The moment people tried to go towards the path, there was an increased amount of Qi in the atmosphere, landing on them.
BOOM!
A heavy wave of Qi slammed into the crowd like a falling mountain.
People stumbled. Some dropped to their knees. Others grunted, Qi flaring instinctively to defend themselves.
It was suffocating.
An invisible pressure, thick and oppressive, crashed down on them like an endless tide.
It was like a sudden increase in oxygen in the air—like 100 times—which wasn’t good for their bodies.
“The hell…!?”
A rogue cultivator clutched his chest, gasping for breath. His legs buckled beneath him as if he were being crushed by an unseen weight.
“This is the trial?!”
Someone yelled, teeth gritted.
It became immediately clear: the test had already begun.
This wasn’t just a race to see who could run the fastest. It was a challenge of endurance—to withstand the crushing Qi pressure flooding this space.
And the closer one tried to get to the path—
The more unbearable it became.
Even those at the front, like Mo Tianji and Dugu Lianxin, who had been the first to react and leap forward, were now stopping, their expressions turning grim.
Of course, compared to others, they were able to handle it much better.
After all, although the increase in Qi in the atmosphere was dangerous, that was only if you couldn’t absorb it.
Mo Tianji and Dugu, with their superior talent and better cultivation techniques, could absorb it better.
Of course, even then, it wasn’t easy for them since the Qi was almost 100 times the normal—and it increased every time they went near the path.
It was similar to the Assessment Test done by the Heaven Sword Sect where a person’s aptitude to absorb Qi is tested—which is affected by many factors.
But adding to that, they now also needed to move closer to the path as that was their goal, adding to the difficulty of the test.
Mo Tianji’s black robes fluttered violently as his cultivation technique roared to life.
His body became like a vortex, madly drawing in the surrounding Qi, trying to refine and absorb it as fast as it poured in.
Even so, veins bulged along his arms, and sweat rolled down his temples—he was barely keeping up.
“Even with the Nine Hell Refining Art… this pressure is insane!”
He muttered, voice strained.
Beside him, Dugu Lianxin’s figure shimmered with ethereal brilliance, equally trying to handle the Qi.
“This pressure… it’s like walking into the eye of a hurricane!”
She hissed.
Normally, this kind of place full of Qi would be considered a paradise where one could rapidly increase their cultivation—but with their goal being to go to the next trial as quickly as possible, and with such a huge increase in Qi, it had become the opposite.
Mo Tianji’s expression twisted in frustration.
His pride burned—he was one of the strongest here, yet even he felt like his bones were creaking under the pressure.
As for the others—
The weaker cultivators were already faltering, some collapsing altogether.
Blood leaked from noses, mouths, even eyes. Internal organs shook from the huge influx of Qi that they couldn’t refine and absorb.
A few screamed in pain and gave up on advancing, dragging themselves away from the path with pale faces and trembling limbs.
At least, the only factor that was good was that when one stepped away from the path, the Qi decreased significantly—though on another note, the closer you tried to go towards the path, the more Qi you felt.
A trial to see who could endure it, who had the talent and maybe good enough Cultivation Technique.
Only those with sufficient strength, willpower, and fate could move forward.
Everyone realized it now: this wasn’t just a contest of speed—it was a gauntlet of Qi pressure that would weed out the weak.
Bai Zihan narrowed his eyes, calmly observing the others.
He stood unmoving as the waves of Qi crashed down on him, cloak fluttering gently as if in a breeze.
“So this is how it’s going to be!”
He muttered with a devil’s smile.
While everyone was focused on cultivating and trying to adapt to the increased Qi, Bai Zihan didn’t need to do anything.
His 100x Cultivation Speed Card was still activated, and previously he was a bit annoyed that he was going to waste one day of its benefit—but it seemed like he didn’t need to worry about that.
With an abundance of Qi, this was perhaps even more ideal to cultivate than his private room in the Bai Clan.
He didn’t feel pressured nor did he think he would need to use his cultivation technique to be able to absorb the Qi better—though it would certainly make it faster.
But that would be for cultivation, not for survival or anything like others.
Of course, being at the end, the Qi was very little, so he proceeded to go near the path that had more Qi.
Thud! Thud!
By that time, most of the people had settled in their positions and were trying to adapt to the Qi in the air.
However, there was one person moving, casually, not even seeming to struggle.
Yeah, it was Bai Zihan, who walked like there hadn’t been an increase in Qi in the air and was going closer to the path.
