Gravity Cliff!

At the foot of the mountain, the crowd was eager to try, but the path was only so wide, how could it accommodate tens of thousands of people!

Li Tan, Zhao Aotian, and Wang Longzhi exchanged glances and then went their separate ways.

Under the surging crowd, Li Tan found each step difficult.

Every minute and second felt like an ordeal; not only did he have to withstand external pressure, but he also had to worry about the pushing and shoving of the crowd.

The fragrant scent of rouge, mixed with the sour smell of sweat, was momentarily pungent, and screams and wails were incessant.

"Kid, don't step on me!"

"Miss, can you please stop pressing against my face! There's clearly plenty of space beside you!"

"Get lost, trash from a small place, if you dirty this young master's robe, I'll sacrifice your blood to the heavens!"

"Brother, your feet are really stinky!"

"Yeah, yeah, I feel like my nasal cavity is about to get infected!"

There were also a few unfortunate Souls who were pushed to the ground; the sheer size of the crowd made it impossible for them to stand up for a long time, and the occasional trampling made them wail in pain.

Cultivators possess strong Physical Bodies and a large number of Medicinal Pills for self-preservation, which is why there were no fatalities.

If a Prodigy were to be trampled to death by the crowd before joining a Sect, that would truly make the outside world laugh their heads off.

Suddenly, a powerful Aura broke the stalemate!

Looking around, it was a handsome man at the tenth level of Qi Condensation, dressed in an apricot-yellow python robe.

"It's him!"

This Aura made people instinctively want to kneel and prostrate themselves, like the absolute suppression of a superior over a subordinate.

"If my guess is correct, this person probably has some special Physique."

Li Tan already had an initial guess in his mind; after dealing with Zhao Aotian, he had privately consulted a lot of information.

As the man's Aura spread, the surging crowd inexplicably began to slowly walk down the steps, their bodies seemingly beyond their control.

If one observed closely, one would notice that all those who descended had cultivation levels no higher than the fifth level of Qi Condensation!

The python-robed man's action was like poking a hornet's nest!

Although many people secretly cast grateful glances at the python-robed man, they were ultimately a minority.

And those young men and women with lower cultivation levels all showed malicious expressions, yet dared not act out openly.

Their gnashing teeth showed their resolve! This grudge was set!

.......

As the crowd thinned out, the path became incredibly wide, and many seized this opportunity to quickly climb forward.

Li Tan naturally did not hesitate, ascending at an extremely fast pace!

When Li Tan stepped onto the twentieth step, a powerful pressure instantly descended upon him!

This pressure was not like carrying a heavy boulder, but rather a pervasive oppression from his entire being! Even his fragile Soul was not spared.

Instinctively, he tried to mobilize his spiritual energy, but frustratingly discovered that his spiritual energy was restricted!

The twentieth step seemed like a threshold, truly marking the beginning of the path.

As Li Tan advanced step by step, this irresistible pressure grew stronger, and he could clearly hear the creaking sound of his legs and feet as he moved.

"Fifty steps!"

"Sixty steps!"

"Eighty steps!"

The external pressure caused Li Tan's eyes to gradually become bloodshot, and the sweat on his back soaked his robe.

Looking around, Li Tan was currently barely in the first echelon, while those vying for the top spot had already reached the hundredth step!

The second echelon consisted of Li Shang, Li Yanfeng, and others.

In the third echelon, Li Yan's traces could be seen; he was currently gritting his teeth and climbing upwards, drenched in cold sweat from the pressure, which incessantly dripped onto the stone steps below him.

As for the fourth echelon, they were the Geniuses from smaller places; their eyes were bloodshot, their teeth clenched, and they climbed desperately!

They would rest for a long time after climbing each step, looking at the people ahead with uncontrollable envy, while simultaneously complaining about their own powerlessness.

An hour later....

Li Tan reached the one hundred and fiftieth step, his body slowly adapting to the immense gravity. Zhao Aotian and Wang Longzhi were both not far from him.

The competition ahead was fierce; everyone was following closely, determined not to retreat in order to secure a good ranking.

The current leader had already reached the two hundredth step; he was dressed in white and looked very dashing, though his face could not be seen due to the height.

All that could be glimpsed was his blurry back.

Below him were eight other figures, roughly six men and two women.

Undoubtedly, they were true Prodigies, even among the group of Geniuses, they were at the forefront!

With every step Li Tan took, his bones cried out in protest.

The lack of one arm made his body feel unsteady, his center of gravity unstable.

If there was one place that was most painful, it was undoubtedly his thighs!

His thighs not only had to bear the external pressure but also the weight of his own body and the force exerted to move forward.

The swollen sensation of blood-filled muscles had long disappeared; only pain and fatigue registered in his brain, and his numb thighs seemed ready to give out at any moment.

He lifted his heavy eyelids, still unable to see the summit of the mountain, and a buzzing sound filled his ears.

It seemed to be urging Li Tan to give up quickly.

"Persevere!"

"Persevere!"

"You must persevere, Li Tan!"

"Perseverance might be meaningless, but you have no leverage, no choice, only that fragile, unyielding backbone holding on by a thread."

......

Three hours later....

"Two hundred steps!"

Li Tan felt as if his strength had been completely burned out, like withered wood.

He propped up his body, avoiding a clumsy fall.

But the dizziness in his brain grew stronger, so he simply sat on the stone steps, watching others below him climb laboriously.

Of this group of around ten thousand youths, only a handful remained below the one hundredth step.

The majority were around one hundred and twenty to one hundred and thirty steps, and from one hundred and fifty steps onwards, the crowd decreased dramatically.

And the true Prodigies at the very front had already reached the two hundred and sixtieth step!

But they were human after all, and they also had Physical Bodies that would tire. They walked and rested, but no one ever stopped moving.

Zhao Aotian's current position was twenty steps ahead of Li Tan, and Wang Longzhi hadn't fallen behind much either, clinging on stubbornly.

Time passed, and everyone's initial fervor gradually dissipated; gone was their previous arrogant attitude.

Frowning, gritting teeth, feeling out of reach, and dejected expressions had become the standard on everyone's faces....

"Two hundred twenty-eight!"

"Two hundred twenty-nine!"

"Two hundred thirty!"

Just as Li Tan stepped onto the two hundred and thirtieth step, deafening drum sounds filled everyone's ears.

"Everyone, time's up!"

Feng Jiu, from the summit, swept her gaze over everyone, a faint sneer playing at the corner of her lips.

She lightly nodded at the Prodigies at the very front, a subtle form of praise.

"You truly are a bunch of trash, unable to even reach a mere two hundred steps!"

"You call yourselves Geniuses to outsiders, unaware that you are merely frogs at the bottom of a well."

Feng Jiu's words were like a gleaming dagger, piercing deeply into everyone's bones. A tremendous sense of humiliation enveloped every person below.

For the vast majority of people present, their life trajectories had been smooth and unimpeded, with no obstacles.

Geniuses are inherently arrogant; before seeing a larger stage, they always believe themselves to be unique.

How could they endure such provocation from Feng Jiu? They were unwilling, they were angry, but the facts were laid bare before their eyes, and they had to swallow their broken teeth.