Space rippled around Zhao Jiuge like ripples in a pond. There was also a faint, golden light—it was the fluctuations from the Sanskrit Divine Body!

After reaching the Spirit Transformation Realm, the Sanskrit Divine Body began to show its power. Even his skin became solid, as if he was wrapped in a layer of something. Now Zhao Jiuge could cultivate the second golden dragon, but due to all the stuff that had happened, he had no time to calm down and cultivate. After this, Zhao Jiuge really wanted to know if there was anything special about the Sanskrit Divine Body.

After releasing the Sanskrit Divine Body, the powerful pressure he had felt before disappeared. The pressure collided with the spirit light released by the Sanskrit Divine Body and was completely stopped. 

His entire body felt at ease and he grasped every second to chase after the youth with the dimples. Right now, the youth with the dimples was at the 200th step, and his expression was grim.

Zhao Jiuge had already passed the 100th step and the pressure returned, but he continued with his physical body and didn’t waste any spirit force.

This was because when he was observing the youth with the dimples, who had released his spirit force before he even went up the steps. Every step he took, Zhao Jiuge could see little ripples under his feet as his spirit force gathered at his feet and spread out. It was as if something was absorbing his spirit force.

The rest were only observing the young man’s expression and steps, so they wouldn’t notice something this subtle. However, this was only Zhao Jiuge’s guess, so he climbed relying only on his physical body. Only when he really couldn’t handle it did he begin using the Sanskrit Divine Body rather than spreading his spirit force outside his body to resist the pressure.

That was because it would waste too much spirit force to spread it outside his body. Forget walking up the 999 steps, his spirit force would run dry long before he got close.

Although using the Sanskrit Divine Body also cost spirit force, it was better than it being absorbed by the steps below him, as it would drain his spirit force too fast.

Zhao Jiuge was still saving his spirit force as he chased after the young man with the dimples. Behind him, Bai Zimo was making his way up with a stubborn expression. After he reached the 50th step, he felt the pressure and didn’t hesitate to release his own spirit force. His cultivation at the late stage of Spirit Transformation shocked the people below. At this moment, the three of them were in a race to climb up, and no one was willing to lose.

Eh?

Bai Zimo’s originally casual face suddenly changed. After he passed 100 steps, he found that something was wrong. He found that after releasing his spirit force, it was being drained rapidly. A few steps later, he looked at his feet only to see a strange scene before him.

A few thoughts flew through his mind. He had seen a lot of extraordinary things and generally understood the situation. He had guessed the challenge of the second test the Mysterious Heaven Sword Sect had set, but he didn’t hesitate. Although his expression changed a few times, he quickly calmed down once more.

Their struggles finally allowed the crowd below to notice that it was strange. There was no shortage of children from well-off families. The crowd broke out in discussion. After they knew the situation, they all became more confident. Seeing the fighting spirit radiating from those three, the rest could no longer bear it. They all rushed up the steps.

With three people leading the way, everyone understood the strangeness of the steps. They didn’t use their spirit force, they only used their physical strength to climb the steps.

Among the crowd, Mu Zijun revealed a smile and walked up the steps along with the alluring girl. Neither of them looked ordinary—they looked like people who had learned some spells.

At this moment, perseverance wasn’t the only thing being tested. The depth of one’s cultivation, the density of their spirit force, and the spells they knew were all very important!

The three people in the lead were far ahead of the rest of the people, and all three were in sorry states. They were becoming shaky and unsteady.

The youth with the dimples leading the way was on the 312th step, but his smiling face was now completely red. However, he was still holding on.

Zhao Jiuge was at the 198th step. Although it looked like he had wasted a lot of spirit force, he actually hadn’t used much at all. In addition, the mysterious Sanskrit Heart Sutra created much denser spirit force than others.

Bai Zimo was on the 237th step. He was disregarding the rapid loss of spirit force and had already gone past Zhao Jiuge. His face was filled with contempt; he probably had his own ace.

A short while later.

Behind him was only Mu Zijun, the alluring girl, and about a dozen other people who stood out from the rest. They all looked very relaxed and comfortable.

