Chapter 53: A Thousand-Meter Precipice!

The gazes cast by the outer disciples toward Lin Chen were akin to looking at a god of slaughter.

They cowered, not even daring to meet his eyes directly.

So what if he had overslept? Who would dare to reproach him?

Did they have a death wish?

The person in charge of maintaining order for this sect grand tournament was named Yan Lin.

He was none other than the inner sect elder who had been the first to approach Lin Chen and demand to take him as a disciple the moment Lin Chen entered the sect.

Yan Lin was tall, stern, and carried a formidable aura of oppression around him.

As he looked at Lin Chen, a complex flash of emotion crossed his eyes.

There was helplessness, and there was a touch of sentiment.

From the very first day he arrived, Lin Chen had stirred up discussions across the entire sect!

Right up until today, a full three months had passed.

Everything he had done was something other disciples would never even dare to dream of.

Indeed, he truly lived up to being the person chosen by the young miss.

"In this outer sect disciple selection, the top three will earn the qualification to enter the inner sect."

Without any superfluous words, Yan Lin stated the rewards directly from the very beginning.

Hearing this, many outer sect disciples revealed expressions of yearning.

For them, entering the inner sect not only meant a vast increase in cultivation resources, but it also represented a rise in status.

An inner sect disciple in Lihuo City was absolute royalty, and even their entire family would benefit from it.

In the entire Lihuo Sect, there were over two thousand outer sect disciples, but barely a hundred inner sect disciples!

From this, one could imagine how difficult it was to enter the inner sect.

"The disciple ranked first will receive a third-grade medicinal pill, the Earth Spirit Pill!"

Yan Lin proclaimed loudly, "Apart from the Earth Spirit Pill, the young miss has also additionally provided two fourth-grade spirit patterns as the reward for first place!"

The Earth Spirit Pill, when consumed by someone at the Earth Spirit realm, could elevate their cultivation by a minor realm out of nowhere.

As for the fourth-grade spirit patterns, their value was even more extraordinary, far more precious than the Earth Spirit Pill.

Upon hearing about the fourth-grade spirit patterns, joy flashed in the eyes of all the disciples.

These were fourth-grade spirit patterns!

Once taken out and sold, they could be exchanged for a substantial amount of medicinal pills.

Even if they didn't sell them, keeping them for personal use would be wonderful.

"Junior Sister is trying to motivate me."

Lin Chen smiled faintly. While others might not know, he was certainly aware.

Su Yuwei had purposely added extra rewards for first place just to spur him on.

These two fourth-grade spirit patterns, he had to win them no matter what!

"By the way, if these fourth-grade spirit patterns were crafted by her own hands, doesn't that mean she has already reached the level of a fourth-grade spirit pattern master?"

Lin Chen thought suddenly.

At this age, not only was her cultivation talent astonishing, but she could also advance the profession of a spirit pattern master to the fourth grade.

She truly lived up to her reputation as the number one prodigy of the Five Nations region!

***

"The first trial: The Thousand-Meter Precipice!"

Yan Lin led the hundred-odd outer sect disciples to a sheer mountain cliff.

This cliff stood a full thousand meters tall, piercing the clouds, its surface rugged and jagged, exuding a profound and mysterious aura.

As they drew near, a distinct and oppressive weight could be clearly felt.

"The first trial is very simple: climb the precipice and see who can climb the highest."

Yan Lin stood with his hands behind his back. "Coordinate well with your phantom beasts. This trial tests not only strength and endurance, but also willpower!"

The hundred-odd outer sect disciples stood beneath the thousand-meter precipice, gazing up at the cloud-piercing cliff, their eyes filled with yearning.

"Once your strength is exhausted, it means elimination!"

"Begin!"

Yan Lin commanded.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Accompanied by a series of deafening roars, the hundred-odd outer sect disciples all released their respective phantom beasts.

Every person's phantom beast was different, and the strategies they employed during the trial varied as well.

Some disciples had phantom beasts capable of flight, riding high into the air on their beasts' backs.

