following behind her because he was afraid something would happen to her.

"Focus your attention," Duan Rong whispered, "Relax your body. Concentrate your attention."

Xiao Yu gave a soft hum, her gaze became focused, and she tried to adjust herself according to what Duan Rong said.

She moved her feet slowly toward the White Line.

Seeing Xiao Yu slowly move past the White Line, both of them breathed a sigh of relief.

Xiao Yu wanted to turn her head and smile at Duan Rong, but her Divine Soul was weak, and at this moment she was bearing quite a formidable Divine Soul pressure; her body was somewhat stiff, making it difficult to move freely for a moment.

Duan Rong turned his head slightly to look and saw that Ximen Kankan and Shen Mizhi had also crossed the White Line.

At this time, he also moved his feet across the White Line.

Raising his eyes to look, he saw that the number of figures who had crossed the White Line in front was actually not many.

The figures near the White Line were already starting to become sparse, while the further back one looked, the denser the figures were.

Duan Rong continued to move his feet forward at Xiao Yu's side.

After crossing the White Line and moving a few more steps, Xiao Yu's body suddenly trembled, and she dared not put down her raised foot for a long time.

Intense fear surged in her eyes, and her beautiful face lost all color in an instant!

Xiao Yu slowly put her raised foot back to its original place, and Duan Rong was turning his head to look at her.

Xiao Yu gave Duan Rong a miserable smile and said, "I can only go this far. Duan Rong, you keep going forward. I'll be here, watching you."

When Xiao Yu said she was watching him, her gaze was truly fixed upon him.

Duan Rong's heart stirred, and he nodded slightly, then he turned his head, his gaze passing directly over the Red Line three zhang away, looking toward the Altar further in the distance.

In front of the Great Cauldron in the center of the Altar, Jiang Hanyan was sitting cross-legged, focused on playing the zither, her eyes lowered, viewing all living beings as if they were nothing.

The sound of the zither was like a tide, echoing within the Yougu...

Duan Rong looked ahead and saw that Ximen Kankan had also walked in front of Shen Mizhi.

Just as Duan Rong walked to Shen Mizhi's side, Shen Mizhi's right foot lifted slightly, her body suddenly trembled, and her complexion changed abruptly!

Duan Rong knew that for Shen Mizhi to reach this position was already the limit of her Divine Soul; in that instant just now, she had experienced the sensation of death.

But the fear in Shen Mizhi's eyes turned into intense madness in just a moment; she gave a wicked smile and then firmly took half a step forward.

The next moment, she fainted and collapsed at Duan Rong's side.

But after the Registered Disciples who had crossed the White Line fainted, no one came to carry them away; instead, they were just left to lie there unconscious.

Duan Rong glanced at Shen Mizhi and shook his head slightly.

Shen Mizhi and Xiao Yu were truly two different kinds of people.

After sensing the feeling of death, Xiao Yu would pull her foot back; she would not choose to take risks.

Because she had people behind her, and people in her eyes.

Behind her stood Xiao Zongting and Zhu Xiaoqi.

And Duan Rong also knew that her eyes were currently fixed on his back.

But Shen Mizhi had no one behind her, and no one in her eyes. Although she had a father in Shen Yanliu, Shen Yanliu was obsessed with power and only wanted to climb higher; he likely ignored her feelings most of the time.

During the Selection Assembly, Duan Rong had already seen that deep within Shen Mizhi's heart lived a stubborn, crazy, and wounded soul.

Duan Rong passed by Shen Mizhi and continued walking forward. Moving further ahead from here, the pressure on the Divine Soul was becoming increasingly heavy.

And not far ahead, Ximen Kankan had already reached the Red Line, but at this moment, the fat all over his body suddenly trembled.

Ximen Kankan could not help but shrink his neck.

At the summit of a Lone Peak in the southeast of Yougu.

Zhu He sat in his seat, gently stroking his beard, his eyes watching the figure on the Altar in the center of Yougu, as the zither music, like a soft chant, drifted over.

Zhu He could not help but praise: "Junior Sister Lin, the skill in Hanyan's Tidal Cleansing Mantra seems to have improved quite a bit compared to three years ago!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Youjian rolled her eyes at him and said, "Do you think my Hanyan eats for free? It's been three years, so what? Can't she have improved?"

Zhu He was choked into silence for a moment. But he only grumbled to himself, *When did I ever say I wouldn't let Hanyan improve? * He did not retort to Lin Youjian out loud.

Seeing Zhu He deflated, Lin Youjian's expression cleared slightly, and she said, "However, Hanyan's Tidal Cleansing Mantra only works on the outer perimeter. Once they pass that Red Line, it will all be up to them."

Lv Zhongtang suddenly said, "The outer perimeter is enough. Those who can cross the Red Line all have quite powerful Divine Souls and won't easily die from their Divine Souls shattering."

Just then, Ge Rusong, who was sitting beside Lv Zhongtang, suddenly said, "Look, there's a fellow over there, he's retreating!"

"Where?"

"Where is it?"

These old fellows on the mountaintop were clearly becoming interested.

"Right here, at the entrance of this valley." Ge Rusong stood up and pointed to a spot.

The place Ge Rusong was pointing to was the entrance to the valley where Duan Rong and the others were, and the person retreating was Ximen Kankan.

"This kid, I just saw him a moment ago. He couldn't cross the Red Line. While others are struggling to hold on, he's actually started slipping backward," an Elder on the other side said with a laugh.

