Yet it was a pity, because Wu La and Bai Ling’s perseverance only lasted until it was after dusk. Once the moon started revealing itself in the sky, both names became gray.
Two wisps of black mist appeared and sped towards the field as the space in the distance twisted. Both wisps turned into two girls who were pale.
Bai Ling was calm. She had already given it her all. Truth be told, the moment she did not find Su Ming taking part in the test, she lost all interest in competing. The moment she came back, Bai Ling lowered her head and walked towards her tribe under the scrutiny of hundreds of people. She did not say a word and sat behind the old woman as she looked at the ranks on the statue. She stared at Mo Su’s name and bit her lip, her thoughts unknown.
The old woman beside her lowered her head as if she was talking to Bai Ling, but Bai Ling seemed to be ignoring her and pretending not to hear her. She did not speak.
Compared to Bai Ling’s untroubled manner, Wu La was incredibly discontent. She went to where Dark Mountain Tribe was located and the Head of the Guards welcomed her with a kind smile and comforting words.
"Wu La, you did well. This is the first time you participated in the first stage of the test, and yet you managed to get into the top 70. Go back and train more. Next time, try making it into the top 50."
Wu La nodded her head slightly. She may not be satisfied with her results, but there was a pride within her that made her think that she achieved a pretty good result. It was just as the Head of the Guards said. If she could obtain this kind of result the first time she took the test, it was good enough.
When Wu La lifted her head and looked at the ranks displayed on the eagle statue, she saw Bei Ling ranked 49th, Lei Chen ranked 53rd, and she looked at Mo Su. Once she saw Mo Su’s name, her eyes brightened up.
‘Who could he be..?’
Sometimes, time would pass by slowly, yet during the fierce match in the first stage of the test, everyone thought that time was passing by quickly. In the blink of an eye, the moon in the sky was no longer partly hidden in a crescent shape, but was turning brighter, revealing its whole form as it hung high in the sky.
There was only a bit of time left before midnight. The pressure in the mountain gradually grew stronger.
Lei Chen conceded. His final rank was 52. As he was transported back to the field by the mist, his face was not gloomy. There was still a boyish smile on his face. Once he came back, there were a few people who came up to him to greet him. It was clear that ever since the representatives from Dark Mountain Tribe came to Wind Stream Tribe, Lei Chen made quite a number of friends.
Once he returned to where Dark Mountain Tribe was located, Bei Ling and Si Kong also gave up. As they returned with the black mist, Bei Ling came back with his usual aloof demeanor. He was still placed 49th. He had managed to get his wish and made it into the top 50 ranks.
It was different this time compared to the previous test. A few years ago, he had only made it with Wu Sen’s help. This time, he made it on his own.
Bei Ling believed that if he had not given Wu Sen the large amount of Blood from the center of his brows a few days prior to the test, then perhaps his rank would be even higher. He walked towards where Dark Mountain Tribe was located pridefully.
"Wu La, you were pretty good. You might not have been able to make it into the top 50, but this rank is already very good. However, don’t be arrogant. There are still two stages left," Bei Ling looked at Wu La and spoke slowly.
Wu La quickly stood up and nodded her head lightly. There was respect in her eyes as she looked at Bei Ling. Now that she participated in the test, she knew just how hard it was to make it into the top 50.
"As for you… Lei Chen, you should have been able to make it into the top 50 ranks, but now you’re only ranked at 52nd place. It’s fine, there’re still two stages left. You have to work harder. There are only three of us representing Dark Mountain Tribe. We have to give it our all!" Bei Ling looked at Lei Chen and spoke calmly.
Lei Chen lowered his head and did not speak.
When Si Kong returned, he was dejected. He was still ranked 50th. He walked back towards his tribe disheartened and looked at Bai Ling, who was quietly sitting by the side. He was just about to speak to her when Bai Ling looked at him coldly. He immediately swallowed his words.
As time passed by, those within the top 50 gradually gave up. As the names began to turn gray and more people returned to the field, the place started becoming lively.
Those who were ranked in the top 50 came back with pleased faces. There were also quite a number of people who would go up to them to celebrate and they laughed together joyfully.
There were people who gave up, but there were also people who persevered. At that moment, Chen Chong gritted his teeth and persevered in a bout of madness. His entire body was drenched in sweat, and the flesh on his face was trembling as he continued climbing up the mountain.
He was already panting harshly. There were numerous stars swirling before his eyes, making him so tired he could barely go on. Yet at the same time, he continued mumbling under his breath.
"You bastard, damn it, I’m so tired!"
"537… You damn Bi Su… 538… You damn Bi Su… 539… You damn Bi Su, you’re on, I’ll definitely fight against you until I die!" Chen Chong wiped his sweat. There was madness in his eyes as his mutterings became louder.
"Are you a mad man? Why the hell do you insist on competing with me? You bastard, Bi Su, if I die of fatigue, I’ll come back and haunt you! 538… Huh? That’s not right, it’s 539."
