"You're quite lucky," Bu Jing Lei said with a cold smile as the entrance to the Sacred Sect appeared, looking at Li Xuan.
Li Xuan smiled upon hearing this and ignored Bu Jing Lei's attempt to save face. As the Sacred Sect entrance opened, everyone's gaze immediately shifted towards it. In the next instant, figures shot towards the entrance. Bu Jing Lei glanced at Li Xuan, then waved his hand, and the disciples of the Heavenly Thunder Sect followed suit, rushing towards the entrance.
As more and more Spiritual Masters entered and disappeared through the entrance, Li Xuan looked at Feng Hao and the other two who were still waiting and smiled, "Brother Feng Hao, aren't you going in?"
"Kun... Your Excellency, we'd like to wait," Feng Hao replied subconsciously but quickly corrected himself with a wry smile.
"You're quite vigilant," Li Xuan said with a smile. Earlier, at the ruins outside, many people had rushed to enter but were all killed by that light barrier. Feng Hao's waiting now clearly indicated he was concerned about a repeat of that situation.
"Brother Feng Hao, I'll go ahead," Li Xuan withdrew his gaze and immediately shot towards the entrance.
"Brother Feng Hao, this sword cultivator doesn't seem like a bloodthirsty individual," a man beside Feng Hao whispered as Li Xuan departed.
Feng Hao nodded slightly. If Li Xuan were truly bloodthirsty, their previous words to him would have been enough to kill all three of them a hundred times over.
"Let's go. The ruins have truly begun now. You two must stay close to me. In front of these prodigies, just getting a little benefit is enough," Feng Hao said, waving his hand. The three of them then rushed towards the entrance.
*Hum!*
A humming sound echoed, and Li Xuan opened his eyes, only to be stunned by his surroundings. The Spiritual Masters who had entered earlier were all standing together. Not far away, a stone staircase, thirty feet wide, soared into the clouds, flanked by two colossal stone statues.
What was going on?
Why were these people waiting down here instead of going up?
Li Xuan was puzzled, but then Yi Qin's voice sounded in his mind.
"There's a barrier. Until the barrier is lifted, your strength is insufficient to force your way up. It seems the Sacred Sect was quite powerful in its time."
Only then did Li Xuan understand. Seeing that many people's faces were swollen, Li Xuan couldn't help but laugh. So, these people had bumped into it while trying to climb the stairs. No wonder they were all waiting down here.
Soon, Feng Hao and his two companions entered. Upon seeing Li Xuan, they immediately squeezed towards the other side.
*Hum!*
About five minutes later, a humming sound echoed again. Everyone looked up, and about a hundred steps above, the surrounding spiritual energy slowly coalesced into a human figure. As the figure gradually became clearer, an elder in white robes appeared before them.
"After more than ten thousand years, I never thought my Sacred Sect would see the light of day again," the elder said, looking down at Li Xuan and the others, a hint of emotion in his voice.
"May I ask if senior is from the Sacred Sect?" Jun Bie Li and the others exchanged glances, then bowed in unison towards the elder and asked.
"I am Qi Bai Yan, the last Sect Master of the Sacred Sect. You must all be here for my Sacred Sect's inheritance," the elder nodded slightly and said, "Your talents are all good, but why is the strongest among you only at the early stage of the Martial Emperor realm?"
"So it's Sect Master Qi, senior. Junior Kun Peng of the Li Huo Sect greets senior. When your sect's ruins emerged, each of our sects had elders leading the teams. However, as the Sect Master of the Hundred Flowers Sect mentioned that elders entering would shorten the time the ruins would exist, only Spiritual Masters below the early stage of the Martial Emperor realm were allowed to enter."
Kun Peng bowed and cupped his fists in greeting.
"It seems the current sects and aristocratic families understand priorities," Qi Bai Yan nodded slightly and then said to everyone, "Since my Sacred Sect's ruins have appeared, it is your destiny to be able to enter here. However, my Sacred Sect's inheritance can only be passed down to the Spiritual Masters with the greatest talent. To ascend, you must accept the three trials set by our sect."
"Three trials? May I ask, senior, what are these three trials?" Mudan curtsied and asked.
"The three trials are: Ascending Cloud Stairs, Strength, and Luck," Qi Bai Yan said with a smile. "The stone steps beneath my feet are your first trial. Those who can cross all one hundred and eight steps are considered to have passed. Those who pass will receive a Yellow-grade spiritual weapon as a reward from our sect, even if they fail the subsequent second trial."
"Those who pass the second trial will receive the same. If you fail the third trial, you will receive an Earth-grade spiritual weapon as a reward."
"Those who pass the third trial will obtain all the inheritance of my Sacred Sect!"
As Qi Bai Yan finished speaking, Li Xuan could clearly feel everyone's breathing quicken. Even Li Xuan himself felt a surge of excitement. Spiritual weapons were divided into five grades: Profound, Yellow, Earth, Human, and Heavenly. High-grade spiritual swords were only Yellow-grade, so one could imagine how precious Earth-grade spiritual weapons were.
Qi Bai Yan smiled, seemingly pleased with the expressions on everyone's faces, and then waved his hand, "Everyone, you may begin now."
With Qi Bai Yan's wave, a spiritual light instantly split into two, flying from the center of the stone steps into the two stone statues. Clearly, the barrier that had previously blocked everyone had now dispersed.
Seeing this, the crowd did not hesitate and immediately hurried towards the stone steps.
*Boom!*
Some impatient individuals attempted to fly, but as soon as they entered the range of the stone steps, they were repelled by an invisible force.
"The first trial: flight is forbidden. You must walk up step by step. Let me remind you again, if you cannot bear it and push yourself too hard, your bones will be turned to dust. Therefore, when you can no longer persevere, choosing to retreat will preserve your life."
Qi Bai Yan explained with a smile, and then his figure slowly vanished.
"It seems the first trial can only be overcome by physical strength. The Sacred Sect's intention is likely to assess our potential," Kun Peng mused, then looked at the Li Huo Sect disciples behind him and said, "If any of you cannot hold on later, do not force yourselves. Staying alive is the most important thing."
As he finished speaking, Kun Peng took the lead and stepped onto the stone steps. Soon, Kun Peng had ascended five steps. Seeing this, everyone else followed suit. After witnessing the fate of the person who tried to fly, no one was foolish enough to attempt it again.
Although there were over ten thousand people present, the stone steps were wide enough for many to ascend simultaneously. As many Spiritual Masters reached over ten steps, Li Xuan pondered for a moment before taking action.
With one step, Li Xuan felt no change. However, he did not let his guard down. Since Qi Bai Yan dared to promise a Yellow-grade spiritual weapon for passing the first trial, this trial would definitely not be simple. With this thought, Li Xuan calmly ascended upwards.
Soon, when many Spiritual Masters reached the thirty-first step, their expressions changed, and they stopped. Some Spiritual Masters could no longer hold on and tumbled down the stairs.
Li Xuan frowned slightly at this, then placed his foot on the thirty-first step.
*Boom!*
A formidable pressure descended, and Li Xuan instantly felt a thousand-pound force pressing down on him.
Sensing this, a hint of realization flashed in Li Xuan's eyes: "So, this first trial is a gravity suppression."