Chapter 41: THE EXAMINATION(15)

Li Yan remained unaware of their intentions as he climbed.

Another five thousand steps passed, and the pressure became noticeably stronger.

This time, Gu Jun’s movements slowed.

Li Yan noticed the change and adjusted his pace; forcing Gu Jun to maintain the same speed would only exhaust him.

"Do not fight against the pressure with your Qi. Let your body adapt to it."

Gu Jun took a deep breath and relaxed his muscles as he continued walking. "I understand."

Li Yan looked ahead. The path remained completely ordinary. There were no beasts, no traps, and no strange occurrences.

Yet the pressure continued increasing.

That was the part that bothered him.

If the examination was supposed to test their mental capabilities, why had the sect created a mountain that simply became heavier the higher they climbed?

Xiaoxiao had already told him that the key to overcoming the pressure lay in his mental capabilities, but he still had not understood what she meant.

Li Yan continued climbing while thinking about her words.

The pressure was not simply restricting their bodies.

Perhaps it was testing their minds through their bodies.

If that was the case, then resisting it physically might be the wrong approach.

He slowed his breathing and allowed the pressure to settle over his body instead of instinctively using Qi to resist it.

The difference was subtle, but he immediately felt his movements become easier.

Li Yan’s eyes brightened. He had finally found a clue.

"Gu Jun, stop resisting the pressure with your Qi."

Gu Jun looked at him in confusion."What?"

Li Yan continued climbing while explaining his thoughts. "I think we are making it harder for ourselves. The pressure is probably part of the test, so instead of fighting it, let your body adapt."

Gu Jun hesitated before following his instruction.

After several steps, the strain on his body gradually eased. His eyes widened. "It really works."

Li Yan smiled because his suspicion had finally been confirmed.

The pressure was not something they needed to defeat.

They needed to adapt to it.

The higher they climbed, the stronger the pressure became, and examinees who wasted their strength fighting it would eventually exhaust themselves.

That was probably the mental capability the sect wanted to test.

Li Yan looked toward the summit again and continued climbing with Gu Jun beside him.

Behind them, Zhou Yuan’s group noticed the change in their pace.

"Their speed has increased."

Zhou Yuan watched Li Yan carefully before noticing that Gu Jun’s movements had also become smoother.

"They figured something out."

The others exchanged looks. Zhou Yuan immediately increased his pace; he did not want to miss whatever Li Yan had discovered.

Farther behind, Mo Lang’s group continued struggling against the pressure.

Mo Lang had begun using more Qi to force his body forward, and every step was becoming more difficult.

Bi Chen noticed this but said nothing.

He simply followed while conserving his own strength.

Mo Lang’s face became increasingly unpleasant when he saw Li Yan moving farther ahead.

He had wanted to teach that commoner a lesson inside the mountain.

Instead, Li Yan was already leaving him behind.

The thought made Mo Lang’s pride burn.

He clenched his fists and increased his pace again.

The pressure around his body immediately grew heavier.

Bi Chen’s eyes flickered when he saw it.

He was going to exhaust himself, but that did not make him reach out to stop Mo Lang.

If the young master wanted to waste his strength, there was no reason for him to interfere.

Meanwhile, Li Yan continued toward the middle section of the mountain, already calculating how much distance they would need to cover before the second day arrived.

After they stopped resisting the pressure with their Qi, the strain on their bodies became considerably more manageable.

The discovery changed the way Li Yan viewed the mountain because the pressure was not an obstacle that needed to be conquered through strength. It was something they needed to understand and adapt to, which meant the sect had deliberately placed a simple-looking challenge before them to see whether the examinees could recognize the correct approach.

They continued at a steady pace, and by the time they reached fifteen thousand steps, Li Yan noticed several changes among the examinees behind them. Some had already stopped to rest, while others were struggling to maintain their pace because they were still using Qi to resist the pressure, and a few had even taken out their spirit stones to recover their strength.

Li Yan did not stop to explain their mistake because everyone had been given the same instructions, and the examination was not a competition where helping others would benefit him.

Gu Jun looked back at the exhausted examinees before turning his attention to Li Yan. "Should we tell them?"

"They will figure it out eventually."

Gu Jun accepted the answer and continued climbing; he understood that Li Yan had no intention of wasting their time helping everyone else.

Not long after that, a group of six examinees caught up with them. The young man leading them stopped several steps away; he did not want to make the group appear threatening.

"Brother Li, I am Zhou Yuan. We have been following your group since the beginning of the mountain."

Li Yan looked at him; he had noticed the group earlier, although he had not expected them to approach him directly.

"We noticed that you stopped using your Qi to resist the pressure, and the pressure seemed to have little effect on you afterward. We tried the same thing, and it worked."

Li Yan understood why they had approached him. They were interested in forming a connection with him, most likely because they believed staying near someone who could understand the examination would improve their chances of passing.

"You figured it out yourselves."

Zhou Yuan smiled; he understood that Li Yan was not taking credit for something they had discovered by observing him. "We noticed it after watching you, so we thought it would be better to introduce ourselves rather than continue following from a distance."

The other five members of the group introduced themselves as well. Li Yan took note of their names before turning his attention back to the mountain.

Gu Jun glanced at the six examinees and then looked at Li Yan. "They seem harmless."