He walked, then reached where Bai Xueqing and Chu Ziyan were, but didn’t even give a glance at them.
He only glanced at Bai Xinyue briefly, who appeared to be struggling as well. When their eyes met, she looked at him in surprise.
(Is this Opportunity for her?)
Bai Zihan thought.
He still hadn’t received any notification about another Heaven’s Chosen, which led him to believe it was likely referring to Bai Xinyue—the only one present who fit the title.
(Should I take care of her?)
Bai Zihan thought but decided against it. He still has no idea what trump card she was hiding.
With her being Five Star graded Heaven Chosen, it shouldn’t be easy.
Then he proceeded to head towards the people who were the first to move—which were Mo Tianji and Dugu Lianxin.
Mo Tianji weirdly looked at Bai Zihan in shock.
Even staying there without injuring himself was taking great effort, and this Bai Zihan was casually strolling.
Bai Zihan’s smile became more devilish as he spotted Mo Tianji.
“Oh, mighty Mo Tianji, what happened?”
Bai Zihan asked sarcastically.
“Bai Zihan!”
Mo Tianji could clearly see the mocking tone of Bai Zihan and became furious.
Although he didn’t know how Bai Zihan was unaffected by the sudden increase in Qi, he wasn’t going to take offense.
This was seen by everyone, who couldn’t be more shocked because like Mo Tianji, they also couldn’t move or risk injury.
So, how could Bai Zihan move so casually?
Some had to applaud Bai Zihan for being able to make fun of and tease the ever-arrogant Mo Tianji.
While others were still trying to figure out how Bai Zihan was doing this.
Bai Zihan moved closer to Mo Tianji.
“What do you want?”
Mo Tianji asked with a frown.
Slap!
Then, like the most obvious thing to do, Bai Zihan gave a good slap to Mo Tianji, who took a couple of seconds to register what had happened before finally realizing that he had been slapped.
“BAI ZIHAN!”
Mo Tianji couldn’t help but want to shred Bai Zihan to pieces. He had never been slapped by anyone—and now it was done by someone who was weaker than him.
But the moment he stopped using his cultivation technique, he spurted blood from his mouth due to his body being unable to handle the Qi.
He quickly activated his cultivation technique, trying to refine the Qi before it did any more damage.
“Damn! Did Bai Zihan just slap Mo Tianji?”
“Well deserved! Who asked him to be so arrogant?”
“Between the two evils, Bai Zihan clearly stands on top. Who else could humiliate someone like Mo Tianji except Bai Zihan?”
“But just how is he unaffected by such a huge amount of Qi in the atmosphere? Is his body immune to Qi?”
…
The crowd, while still cultivating, was also watching the interesting event transpiring before them.
The infamous troublemaker and villain of a righteous clan versus the truly evil and infamous genius of a demonic sect!
The winner here was clear—Bai Zihan!
“Haha… What? Too cowardly to fight me? Tsk! Tsk! Mo Tianji, you disappoint me!”
Bai Zihan said with a disappointed face.
Mo Tianji frowned and couldn’t comprehend how Bai Zihan was able to move so easily while he had to struggle so much.
Now, he couldn’t even fight back—otherwise, he would risk injuring his body.
Bai Zihan then again came closer to him.
“Bai Zihan, don’t push your luck!”
Mo Tianji warned angrily.
“Phew! Haha… What can you even do?”
Bai Zihan asked while casually resting his shoulder on Mo Tianji’s head.
It looked like Bai Zihan was casually treating Mo Tianji like his lackey or someone beneath him.
And the biggest thing was that Mo Tianji couldn’t even retaliate even if he wanted to.
Slap!
Bai Zihan gave another good slap to the helpless Mo Tianji.
“BAI ZIHAN!”
Mo Tianji couldn’t even retaliate and just yelled angrily. He had never been treated like this—certainly not by someone younger and weaker than him.
“Haha…”
Bai Zihan laughed.
In this trial, there was no one other than him who could risk moving around—which also meant that in this trial, he could do whatever he wanted and no one could retaliate.
(Is Heaven helping me this time?)
He thought as he considered how he still had the 100x Cultivation Speed Card activated—and the first trial turned out to be something like this.
“Haha…”
Only a single laugh could be heard throughout the room—and it was the mad laughter of Bai Zihan.
At the moment, with his laugh and mocking tone plus his attitude, no one looked more evil and dominant than Bai Zihan.