As time slowly passed, the black-clad boy in the lead reached the three hundred thirty-fourth step, gradually slowing down.

Liam, who was behind him, continued steadily, reaching the two hundred eighty-ninth step. His face grew paler, and he remained silent, carefully continuing his ascent. Once he became accustomed to the pressure of the place, his pace quickened.

Meanwhile, the red-clad girl in fourth place, who had been drawing significant attention on the square, displayed an astonishing one hundred eighty-eight steps!

"Who is this girl in red, so impressive! It's been years since we saw a girl in the top five of 'Mystomount'... The last one was many years ago... who was it again..."

"It was Sister Salira from the second department, nine years ago," someone nearby reminded.

Finnian bit his lip, sweat beading on his forehead, taking each step with determination. The steps ahead seemed endless, a distant horizon that made one feel lost, coupled with the increasingly intense pressure, creating a strong sense of rejection, as if countless voices whispered in his ears, urging him to give up.

Not far from Finnian, Rowan gasped for breath, tying his long hair back with a hairband, sweat dripping from his forehead and down his cheeks, his face growing more fatigued with each step. His eyes showed madness and persistence as he climbed higher.

Further away, Elena's face was pale. She was never good at physical activities, preferring to sit and read while the village children played. She believed that the strong relied on intelligence, not on physical strength. Yet now, she was anxious, her strength waning and the pressure increasing. She was worried whether she could make it through the first test.

Clenching her teeth, Elena didn't want to lose completely. With her desire for dreams, she took each step forward.

"Need to eat less in the future... Definitely need to eat less..." Behind Elena, on a distant step, Little Fat Bill panted, mumbling to himself as he climbed. Slightly plump, his body trembled with each step, but a trace of determination flickered in his eyes.

Compared to their struggles, the black-clad boy in first place was much more composed. His expression was calm, with only a few beads of sweat trickling down his forehead, moving steadily and unhurriedly up the mountain.

As dusk settled, the sky darkened with the sun and moon emerging together, hinting at their interchange. Liam's ranking, while catching attention from those below, was still overshadowed by the discussions about the red-clad girl in third place and the black-clad boy in first. They seemed to ignite more curiosity.

Many had already stopped, but one person continued to push forward.

"Five hundred fifty-two... Five hundred fifty-six... Five hundred sixty-one... The first boy is still going strong at midnight!"

"This second place boy is only on the three hundred ninety-fifth step, but the first has already passed five hundred. Is he planning to skip his rest and keep going through the night?"

"No wonder he's the top of this batch. His determination is incomparable to anyone else!"

"Every year's top perseverance is never ordinary..."

The dozens on the square were all focused on the first position on the steps. In the entire ranking, only the first place continued to climb, while all others had stopped.

"Five hundred eighty-six! Five hundred eighty-nine!"

"Again, it changed! Now it's five hundred ninety-seven!!"

The square erupted in murmurs, all eyes on the top of the ranking. Even the elder supervising the exam nodded in admiration at the black-clad figure, showing a hint of respect for the young talent.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

On the mountain, the black-clad boy's expression was resolute. Sweat trickled down his forehead as he climbed step by step. Though each step was difficult, he showed no hesitation, finally stopping at the six hundredth step, sitting down with a smile.

"According to my family's elders, six hundred steps is beyond the reach of ordinary people. Luckily, my family has a replica of this mountain. Last time on our family's mountain, eight hundred steps was my limit. Let's see how far I can go this time," he muttered, his face showing undisguised pride. His family was well-off, with several Arcanists and elders who had brought a replica of Mystomount to the family for younger generations to experience the trials. He was a standout in his generation, always a focus of training. He didn't care much about the rankings; in his view, no participant was worthy of comparison or attention.

He hadn’t looked back all day; he was competing not with others, but with himself.

When he stopped, the discussions below the square rose again. To everyone, with the black-clad boy’s halt, the day’s trials seemed to be over. They would have to wait until dawn to resume.

The night slowly passed, and the square fell silent, while nearly all the exam participants closed their eyes, each with different thoughts, but their hearts were unwavering. After a long while, as the first light of dawn appeared on the horizon, a new day had arrived.

It was the second day of the Great Trial's first challenge!

Almost as the first rays of morning sunlight appeared, the black-clad boy made his move. Step by step, resolute and unyielding, he aimed for the steps, his heart set on reaching nine hundred this time in the first stage of the trial. He yearned to stand there, to look down upon the masses below with a sense of superiority.

Following him, Liam gritted his teeth and ascended without rest. He had reached three hundred eighteen steps now, his footsteps growing heavier as he climbed higher. As the pressure from above intensified, he felt increasingly uncomfortable, unable to pinpoint the cause, yet relentlessly pushing forward.

The red-clad girl in fourth place, trailing behind Rowan after being overtaken at dusk yesterday, had consistently lagged three steps behind him. The two seemed locked in an unspoken competition. In fact, this rivalry had begun yesterday, leaving Rowan somewhat disgruntled.

"Why don't you either speed up a few steps to widen the gap, so I don't have to worry, or slow down a bit? Are you not tired? If you're tired, I'm exhausted!" Rowan's sweat poured, feeling the oppressive pressure from the mountaintop almost suffocating him, waves of fatigue washing over his body.

"You go ahead. I won't compete with you anymore." Rowan decided to sit down, catching his breath, adapting to the mountain and its pressure. He chose not to be bothered by the fourth-place contender, allowing her to surpass him.

Now panting herself, the red-clad girl had rested overnight. But with each step upwards and the increasing pressure, especially seeing the first-place boy steadily climbing past six hundred steps, she couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.

After passing Rowan swiftly, she silently compared herself with him, determined to surpass him steadily. In her view, Rowan was her only true competitor. Even if she couldn't be first in this first stage, surpassing him would meet her own expectations.

Meanwhile, Liam's complexion grew more defeated. Despite a night's rest, his condition hadn't improved. As time passed, his discomfort intensified. After stopping, he slid to third place, worriedly watching the red-clad girl who had been competing with Rowan, now gradually catching up. Liam feared his inevitable fall beyond the top five, thinking of his long-held desire to become an Arcanist, now so close yet seemingly far away...

Liam sighed inwardly.

As time passed, the dozens on the square outside watched the rankings on the statue, their discussions occasionally rising.

"The black-clad boy in first is undoubtedly unchallenged. He's already reached over six hundred steps."

"The third place is surely the red-clad girl. But what happened to that boy suddenly stopping in his original third position?"

"It's a pity indeed. It's just inexplicable."

As they discussed, suddenly from the mountain steps, the bodies of several participants at the end of the ranking seemed to lighten and fly backward. Seeing this, the elder overseeing the exam waved his hand, and several cloud-like hands swiftly appeared, gently catching and carrying them down to the foot of the mountain.

This sudden change immediately caught everyone's attention, yet they didn't show surprise.

"Someone else couldn't hold on!"

"Throughout history, the first challenge of the trial always sees a large number of quitters on the second day. They can't withstand the pressure of the high mountain."

The people caught by the cloud-like hands rushed toward the square, the mist dissipating as they landed, gasping and collapsing on the ground. Among them was Little Fat Bill, dragging his obese body. Despite gritting his teeth to persist, even a full bucket spills over eventually, and he could no longer continue.

Seemingly ashamed to descend the mountain, these individuals hung their heads low, quickly retreating to a quiet corner, sitting down in silent dismay.

Such instances of giving up became more frequent by the afternoon.