"He feels uncomfortable staying there. What a slippery character," Ge Rusong said. "Even if this kid achieves the Qi Cyclone Realm in the future, I absolutely will not take such a fellow as a disciple."

After Ge Rusong finished his last sentence, he suddenly sneezed.

At this moment, how could he have imagined that years later, he would be slapped in the face by these very words.

As Duan Rong was walking, he suddenly saw Ximen Kankan slipping backward.

Ximen Kankan walked to Duan Rong's side.

Duan Rong asked, "What are you doing?"

Ximen Kankan winked at him and said, "It's uncomfortable staying over there, I'm moving back a little."

Duan Rong was speechless. *This kid!? *

Most of the Registered Disciples in the field were holding on stubbornly, and there were no shortage of those who had fainted; as for slipping backward, this fellow was likely the only one.

Ximen Kankan retreated until he was not far from Xiao Yu before stopping; if he retreated any further, he would be out of the White Line.

Xiao Yu looked at Ximen Kankan with suspicion and said, "Why did you retreat?"

Ximen Kankan said with lingering fear in his eyes, "That Red Line is too terrifying, I want to stay far away from it."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu felt a chill in her heart, because she saw that Duan Rong was about to reach the Red Line.

She hoped that Duan Rong could cross the Red Line, but she was also afraid that Duan Rong would faint and get hurt. Her heart was a tangle of worry and hope, and her hands were twisted together from nervousness.

Duan Rong barely paused at the Red Line before stepping across it.

But after crossing the Red Line, his Divine Soul began to ache slightly from bearing the pressure.

Duan Rong keenly perceived that after crossing the Red Line, the soothing effect of the zither music seemed to have faded significantly, and it was almost having no effect at all.

Duan Rong stood there and looked slightly to the side; he saw that near the Altar, the people who had crossed the Red Line at the other four valley entrances were only in twos and threes, and his own valley entrance was even more miserable—he was the only one!

It seemed that avoiding the second round of the assessment was truly not easy!

Let alone stepping onto the Altar to directly advance to an Outer Sect Disciple!

At this time, on the summit of that Lone Peak in the southeast of Yougu, many people stood up from their seats.

These Elders of the Elder Council did not come here to watch the fun; what they wanted to see was how many people could cross the Red Line.

Of course, they also wanted to see if anyone could step onto the Altar, though they held no hope for that.

Ge Rusong stood there, looking down at the Yougu below, and slowly shook his head, saying, "Each generation is truly worse than the last! Only eleven people in total crossed the Red Line this year. If I remember correctly, this seems to be the second-lowest in a century."

Lv Zhongtang said, "Elder Ge remembers correctly. This year is indeed the second-lowest, and the worst time was twenty-one years ago, with nine people."

Ge Rusong turned his head and smiled, "Brother Lv is as knowledgeable and retentive as ever!"

Lv Zhongtang gave a carefree smile and did not speak.

However, the expressions of the Elders on the peak were not very good; having no successors and a decline in talent was certainly not a fortunate event for the Sect!

And these past twenty or thirty years did not seem to be very good. Could the responsibility for this not lie with their Elder Council?

Although it was not unrelated to the rampant nature of the Filthy Blood Sect, that was likely not the only reason, was it!?

Duan Rong gazed at the proud, solitary figure sitting cross-legged in the center of the Altar, moving his feet with difficulty.

With every step he moved, he could feel the stinging pain in his Divine Soul deepen slightly.

However, that stinging pain was just like a needle tip, lightly pricking the surface of a hair.

It was just that slight bit of pain, and then it passed.

After all, Duan Rong had achieved the eleventh level of the Womb Treasury Sutra, and his Mental Power had already reached the twelfth level. The strength of his Divine Soul was already quite formidable.

That Red Line was only about half a zhang away from the edge of the Altar.

Within this half a zhang, the few figures from the other four valley entrances who had crossed the Red Line all gradually stopped, and two people even fainted on the ground.

But Duan Rong was still slowly moving his feet.

His speed was very slow, almost like a tortoise crawling, but his speed showed no signs of slowing down in the slightest.

The Elders on the top of the Lone Peak all gathered their gazes onto Duan Rong at this moment.

Because inside the Red Line and outside the Altar, he was the only figure still slowly creeping forward...

That figure, although slow, was very firm.

"Brother Lu, have you noticed?" Zhu He suddenly looked at Lv Zhongtang and said, "This kid's speed does not seem to have weakened."

Lv Zhongtang said, "Indeed. After passing the Red Line, for every half inch covered, the pressure on the Divine Soul climbs a notch. That he has walked to this point without his speed decreasing shows that the rise in Divine Soul pressure has not caused him any substantial trouble."

Duan Rong walked toward the Altar step by step; he did not realize that on the Lone Peak, more than ten gazes were fixed upon him.

But as he saw he was getting closer and closer to the Altar, Duan Rong's footsteps trembled slightly, and the stinging pain in his Divine Soul intensified somewhat.

"Look, he is about to step onto the stairs!"

Those Elders on the Lone Peak all held their breath at once.

If someone could step onto the stairs, the results of this generation would not be considered poor, and in fact, would even be considered very good.

A person capable of stepping onto the stairs often only appears once every twenty or thirty years.

And a person capable of treading the nine-tiered stairs to step onto the Altar only appears once every few hundred years.

The last person to step onto the Altar was the current Sect Master of the Taiyi Sect, Chu Qiushan.

He stepped onto the Altar one hundred and eighty years ago, and in the one hundred and eighty years since, no one has followed in his footsteps.

This Altar has truly been lonely for too long.

(End of this chapter)