Before they knew it, the sun was already high overhead.
The scorching sun shone on the Ten-Thousand-Step Stairway, making it glitter.
"Qing Yun, Wang Yong, go on ahead. Don't waste your time here."
Ming Hao stood on the eight-thousand-five-hundredth step, panting slightly as he spoke.
"Young master, but we..." Qing Yun and Wang Yong exchanged a glance, troubled expressions on their faces, as though they still wanted to say something.
"No more discussion. Just follow my orders." Ming Hao's tone was firm, leaving no room for negotiation.
Naturally, he had taken in every detail of Qing Yun and Wang Yong's performance. They were still handling these steps with relative ease, clearly with plenty of strength to spare.
Up ahead, only a handful of people remained, and even the furthest had only reached around the nine-thousand-three-hundredth step.
With the strength Qing Yun and the others possessed, they were fully capable of competing for better rankings.
Ming Hao himself actually had plenty of strength left as well. He could easily have caught up with the group at the very front.
However, he did not want to do that. After all, it would attract far too much attention. Although a higher ranking meant a more generous infusion of spiritual energy,
none of that was indispensable to him. After all, he had never lacked resources for cultivation.
"Young master, we'll go on ahead, then." Seeing that Ming Hao had made up his mind, Qing Yun and the others could only agree helplessly.
They all understood perfectly well that their young master was doing this entirely for their sake. The more outstanding their performance and the better their results,
the more importance the sect would attach to them. When the time came, countless elders would scramble to take them as disciples and give them the best resources,
allowing them to grow stronger more quickly and provide their young master with greater support!
"Go!" At his command, Qing Yun and the others surged forward like wild horses freed from their reins, gradually picking up speed.
Without pausing, they moved faster and faster, overtaking several groups in the blink of an eye. The spectacular sight drew cries of amazement from countless spectators both inside and outside the grounds.
Among the elders above, everyone watched the many Heavenly Prodigies below chasing one another and discussed the scene.
"It seems quite a few formidable dark horses will emerge this time," one elder remarked.
"Look at the leading group. Apart from twenty-odd renowned Heavenly Prodigies from powerful backgrounds, there are another eight or nine whose names we've never even heard,
yet they can hold their own against those Heavenly Prodigies. They're truly extraordinary!" an elder with a goatee exclaimed, his face full of wonder.
Another elderly woman pointed at the second group and said in her hoarse voice,
"This year's disciples are much stronger than those of previous years. Look at the second group-there are actually two or three hundred of them, more than twice as many as in past years!"
"Look! Those twelve disciples are picking up speed! They're charging ahead and have already overtaken quite a few Heavenly Prodigies!" a middle-aged man suddenly cried out.
"They're finally exerting themselves? Earlier, they kept following that boy at an unhurried pace."
An elder covered in bulging muscles spoke in a low voice.
At his words, everyone fell silent.
Only after a while did a youthful-looking powerhouse speak in an authoritative voice.
"Have you uncovered that boy's background? Why are even his personal attendants so gifted, while his own talent appears rather unremarkable?!"
The elders' expressions tightened, and none dared speak carelessly. Clearly, the youthful-looking man held an extremely high position.
After a while, when no one answered, a middle-aged man carrying a wine flask took a sip and replied in a half-drunken haze.
"According to the reports several elders brought back after investigating these past few days, the boy and his twelve attendants all come from a secluded Lineage that apparently has never ventured out into the world.
They seem to have secluded themselves in the Ten-Thousand-Mile Snow Mountains on the Northern Continent. Those twelve attendants treat the boy with tremendous respect, so we suspect he holds a very high position, perhaps as their Young Clan Leader or something similar!"
With that, he took another sip of wine.
Everyone was speechless. He might as well have said nothing.
The youthful-looking man fell silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled.
"It doesn't matter, as long as he does nothing to harm the Misty Sect. Secluded Lineages are a dime a dozen.
Most are merely hiding from enemies hunting them down, and their strength amounts to little. If they truly threaten our Misty Sect, we can wipe them out with a wave of the hand!"
"Exactly! Our Misty Sect fears no power!"
"Before absolute strength, every scheme and trick crumbles at a single blow!"
"If they truly pose a threat, there's no need to mobilize an army. I can take a few dozen elders and annihilate them!"
The elders immediately chimed in, one after another. When it came to strength, few powers could make them wary.
Below, on the Ten-Thousand-Step Stairway,
Long Chen of the Dragon Race led the pack.
After all, the Dragon Race was renowned throughout the world for its powerful bodies. If they claimed second place, no one dared claim first.