Other disciples had their phantom beasts scale the rock face, their speed equally impressive.

When they advanced to a height of a hundred meters, they clearly sensed a heavy pressure condensing above their heads.

The higher they climbed, the more oppressive this weight became.

It felt as though a towering mountain was pressing down on their shoulders, making it difficult to breathe.

One disciple took the lead, riding his phantom beast to soar over three hundred meters in a single breath. But before he could even catch his breath, another wave of heavy atmospheric pressure smashed his phantom beast directly downward.

That disciple leaped up from his phantom beast's back and, relying on his own physical strength, continued to climb upward.

In the blink of an eye, he had climbed another few tens of meters!

Before he could even touch the four-hundred-meter mark, a wave-like immense pressure knocked him flying.

Disciples were constantly being flung down from above, each of them exhausted and seeing spots before their eyes.

"This is too ruthless! This pressure is simply not something we can endure!"

Complained an outer sect disciple at the fifth layer of the Earth Spirit realm.

The other disciples also sighed helplessly.

Among all the disciples, only Lin Chen had yet to make a move.

"Tun Tun, let's go, carry me up."

Lin Chen grabbed Tun Tun and glared at it. "You're more enthusiastic than anyone else when it's time to eat, how come you're useless when I actually need you?"

"I'm telling you, Lin Chen, you can climb up by yourself, why do you have to call me?"

Tun Tun opened its eyes with an expression of dissatisfaction. "I was sleeping!"

It had woven a small cradle out of tree vines and hung it from Lin Chen's shoulder.

And let's be honest, it was quite comfortable!

On the thousand-meter precipice, disciples fell every single second.

Soon, only a few people were still persisting.

The leading disciple's phantom beast was a fifth-rank Scorpion-tailed Tiger, and it was also the only fifth-rank phantom beast in the arena.

The Scorpion-tailed Tiger was exceptionally skilled at mountain climbing. Making its way up the rock wall, it had already surpassed the five-hundred-meter mark.

Yan Lin nodded slightly. He remembered this disciple; his name was Jiang Chenkun. He had entered the sect as the champion of the Great Xu Kingdom's arena tournament, cultivated with extreme diligence, and completely left the other outer sect disciples in the dust.

When they reached six hundred meters, the Scorpion-tailed Tiger was already exhausted.

"Leave the rest to me."

Jiang Chenkun stroked the Scorpion-tailed Tiger's head, and his figure suddenly burst forth with explosive force.

Like an arrow piercing through the void, he charged upward!

The pressure grew increasingly immense, striking one's head like heavy hammer blows, one after another.

That concussive sensation caused dizziness and vertigo.

Charge!

Keep charging!

Jiang Chenkun's pupils even flushed red.

No matter what, I must pass this grand tournament and enter the inner sect.

"No one can stop me, absolutely no one!"

At this moment, Jiang Chenkun's willpower was unimaginably steadfast.

Charge!

Gritting his teeth, he surged past the seven-hundred-meter mark!

However, the momentum from his previous leap was now exhausted.

He could only use his hands to grip the rocks and continue crawling upward!

Seven hundred and thirty!

Seven hundred and fifty!

When he reached seven hundred and eighty, the skin on Jiang Chenkun's back split open, pain wracking his entire body as he trembled.

His body truly felt as though it was about to fall apart!

Yet, I can still charge!

Squeezing out every last ounce of his strength, he made a desperate leap, attempting to break through the eight-hundred-meter barrier.

Alas, at the distance of seven hundred and ninety-five meters, his momentum dissipated.

"Whoosh!"

Jiang Chenkun was once again struck by a heavy wave of suppression. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his face turning pale.

Yet his gaze remained steadfast.

The final five meters, I must cross it no matter what!

At this moment, all eyes were focused on him.

Everyone wanted to see whether Jiang Chenkun could make it or not.

Yan Lin said in a deep voice, "Once he crosses eight hundred meters, he will enter the top five of the sect's outer sect disciple climbing records!"