by Translator: Pokka; Author: 我本纯洁 (I Am Pure); Licensed From: Migu
"Piss off! Piss off! Ahhhh, it hurts! I'm going to die soon!"
...
Chaos erupted in Xiang Shaoyun's vicinity as the crowd scattered, worried that the silver lightning bolts would bombard them to death. With Xiang Shaoyun opening up a path, Tang Longfei, Ning Wenhuang, and Lady Shura followed behind him and quickly arrived before the first step of stairs.
There, Xiang Shaoyun dispersed his lightning power and said, "Let's go up together."
"Haha, Shaoyun is really full of vitality. I won't stand on ceremony, then," said Tang Longfei with a hearty laugh. His near 90 percent completion draconic aura swirled around him as he took his first step onto the stairs.
His leg landed firmly; he wasn't jolted off. Ripples of light flickered around him as a pressure was laid on him, forming some sort of resonance with the draconic aura around him. Ning Wenhuang and Lady Shura did not dare to be careless and quickly released their respective auras as well.
Ning Wenhuang's draconic aura was 40 percent complete, and she managed to take the first step as well. As for Lady Shura, she formed the apparition of a shura that overlapped with her body, granting her the strength of a War Emperor. With that, she easily took her first step as well.
It was apparent now that the stairs exerted different levels of suppression. Each of the 81 steps of stairs had a different level of suppression, and just because one could take the first step did not mean that one would be able to complete all 81 steps.
Xiang Shaoyun no longer waited and took the first step as well. A certain pressure surged out of the stairs as he felt a certain pressure bearing down on him. The pressure was equivalent to the presence of a peak King, capable of contending against the presences of any King.
Without overcoming this pressure, one would not be able to take the first step. A pressure of this level gave them some trouble, but it still wasn't that bad. Xiang Shaoyun completed the first step easily and continued to take the second step. The pressure exerted by the second step increased significantly, but it still wasn't able to trouble him too much.
Xiang Shaoyun climbed seven steps in a row. By then, the combination of the pressure and the weight of his armor caused him to slow down. Here, under the surface of the jade step were numerous crude runes that were pulsing repeatedly, exuding a pressure equivalent to the presence of an Emperor. At the same time, the gravity present at this step had also been enhanced. The combined pressure was enough to cause a regular King to directly collapse.
Xiang Shaoyun was forced to release more of his strength before he continued climbing. At this time, some people were starting to get far ahead of others. Of these people, some were Emperors that were also special-recruits. Some of them had draconic auras of around 95 percent completion, existences that had almost reached the Dragon Ascension Realm. These were the geniuses that had arrived from various places.
Tang Longfei wasn't too slow either. He had reached the 23rd step, and was the fastest of their group. But at this point, he was starting to have a hard time as well.
"How can I allow a tiny formation to stop me from becoming a Dragon Phoenix Academy disciple?" Tang Longfei roared as his draconic aura surged and instantly reached 90 percent completion. As if wind had gathered beneath his feet, he climbed more than 10 steps in a row before stopping again.
As for Ning Wenhuang and Lady Shura, they initially climbed side by side. But as they climbed higher, Lady Shura gradually pulled ahead.
This woman is already so powerful before even forming her draconic aura? thought Ning Wenhuang with shock as she gazed at Lady Shura's back. Her competitiveness ignited within her as she exerted even more strength to climb the stairs. The Han Clan sisters, who were watching not far away, were getting nervous.
"Big sister, look, Young Master Xiang has stopped. What's the matter?" Han Xuewei asked in a worried manner.
"I don't understand. With his strength, he should be able to easily reach the top. Is it due to his cultivation level?" Han Qianwei muttered in confusion. "Or perhaps he's trying to keep a low profile?"
"I doubt so. Perhaps something unforeseen has happened? I hope he can get to the top smoothly," said Han Xuewei, her eyes filled with hope.
Xiang Shaoyun had just arrived at the 16th step, and here, he had encountered something unforeseen. He found that the suppression it exerted helped him further compress his cultivation base, causing his foundation to become much firmer.