Long Chen turned his head slightly and saw that even the closest Heavenly Prodigy behind him was several dozen steps away, posing no threat whatsoever!
He snorted coldly. A bunch of ants!
Further down, seventy or eighty steps behind Long Chen, three young men and women climbed side by side.
Luo Shuihan watched Jun Mo and Wang Teng, who possessed the makings of a Great Emperor, edging slightly ahead of her.
She bit her lip. Her pride would not allow her to fall too far behind anyone, and she increased her speed once more.
Another twenty-odd steps behind them, more than twenty Heavenly Prodigies were scattered across several steps, each competing fiercely, refusing to yield as they chased one another.
None would let the others pull too far ahead.
Several dozen steps further back,
Chen Dong looked at the distance separating him from the leading group, then at the seven or eight Heavenly Prodigies on the same step as him, a trace of disappointment on his face.
He had been the most outstanding disciple in his Lineage and the strongest Heavenly Prodigy in his region, virtually unrivaled among his peers.
Yet here, where Heavenly Prodigies from every corner had gathered, he could not even glimpse the taillights of the leading group. Even in the second group, several people far outshone him. For someone who had never suffered a setback, it was deeply disheartening.
Another twenty or thirty steps behind, nearly a hundred Heavenly Prodigies stared in shock at Qing Yun, Wang Yong, and the others rapidly catching up from below.
They had been more than two hundred steps behind just moments ago, yet in that brief span, they had already overtaken nearly six or seven hundred Heavenly Prodigies and were rapidly closing in, their faces showing little sign of strain.
The others felt challenged. Proud as they were, how could they stomach that?
One after another, they stopped holding back and dramatically increased their speed, climbing several dozen steps in the blink of an eye.
But when they looked back-good grief! It had made no difference at all. The twelve had already drawn level with them.
And it was not just one person, but twelve whole people. Their confidence was battered beyond recognition, and quite a few simply sat down cross-legged to rest.
Only a handful kept gritting their teeth and persevering, but it did not do a damn bit of good. Before long, they had been left behind.
Below, at the eight-thousand-five-hundredth step,
Ying Ming Hao now sat on a little folding stool before a table covered with huge pork hocks, Dongpo Pork, roast chicken, roast goose, and other dishes.
Ming Hao took a bite of pork hock and a great gulp of wine. The aroma drifted on the wind, making quite a few nearby climbers drool.
"Hey, hey! That last pork hock is mine!"
Ming Hao pinned down the pork hock with a fierce expression.
Across from him, a petite, exquisitely alluring woman brimming with charm smiled.
"Little brother, don't be so stingy. Eating one less piece won't cost you a piece of your own flesh. Look, your big sister is still growing. Why not let me have it?"
The woman spoke in a sweet, coquettish voice. As she talked, the two great peaks on her chest quivered, making anyone watching swallow hard!
She was none other than Su Mei of the Nine-Tails Clan, who had placed first in the illusion trial. The Fox Tribe naturally excelled at illusion techniques, so the illusory realm had been almost absurdly easy for her.
This gravity trial, however, was not her specialty. On the contrary, it was her weak point.
Ming Hao showed not the slightest inclination to cherish the fairer sex and declared with ironclad finality,
"No! If you grow any more, your clothes won't hold up. Big Sister Xue'er is the one who needs to grow!"
With that, Ming Hao handed the pork hock to Lin Xue beside him.
Somewhat embarrassed, Lin Xue looked at her older brother, Lin Qi.
"On my sister's behalf, thank you for your gift, young master."
Lin Qi thanked him very politely.
"Eat."
Lin Qi and Lin Xue were brother and sister. They had depended on each other since childhood, and coming to take the Misty Sect's disciple entrance examination was their chance to defy heaven and change their fate.
Yet even a hero could be brought low by a single missing coin. Already penniless, they had no way to fill their stomachs in a place where prices were outrageously high.
They had been gnawing on tree bark and wild grass for more than half a month, and hunger had long since pressed their bellies flat against their backs.
While Ying Ming Hao and Su Mei were feasting earlier, the siblings had watched from nearby, drooling as their stomachs growled.
Ying Ming Hao had noticed that, despite their ragged clothes and hunger-yellowed faces, the siblings were neither servile nor overbearing and remained well-mannered.
In a good mood, he had casually invited them over to share the food.
At those words, Lin Xue began taking huge bites, completely disregarding appearances. She had been hungry for far, far too long!
Lin Qi watched Lin Xue wolf down her food, his face filled with self-reproach.
"Eat slowly. Don't choke. Here, have some water..."
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