Pursuit of the Truth
chapter-53

His red shirt was like fire!

It was as if there was an invisible flame on Ye Wang that made all eyes burn as they stared at him, forcing everyone to lower their heads before him.

He was of average looks and did not look handsome. His physique was not very powerful either, but as he walked into the field, he aroused a feeling that was difficult to describe among those who were looking at him.

Ye Wang’s black hair swayed on his shoulders as he walked slowly towards them.

He did not have Wu Sen’s sullenness, but the calmness within his eyes made others terrified of him, even more than they were of Wu Sen. Neither did he have Chen Chong’s charisma to attract people to his side, yet though he was alone, he had a presence that far surpassed other people so much that it created pressure.

Similarly, he did not try to pretend to be mysterious, unlike the young man from Black Mountain Tribe, but as he walked towards the field, his power and his name brought about a sense of mystery that far surpassed that from the young man in black.

He was mysterious because he was Ye Wang. He was the best among the younger generation in Wind Stream Tribe. He was the most brilliant existence around the region. He was the one that was revered to as the future powerful Berserker of the Transcendence realm!

He walked towards them calmly like a king. He did not need to talk to anyone. There would be countless people who would ignore Wu Sen and Chen Chong while they bowed down their heads before him and cleared the path for him.

There were no longer sounds of discussion, either. Once he appeared, all sounds abruptly disappeared. The silence continued even when he reached the center of the field and sat down cross-legged.

After a long while, faint sounds of discussion begun to arise.

"Hey, you saw that big shot, right? We’re lucky to see Ye Wang coming here, at least our trip wasn’t wasted," the honest-looking young man beside Su Ming whispered softly as his eyes were filled with admiration and satisfaction.

Su Ming fell silent. After a while, he nodded his head lightly.

There were still some people who arrived after Ye Wang. In an hour, all participants of the test arrived, and when they did, the sky suddenly darkened.

As the clouds rolled forward, thunder roared and shook the area, making most of the people who heard the sound tremble. As they lifted their heads, they saw the clouds in the sky gathering together from all around at lightning speed. In the span of a breath, they had already fused together and turned into a gigantic man of clouds that was so tall its head could touch the sky!

On the head of the cloud giant sat a man in purple with his legs crossed. That person was the Elder of Wind Stream Tribe – Jing Nan!

He sat there cross-legged and did not look downwards. Instead, he was looking at the tall mountain located not too far away. That was the mountain that reached the clouds, and only half of which was visible to the eye!

"This mountain is the most important treasure of Wind Stream Tribe. There is none other like it!

"It was passed down to us by the Ancients. It is the origin of Wind Stream Tribe. Without this mountain, then perhaps there would be no Wind Stream Tribe! The mountain you’re seeing is not complete. That is only the peak of the mountain… The peak of the real Wind Stream Mountain!

"There is a mysterious beast sealed at the top of the mountain. That beast has been sleeping for millions of years and has never woken up… Perhaps it will never wake up… This mountain has a pressuring might that surrounds the entire mountain and its surroundings. The higher you climb, the more pressure you will feel!

"There are paths up the mountain. There are 281 stairways leading straight to the peak of the mountain. This is the 1st stage of the test!

"The same rules from the previous tests apply. You have no time limit. All of you who are taking part in the 1st stage of the test and are holding onto the plate can find any route you want leading up to the mountain. We will determine your rank based on how many steps you managed to take at the end.

"There are a lot of you here who are taking this test for the first time. For fairness’ sake I will tell you this. The pressure on this mountain is the strongest during midnight!

"Now, I will break the seal on this mountain. After that, you must go in quickly!" As Jing Nan spoke on top of the giant made of clouds, he lifted his right hand and waved at the towering mountain.

Once he brought his hand down, the giant made of clouds immediately lifted its head and let out a shocking roar. It took huge steps and moved quickly towards the peak of the mountain. It lifted its two gigantic arms and tore at the space before the mountain as if it was trying to tear apart heaven and earth.

Once it did so, heaven and earth roared. A giant crack appeared out of nowhere. The crack was horizontal, and it opened up vertically between heaven and earth. It was as if there was an invisible screen before the peak of the mountain, and it was now being torn apart, revealing the true view of the mountain within.

It was still a tall mountain, but it was no longer the mountain Su Ming saw before. The top of the mountain was covered by black mist that was rolling up towards the sky. The black mist looked gloomy and let off a presence that made hearts pound in terror.

At the same time, there was also a pressuring might that was nigh indescribable spreading out from within the cracks. It was like a typhoon blowing towards them from the sides. It lifted many people’s hair, some even turned pale because of it and instinctively retreated a few steps. It was as if it was not a mountain within the crack, but a colossal mysterious beast that reached heaven and earth.

The moment the crack was torn open, multiple faint silhouettes of people quickly manifested beside the cloud giant and turned into eight people!

Shi Hai was one of those eight people. Each of them had shocking power, and at that moment, they bit through their tongues and each coughed out a mouthful of blood. Their blood mixed together and formed a complex looking mark that glowed red. It sped towards the crack as if to imprint itself on the mist mountain within the crack.

