The hundreds of people in the field were all staring at the nine eagle statues. The ranks on each of them were the same. When they looked at them, the sounds of discussion rose into the air.
Sometimes, they would cry out in surprise when someone's rank suddenly jumped up, and sometimes, they would feel pity for someone who was clearly in the top ranks but had fallen down.
It could be said that the competition in the mountain was secondary to the grand ceremony. The main focus of attention was on the field. Most of the hundreds of people in the field might not be from Wind Stream Tribe, but there were quite a number of them who were from other tribes. It could be said that almost all the tribes in the area were here.
They would announce the rankings of the three stages once they returned to their tribes so that everyone would know about it.
This was the norm. It had been the same every year.
As time slowly passed, Ye Wang, who was in first place, showed that he had reached the 345th step and was gradually slowing down.
Chen Chong, who was behind him, followed closely behind. It appeared that he had reached the one hundred and eighty-ninth step. As for Wu Sen, who many people had high hopes for, for some unknown reason, he was ranked ninth, only one hundred and twenty-seventh step.
Instead, it was the person called Bi Su who caught the attention of the people in the field. He was in third place and had taken the 188th step!
"Just who is this Bi Su? How can he be so powerful?! Could it be that he'll be able to make it out of the first stage of the test?! "
"This is going to be interesting. It's been a long time since someone from an outsider tribe made it into the top 10. In fact, this hasn't happened many times in the top 30."
As the crowd discussed among themselves, the tribe leader of Black Mountain Tribe stared at the ranks on one of the eagle statues nearby. A prideful smile appeared on his lips as he swept his gaze across Dark Mountain Tribe.
Shan Hen sat cross-legged at the spot where Dark Mountain Tribe was. He closed his eyes and did not look at the ranks, as if he was not interested in it. As for the Head of the Guards, he was frowning as if he was anxious.
He looked at the ranks on the eagle statue beside him and saw Bei Ling, who was in the 57th place, Lei Chen, who was in the 73rd place, and Wu La, who was in the 91st place.
The old woman from Dark Dragon Tribe and the people from the other tribes were also watching intently. Most of them did not seem to be affected by the changes in their expressions. As the leaders of their tribes, they could basically hide their emotions. Unless there was a major change, they would rarely show any obvious emotions. As for the Head of the Guards from Dark Mountain Tribe, if it were not for Bei Ling, he would not have shown that hint of anxiety.
Compared to the hundreds of people in the field who were discussing and watching of the people, the people who were participating in the first stage of the test of the 100 something stairs in the mountain felt as if they were the only people in the mountain.
Not only did the thick fog cover their vision, even those outside could not see what was going on inside. Even the Elder of Wind Stream Tribe, Jing Nan, could not see through the fog formed by the seal. He could not see what was going on inside clearly.
However, this place was not dangerous. After all, this test had been held too many times in the past.
Bai Ling bit her lower lip as sweat appeared on her forehead. She walked up step by step. She couldn't see the end of the stairs in front of her, as if there was no end to it. It made people unconsciously feel a sense of loss as they walked up. In addition, the pressure grew stronger as they walked up, giving people a great sense of rejection. It was as if there were countless voices whispering in their ears, telling them to give up.
Not too far away from Bai Ling, Lei Chen continued to roar. He even tore off most of his beast skin clothes, revealing his muscular upper body. Beads of sweat flowed down his body, causing his exhausted expression to turn ferocious. He walked up step by step, and madness and stubbornness could be seen in his eyes.
Further away, Bei Ling's face was pale. He had given a lot of blood from the center of his brows to Wu Sen over the past few days. His body was already weak. According to the promise, he would receive a sliver of Berserker Blood from Wu Sen in the third stage. Yet he was anxious. He did not know if the promise would still be fulfilled.
Bei Ling gritted his teeth. He did not want to lose completely. Instead, he walked up the stairs with his pride as a member of Dark Mountain Tribe.
Compared to their difficulty, the most brilliant prodigy of Wind Stream Tribe, Ye Wang, who was dressed in red, was much more at ease. He placed his hands behind his back and walked up the stairs at a moderate pace. This was not the first time he had walked up the stairs. This was his third time!
He could clearly remember that the second time he walked up the stairs, he had walked up to the 800th step. This time, his goal was the 900th step!
'The elder said that this mountain may seem tall, but there are only 999 steps. There is some sort of strange power contained in the construction of this mountain that seems to be able to change the world.
'The number of steps I can walk up will also indirectly reflect the number of blood veins I will eventually be able to train.'