With the suppression of his heavy armor, his energy circulation had slowed considerably. However, that did not equate to a drop of cultivation speed. Rather, it helped build a thick and solid foundation.
In other words, with the armor on, a single round of circulation was equivalent to several rounds of regular circulations. He was able to gain much more strength from circulating his energy in such a condition.
With the pressure the stairs exerted, his circulation speed had dropped even further, but that also helped quickly compress his cultivation base. His energy composition, which was originally loose, became much more solid, causing a qualitative change within him, granting him a might far surpassing what he had in the past.
Additionally, the pressure had also triggered his devil blood to surge and squeeze even more of his potential from his physical flesh, allowing his physical flesh to grow rapidly as well. One could say that the 16th step's intense pressure had unleashed the potential of Xiang Shaoyun's freakish physique.
If that was all, he would still continue climbing the stairs rapidly. However, he had stopped climbing because he could no longer suppress his compressed cultivation base, which was on the verge of erupting into the eighth stage. It was at this moment that Di Tong and Di Shang surpassed him not far away.
Di Shang glanced over and sneered, "Taking the test with just this much? Heh, just wait for elimination, stray dog."
He was aware that even special-recruit disciples would be disqualified if they failed to get through the test. Xiang Shaoyun ignored Di Shang. With his eyes shut, he climbed a few more steps before suddenly sitting down cross-legged.
"Haha, it's always good to know when to give up. Just stay here obediently and wait for the test to end," Di Shang roared with laughter.
Beside him, a solemn look appeared on Di Tong's face. He frowned before his pupils suddenly shrank as he exclaimed, "No, h-he seems to be breaking through?"
"What? How is that possible?" Di Shang cried out in shock.
It did not matter if Di Shang was willing to believe it or not. Xiang Shaoyun's aura surged to the sky as the spiritual energy in the surroundings started converging around him before pouring into his body. It immediately caused an uproar.
Chapter 555: Everyone's Reaction
Standing beyond the entrance observing the test were the Dragon Phoenix Academy elders. Leading the group was the crew cut old man. He was a high-level elder with an illustrious status in the academy. His name was Liu Xutian. Apart from him, the recruiting elder Xiao Wei, who had previously gone to the Bloodsin City, was here as well.
"There are a lot of decent talents among this batch of recruits," praised Liu Xutian as he looked at the young geniuses rushing up the stairs.
"Yeah. A lot of them have even reached the Dragon Ascension Realm. If they can reach this height at such a young age, it wouldn't be hard for them to become a Saint as well," said an elder.
"Look at that kid, he's not even 20, yet he's already a ninth-stage Skysoar Realm cultivator. He seems to be a War Emperor as well, not lacking at all compared with those freaks," said a different elder while pointing at a young man in a blue outfit.
"You're better off focusing on that crafty girl. Look, she's going to reach the top soon, and she's not even 15! What a freak!" said a different person while pointing at a girl that was ahead of the other participants.
As they conversed, they kept pointing at different youngsters, their eyes filled with praise. The reason why these elders were standing here watching the recruits climb the stairs was to scout for future disciples. Any r
ecruit lucky enough to catch the eyes of one of them would enjoy immense benefits in the academy.
At this time, a middle-aged man beside Xiao Wei asked, "Xiao Wei, I heard you only issued nine special-recruit medals this time round. Are there so few talents at the Bloodsin City? Or were you too picky?"
That person spoke words that contained a second meaning, and he was being quite rude about it.
"Feng Huosuo, don't bother using your sarcastic remarks. Each medal was only issued after strict scrutiny. Although there are only 9 of them, they are definitely much more talented than the 29 special-recruits you found," said Xiao Wei mockingly.
"Sure, keep boasting. I heard that you have even recruited a seventh-stage Skysoar Realm kid, the same kid stuck at the 16th step," said Feng Huosuo as he intentionally raised the volume of his voice, his gaze landing on Xiang Shaoyun, bringing Xiang Shaoyun a lot of attention.
