At this moment, only half of the Children who were still standing on the mountaintop remained, and their faces showed worry.
The first test was already so difficult; passing the next two would undoubtedly be even harder.
"The next test is an endurance test. Each person will carry ten catties of weight and climb the steps to the plaza at the top of Cui Zhu Peak. The time limit is two hours, starting in half an hour. Get ready."
Elder Wang looked at the exhausted Children, his face devoid of pity.
Qin Fengming and the other Children had been brought here early in the morning and had not yet eaten breakfast. By now, they were already starving. Hearing Elder Wang's words, they naturally sobbed uncontrollably.
Cui Zhu Peak is over two hundred zhang high, and the steps wind along the mountain wall, sometimes steep, sometimes gentle. Legend has it that the entire mountain has a total of one hundred thousand steps.
Under normal circumstances, it would take these Children at least an hour or so to climb it.
Now, they, with their remaining strength already low, had to carry ten catties of weight and reach the peak within two hours. This difficulty was truly considerable.
"Time is up. The second test begins now."
Half an hour later, Elder Wang stood up, looked at the Children, and said without any expression.
Although the Children were extremely afraid, they still stood up one after another, picked up their weights, and began to climb.
At the beginning, the Children progressed relatively smoothly, climbing sixty or seventy zhang in just a little over half an hour. But after that, their speed dropped sharply.
On the mountain path, Children could be seen everywhere, sprawled on the stone steps, sweating profusely and panting heavily.
Although Qin Fengming had not stopped to rest at this time, he already felt a little tired. Fortunately, this level of difficulty was not too challenging for him, as he was accustomed to mountain paths.
On the way, he encountered Duan Meng and a few others. They did not speak to each other but exchanged encouraging glances.
What greatly surprised Qin Fengming was that whenever he felt extremely tired, as long as he stopped, he would feel a warm current rapidly flowing from his abdomen to his limbs, and then his whole body would become incredibly comfortable.
This sensation was incredibly miraculous, but no matter how he tried to control that warm current, it remained completely beyond his control. Its arrival was strange, and its departure was equally bizarre.
In this way, Qin Fengming walked and stopped, appearing extremely relaxed among the Children.
After Qin Fengming had rested three times on the stone steps, he rounded a corner, and the peak of Cui Zhu Peak was already revealed before him.
Climbing the steps to the peak, there was only one lean but robust-looking Child sitting at the entrance of the peak. At this moment, that Child was observing Qin Fengming with a strange gaze.
Qin Fengming did not speak in response but stepped past that Child, found a rock, and sat down.
That Child coldly glanced at Qin Fengming, then turned his head back to look at the ascending steps.
After a long while, another Child finally walked up the steps. After reaching the peak, he found a rock and immediately collapsed onto the ground. With his eyes closed, his chest rose and fell continuously, and he was panting heavily.
Time passed bit by bit. As the designated time was about to expire, among the Children who had come with Qin Fengming in the same carriage, only Duan Meng and Wei Boqiang reached the peak. The others were nowhere to be seen.
At this point, there were already over forty people on the peak. Each person showed signs of complete exhaustion, as if they had used their last bit of strength to reach the top.
Immediately after the two hours passed, Zhang Tangzhu and Elder Wang silently reappeared before Qin Fengming and the others.
"Time is up. Only forty-three people have passed this time. The other Children have lost the qualification for further selection. Even if you fail the third test, you can still become an Outer Disciple of Luoxia Valley."
Hearing Elder Wang's words, Qin Fengming and the others all showed surprised expressions. Outer Disciple, they had never heard of it and did not know what it was.
At this moment, Qin Fengming had only one thought: to pass the third selection and become a formal Disciple of Luoxia Valley.
"Now, you will rest for a while. After the time it takes to eat a meal, the third assessment will begin."
Elder Wang's face was expressionless, and he showed no trace of pity for the already exhausted Children. There was no hint of joy or sorrow in his voice either.
Regarding the third test, Qin Fengming and the other Children only knew that it was a test of courage. They had no idea of the specific method.
However, having witnessed the difficulty of the first two tests, everyone knew in their hearts that the third test would certainly be extremely challenging to pass. Qin Fengming turned to look at Duan Meng and the other two; they also had bewildered expressions.
Elder Wang saw that the forty-odd Children had rested enough, then stood up and said:
"The third test assesses courage. This test, relatively speaking, is much easier. You only need to pass through a mountain path full of venomous snakes. Pick a ripe vermilion fruit from the small fruit trees beside the mountain path and return, and you will pass."
"However, I must warn you that those venomous snakes may attack you. Injury is certain, but whether there is a risk to your Life Qi depends on your luck. If anyone is afraid, they can choose not to take the assessment."
After saying this, Elder Wang glanced at the Children, then turned and walked towards the depths of Cui Zhu Peak.
Hearing Elder Wang's words, the faces of the more than forty Children immediately turned pale. Children naturally have an innate fear of snakes. Now, they had to walk through a mountain path covered with snakes and insects, and venomous ones at that. The fear in their hearts was even harder to describe.
After a full small incense stick's worth of time, the Children gradually stood up and followed Elder Wang, who was slowly walking ahead.
Elder Wang did not look back, but he was aware of the Children's actions. After everyone caught up, he quickened his pace and walked towards a small path next to the plaza.
After walking for a full tea-burning time, a long, winding path appeared before everyone.
"Each of you will walk into the forest ahead, pick a vermilion fruit, and return here. That will count as passing."
Pointing forward, Elder Wang spoke, his tone unperturbed.
Following the direction of his finger, Qin Fengming gazed intently forward. He saw a small path extending into the forest ahead. In the forest, on the trees and on the path, various colored long snakes were visible everywhere. They raised their heads, flicking their tongues, and emitting 'hissing' sounds.
Facing so many venomous snakes, Qin Fengming could not help but feel a pang of fear.
The other Children, seeing so many venomous snakes displayed before them, all trembled involuntarily. Some even started crying. Some even collapsed to the ground, not daring to move an inch. Each of them appeared utterly helpless.
Elder Wang's face was expressionless; he merely looked at everyone sternly, his voice devoid of Life Qi:
"You have the time it takes for one stick of incense. Those who pick a vermilion fruit will pass. You may begin now." After speaking, he took out a stick of incense from his Pregnant and lit it with a paper wick, then inserted it into a crack in the rock.