"I'll have to eat less next time. Ah, I have to eat less …" Chen Chong was panting harshly on a small path behind Ye Wang. As he mumbled to himself, he walked up the stairs. He was slightly plump, and as he walked, his flesh seemed to be trembling. However, there was a fierce glint in his eyes. He looked at the plate in his hand, and as he stared at it, he could see all the rankings on it. He knew that there was a person called Bi Su behind him!
Further away was the young man from Black Mountain Tribe who was dressed in black beast skin and pretending to be mysterious. His expression was calm, as if he did not need to be too serious about the stairs.
"This is the first time I've come here. It would have been fine if I didn't come, but since I'm here, then it doesn't matter if it's Wu Sen, Chen Chong, or even Ye Wang, they will all have to step back!
"This time, I'll let everyone know that I, Bi Su, am the strongest prodigy among the Berserkers in this area!" There was a hint of fanaticism in the eyes of the young man with half of his face covered.
Compared to these people, Su Ming had already been left far behind. His footsteps were slow, and he had only reached the 32nd step.
When he reached the 32nd step, not only did Su Ming not continue moving forward, he lowered his head and fell into deep thought. He looked at the steps under his feet, and his eyes gradually lit up.
'The elder mentioned six numbers before … and the first number was 32 … Could it be that he's talking about the 32nd step?!' As Su Ming fell into deep thought, he slowly lifted his foot and walked towards the 33rd step. Once he landed, he did not feel anything strange. It was as if the pressure was the same as when he stood on the 32nd step.
'There's nothing strange about it … It's the same …' Su Ming frowned and walked up to the 34th step. Yet the moment his right foot landed, his body suddenly trembled.
'The same … The same … No!' He closed his eyes and placed his right foot on the 34th step. He carefully sensed the faint trace of pressure that was added to his body.
Then, he opened his eyes and quickly took a few steps back to the 31st step. He lifted his foot and stepped on the 32nd, then the 33rd. At that moment, Su Ming's eyes lit up and he took a deep breath.
'I see. The pressure will increase between the 31st and 33rd steps, but only the 32nd step is strange. When I stand there, it doesn't matter if I move back or move forward, I'll still feel the same pressure. It's as if … the 32nd step doesn't exist. Even if the 32nd step doesn't exist, everything will still be the same.'
After a moment of thought, Su Ming decided not to move forward. Instead, he sat down cross-legged at the 32nd spot and felt the pressure pressing down on him. It made him uncomfortable, and at the same time, 40 something blood veins appeared on his body.
The moment the blood veins appeared, Su Ming could feel that the pressure was reduced by a lot. If he did not pay close attention to it, it would be difficult for him to sense it.
'On most of the steps on this mountain, I can feel two different kinds of pressure. One comes from above, and the other comes from behind … Only these thirty-two places can balance the pressure from above and below … The six numbers that Elder told me must mean that there are six such places on this mountain!'
'Perhaps this is what the elder discovered when he participated in the test for Wind Stream Tribe. It's his secret …' Su Ming slowly closed his eyes and circulated the blood veins in his body as he sat down. After a while, Su Ming opened his eyes and frowned.
He did not feel any benefits. Even if he circulated his Qi, it was the same as usual. It was as if nothing had changed.
Su Ming still could not think of a reason as he thought about it. Yet he knew that the elder would not have told him this for no reason. There must be a secret he had yet to discover.
But … Su Ming scratched his head. Ever since he was young, the elder liked to talk to him like this. He would let him think about it. If he understood it, then he understood it. If he really did not understand it, then the elder would rarely tell him the answer.
After thinking for a while, Su Ming sighed and looked at the 49 blood veins that appeared on his body. The presence of these blood veins allowed him to ignore the pressure in the place he was at.
'Why is the elder … Can't he just tell me … Ah, just what kind of secret is hidden in this place …' Su Ming did not want to give up. He continued sitting there and thought hard.
'Pressure … The pressure from above and below … I could feel the presence of this pressure, but when I sit here, the blood in my body will flow faster under the pressure and my blood veins will naturally appear to fight against it … This is …' Su Ming suddenly had a thought. It was as if he had an epiphany, but he had a vague feeling that he could not control it.
He widened his eyes and took a deep breath. He lowered his head and looked at the 49 blood veins on his body.
'Could it be that the elder's secret is to tell me how to control the blood veins on my body and make them disappear one by one, just like how they appeared … And because there's such a balanced pressure here, it's like the power of the world outside, making it possible for me to do something that should have been impossible …' Su Ming's body trembled.
'The reason I'm doing this is so that I can control my blood veins more flexibly than anyone else. When I throw a punch, I can control the number of blood veins. I can make sure that each punch contains enough power and not waste too much …' Su Ming licked his lips instinctively and closed his eyes. He quietly tried to control the blood veins in his body so that they would not dissipate completely, but only one, as if they were flowing in reverse.
It was very difficult!
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