The mountain, surrounded by mist and clouds, roared the moment the mark touched it. The mist rolled upwards and revealed multiple ancient stairways that had endured through time.

"Once you enter the mountain, if your plates leave you for even a second, it will disappear. You will also lose your qualification to take the exam and will be automatically transported out of the mountain. This is the only way for you to give up once you find that you cannot handle the pressure of the mountain. The plate will also record the amount of steps you have taken and will accordingly show the numbers to all those spectating.

"Well, aren’t you going in?" The person who shouted towards the crowd gathered below him was Shi Hai, who was standing among the eight people.

A person suddenly turned into a rainbow and sped towards the crack. That person was the young man who wore a red shirt, Ye Wang! Wu Sen was the second who rushed towards the crack, followed closely by Chen Chong. Gradually, a huge amount of people from all tribes taking the first stage of the test rushed towards the crack.

Bei Ling, Lei Chen, Wu La, Si Kong, and even Bai Ling were among the crowd going towards the crack. Once they entered the crack, they went to a stairway that was not taken by anyone and disappeared within it.

Once a stairway was taken by someone, a layer of mist would fall down and cover the path from view.

Su Ming did not choose to move alone. He chose to move with a huge crowd and walked into the crack. The moment he stepped in, he immediately felt the difference between the place and the world outside. There was a pressure there that felt as if an invisible pair of hands was pressing on his body, causing him discomfort.

Many of the paths leading to the stairways were already covered by mist—a clear sign that someone had already taken the path. Su Ming did not worry, but instead ran further away from the entrance. There were plenty of people that were like him, searching for a way into the mountain.

However, the shape of the foot of the mountain was uneven. Some of the paths leading to the stairs seemed to be shorter. These paths were usually fought over by people, and whoever took the first step on the stairway would lay claim to it.

Su Ming did not join them but went to a place that was further away. There were multiple paths there. He stood at the crossroads and fell into deep thought for a while. Just as he was about to move, he suddenly turned his head and looked to his right. As he did so, his pupils shrank, though it was barely noticeable.

He saw the young man wearing black beast skins from Black Mountain Tribe, who loved pretending to be mysterious, walking towards him with his face still covered. He did not even look at Su Ming as he walked towards one of the paths.

For a moment, Su Ming watched as mist rolled down from the mountain and covered the path that was taken by the person, then he looked away. He walked towards a normal looking stairway. The moment he took the first step, he felt as if the entire mountain trembled. At the same time, a wave of heat spread from the plate hanging over his chest, but it did not spread into Su Ming’s body, it just kept giving off heat.

Soon, he was surrounded by a large amount of mist. He could not see what was by his side, neither could he see what was behind him. The only thing he could see was the faint outline of a winding staircase in the mist before him and the dim sun hanging above him in the sky.

It was quiet. That silence even gave him the impression that he was the only one on the mountain.

Su Ming took a deep breath. He did not move immediately but chose to feel the pressure of the land. Once he was slightly used to it, he moved forwards step by step with resolution and persistence in his eyes.

He did not know that the moment all of them went in, the crack gradually closed up. Shi Hai and the other seven people all sat down cross-legged at various corners in the field once they descended from the sky.

The Elder of Wind Stream Tribe, Jing Nan, also made the cloud giant disappear and descended upon the field. He went to Mo Sang’s side and an invisible wave of air surrounded them, which prevented anyone from eavesdropping on them.

There were still hundreds of people on the field, and their gazes were all focused on the nine gigantic eagle statues around them.

Lines of words gradually appeared on the nine statues.

1st place: Ye Wang, 97 steps.

2nd place: Wu Sen, 51 steps.

3rd place: Chen Chong, 47 steps.

4th place: Bi Su, 46 steps.

…103rd place: Mo Su, 6 steps.

The steps taken by all the people taking the first test were clearly displayed for all to see due to the plates they had in hand.

"I knew it. The 1st place is Ye Wang. 97 steps, he has such a huge margin over the 2nd place… Look, it changed again! 115 steps! Didn’t the test just start? That’s too fast!"

"Who is that Bi Su? I’ve never heard of him before. He’s not from Wind Stream Tribe, but he managed to get such a high rank since the start? I heard that during the last test, Ye Wang managed to take 803 steps. I wonder how far he’ll go this time. It’ll be more difficult the further they go. Since the very first test, no one has ever been able to make it past 930 steps!"

The Elder of Wind Stream Tribe, Jing Nan, was also looking at the bird statue by his side with Mo Sang. There was a smile on his face as he glanced at a name called Mo Su.

"Mo Sang, he should be Su Ming, right? But looking at his rank, it’ll be difficult for him to get into the top 40. How about this? I’ll make the conditions easier, if he can get into the top 60, then he’ll pass."

Mo Sang did not speak. He just quietly looked at the name Mo Su on the bird statue. There was a hint of expectation hidden deep within his eyes.