Time ticked by as the sun continued to gracefully move to its western rest, and the evening was reached all of the fights were over. Out of the initial 923 participants, they had chosen 400 male, 200 female disciples, and another 100 servants of both genders.

Jing was both surprised and unsurprised by their gender quota. On one hand, he expected such a turn of events from what he had been hearing about this sect and its dynasty from the demonic disciples. However, at the same time, it was indeed surprising to see a gender difference even amongst cultivators because it hardly mattered. In matters of strength, gender mattered only to mortals. Cultivators were equal under heaven and only their Soul Purity indicated something, and from what he had observed there were plenty of Golden Talented female disciples.

The Grand Elders had already disappeared at some point, and even most official disciples had begun climbing the mountain's steps.

The old man who had been responsible for the test thus far walked in front of the remaining seven hundred with a wide smile on his face. "And now," He said. "Is the final test." He merely pointed toward the steps behind him and said, "Climb." His smile widening even further.

Jing knew why he was smiling so widely, the most difficult test had just started. Bracing himself, he walked with Shen Yun, Wang Fei, and Zho Tu who had joined them and they began climbing upwards.

Taking his first step, Jing turned to the others and said, "It's not too bad."

"Too early to judge," Shen Yun said.

In silence, a procession of still unofficial disciples gently climbed step after step. Jing and company were in the middle of the group. Gazing at the seemingly endless steps that reached into the skies, Jing felt slightly overwhelmed. But he soldiered on as he gazed at the vibrant mountain slopes where a variety of plants, flowers, and most importantly animals joyfully played.

After the first one hundred steps, most disciples began labouriously breathing, their lungs dying for more air and their legs burning. Jing who just yesterday did the most intensive leg workout there ever was, felt even more terrible. His thigh muscles were still torn, and if he had cultivated a bit yesterday before sleep he could have salvaged this situation. As things stood, however, things didn't seem too bright.

When he stepped in his 101 steps, a sudden weight descended out of nowhere on top of him, making him pause. "Is this it?" He asked the others through rasped breaths.

Shen Yun frowned and said, "Yes, but why do you look so worn out so early? There is still a lot more."

"You don't understand," Jing protested and he explained what happened to him yesterday as he took another step forward.

"You didn't have horses in the village?" Shen Yun asked.

"No," Jing said after another hard exhale. "And now my legs burn, and I can hardly stand up."

Shen Yun sucked in a breath of cold air, "That's... gonna be difficult. But you can do it!" He was about to say something else when he noticed the sizeable Wang Fei still walking with them, and he stopped himself.

After another one hundred steps, Jing became like a famished, dehydrated, heat-stroke, and bloody dog. His tongue was out, his chest violently rose up and down, and his expression was unsightly.

By then a lot of people had overtaken them, and even Shen Yun seemed to find himself in a silent competition with Xu Yun, leaving the other three behind.

"There isn't much left," Jing said to the other two, but it was mostly to himself. Zhao Tu also had a lot of difficulty, though not to his degree, but this comforted Jing a lot. He found a kindred spirit in the remaining twin, the demonic losers he called it with a smile.

"No," Wang Fei said through rapid breaths. "There is more than half."

Jing pressed his lips together, cursing in his mind. However, when he tried to return his lips to their usual position he found them to be stuck, much to his dismay. Because of how dry and dehydrated he was, even his lips got stuck to his teeth forcing him to manually drop them down to their usual position, as if they were some device that malfunctioned.

Suddenly, a kick hit him in the buttocks, and because of how much strength had left him, he found himself falling forward unable to stop himself. He swiftly moves his hands to stop his face, unfortunately before he could do that, the ground's arrival was swift and immediate. His forearms landed on top of the next step's edge, and his forehead hit the step's tread with a bang.

Stolen novel; please report.

Facing the onslaught of pain from both his burning legs, exhausted lungs, damaged forearms, and his forehead Jing was about to lose consciousness. But he quickly caught himself drifting off and he summoned every drop of his remaining strength to stand up.

"I was just helping," A voice behind him echoed followed by the laughter of a group.

Turning around he saw three disciples looking at him with a mocking wide grin. One of them was a step above the other two, and he knew that he was the one responsible for the attack. He had a flowy blue robe, a silver bracelet on his left wrist, and a brown belt holding his attire together.

Zhao Tu appeared before the two and pushed him back, "What's your problem?" He shouted with a glare. Wang Fei merely stood back with a difficult but fearful expression as he witnessed everything unfold.

