"Barrier's broken!!!" Suddenly, a cultivator shouted!
Everyone looked up simultaneously.
The extremely thin barrier had finally dissipated.
This meant that the Ten Thousand Step Mountain was now completely open.
"Today, I will definitely break through the three thousand steps!"
"Hehe, just you guys? The first one to break through three thousand steps will definitely be me!"
"No, it will be me!"
...
Tens of thousands of figures stood up in unison. They had been waiting for a long time and now stepped into the Ten Thousand Step Mountain.
Even though they knew they couldn't reach the mountain's peak, many of the younger generation, from Lingmai Realm to Foundation Establishment Realm, and even to Sea Wheel Realm, were all stepping onto the steps of the Ten Thousand Step Mountain.
Because the Ten Thousand Step Mountain had a long history, even though no one had ever reached the mountain's peak, just by climbing the first thousand steps, they could gain great tempering!
Many cultivators even came here every year to try to break their own records!
This process itself was a kind of cultivation!
Beside the Ten Thousand Step Mountain were numerous large and small flying giant birds and flying boats.
Many figures stood on them, some were elders of various sects at the Nascent Soul Realm.
Among them, on a luxurious flying boat.
A graceful figure gazed at the Ten Thousand Step Mountain, watching the tens of thousands of brilliant young talents flocking into the mountain.
", do you think there will be a genius who breaks through three thousand steps this time?" A maid couldn't help but ask softly.
"The Ten Thousand Step Mountain is extremely ancient. According to the words of the upper realm's mighty beings, it was left behind by a Nascent Soul Realm peak powerhouse, and it is endowed with the power of gravity!"
"Unless one's cultivation surpasses this Nascent Soul Realm peak powerhouse, or possesses talent that can overshadow an era! Otherwise, no one can reach the mountain's peak!"
"As for breaking through three thousand steps, well, there are a few individuals who have a slim chance!"
...
The elegantly dressed woman in a white long dress spoke softly. Her voice was gentle and warm, making people feel at ease and comfortable just by listening to it.
This woman was one of the nine major saint-level forces in the Central State, Bai Family's Bai Ruyue!
"Really?" Bai Ruyue's gaze shifted, suddenly brightening.
Although tens of thousands of young geniuses had initially swarmed into the Ten Thousand Step Mountain, their speed soon began to slow down. After climbing less than a hundred steps, nearly half of them were practically unable to move forward and were panting heavily in place.
However...
Among these people, there was a young man in a green robe who was advancing step by step. His pace was slow yet steady, and he moved forward unhurriedly.
This young man's countenance carried a warm feeling—calm and handsome!
There was no sense of sharpness in his aura, but it gave off an indescribable sense of grandeur.
Bai Ruyue was witnessing this kind of aura for the first time, and she couldn't help but take several more glances.
", who are you looking at?" A maid asked curiously.
"That person, perhaps... he can break through three thousand steps!" Bai Ruyue raised her fair jade-like finger and pointed in the distance.
The maid looked over and immediately blushed.
What a handsome young man.
For some reason, the maid had a feeling that among these tens of thousands of brilliant young talents, only this person was worthy of her mistress.
The figure in the green robe was naturally He Yiming.
Even though he concealed his cultivation using the Formless Concealment Technique, he still couldn't hide his temperament.
"Such a powerful power of intent... much stronger than my own power of intent! This is probably left behind by a Nascent Soul Realm expert, and perhaps not just an ordinary Nascent Soul Realm expert!" He Yiming proceeded step by step.
As he moved forward, he silently felt the power of gravity.
As for pressure?
After advancing a hundred steps, He Yiming felt nothing.
For every step forward in the Ten Thousand Step Mountain, the gravitational pressure on oneself would double!
The higher the cultivation, the greater the basic increment of pressure!
For example, in the Lingmai Realm, each step forward would increase the pressure by a hundred catties!
Then, for the Foundation Establishment Realm, each step forward would increase the pressure by three hundred catties!
"Hmm? Hehe, look at that guy, deliberately pretending to be so relaxed!"
"Hmph, this person looks good, probably doing this on purpose to show off!"
"I'm laughing so hard, these idiots show up every year!"
...
At this time, many cultivators noticed He Yiming's presence. Since most of them were getting slower and slower as they climbed, He Yiming's steady pace stood out.
Although He Yiming didn't sweat or pant, and appeared to be advancing steadily, his display of no pressure irked many cultivators. They started to mock him.
However, regardless of how they ridiculed him, He Yiming continued to slowly advance and reached a thousand steps.
By now, only a pitiful number of cultivators could continue moving forward, less than ten thousand.
Over ninety percent of the cultivators were panting and gasping, barely able to move, and some were even starting to retreat and leave the Ten Thousand Step Mountain.
Among those who remained at the front, they were all geniuses from various major families and sects in the Central State. Their cultivations were all around the early or mid stages of the Sea Wheel Realm, and their bone age was very young, with none exceeding thirty years old!
Huo Wuji, the so-called genius son of the North Spirit Realm's Prison Saint Sect, required all of the sect's resources to produce, yet in the Central State, there were plenty of such geniuses.
"Hehe, everyone, the first thousand steps aren't a challenge! How about... we speed up a bit?"
"Hahaha, I agree!"
"Right, we can separate ourselves from those losers!"
...
After discussing among themselves, the twenty or so geniuses at the forefront suddenly accelerated, quickly pulling away from the rest of the group.
"Huff...huff... Why is it that even though my cultivation is higher than his, he's walking so fast and so effortlessly, while I can hardly move!"
"Damn it, it's too heavy, I... I can't go on!"
"Damn it, looks like I can only stop here!"
...
Many cultivators, who couldn't catch up to the first group after their acceleration, felt discouraged. The disheartening experience made some directly give up, and more and more cultivators began to stop.
Soon, the twenty-some geniuses from the first group had all entered the two-thousand-step range.
Upon reaching this point, the gravity applied to them had increased by two thousand times!
Ordinary mortals would be crushed by their own weight if they appeared here. However, each of these twenty-some geniuses had special constitutions and various opportunities, which allowed them to maintain an extremely relaxed appearance despite the two-thousand-fold increase in gravity.
However, the previous acceleration did consume some of their energy, so these geniuses, who seemed relaxed, secretly began to rest and recover while keeping their facade.
They also turned around and admired those behind them—those they considered losers.
And thus, they soon spotted a figure standing out in the crowd.
He Yiming, walking up the steps at a leisurely pace.
For some reason, when these geniuses saw He Yiming, an inexplicable sense of self-deprecation arose in their hearts, quickly followed by anger!
Who is this person?
Why is he so good at showing off?
He's not even breaking a sweat or panting, he's moving at a steady pace, showing no signs of pressure, yet...
He's strutting up the steps as if he's the coolest person around!
This made these geniuses quite annoyed.
"Hehe, I bet this guy won't make it past a thousand five hundred steps!"
"I'm in too!"
"I bet he won't even make it past a thousand four hundred steps!"
"That's right, this waste wants to pretend he's as good as us? So foolish!"
"I've never seen this guy before; he must be from some small sect or family!"
"Laughable, this genius thinks he can keep this up with such a show? How naive!"
...
These geniuses paid no attention to anyone else and fixed their gazes on He Yiming.
At this moment, those who had given up and those who had started as spectators gradually shifted their focus to He Yiming.
For no particular reason!
Inexplicably, everyone's attention was drawn to He Yiming!
It was as if from the moment He Yiming appeared here, the whole Ten Thousand Step Mountain became his catwalk stage!