"Yes, he is the kid who obtained my ninth medal," said Xiao Wei. "He is also the special-recruit I'm most satisfied with."
"Hahaha, you have a really unique taste. Someone who can't advance past the 16th step is actually worthy of being a special-recruit. I really wonder what your requirements are when recruiting," Feng Huosuo sneered.
The other elders also had odd looks on their faces, clearly in agreement with Feng Huosuo. After all, although being a seventh-stage Skysoar Realm cultivator at that age showcased decent talent, it was nothing compared to the many geniuses present. And now, that person did not even seem capable of advancing past the 16th step. It was obvious that the young man wasn't anything special if he was stuck there.
Xiao Wei appeared calm, but inwardly, he thought, What is that kid doing?
After all, he had personally witnessed Xiang Shaoyun defeat a first-stage Dragon Ascension Realm cultivator. That was a performance of battling one several stages higher in cultivation, the performance of a freak! A freak like that shouldn't have any difficulty in the test.
A smirk appeared on Feng Huosuo's face as he asked, "He's not your illegitimate child, right?"
"Bullshit! Do you think I'm the same kind of person as you? Someone who issues the special-recruit medals to his own family members?" Xiao Wei turned furious.
"Hmph. Even if I do that, my recruits are still better than that kid," said Feng Huosuo coldly.
Right after that, a different elder exclaimed in astonishment, "Huh? That kid seems to be doing something. Is he trying to break through here?"
"That seems to be the case. All the spiritual energy in the area is converging around him. What a daredevil," remarked a different elder.
"Those who dare to break through on the stairs are either those failing to suppress their strength anymore or those who are attempting a last minute breakthrough to increase their strength so as to better climb the stairs. Whichever he is, this is not a good place for a breakthrough since the pressure of the stairs will harm him," said another elder.
"What is this? He is totally messing around!" Xiao Wei cursed as his face turned ashen. He had not expected that Xiang Shaoyun would be so daring that he would attempt a breakthrough right here.
These jade stairs contained not only the presence of an Emperor, but they were also enhanced by several formations to exert massive pressure on cultivators. This was an environment capable of purifying one's astral energy, not the kind of environment one should attempt a breakthrough at. Xiao Wei was already furious after Feng Huosuo mocked him. When he saw Xiang Shaoyun doing something he deemed rash, it was like pouring oil on fire.
"Haha, did this kid hit his head somewhere?" Feng Huosuo did not miss out on the chance to further mock Xiao Wei.
On the other hand, Di Tong and Di Shang had not thought of all the things those elders had thought of. They only felt extremely annoyed at the fact that Xiang Shaoyun could still make a breakthrough under such pressure. They wished to see Xiang Shaoyun drop dead immediately, not see him grow stronger and stronger.
"Keep going. If he can't finish the breakthrough within two hours, he will be disqualified," Di Tong said.
"Elder brother, what will happen if I interfere with his breakthrough?" Di Shang asked with a ruthless look in his eyes.
"No, you can't. The academy elders won't spare you for doing something like that," said Di Tong.
Interfering with the breakthrough of others was in itself an act of taboo. If Di Shang dared to do that publicly, he would be immediately killed by the academy elders, and even Di Tong, the elder brother, might be adversely affected. He had no intention of sacrificing their prospects just to get rid of one Xiang Shaoyun.
After some hesitation, Di Shang decided to listen and continued climbing the stairs. The people coming up from behind were all astonished to see someone sitting cross-legged.
Some felt that he was being irksome, while some thought that he was trying too hard to show off. Regardless of their opinions, they all ignored him. Their sole focus was to get to the top of the stairs. Soon, half the allotted time passed. A portion of the participants had already reached the top, each and every one cheering in excitement.
"Ahhh! I'm finally a Dragon Phoenix Academy disciple! In the future, I will definitely become an existence lording over large swathes of land!"
"Dragon Phoenix Academy, I'm here! This is the beginning of my path to the peak of martial cultivation! Nobody can hope to stop my rise!"
