Cultivating Immortality Begins with Acting as a Girl Chapter 142

Song Ling answered seriously:

“Thank you for your kindness, Immortal. However, the path of cultivation itself goes against the heavens, fraught with calamities. If one retreats due to fear, how can they hope to glimpse the Great Dao? Wealth and glory are not what I desire, nor is becoming a king or overlord what I seek. Rather than being pitied by the Immortal and granted eternal life, this junior would prefer to use a mortal body to strive for that sliver of immortal destiny. Even if I ultimately perish, I will have no regrets!”

As Song Ling finished speaking, everything before him suddenly froze, then shattered like a mirror!

When his vision recovered, he was still standing on the platform from before. Around him, people were waking up from the illusion of the formation, just like him.

However, some looked relieved, while others showed regret. Some even looked bewildered, seemingly still not fully pulled out of the illusion.

After a long while, Dong Zhixuan announced the end of the trial.

Out of less than three hundred people, another few dozen were eliminated. Only a little over two hundred remained to continue.

One could only say that native teenagers of this age were indeed easier to trick.

After the eliminated left, Dong Zhixuan led everyone to the venue for the third test.

It was a flight of stairs leading upwards from the right side of the platform. Unlike the previous stairs, this one was not long. It was entirely paved with a kind of white jade, and one could see the top at a glance.

Dong Zhixuan introduced:

“The third test is called ‘Gravity Staircase’. After you step on it, every step you take upwards will make your body feel heavier until you reach the top, where the pressure will be released.”

“If you choose to go down, the pressure will lessen, but that also means failing the assessment.”

Song Ling pondered for a moment and understood what this test truly evaluated.

Under the premise that everyone had been subjected to the “Equality of All Beings” spell, everyone’s physical fitness and strength were the same. Therefore, there was no issue of testing individual strength; theoretically, anyone could reach the top.

The only factor that could influence success or failure was the test subject’s perseverance.

That is, under immense pressure, could one overcome physical fatigue and the inner voice wanting to give up, and steadfastly continue to advance towards the goal?

Because the staircase was wide and the number of examinees had significantly decreased, there was no need to form neat lines as before. Song Ling stepped onto the white jade stairs with the slightly disorganized flow of people.

In the first few steps, the gravitational pressure was not obvious, but by the middle, Song Ling felt as if he was carrying two large sandbags on his back, almost making him breathless. Yet, looking up, there was still a full half of the journey to the end.

Since cultivating martial arts, Song Ling had not experienced this kind of despair due to lack of physical strength for a long time.

His muscles trembled, his legs ached, and his whole body seemed to tell him that he could no longer persist.

But Song Ling knew very well that all this was just a fleeting illusion. As long as he didn’t give up, he would definitely reach the end.

So Song Ling ignored all subjective sensations in his body, simply mechanically lifted his leg, then lowered it, repeating the motion, stepping by step towards the top of the staircase.

Until his feet left the last stone step, all the pressure on him instantly vanished, and he felt light as a feather.

Song Ling looked around. In front was a cliff face covered with thorny vines. Those who passed the Gravity Staircase were sparsely distributed on the open ground in front of the cliff. Some sat dejectedly on the ground, seemingly having exhausted even the strength to lift their hands. Others supported their trembling legs with their hands, panting heavily.

Even Princess Zhaoming, who had always appeared aloof, composed, and at ease, was now pale, breathing heavily and rapidly, her chest heaving violently, and sweat trickling down like fine rain, soaking her clothes.

This section of the Gravity Staircase perfectly pinpointed the limit of everyone’s physical fitness after being subjected to the “Equality of All Beings” spell. If one’s will slackened even slightly, they would be left halfway.

Song Ling noticed that only three of Princess Zhaoming’s five subordinates remained.

After all, they were teenagers under fifteen. No matter how much they trained, their willpower was ultimately a bit weaker.

Half an hour later, all those who passed reached the open ground in front of the vine-covered cliff.

This Gravity Staircase test eliminated another hundred people. Currently, fewer than one hundred people still had the qualification to participate in the test.

However, this did not mean that all those who were eliminated could not join the sect. This was because some of them had a green aptitude of forty points. After passing the “Quiet Room” and “Heart Towards Dao” tests, they had already met the passing score. Even if they failed the “Gravity Staircase” test, it would not affect their entry into the sect; their personal score would simply be fixed at sixty.

Of course, those with white, yellow, and green aptitudes, due to insufficient scores, were truly eliminated.

Before everyone could recover the physical strength consumed in the third test, Dong Zhixuan eagerly began to announce the content of the fourth test.

He looked at their tired expressions, a hint of a smile on his face, and said:

“Congratulations on passing the third test. You can now begin to challenge the fourth test.”

“The fourth test is called ‘Painful Thorns’. It is the cliff face before you. You need to climb to the top of the cliff using the thorny vines hanging down from above, bare-handed, within the time limit of one incense stick. During this time, any measures to protect your hands are strictly prohibited. Exceeding the time limit or falling will be considered a failure.”

“It is especially important to note that this challenge carries a real risk to life. If you fall from a high place, we will not provide any rescue. Life and death are fated. Whether you want to challenge it is up to you.”

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked. They exchanged glances, and a hint of fear and hesitation flashed in their eyes.

Painful Thorns, just hearing the name was enough to send shivers down one’s spine. Moreover, this cliff was at least ten zhang high. If they fell from the upper part, with their current physical fitness at the level of ordinary people, they would surely die…

As the timer began, someone stepped forward to attempt the climb. But as soon as he gripped a thorny vine, the stinging pain from his palm made his face change dramatically.

What a joke.

To constantly endure this pain and reach the top within the time limit?

After a series of facial expressions, he directly chose to give up.

Embarking on the path of immortality was indeed his heart’s desire, but if it meant paying with his life… then he’d rather not.

After experiencing it firsthand, nearly half of the people made the same decision as that person. However, a significant portion of these people were those who had received a green score in the previous aptitude test.

For them, passing the first three tests had already earned them the qualification to enter the sect, so there was no need to risk their lives for more points.

Those who chose to continue the challenge were mostly those with yellow and white aptitudes who had no other choice.

Song Ling also came to the cliff face and reached out to grasp one of the thorny vines.

A strong stinging sensation came from his palm.

A strange glint appeared in Song Ling’s eyes, wanting to verify a hypothesis.

With a thought, in the palm of his hand, where no one could see, his original flesh and skin transformed into hard scales. The pain immediately vanished!

Indeed…

Even if his physical fitness was forcibly suppressed to the level of an ordinary person, the “Myriad Transformations” technique, a Limit-Breaking Style that required nearly twenty thousand Profound Source and could be activated without any internal energy or gang qi, could still be used!

…