Back in the room.
Grim had tested two of the newly purchased abilities, and he was content with them.
"Now that only leaves 'polyp'. However, I won't be able to test it here without raising suspicion. Instead, I'll use it during the mission. It'll double my efficiency."
He set the things aside and began body enhancement.
His body still had residue Qi from the last time. So, he began using residual Qi for body enhancement instead of using 'moonlight storm' to absorb Qi from the surrounding.
***
Drip! Drip! Drip!
The red liquid was dripping from his body down to the floor.
It was a mixture of blood and sweat released by his body due to constant wear and tear.
"I can boost the body enhancement process. But, it requires a lot of Qi."
His body had absorbed residue Qi within half a day. Previously, his body would take an entire day to absorb the same amount of Qi that was five times less pure.
Gulp!
He took a mouthful of Qi and swallowed it. Afterward, he began the enhancement process.
***
Day six.
Huff! Huff!
He stopped the process.
There were red stains on the floor as well as his body. His skin had turned red thanks to the blood and sweat that had piled over time.
Ughhh!
He covered his nose.
"What a horrible smell. I should take a shower."
He took a quick shower.
"Now, I can strengthen my body up to 55x thanks to the hastened body enhancement. But, it also consumed 10% of the Qi."
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"I only have 900 ml ( 30 oz) left. I should just use 'moonlight storm' from now on."
The break had come to an end just like that, and the third round would begin tomorrow.
He went to the market for the fresh air, and also local delicacies.
***
Day Eight.
All the participants gathered in the arena.
"You will be climbing that mountain."
The evaluator pointed at the tall mountain that could be seen from the arena. The mountain was around 50 km away from the arena and it had a height of 8000 meters (4.97 mi).
[You will have an entire day to climb it, and your rankings will depend on how high you climb.]
"Now, let the competition begin"
Gong!
"Let's go."
Soon, everyone made their way to the mountain. They arrived at the base of the mountain within half an hour.
The mountain was shaped like a pyramid, and it wasn't much steep either.
"The task can't be that easy right?"
Grim inspected the mountain. But, he couldn't find anything abnormal.
***
The participants started climbing the mountain.
Their ascent was smooth at first. But, they came across their first hindrance at the height of 1000 meters.
Suddenly, pressure descended on all the participants that were at the height of 1000 meters. Their speed had lessened.
Still, the participants advanced slowly.
An additional pressure surged every 100 meters.
Grim was observing the changes happening at the mountain.
"Just as I thought."
***
Grim commenced his ascent.
He was able to climb for some time with ease. But, he faced the same pressure at the height of 1000 meters.
The pressure kept piling up as he climbed higher. However, he kept climbing despite the increase in pressure. He was forced to strengthen himself by 5x at the height of 1800 meters.
He had to up the strength by 10x at the height of 2000 meters.
***
He was at the height of 2150 meters when a disciple came tumbling down.
Ahhhhhhhh!
"Help me."
He was plunging at a terrifying speed.
Many tried to help him but their attempt was unsuccessful.
He was screaming. "I don't want to die."
He was getting closer to the ground with every passing second. Everyone was paying attention to him thinking he would perish. But, he came to a halt right before he touched the ground. He was floating in the air.
"Haha. I'm alive. I'm alive"
He began touching his body to make sure it wasn't a dream. However, his happiness was cut short by an announcement.
"Xia Jun. Disqualified."
He left sullen.
***
The rest of the participants resumed their journey again.
The majority of the disciples were stuck at the height of 2800. The pressure was so serious that they had to crawl just to climb a few meters.
Grim was forced to strengthen by 30x to cross the mark. Afterward, he kept climbing, and he was forced to strengthen by 5x every 200 meters.
By the time, the round was over. He had climbed a staggering height of 3800 meters.
Soon, the rankings were announced.
1. Meng Zhou - 4200 meters
2. Shao Cai - 4000 meters
3. Tang Ling - 3950 meters
4. Liu Fang - 3900 meters
5. Peng Xun - 3880 meters
...
7. Grim - 3800 meters
20. Yuan Chang - 3300 meters
50. Ren Dan - 2500 meters
***
Top of the arena.
Yao Zhou was a bit taken aback by the rank of Grim.
"Who is this Grim?"
One of his aides flipped through the participant list.
"He is a disciple of the Faith academy from Aran city."
Hoh!
"A disciple from a subordinate city managed to rank within the top ten."
Yao Zhou was amused.
[Evo points left: 164,750]