So the formation arranged on Mount Hua’s stairs produced obstructive force identical to the Training Tower’s gravity.
No wonder the martial cultivators from various sects climbing the mountain found it increasingly difficult, taking a full hour just to reach halfway.
Jun Changxiao, moving at a snail’s pace with his disciples, had just merged into the formation and stepped on the first stair when he detected the gravity pressure permeating within.
Truthfully, they only felt the gravity.
But the sense of oppression it produced was essentially nonexistent.
The Training Tower’s first floor gravity was ten-fold intensity. The gravity contained here was at most five-fold level.
Therefore, it wasn’t worth mentioning at all!
Looking up at the group of martial cultivators from various sects climbing the mountain, Jun Changxiao snapped his fingers and said, “Catch up to them and surpass them.”
“Yes!”
All disciples received the order and strode upward, moving swiftly indeed.
Forget these elite disciples—even if Li Shangtian, Sima Zhongda and others came to climb, they could do so easily and effortlessly.
After all, their daily routine was going to the Training Tower’s first floor to train for an hour or two.
Due to personality differences, Li Qingyang and Xiao Zuiji climbed neither hurriedly nor slowly.
If it were Su Xiaomo and Li Fei present instead, the two would probably have already dashed up in a flash.
Jun Changxiao admired Mount Hua’s cloud-wrapped, cliff-precipice scenery along the way, sighing, “The mountains and rivers bred in this world full of spiritual energy are incomparable to Earth’s.”
Whoosh whoosh—
With each step up, gravity pressure roared forth.
Jun Changxiao, Jiang Xie and the others remained unfazed, climbing steadily step by step—extremely stable indeed.
Judging from their speed, at most ten minutes would pass before they caught up to the martial cultivators who’d departed first.
—
Speaking again of the various forces participating in the Sect Discourse—by this time, though they’d climbed half the distance, they were all flushed-faced and breathing heavily.
The various sect leaders appeared calm, but inwardly felt quite uncomfortable.
This five-fold gravity existing around the stairs applied pressure according to martial cultivators’ cultivation realm. High-realm martial cultivators endured gravity intensity no weaker than those at lower realms.
“Palace Mistress.”
Li’er said, “Are you all right?”
Because she had to climb while supporting the Palace Mistress, she was already covered in fragrant perspiration.
Xi Jingxuan said, “I’m fine.”
This was truly fine, because her breathing was steady with no fluctuation on her face.
Li’er couldn’t help thinking inwardly, “Though the Palace Mistress has an eye condition and appears delicate, she has great willpower—the obstructive force can’t affect her at all.”
It’s just… like last discourse, she and fellow disciples would drag everyone down again.
At the previous Sect Martial Discourse, Miao Hua Palace had participated.
At that time, Xi Jingxuan had similarly seemed to completely ignore gravity as she climbed.
Unfortunately, the disciples had all collapsed from exhaustion.
This time Li’er and the other disciples, though experienced, were only slightly better than last discourse. Climbing to the mountain peak in one go was absolutely impossible.
“Ah.”
Xi Jingxuan sighed and said, “Sect Leader Jun didn’t come participate. It feels so boring.”
“Palace Mistress.”
Li’er said, “It’s fortunate that guy didn’t come. Otherwise, he’d probably be collapsed on the stairs by now.”
Though she had some recognition of Jun Changxiao and the Tiegu Sect disciples’ strength, experiencing obstructive force for the first time while climbing upward—by halfway up the mountain, they’d definitely be completely exhausted.
Xi Jingxuan shook her head and said, “Sect Leader Jun is extraordinary. Perhaps climbing this mountain wouldn’t be difficult for him at all.”
“…”
Li’er was completely speechless.
After just a few encounters, the Palace Mistress thought of him so much and regarded him so highly!
“Thud!”
Just then, a sect martial cultivator walking ahead went weak in the knees and sat on the stairs, gasping heavily, “Can’t… can’t go on… I need to rest a bit.”
“Useless fool!”
That sect’s leader, seeing his own disciple collapse first, blew his beard and glared in anger.
He didn’t dare scold too much, because he too had to endure gravity pressure. Otherwise, if he couldn’t catch his breath, he might very well collapse too.
Enduring five-fold gravity—there would ultimately be a limit.
In the following time, more and more martial cultivators, unable to bear the load, collapsed on the ground, thereby announcing they’d fallen behind.
Some higher-tier sect disciples still gritted their teeth and persevered. Though each step up was abnormally difficult, they still worked hard to overcome it, working hard to surpass themselves.
At this point, reaching the mountain peak was no longer for sect honor, but for their own dignity!
“Sect Leader Sun.”
Sect Leader Wang climbed two more stairs and smiled, “Quite a few of your sect’s disciples have fallen behind. Seems even worse than last discourse.”
Sect Leader Song felt angry inside but still said, “Sect Leader Wang’s disciples haven’t exactly few fallen behind either. We’re about even.”
Sect Leader Wang said, “In this leader’s view, this time my Canglang Sect will again be one step faster than your Lanyu Sect and reach the mountain peak first.”
“We’ve only climbed half the path. Who lives and who dies isn’t certain yet.”
After speaking, Sect Leader Song said no more, focusing all his attention on climbing, vowing to suppress Canglang Sect and reach the peak first!
Sect Leader Wang was the same.
This so-called climbing was actually more of a competition.
Sects of equal rank certainly wouldn’t yield to others, but wanted to prove they were stronger.
Of course, leading on this extremely long stairway was a fourth-tier sect.
From leader to disciples, they were far ahead—at least fifty or sixty stairs ahead of the sect in second place.
Don’t underestimate this distance.
Even if they stopped to rest, for the martial cultivators behind to climb up bearing gravity would still consume considerable time.
Miao Hua Palace, also a fourth-tier sect, had fallen behind many fifth-tier sects as disciples gradually weakened.
No help for it—a sect primarily consisting of women naturally couldn’t match male martial cultivators in physical strength and endurance.
“Sect Leader.”
Walking at the front, a direct disciple of the fourth-tier Shangqian Sect looked back at the various martial cultivators left far behind and said with difficulty, “This time we’ll finally reach the peak first.”
The Shangqian Sect leader said proudly, “As long as no third-tier sect participates, naturally we’re assured of victory.”
He’d brought disciples to participate in the Mount Hua Martial Discourse many times, repeatedly reaching Mount Hua’s peak in second place, losing only to third-tier sects.
This discourse, with no third-tier sect participating, he could finally hold his head high and reach the peak first!
Though Shangqian Sect consistently led everyone, they too endured gravity harassment, so as they climbed higher, their speed gradually decreased.
—
“Can’t go on… can’t go on… I really can’t hold out…”
“This is more tiring than fighting fierce beasts for three days and nights!”
“This… Mount Hua stairway’s formation is truly renowned as claimed…”
More and more sect martial cultivators collapsed exhausted on the stairs.
They gasped heavily, their legs feeling as heavy as if filled with lead.
Without resting for a while, continuing a second climb would be very difficult.
“Hm?”
Just then, a martial cultivator at the very rear heard sounds and footsteps coming from below, so he looked up with difficulty.
“One two three four.”
“Step! Step! Step!”
“Two two three four.”
“Step! Step! Step!”
“Three two three four…”
“Step! Step! Step!”
“My… goodness…!!”
That martial cultivator who’d fallen behind first and collapsed sitting on the ground suddenly had his eyes widen round as saucers, his ears perking up.