Other than those that were ahead of the crowd, everyone else began to surge their spirit force, and various colors of spirit light shined. The collective outburst of spirit force attracted the people upfront to look back at the violent movement behind them.

After just 100 steps, many people already felt like they could not hold on. At this moment, it all depended on the spirit force brought by one’s cultivation and the spells their families had access to. Bright light shined from the people among the crowd as they charged forward, almost catching up to the people up front. These spirit force fluctuations were various spells or body strengthening methods!

Seeing this, Mu Zijun lost his calm. Who didn’t have pride and who didn’t want to stand out among everyone else? Before, he was in no rush and was just watching, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have his own ambitions. He waited for a few people to test the waters first before he went up.

He was able to hold himself back from using his cultivation to catch up to Zhao Jiuge, Bai Zimo, and the youth with the dimples. He had decided to slowly follow them up. That was until he saw those that began to use spells and attracted the attention from the crowd

Mu Zijun’s vanity was even stronger than Bai Zimo’s, and he could not stand it anymore. He let out a cold snort as he stepped forward. His face was still the same, but the corners of his mouth slightly curved up, revealing his teeth. His hands casually formed a seal.

A sound like a stream of water flowing from deep in the mountain echoed. At this moment, ripples appeared around Mu Zijun and the spirit force around him became dense, to the point that it was visible. The slight sound brought about an extraordinary reaction.

Not only did the people behind him look up, even the instructors on the flying swords were shocked by the power of this spell. One could imagine what kind of ruckus this Mu Zijun would create once his cultivation is stronger!

In a few breaths, the spirit force that had condensed formed the shape of a Northern Goshawk. The shape of the hawk surrounded Mu Zijun’s body and attracted everyone’s attention. The hawk opened its wings and the feathers rustled in the wind as if it were real. Mu Zijun was shrouded inside the belly of the hawk.

A gust of wind carried Mu Zijun forward, and in just a few short breaths, he caught up to Zhao Jiuge and was chasing after Bai Zimo.

At this moment, Bai Zimo had climbed more than 390 steps. Mu Zijun’s speed decreased as he went up. Zhao Jiuge stared at the hawk and was speechless. This was the benefit of having a powerful background. They had spells and cultivation methods passed down by their families.

Aside from the three instructors, there were two figures observing in the distance. They were Wu Tianshan and the middle-aged man titled the Mysterious Heaven Asura. When Mu Zijun used that spell, a rare change of expression appeared on the middle-aged man, as if he was surprised.

“The Boundless Flying Art, haha. I didn’t expect the Mu family to send a disciple to join us this time. The family normally doesn't get involved with any forces.” Even the cold-faced Mysterious Heaven Asura was surprised by this spell. There was even the sign of a faint smile on his face.

“The Huaxia Dynasty’s situation is becoming more and more unstable. Although everything has always been led by the seven holy lands, there are still many large families and small sects. These families have their own inheritances and forces that can’t be looked down upon. The Mu family’s ancestors haven’t appeared in a few hundred years. These old fellows are as sly as the devil—they must have his own intent for doing this.”

Wu Tianshan’s eyes narrowed slightly and he let out a sigh. Then he suddenly seemed to have thought of something and changed the topic.

“Martial Uncle, there are a few candidates for the Mysterious Heaven Peak. You must also see that this Mu Zijun has a chance, but I don’t know if we will be nurturing a tiger and inviting a calamity on us.” Wu Tianshan looked at the Mysterious Heaven Asura with a worried look.

Who knew that the Mysterious Heaven Asura would only reveal a mysterious smile and gently shake his head without a word. Wu Tianshan felt depressed and thought that the old ginger was spicier, but he had already been in the sect for many years too!

The crowd on the stairs gradually dispersed.  After more than 100 steps, bright light shined as everyone released their spirit force. Every 100 steps, the pressure became more intense, and those with weak cultivation were already stuck at the 200th step. Not only were they sweating like the rain, but their legs were shaking violently.