Invisible Pressure

It was a very ordinary road, paved with ordinary bluestone slabs. Neat clumps of green grass grew along both sides, but the road stretched so far that its end could not be seen, winding all the way to the distant mountain foothills.

Everyone present for the Sea Trials was brimming with confidence. Running was simply too easy for cultivators, and most felt certain they would pass.

With a command from the white-bearded elder, the Sea Trials officially began.

The people at the front of the square set off first. But just then, a strange scene appeared. Many of those who charged ahead suddenly went weak in the legs and plopped straight down onto the ground, making complete fools of themselves.

Only a few people reacted quickly enough to forcibly haul themselves back up when their legs weakened, then continued running forward.

After seeing the first group suffer, those behind naturally noticed the road's peculiarity. They circulated the strength throughout their bodies and avoided making fools of themselves, but once most people stepped onto the road, their speed slowed considerably, as though they were carrying a thousand-jin weight. Running became extremely difficult.

After several groups ahead had entered the road, it was finally Luo Zheng's turn.

He slowly walked to the edge of the square and stepped outward. The instant his foot landed, he suddenly felt an invisible pressure. When he tried to lift his other foot, it felt as though both legs had been bound with thousand-jin lead weights, unbearably heavy.

The sensation was extremely strange.

Once Luo Zheng's entire body had entered the road, he felt that pressure was practically everywhere. Even his eardrums were bearing it, booming loudly.

So that was how it was. The road looked ordinary, but in reality, it was filled with a powerful pressure.

If he were running on level ground, with Luo Zheng's Viscera Refining Realm strength and his long, inexhaustible breath, what would it matter if he ran for ten days and ten nights, as long as he had food to replenish his stamina?

But running beneath this thousand-jin pressure was another matter entirely. Under such pressure, his strength would be depleted far too quickly, and he did not know how long he could hold out. Still, he had now lit two Dragon Scales, and with his special physique, he might well achieve a good result.

After steadying his breathing, Luo Zheng gave a low shout and burst forth with all his strength, filling every muscle and completely offsetting the pressure. Then he opened his stride and sprinted forward.

Besides Luo Zheng, quite a few people with powerful auras also grew accustomed to the formidable pressure in an instant. They advanced with light steps, lifting heavy things as though they weighed nothing, as if this pressure posed no obstacle at all.

Of course, the vast majority could not do that.

Some Bone Refining Realm cultivators charged more than a hundred meters before their strength was exhausted. They fell flat on their faces, and even lifting their heads became extraordinarily difficult.

Others among the slightly stronger Bone Refining Realm cultivators barely held on, their bodies swaying precariously as though they might collapse at any moment.

After Luo Zheng had run seven or eight li, the crowd gradually spread out, forming a long procession scattered along the road.

He focused on placing each step, regulating his breathing. Only then could his body reach its most balanced state and allow him to run farther.

"Brother Luo Zheng!"

A voice rang out behind him. Luo Zheng turned his head and saw a young man in silk robes greeting him. It was Mo Can, the youth he had met yesterday. Yesterday, Mo Can's clothes had been wrapped tightly around him, but today he had changed into something much lighter.

"Brother Mo Can, hello." Luo Zheng replied with a smile.

Mo Can panted as he ran. "Brother Luo Zheng truly has extraordinary strength. Under such immense pressure, you look as though you're strolling through a courtyard."

"You're not bad yourself. If I'm not mistaken, you're only at the Bone Refining Realm, right? There aren't many Bone Refining Realm cultivators who can maintain your speed," Luo Zheng said.

This stretch of road was already extremely oppressive for those in the Bone Refining Realm, but for cultivators in the Viscera Refining Realm and Marrow Refining Realm, it was still relatively easy.

Mo Can could actually maintain such a speed. He clearly had some tricks up his sleeve.

Yet Mo Can's face wore a gloomy expression. He raised his hand, revealing a ring around his wrist. "The last time I took the Sea Trials, I collapsed after running just two hundred meters. This time, I relied on this Heavenly Silk Ring to offset most of the pressure, which let me make it this far."

"Heavenly Silk Ring?" Luo Zheng glanced at the bracelet. It was a Scarlet Gold bracelet, plain and unremarkable in appearance, yet it could actually help Mo Can withstand the pressure.

"That is a High-Grade Profound Artifact, isn't it?" Luo Zheng asked, blinking.

Mo Can chuckled. "Yes. I spent two Square Crystal Stones on this High-Grade Profound Artifact, nearly exhausting my entire fortune."

"Two Square Crystal Stones? How could it be so cheap?" Luo Zheng asked in puzzlement. If that were true, he had more than a hundred Square Crystal Stones hidden in his Sumeru Ring. Wouldn't he be able to buy dozens of High-Grade Profound Artifacts?

Only after hearing Luo Zheng's words did Mo Can add, "You've misunderstood. I rented this Heavenly Silk Ring. The two Square Crystal Stones were merely the rental fee. Once I pass the Sea Trials with it, I still have to return it."

