Jiang Yan's personal live feed was directly made into Linjiang City's official Live Stream Room. Such treatment had never been seen before.
The advantage was that every citizen of Linjiang City could witness Jiang Yan's splendor firsthand, but there was also a downside—
If Jiang Yan performed poorly in the College Entrance Exam, he would suffer a social death before the entire city, followed by endless abuse and slander.
That was simply human nature: the greater the expectations, the greater the disappointment.
A flash of white light crossed Jiang Yan's eyes, and he found himself standing in an open expanse. There was nothing before him—not even a blade of grass growing there—making it feel as though he had been dropped into a desert.
It was Jiang Yan's first time truly seeing such a scene within an Alternate Space. In previous years, he had only ever seen it on television.
A vast crowd began pouring into Jiang Yan's Live Stream Room. Before long, the citizens of Linjiang City had pushed the viewer count past one hundred thousand.
Linjiang City TV had sent a 100,000 Star Coins lucky bag.
Enter "Go Linjiang candidates, go Jiang Yan" for a chance to draw the lucky bag.
: Wow! The relief grain handed out by the imperial court has arrived.
: Go Linjiang candidates, go Jiang Yan.
: Go Linjiang candidates, go Jiang Yan.
: Go Linjiang candidates, go Jiang Yan.
: Go Linjiang candidates, go Jiang Yan ×9900.
: Holy shit, who's Jiang Yan? Why is the official channel cheering for him personally?
: Did the guy above lose his internet at home? You don't even know Jiang Yan? He's that man in the live stream—an SS-rank talent.
: An SS-rank talent? Linjiang City has an SS-rank genius too?
: Hahahahaha, that's just how awesome we are.
The bullet comments brimmed with cheerful energy. Jiang Yan knew he was being livestreamed, but his expression remained calm, without the slightest change.
He was somewhat curious. Why was he the only one here? Where were the other candidates?
However, his question was answered very quickly.
A woman's voice with crisp, standard pronunciation rang out from the void.
"Candidates, welcome to this year's National College Entrance Exam. You are currently within an Alternate Space created by the Space Martial Saint. Next, you will face the first round of testing—
"Stairway to Godhood."
"A Stairway to Godhood will now appear before you. Your task is to reach its summit within twelve hours. Otherwise, you will be eliminated and lose your qualification to participate in this College Entrance Exam."
"The first ten thousand candidates to reach the summit will receive 10 points."
"The first thousand candidates to reach the summit will receive 100 points."
"The first hundred candidates to reach the summit will receive 200 points."
"The first candidate to reach the summit will receive 300 points."
The bullet comments began scrolling rapidly.
: It's here, it's here—the familiar flavor again.
: Just as expected, the first stage is meant to filter out those who haven't awakened. Last year, I was barred from the College Entrance Exam because of a similar first stage.
: Damn it, this lucky bag is trash.
: Hehe, what a great lucky bag. I made three Star Coins—tonight's instant noodles get an extra sausage.
: I'm looking forward to Jiang Yan's performance. With his talent, reaching the top thousand shouldn't be a problem, right?
: Nonsense. Aim higher—I bet Jiang Yan can make the top hundred.
: The guy above, the bolder the man, the greater the yield from the land. I'm going all-in on first place!
: That's too much. You can't blindly worship Jiang Yan, or if he fails to perform well later, you'll be the one cursing him again.
A flash of white light appeared before Jiang Yan, and immediately afterward, the surroundings erupted into a clamor.
The previously empty wasteland suddenly filled with a huge crowd. Everyone looked around in every direction, clearly not having realized what had happened.
Before they had time to think it through, a dazzling golden radiance burst from the highest reaches of the distant void.
Golden steps unfolded one by one from the heavens above, spreading downward little by little. In the blink of an eye, they formed a vast golden stairway to the sky, its end swallowed by incomparably brilliant white light.
"Wow, is this the Stairway to Godhood from the announcement? It's so huge!"
The crowd began to stir. These candidates had not forgotten the announcement: as long as they reached the summit within twelve hours, they would qualify for the next round of the exam.
"Charge!"
The crowd rushed toward the first step.
Boom!
Rather than soaring into the clouds with every step as they had imagined, the moment their feet touched the first stair, an incomparably powerful force crushed down upon them, leaving them unable to move.
Sure enough, as the first stage meant for screening candidates, ordinary martial artists had virtually no chance of reaching the summit.
Jiang Yan had already observed the situation. There were probably fewer than ten thousand people in this area; the remaining candidates were likely taking the same test in another space.
It had to be said that the Space Martial Saint's power was truly unfathomable, as mysterious as gods and ghosts.
Jiang Yan stepped forward.
Boom!
A gravity of a thousand jun bore down on him. Jiang Yan merely frowned slightly before taking a second step.
It was a little heavier, but to Jiang Yan, it was no more than a touch of wind and frost. He had figured out the pattern of the Stairway to Godhood.
The farther one went, the greater the pressure became. The pressure at the summit was likely even more terrifying.
But the exam lasted a full twelve hours. As long as one's physical fitness was not too poor, reaching the summit would only take some effort for candidates with decent talent.
System Log updated "You are currently under pressure. Your physique has improved slightly."
Jiang Yan activated Nine Consecutive Steps, his figure rapidly ascending as he left the students struggling below far behind in an instant.
The students below stared wide-eyed at the figure above them, their faces filled with shock.
"Wait, doesn't this guy feel any pressure at all?"
"No way, why does it feel difficult for me to move even one step while he's practically leaping upward?"
"I want to report this! Did this guy fucking turn on cheats? Why can he move so fast?"
The moment someone accused Jiang Yan of cheating, the people of Linjiang City could no longer sit still.
: You useless trash. Just because you're incompetent, you think everyone else is as useless as you.
: Hahaha, if you can't cut it, don't blame the road for being uneven. If you're bad, train more.
: So fast! So fast! Jiang Yan has turned straight into the wind!
Linjiang City TV had sent a lucky bag worth 100,000 Star Coins.
Enter "Jiang Yan is awesome" for a chance to participate in the lucky bag draw.
: Jiang Yan is awesome!
: Jiang Yan is awesome!
: Jiang Yan is awesome! ×
: Jiang Yan is my dad!
: ?
: ?
On the Stairway to Godhood, Jiang Yan had already climbed twenty steps.
He frowned slightly and muttered, "At this speed, I'm afraid I won't be able to take first place."
Thus, Jiang Yan made a decision that betrayed his ancestors!
Nine Consecutive Steps and Wind Rider were activated simultaneously.
The Battle Saint Armor was fully unleashed, while Demon's Scale concentrated his physical attributes into the power of his legs.
Jiang Yan gripped his long blade. The Blade Bearer's 30% attribute boost activated!
Known: Nine Consecutive Steps + Wind Rider = flight.
Solution:
Nine Consecutive Steps + Wind Rider + Battle Saint Armor + Demon's Scale - "Stairway to Godhood" =
Boom!
Jiang Yan fucking took off while he was running!
Amid the golden, sacred radiance, one man became a sharp sword and chased after the sun.
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