Chapter 578 - 578: Challenging the Saint Extreme Road

Three people remained on the Saint Extreme Road.

One was half-kneeling, his body trembling uncontrollably.

The other two were barely standing, their legs shaking nonstop.

With every step forward on the Saint Extreme Road, the pressure they endured intensified.

Crossing the boundary stele would cause the pressure to instantly spike to a whole new level!

All three were currently before the third stone stele.

If they could just get past it—even if they had to crawl to the other side—it would count as clearing the third stage, qualifying them to enter the third level of the Saint Extreme Tower.

But if they failed, all their effort to get this far would mean nothing. They would be no different from those who had only just passed the second stele, all of them limited to entering the second level of the Saint Extreme Tower.

Chu Qingyun watched for a moment.

A black glow suddenly emerged from the dark, profound surface of the Saint Extreme Road beneath the half-kneeling disciple. The glow writhed for a moment before forming something like a tray, which then slid the man sideways and tossed him off the road.

'Time's up, huh...'

Chu Qingyun muttered, then took a light step forward himself.

He had heard before entering that if you couldn't withstand the pressure on the Saint Extreme Road and remained stationary for too long, the road itself would remove you.

After the half-kneeling disciple was removed, the expressions of the remaining two changed. They didn't dare linger any longer.

Gritting their teeth, they both pushed off and took a forceful step forward.

The moment one foot crossed the third stone stele, both of their expressions changed drastically. It felt as if a thousand-pound weight had been dropped on them, and they nearly collapsed!

After steadying themselves for a moment, the two continued forward.

One of them managed to move his other leg. Trembling, he gritted his teeth and stepped past the third stone stele, clearing the three-thousand-meter mark.

The other, however, couldn't withstand the pressure and collapsed onto the Saint Extreme Road. Still, he gritted his teeth and forced himself to crawl past the boundary.

However, judging by their condition after crossing, it was obvious they could not go on. This was as far as they would get.

"Out of twenty-six people, two passed the third stage and twenty-four passed the second. All of them have qualified to enter the Saint Extreme Tower. This year's new disciples have certainly gone farther on the Saint Extreme Road than those of previous years."

"Could it be because of the added trial in the Blood-soaked Land? It seems the old recruitment methods did have some flaws..."

"There's still Chu Qingyun. I wonder which stage he can pass. If he makes it all the way to the end, that would be incredible."

"Heh, a new disciple going all the way to the end has happened before in the Pill Institute. Chu Qingyun is also an Alchemist, so it's possible. In comparison, I'm more interested in whether he can cultivate a true Thunder Sword Intent before reaching the Martial King Realm."

The Outer Elders discussed among themselves with smiles.

This time, however, Elder Huang didn't chime in. Instead, he stood to the side with a grim expression, not saying a word.

「Before the Saint Extreme Road.」

The exciting show of new disciples challenging the old was over, but the crowd wasn't in a hurry to enter the Saint Extreme Road themselves.

Chu Qingyun's earlier defeat of a ninth-level Martial Spirit had been an absolute shock. Now, they were naturally curious to see how many stages he could clear.

The Saint Extreme Road was flat and wide. With the vision of a Martial Spirit Realm expert, one could see clearly even from several thousand meters away.

The last two new disciples remained motionless behind the third stone stele, clearly struggling.

Evidently, the pressure there was more than they could bear. They could only wait for the Saint Extreme Road to eject them.

And so, Chu Qingyun began his own journey down the road.

Chu Qingyun was currently in the middle of the first stage of the Saint Extreme Road. Thanks to his Soul Power's resistance to the road's pressure, he felt absolutely nothing throughout the first thousand meters.

He passed the first stage as if he were taking a leisurely stroll.

As he crossed the first stone stele, Chu Qingyun faintly perceived a new, distinct pressure.

But after his body adjusted for a moment, the sensation vanished. He still felt nothing as he traversed the second stage.

He crossed the third stone stele, passing through the third stage without any hindrance.

As he strode past the stele, the two new disciples sprawled at the start of the fourth stage wore expressions of speechless resignation.

Their cultivation Realms weren't that different from his, yet here they were, pinned to the ground by the Saint Extreme Road's pressure, unable to move a muscle.

But Chu Qingyun felt nothing at all!

At this, many of the senior disciples outside the Saint Extreme Road couldn't help but shake their heads.

The advantage Alchemists had on the Saint Extreme Road was indeed too great.

Others had to expend a great deal of Physical Strength and willpower just to reach the third stage. But for Alchemists, the first three stages were often effortless. Their trial effectively began at the fourth stage.

So, when Chu Qingyun stepped past the stele at the end of the third stage, everyone's expression became a bit more serious.

On the fourth stage, even the Soul Power of a Spirit Level Alchemist could no longer completely resist the pressure of the Saint Extreme Road.

Chu Qingyun's expression, however, remained placid. His steps through the fourth stage were as steady as ever, showing no sign of difficulty.

Soon, Chu Qingyun had already traversed half the length of the fourth stage.

"How can this be? He's not facing any resistance even in the fourth stage?"

"Even veteran Spirit Level Alchemists are affected by the fourth stage. How long has he even been a Spirit Level Alchemist?"

"Looking at this, his Soul Power has probably long surpassed that of an ordinary Spirit Level Alchemist..."

Outside the Saint Extreme Road, many of the senior disciples discussed in astonishment.

Even some of the Alchemists from the Pill Institute who were present revealed stern expressions.

On the Saint Extreme Road, the farther one went, the greater the pressure felt.

When Chu Qingyun reached the end of the fourth stage, before the fourth stone stele, he could already vaguely feel a special pressure acting on his body.

Under the effect of that pressure, his body felt as if it was carrying a heavy load.

'The fifth stage probably won't be so easy...'

Chu Qingyun thought to himself. After a brief pause, he took a step and crossed the fourth stone stele.

Instantly, his eyebrow twitched.

With just one foot across, the pressure he felt had indeed increased significantly. However, it was still well within a tolerable range.

In the fifth stage, Chu Qingyun's pace slowed considerably. Nevertheless, he walked to the end of the stage without pausing, stopping before the fifth stone stele.

Then came the sixth stage, and the pressure instantly rose another level.

In this stage, even Chu Qingyun felt the immense difficulty. By the time he reached the sixth stone stele, his face had turned pale, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.