Jing's eyes narrowed in rage, he clenched his fists together and approached the disciple.

"What? What?" The disciple shouted back with a daring expression. His body was sturdy and powerful as he closed the direction between the two.

Jing gulped when he saw that, feeling overwhelmed by the disciple's clear display of energy and strength, unlike him who had nothing remaining. "Why did you do that for?" He asked, unwilling to back down.

"You weakling," the boy said with a frown. "I just wanted to help you and that's how you repay me?"

"You son of a bitch," Zhao Tu yelled and rushed at him. But he was quickly held back by Jing, "I see," He said with a smile. "Then, I thank you for the assistance."

The boy shrugged his shoulders, "See," He said. "It wasn't that difficult to say thanks back, and just like that you have avoided a good beating." He bumped against him and tapped Jing's shoulder as he brushed past him.

Jing only gnashed his teeth in anger and awaited their departure. The other disciples that overtook them also looked at them with amused expressions as they walked by.

However, only he knew how important it was for him to reach the peak. If he let Zhao Tu fight with them he would have been forced to help, and if he lost any more energy then his already uncertain climb would become even more impossible.

Knowing that he had been humiliated enough, he glanced at the two and defended himself. "We can't fight them now, we will lose our energy." He turned back, following the gradually disappearing figures, and said with a smile, "As for that guy, you don't have to worry. Sooner or later he will pay a hundredfold. That I know for certain."

The group resumed their climb, and with every step, the weight on their shoulders increased more and more. Both Jing and Wang Fei reached a certain point where they were forced to rest after every five steps they climbed. Zhao Tu although also worn out and exhausted, had more stamina than them.

When they reached the 301-step mark, both Jing and Wang Fei were on their knees.

"You need to get up," Zhao Tu encouraged. "I heard that we're timed, if we don't climb in a while we will lose our spots."

"Wait," Jing said with difficulty, sucking in breaths of cold air. The sun descended upon them ruthlessly, sucking every bit of moisture their already dehydrated bodies had. The hairs were stuck to the sides of their faces, and they seemed on the verge of passing out.

As much as Jing wanted someone to help them, he dismissed such a foolish idea. What happened to the last two disciples who attempted to help one another was still very vivid in his mind. Two golden-robed disciples appeared out of nowhere and kicked them out of the test.

With a swift exhale, he motivated himself and stood up once again. "Let's go, Wang Fei," Jing said. "If you don't stand up your family will be in danger."

Wang Fei's eyes glistened with an angry light, and he appeared lost in some thoughts but he willed himself and stood up as well.

Jing's eyebrows shot up in surprise, surprised by how much impact those words had on him. With Zho Tu in tow, the duo continued their climb. After a while, they were finally able to witness the jade steps' end, motivating them even more.

At the top, the disciples who had already finished the test were looking at him, each with a different expression as they gazed at those they had bested. Jing even noticed Cai Yi's face as she cheered him on, and Shen Yun's disappointed looks as he shook his head. Jing knew what he must be thinking about, 'You're bringing down our peak's prestige,' or something he reasoned.

Jing felt that the pressure those gazes brought down on him was greater than the weight of the pressure that accompanied the steps. The fact that he was unable to carry himself more gracefully as he climbed with difficulty like a dog brought him immense shame.

Dismissing those thoughts from his mind, he soldiered on as he tried to motivate himself, 'My legs will be huge once I eat enough protein. There isn't much left.'

Zho Tu was the first one of the three to reach the top, and the moment his sandals landed on the grassy surface grounds, his legs gave out as he weakly fell forward, his face planted above the green grass as he struggled to breathe under the amused onlookers' eyes.

After a while, it was Jing's turn, and he fell just next to him. With a smile tugging at his lips, he relished the feeling of giving up all control as he lay there, eyes closed. Suddenly an impressive weight fell on top of him, making him loudly groan in pain. When Wang Fei reached the end, his legs stopped functioning as he fell above Jing before he could even take another step forward, and his eyes turned white, losing consciousness in the process.

Startled, Jing began pushing the sizeable mass of bones, meat, and fat that suffocated him. A scene that was appreciated by the other disciples for its sheer entertainment value, and of course, how better it made them feel about themselves.

Standing with a scowl, Jing glared back at the disciples, his heart burning with rage. However, noting how a lot of them glared back with even more of a challenge back at him, he averted his eyes.

'Bunch of sensitive fuckers,' He thought. 'These cultivators are like high school bullies on steroids. Everyone is more than ready for a fight because they were all dying to show others how wonderful and special they were.'