Luo Zheng was instantly speechless. He had never expected the Lineage disciples of the Imperial Capital to come up with such a method to pass the Sea Trials. There were even people renting out Profound Artifacts. Luo Zheng asked again, "Using a treasure's abilities to help yourself get through the Sea Trials—doesn't that count as cheating?"

The Azure Cloud Sect held the Sea Trials to weed out those with poor strength, but using treasures made the trial seem extremely unfair.

"Brother Luo Zheng doesn't know much about the Azure Cloud Sect's rules," Mo Can said with a smile. "The Azure Cloud Sect is such a massive sect with so many disciples. How many thousands upon thousands of geniuses must it contain? They generally don't even pay attention to people taking the Sea Trials. When it comes to these minor details, they have always turned a blind eye. After all, we don't even count as Outer Sect Disciples. Never mind using one or two Profound Artifacts—even if we fought here, as long as nobody died, no one would usually care."

Hearing Mo Can's words, Luo Zheng understood. The Azure Cloud Sect's extremely strict Sect Rules were likely directed only at the sect's disciples. As for this Sea Trials, it was merely a selection process. Whether fish and dragons mingled or mud and sand churned together, they would simply conduct a rough screening first.

After saying this, Mo Can began panting heavily again. The Heavenly Silk Ring had offset most of the pressure, but he was still struggling.

"You'd better stop talking and focus on maintaining your running rhythm," Luo Zheng reminded him.

Mo Can nodded, gritted his teeth, and drove his legs harder. His kindly face also revealed a fierce expression. He had begun to fight for his life.

Up to now, Luo Zheng had been running with ease. Once he grew accustomed to the pressure, he could even ignore it completely.

The people along the entire road grew more and more scattered. Luo Zheng looked ahead and behind him and found that, along this stretch, there were only him and Mo Can.

But Luo Zheng noticed a burly man in the distance advancing at astonishing speed. The man's body was as sturdy as an ox, his strides were enormous, and he ran extremely fast.

Before long, the burly man quickly caught up to Mo Can. Yet the instant he overtook him, the man viciously slammed his shoulder into Mo Can.

Mo Can had already been struggling to hold on. He was concentrating on maintaining his pace, relying on a fierce burst of will as he lowered his head and ran like mad.

The collision came too suddenly. Moreover, Mo Can had not noticed anyone beside him at all. He was immediately knocked down with a cry of pain, tumbling to the roadside.

"What are you doing?" Luo Zheng shouted. Mo Can and the burly man should have had no grudge between them, yet the man had knocked Mo Can down. He had clearly gone too far. Before Luo Zheng's voice had even faded, the burly man's speed suddenly increased by another thirty percent, and he charged fiercely toward Luo Zheng.

Seeing the burly man's menacing approach, Luo Zheng's expression changed. Without revealing anything, he set the strength throughout his body into motion.

A cold smile appeared on the burly man's face. According to the information he had received, this boy named Luo Zheng should only be in the Viscera Refining Realm. He himself was in the Marrow Refining Realm. With a whole realm between them, he held an overwhelming advantage in both strength and physique. This boy was ignorant of heaven's height and earth's depth—he actually wasn't dodging? After this collision, wouldn't the boy be smashed to pieces?

At that thought, the burly man's strength abruptly increased by fifty percent. But when he crashed into Luo Zheng's body, his expression suddenly changed. He had expected the boy to be sent flying like a sandbag, his bones and sinews shattered and his life extinguished.

Instead, he felt as though he had collided with a mountain. The boy did not move an inch. Worse, he suddenly exerted force and slammed back into him!

A fierce recoil shot back from Luo Zheng's body. The burly man grunted and staggered seven or eight steps backward, his face filled with shock as though he had seen a ghost. How could this boy's body be so hard? It did not resemble a human body at all. It was as though he had been forged from steel and iron.

Luo Zheng had no interest in the burly man's confusion. The collision had sent a warm current through his shoulder, leaving his body incomparably comfortable. But when he saw Mo Can nearby, he asked coldly, "We have no grudge between us. Why did you hit me?"

The burly man pulled a purple pill from his chest and swallowed it in one gulp. Then he laughed. "You and I have no grudge, but someone wants to keep you from passing the Sea Trials!"

"Who?" Luo Zheng asked coldly.

The burly man did not answer. He ran while sneering, "I advise you to give up early. You're destined to fail these Sea Trials. Otherwise, this road will become the road to your funeral!"

Watching the burly man's rapidly retreating back, Luo Zheng's expression turned solemn.

The answer was not hard to guess. He soon understood what had happened.

Luo Zheng did not know anyone in the Imperial Capital. The only person who could have done this was Luo Peiran. Thinking of how Luo Peiran had resorted to such tricks to stop him from entering the Azure Cloud Sect, Luo Zheng's expression gradually turned cold.