Bai Yi's forehead veins bulged. Behind him, the Heart-Questioning and Azure Edge swords trembled as they left their sheaths, guarding him on either side.
The sword edges pierced through the Clearwind Dao Resonance's imposing force, stirring up fierce gusts that formed into bands and faintly coiled around him.
The sharpness of his Sword Qi emerged, and the pressure around Bai Yi eased considerably. Looking at the statues, still a hundred meters away, he simply laughed to himself.
"Now that really is no simple matter."
He had only taken a few steps, yet already had to use Sword Qi to relieve the pressure. Who knew what terrifying might he would face once he reached the foot of those fourteen statues?
Straightening his back, Bai Yi looked directly at the statues. His gaze did not change in the slightest as he firmly stepped forward.
Boom!
A mountain-crushing pressure crashed down like falling peaks. Bai Yi's expression turned grave. The Azure Edge Sword became a streak of blue light, while the Clearwind Dao Resonance whipped up a breeze that seemed like blades, constantly clashing with the pressure.
At the edges, faint ripples could be seen.
Bai Yi's Spiritual Power surged. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and though his body trembled under the immense weight, he struggled to keep his knees from bending.
One step, two steps... ten steps...
The moment he took his tenth step, the sea of clouds churned. The mists seemed to merge with the pressure, gathering ceaselessly until they resembled dark clouds bearing down on a city.
As the pressure surged, the Azure Edge Sword let out a piercing ring. Its blade trembled violently, and the Dao Resonance condensed by the Little Breeze Sword Art began to waver beneath the pressure, like a candle flame.
The sharpness of the Sword Qi weakened.
Bai Yi felt a heavy hammer slam into his spine and joints. His legs were just about to bend instinctively when the second sword, the Heart-Questioning Sword, struck out as well.
Dazzling Rainbow Light shot straight into the clouds. The blue and silver flying swords, like a pair of scissors, pierced through the gathering mist, scattering it.
Feeling the Spiritual Power in his body drain faster, Bai Yi took out a pill and put it in his mouth, dragging himself forward step by step toward the statues.
With the two flying swords opening the way, he pressed on until he reached the hundred-meter mark.
Gazing at the empty space before him, where even the air seemed to tremble faintly, Bai Yi only smiled. Without the slightest hesitation, he stepped inside.
Buzz!
The instant he crossed the threshold, an indescribable force crashed down. Bai Yi felt his mind shake and his vision gradually darken. Even his previously firm footing faltered.
As his body quivered, the Minor Five Elements Art began circulating on its own. The Five Elements Qi Vortex turned, stirring up his Spiritual Power, and Bai Yi's eyes quickly cleared.
The Dao Resonances of the Heart-Questioning and Azure Edge flying swords appeared again. With the two forces bolstering them, the sharpness of the Sword Qi became fully apparent. They circled around him, continuously keeping the pressure at bay and forming a protective barrier.
"That force just now seemed to strike straight at my Divine Soul. If the Minor Five Elements Art hadn't reached the Perfected Realm, I might have already fallen from that blow."
Feeling the Five Elements Qi Vortex turning in his Dantian, Bai Yi realized that he was drenched in cold sweat.
Unlike the earlier pressure, which had merely been heavy, that last force had acted directly on his Divine Soul. Without special means or a fundamental method to strengthen himself, no matter how powerful his offensive techniques were, he would likely still be unable to withstand it head-on.
Outside the Immortal Ascension Stairway,
Seeing Bai Yi withstand the Divine Soul pressure within the hundred-meter boundary, the White-Haired Youth looked delighted, yet sighed with regret.
He had to admit, this Sword Cultivator kid from a Dao Studies school in a Third-Level City had brought him more and more surprises.
"Among those from Third-Level Cities in past years, only a handful across the entire Immortal Alliance have managed to cultivate the Minor Five Elements Art to perfection before the Academy selection."
Third-Level Cities in the Immortal Alliance were as numerous as the stars. Even among the elite Dao Students undergoing this assessment, there were tens of millions, and only a handful could reach the level of the Sword Cultivator kid before him.
What was more, the Sword Art protecting the Dao that this Sword Cultivator kid had cultivated was also exceptionally impressive.
