Chapter Seven: Breaking the Defense

Page (1/3)

A rough voice echoed continuously throughout Yingtian City. By the time Yun Yi arrived at Yingtian Square with Lei Ling’er, the square was already packed with a sea of people.

Looking at the endless crowd, Yun Yi couldn’t help but marvel, “Yingtian Square is really huge! It’s probably the size of ten football fields!”

Waiting was a long process. It wasn’t until noon, just as Lei Ling’er was getting anxious and restless, that a familiar voice rang out.

“Hello everyone! I am Wei Qing, the person in charge of this enrollment. You may call me Elder Wei.”

Above the sky, a middle-aged man slowly rose and stood upon the void as his voice spread. His face was stern as he looked down at the crowd.

“Whoa! That’s an alchemist-level expert!”

“Flying through the void! So cool!”

Seeing him walk on air, the scene instantly erupted with admiration and envy.

“Brother Yi, do you think I’ll have the chance to fly like him someday?”

Lei Ling’er looked up at the sky with hopeful eyes and asked Yun Yi.

“Uh! Definitely!”

Yun Yi gave a confident answer, making Lei Ling’er happy for a long while.

Wei Qing looked at the chattering crowd filling Yingtian Square, then used his spiritual energy to amplify his voice as he continued, “I know many of you are geniuses from noble families, aristocrats, or prominent clans. But once you enter Yingtian Academy, you have only one identity—that of a student of Yingtian Academy!”

“This enrollment examination is limited to those under twenty years old and with a cultivation level not exceeding the fifth stage of Qi Refinement! Anyone not meeting these conditions must leave immediately!”

These words stirred waves among the crowd. The previously quiet scene became noisy again. Some people, hoping to get lucky, lowered their heads and remained silent, attempting to cheat their way through.

But Wei Qing had a method. After finishing his words, a sharp force suddenly radiated from his body. This power swept through the crowd, making everyone instantly feel as if their true nature had been seen through.

After this power scan, people began to be expelled from the crowd, falling outside Yingtian Square. Unsurprisingly, these were all those trying to cheat.

Watching those being cast out, Yun Yi breathed a sigh of relief. The oppressive pressure passing over him was truly uncomfortable.

In an instant, the huge square went from crowded to sparse. Yun Yi’s gaze swept across and estimated that around two thousand remained.

Looking at those still left in Yingtian Square, Wei Qing stroked his beard in satisfaction and said, “This exam consists of three stages: a test of perseverance, a test of temperament, and a test of talent. For the first stage, you must climb the Heavenly Ladder within one day. I now declare the examination begun!”

As soon as Wei Qing finished speaking, a vast ladder appeared before the crowd, wide and extending straight into the sky. Before Yun Yi could react, people had already started climbing, afraid of falling behind.

“Brother Yi! Let’s hurry and go up too!”

Page (2/3)

Seeing everyone climbing upward, Lei Ling’er grew anxious, tugging at Yun Yi’s sleeve and shouting.

“Haha! Ling’er, don’t worry, let’s go!”

Yun Yi said, pulling Lei Ling’er up to start climbing.

...

One hour later, beneath the Heavenly Ladder:

“Old Wei, how high do you think they’ll reach this time?”

A middle-aged man, one hand patting Wei Qing, the other holding a wine jug, asked.

“Hmm... probably around 4,000 levels. That guy from the Mo family is here too, and his cultivation talent isn’t bad!”

“Mo family? The thousand families of the southern kingdom? That guy is indeed capable, but I think the spoiled young master of the Mou family is also impressive, just a bit lacking in temperament.”

The two men spoke as they looked toward the sky, where the highest climber had already reached the 999th level.

At level 999 stood a boy with dark green hair carrying a bow and arrows on his back. Turning to look down at the crowd below and at Mou Qian, who lingered at the 900th level, a smug smile curved his lips as he boasted, “They’re all trash, none of them as good as me!”

“Damn it! Green-haired turtle, just you wait!” Mou Qian, stepping onto the 910th level, was furious. Cultivators naturally had keen hearing, so he had definitely heard Qian Mo’s mockery.

At this moment, Yun Yi was calmly climbing alongside Lei Ling’er, currently at about the 700th level.

Seeing Yun Yi breathing steadily without strain, Lei Ling’er was puzzled but didn’t want to hold him back. Waving her hand, she said, “Brother Yi... you don’t have to wait for me. It’s wasting your time. You go ahead; I’ll climb slowly!”

“Really?”

Yun Yi replied, seeing the determined look in her eyes, “Then I’ll wait for you at the top!”

With that, Yun Yi activated his soaring step technique, climbing three levels with each step, quickly passing many others.

When his foot touched the 1001st level, a sudden pressure swept over him, causing him to stagger unexpectedly.

Yun Yi frowned and muttered, “Double gravity?”

Still, he only felt slightly slower compared to the first thousand levels.

At the 1500th level, as Yun Yi stepped up, he glanced to the side and his expression brightened instantly.

Mou Qian, drenched in sweat and complaining while climbing, suddenly sensed footsteps beside him. He instinctively looked up and was stunned for a moment before angrily shouting, “Damn kid! What a coincidence running into you here! Get down now!”

Page (3/3)

Mou Qian released a burst of spiritual energy and kicked toward Yun Yi. Yun Yi smiled slightly, his feet stirring the wind as he swiftly dodged behind Mou Qian, looking at him with a mischievous grin.

“You! What are you trying to do?”

“Bye-bye!”

Without waiting for Mou Qian to turn around and finish speaking, Yun Yi kicked him in the rear, causing Mou Qian to tumble down like a ball, stopping at the 1000th level, dizzy and cursing loudly.

Yun Yi naturally had no intention of competing with him and turned to continue climbing upward.

...

Several elders who had just arrived below witnessed the scene and exchanged glances, barely suppressing their laughter.

“Elder Wei, who is this person?”

The elders asked one after another.

“Uh, uh, uh... let’s just watch. I’m not quite sure either!” Wei Qing said awkwardly.

...

At midnight, around the 2000th level:

Qian Mo was also feeling considerable pressure. He sat on the steps, recovering his consumed spiritual energy, preparing to make a decisive rush at dawn.

“This height, definitely secure first place,” he muttered with closed eyes, a proud look on his face. Just then, footsteps approached. Before he could open his eyes, a gust of wind swept by as Yun Yi stepped onto the 2001st level.

As Yun Yi stepped onto the 2001st level, his speed slowed noticeably. He muttered to himself, “As expected, triple gravity.” Then he continued climbing.

Watching Yun Yi climb, Qian Mo was stunned but quickly recovered and stopped resting. He quickly pushed forward, cursing at Yun Yi’s back, “Secure first place my foot!”

And so, with Qian Mo desperately pursuing, dawn gradually broke, and the first stage of the examination neared its end...