"My many years of hard work have been repaid! Father, Mother, soon you will hear of this. You will be proud of me!"
"Haha, in the not too distant future, my name will spread across the dominion!"
Chapter 556: Bleeding From the Seven Orifices
Most of these young geniuses had been destined for greatness since birth, growing up showered with glory in their respective organizations. When facing the other young geniuses that came from all over the dominion, their competitiveness was ignited. None was willing to fall behind anyone.
Joining the Dragon Phoenix Academy practically guaranteed glory. They were akin to a fish that had transformed into a dragon, officially embarking on their path to greatness. Thus, it was understandable why they would be overwhelmed with excitement after passing the test. The elders also understood their feelings. After all, a few thousand years prior, these elders had also experienced the same when they first joined the academy.
Relying on his perseverance, Tang Longfei finally reached the top, and he only had a few final steps left before he could complete the test. The draconic aura around him was growing thicker and thicker, yet he was moving slower and slower. His entire body was drenched wet with sweat, and he was almost fully exhausted.
"I am the number one young master of the Bloodsin City. How can I fall here? Obstacles, scram!" Tang Longfei roared as his spirits surged. Once again, he exceeded his limits, and with a final spurt of energy, he charged to the 81st step, completing the test to become a Dragon Phoenix Academy disciple.
The moment he reached his destination, he collapsed onto the ground and gasped for breath. The act of climbing the stairs was similar to fighting an expert to the death, and it greatly exhausted him. Shortly after, Lady Shura also managed to reach the top.
The shura apparition hanging behind her was extremely conspicuous, attracting the gazes of several elders. As for Ning Wenhuang, she still had one third of the stairs to cover. She would have to rely on herself to reach the top with the remaining time.
Meanwhile, Xiang Shaoyun was still in the process of breaking through. Due to the effect of the formations, the flow of spiritual energy in the air wasn't too smooth. Fortunately, he had the astral cosmos sea within him. After using a large number of spirit crystals, his body became abundant with energy.
However, the massive amount of energy he had did not seem to be enough. Under the pressure exerted by the formations, the energy was compressed and purified, and as a result, the amount of energy he required for breakthrough kept increasing.
Fortunately, he was rich enough. Otherwise, he wouldn't have enough spirit crystals to support
his breakthrough. After using even more spirit crystals, he was able to barely gather the amount of energy required.
The energy gathered in his nine stars before flowing through his meridians and acupoints. The purified energy pushed the limits of his body, bringing him to the next stage. In the process, his entire body was enveloped by a layer of rippling energy.
The breakthrough that seemed so near seemed to have suddenly become difficult, as if additional shackles had been placed within him by the formations, disrupting his energy flow. If the breakthrough failed, he would suffer a backlash from his own energy. At that time, he would be injured and might even suffer damage to his foundations.
That was why the elders weren't too optimistic about his chances of breaking through on the steps. Only now did Xiang Shaoyun realize the situation he was in, and he started getting anxious. He had initially expected the breakthrough to be smooth and had not expected something like this would happen.
He was akin to a boiling pot of water. The steam was trying to leave the pot, and if the lid wasn't removed, the pot would eventually implode due to the pressure. A possible solution was removing the armor on him to reduce the suppression on him, allowing him to better resist the pressure brought by the formations.
However, in his current condition, the act of removing his armor would be a distraction. Thus, he braced himself and absorbed even more energy into his body. At the same time, he used even more spirit crystals, flooding his body with a terrifying amount of energy, pushing himself to the brink of implosion. The people passing by him could see that he was bleeding from the seven orifices and were given a big fright.
Standing at the entrance, Xiao Wei became even more anxious. "That damnable kid is actually absorbing even more energy? Is he trying to kill himself?"
He could see that Xiang Shaoyun was in a crisis. If no help was given, death through bodily implosion was very possible.
"Hehe, Xiao Wei, what a nice disciple you have recruited," mocked Feng Huosuo.