Thinking of this, the White-Haired Youth could not help sighing again. Because of his background, this Sword Cultivator kid might have no chance of entering the Four Academies, but he already had a good chance of trying for a place among the Ten Palaces.
"If his cultivation were just a little higher, this True Lord Canon Test might really produce some results."
The White-Haired Youth glanced once more at Bai Yi, who was struggling forward, then closed his eyes.
In his view, Bai Yi might manage to get within thirty meters of the True Lord statues, but he would never get past that final stretch with his current cultivation and understanding.
Unlike the White-Haired Youth, a Golden Core True Person, the many principals of city Dao Studies schools watching from midair could no longer make sense of what was happening.
Inside the Heavenly Pool, Bai Yi's face was slightly pale, and the two flying swords trembled as they resisted the pressure.
He kept putting pills into his mouth, doing his best to replenish his depleted Spiritual Power.
"I can't go on like this. Maintaining two flying swords and merging multiple Dao Resonances for so long consumes too much Spiritual Power."
Bai Yi's chest heaved as he looked up at the statues, still sixty meters away. A look of resolve appeared in his eyes.
His hands formed a Sword Seal. Azure Cloud Dao Resonance sprang forth and merged into the Heart-Questioning and Azure Edge flying swords.
Mists piled up, while Rainbow Light and Clearwind responded to each other. The moment the Sword Light transformed into a rainbow, the pressure that had kept the two flying swords trembling was torn open as easily as tofu.
Controlling his swords to cut through the pressure, Bai Yi gritted his teeth and let out a low groan. His body shot forward like an arrow released from its string, and he strode rapidly toward the statues.
Fifty meters... forty meters...
Thirty meters...
At a distance of thirty meters, sword rings surged in an instant, and one strike broke through.
Under the constantly building, terrifying pressure, Bai Yi's running movements gradually stiffened until he could only inch forward. His face was as pale as paper.
"Is this my limit..."
Feeling the Spiritual Power in his body barely holding out thanks to the pills, Bai Yi staggered slightly. He looked up at the statues within reach, a trace of unwillingness passing over his face.
With three Dao Resonances merged, the twin swords under his command, and the Sword Light transformed into a rainbow, he had already revealed every card he held to reach this point.
Even if he replaced the Little Breeze Sword Art's Dao Resonance with the Middle Vehicle Snowfall Sword Art he had comprehended during the assessment, it would only let him take one more step forward.
"A Sword Cultivator must seek straightness through curves, but also press forward without hesitation!"
"Since merging three Dao Resonances still isn't enough, then I'll add another!"
Bai Yi let out a low roar. A weighty, perfectly rounded Dao Resonance gradually appeared, winding around the blades of both flying swords.
Buzz, buzz!
The twin swords trembled. The three smoothly merged Dao Resonances grew chaotic under the interference of this new one. As their Sword Light wavered, Bai Yi felt a force like the collapse of the heavens slam into his body.
His muscles tore, and his bones groaned.
Under the unparalleled pressure, the Dao Resonance displayed by the Iron-Slashing Sword Art was like a piece of raw iron being repeatedly hammered and forged.
Bit by bit, the faintly merged Dao Resonance patterns grew denser, progressing from Minor Accomplishment to Great Accomplishment, and finally to Perfected Dao Resonance.
When all four Dao Resonances had merged into a single sword, Bai Yi roared. Blood seeped from every pore, his blood vessels burst, and he controlled his sword to slash at the empty space before him.
The sword rang out in a long, piercing cry. The two flying swords, wreathed in shimmering Dao Resonances, roared like bloodstained flood dragons, cleaving apart everything in their path.
The sword edge struck the empty space, as though it had crashed into an invisible shield, and ripples burst out in waves.
Beneath the rainbow light of the Sword Dao, the Heart-Questioning Sword trembled at high speed. The embedded Four-Formation Dual-Core Device operated at full power, continuously reducing the pressure on the blade.
As for the Azure Edge Sword, despite being protected by the Sword Light, its blade still cracked in lines under the collision with that terrifying force.
Feeling that the Azure Edge Sword could no longer hold together, Bai Yi's mouth spilled a trace of blood. He squeezed his Dantian dry and burst forth with power once more, his face contorted as he let out a low roar.
"Cut!"
Before you continue