Chen Chong’s face was bitter and in his madness, he panted like thunder roaring. He even went down on all fours and took onto the increasing pressure as he continued climbing forwards. His heart was pounding against his chest as if it was about to explode. The amount of sweat that fell from him could even be seen staining the stairs behind him.
"You’re going to make me die from exhaustion. You bastard, you’re thinking about making me die from exhaustion! With this amount of sweat, I’ve definitely become thinner. I’m definitely thinner…" Chen Chong kept on panting as he continued climbing upwards. Suddenly, his ears moved. Once he listened carefully, he immediately laughed loudly.
"I’ll make you die from exhaustion. How dare you compete with me? I’ll make you die by exhaustion, you damn Bi Su!" His exceptional hearing allowed him to hear the sounds of panting that was not at all weaker than his coming from a stairway further away from him.
Bi Su was also in a pathetic state similar to Chen Chong. His sweat kept dripping down, and his eyes were so bright it was as if there was a fire burning within them. He had been competing against Chen Chong for a long time, and he was just climbing upwards madly while gritting his teeth. He was already so tired he could feel a stab of pain in his chest when he panted, but he refused to give up.
"Chen Chong, I’ll definitely surpass you! I am the strongest among our peers besides Ye Wang!"
Yet, the higher they were, especially in the 500s, the amount of pressure, notably the exponential increase of pressure during the night, became incredibly terrifying. It was still slightly bearable during the day for Chen Chong and Bi Su, but now that it was almost midnight, it could be said that even lifting their feet alone was a difficult task.
Besides these two, the rest of those who persevered were the same. It was especially so for Wu Sen. He continued walking upwards with gritted teeth. He did not want to be overtaken. Even if he could not make it into the top 10, at the very least, he had to maintain his current rank.
Midnight was about to arrive, and the pressure in the mountain was about to rise to its peak. Some of the people who were still within the mountain had begun to stop. After all, according to the tradition of the first stage of the test, the final battle was tomorrow morning!
The moment midnight arrived, Chen Chong’s entire body trembled. He could clearly feel the pressure of the mountain reaching to a point where he was terrified by it.
"547… 5… Damn it, I quit! Bi Su, if you want to be number 2, I’ll give it to you! If I continue, I’ll definitely die from exhaustion here! All my body mass is gone…" Chen Chong fell down exhausted by the side and roared towards his surroundings.
"I’ll take number 3. It’s fine, as long as I don’t fall out of the top 3, I won’t embarrass myself! Wu Sen is still at the back anyway. Bi Su, continue if you can. Take a few more steps, better yet, just drop dead!
"Damn it, if only I had Mo Su’s ability and had a breakthrough, then I’d definitely… Huh…? Ah!" Chen Chong panted harshly and fanned himself with his hand as he continued mumbling under his breath. Suddenly, his body trembled and his ears perked up. His face was gradually replaced by shock.
Bi Su was looking at the ranks on the plate. Once he saw that the figures showing the number of steps Chen Chong took became still, he laughed towards the sky. There was a ruthless expression on his face.
"I am the strongest besides Ye Wang!" He gritted his teeth and climbed a few more steps, panting harshly. When he arrived at the 553rd step, he stopped. Yet, the moment he looked at the plate once more, the pleased expression on his face immediately froze. He saw Mo Su, who fell to the 21st place, move once again!
Wu Sen and the others within the top 20 also noticed the change. Besides Ye Wang, everyone saw Mo Su moving in succession!
At the same time, the field outside was also enveloped in such an uproar that it seemed like it was a typhoon that was about to turn the world upside down!
All the people on the field, including the old woman from Dark Dragon Tribe, the leaders of the other tribes, and even the tribe leader from Black Mountain Tribe, who had refused to look at the ranks in the beginning, all turned towards the eagle statues immediately.
Numerous pairs of eyes - Lei Chen, Wu La, Bai Ling, Si Kong, Bei Ling, and the rest of those ranked after 20, who had given up - looked towards the same name on the 9 eagle statues with stilled breath.
Mo Sang’s eyes were bright as he stared at the ranks on the eagle statue. The brightness in his eyes was so strong that Jing Nan, who was beside him, no longer looked calm. His pupils shrank in anxiety as he looked over.
Su Ming moved!
Midnight belonged to him. Su Ming stood up, bathed by the moonlight. His blood veins had already been reduced until there were only 15 left on his body under fine control. All of them sank back into his body.
As he lifted his head and looked at the moon in the sky, the shadow of the red moon gradually appeared in Su Ming’s eyes. His hair was tied up by a string made of grass and was moving in the air despite the absence of wind. Su Ming took in a deep breath and untied his hair with his right hand, causing his hair to tumble down. He lifted his right foot abruptly and landed on the 372th step.
The moment he landed on the stairs, all the blood veins in Su Ming’s body manifested themselves with an explosive force. It was also the first time he would show his current fastest speed in this place!
A blood red light spread towards his surroundings, and Su Ming ran forwards like a shadow of blood!
327 steps, 393 steps, 424 steps, 448 steps, 471 steps…
His speed was like a typhoon sweeping by the night. It made all the people who were watching in the mountain and in the field fall into silence…
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