The geniuses on the Darkness Altar all had black fog—which seeped into their bodies—rising from beneath their feet.
Meanwhile, Ji Yuantong regained consciousness. Ji Yuantong’s gaze swept around him. Only nine people have been eliminated? His heart sank. I’m ranked 92nd out of a hundred people?
How proud was he?
He had been supercilious towards his peers since he was young. He couldn’t care less about his siblings. His family clan also nurtured him with all their might, hoping that the Ji family would produce another powerful Godfiend.
He had regarded Meng Chuan as his only competitor in Archean Mountain’s entrance examination. However, he was ranked near the bottom for the final assessment.
Their wills are all stronger than mine? Ji Yuantong looked at the geniuses above him. Many of them had never consumed natural treasures before. He had thought nothing of them in the past, but these geniuses were slowly advancing step by step. As for him, he had already been eliminated.
...
Ji Yuantong’s potential needs to be greatly reconsidered. I hope there won’t be any accidents with the others that have strong Godfiend foundations. This was a common thought shared by many Godfiends.
Archean Mountain valued Godfiends with strong foundations, high cultivation realms, and good combat talent. They hoped that the geniuses wouldn’t be lacking when it came to willpower.
One after another, geniuses collapsed as they ascended the altar.
“Hahaha...”
The Godfiends suddenly laughed. This was because among these geniuses, the youngest genius—Yan Chitong—had stopped at the 22nd step. His eyes had also turned pitch-black. King East River smiled as he moved Yan Chitong down.
“Marquis West Sea, your son is not bad.”
“That’s right. To be able to reach the 22nd step of the Darkness Altar at the age of thirteen is already very impressive.”
“His mind is still maturing. He’s very outstanding for reaching the 22nd step,” commented the Godfiends while smiling.
Yan Chitong was still a teenager. However, Ji Yuantong was already an adult. An adult’s mind was typically mature, but he only reached the seventeenth step. This truly broke the hearts of many Godfiends.
I actually lost. Yan Chitong returned to his senses as well. He couldn’t help but clench his fists indignantly as he stared at the geniuses still on the Darkness Altar. However, when his gaze landed on Ji Yuantong, he grinned.
...
The 30th step was Archean Mountain’s minimum requirement for their future Godfiends. Fortunately, the other geniuses—who they thought highly of—with strong Godfiend foundations had all achieved the minimum requirement. Among 100 geniuses, 26 had failed to reach the 30th step.
“Huh?”
“Chu Yong also stopped?”
The Godfiends frowned slightly.
The former number one genius of the capital, Chu Yong, stopped at the 38th step. His eyes turned pitch-black, and he stood still like a statue. Although he had passed the demarcating line, his result of 38 steps was very mediocre. It was below average amongst the 100 geniuses.
But following that, Princess Li Ying and Jin Huan—whose speed was second only to Meng Chuan—stopped at the 39th step.
“What?”
“The three of them stopped in succession.”
King East River and the others frowned slightly. Other than Yan Chitong, those with robust Godfiend foundations numbered ten. They were none other than Chu Yong, Yan Feng, Meng Chuan, Yan Jin, Zong Sha, Li Ying, Jin Huan, Ning Yibo, Dong Fang, and Ji Yuantong. Apart from Yan Feng having a fortuitous encounter, the rest were specially nurtured by their family clans.
Their cultivation realms and Godfiend foundations were extremely profound. Ji Yuantong had broken many people’s hearts after halting on the 17th step. Chu Yon had stopped at the 37th, while Li Ying and Jin Huan had stopped at the 39th step. Their results were below average. Soon, the brawny Dong Fang stopped at the 43rd step. He was considered average, ranking fiftieth.
“Out of the ten geniuses with robust Godfiend foundations, half of them are below the 50th step.” The Godfiends watched calmly. This was something they had expected. One’s Godfiend foundation and talent had nothing to do with willpower. Of the 100 geniuses, 61 didn’t reach the 50th step. It was normal if half of those—with strong Godfiend foundations—to fail to reach the 50th step. The ratio was expected.
...
Time passed.
The geniuses advanced up the altar step by step.
Ning Yibo stopped on the 59th step and was moved away from the Darkness Altar.
Oh? When Ning Bo regained consciousness, he raised his head and saw that the slowest remaining genius on the Darkness Altar was at the 60th step. There are still 18 geniuses left on the Darkness Altar.
Among the geniuses he paid much attention to, only Meng Chuan, Yan Jin, Zong Sha, and Yan Feng were still climbing the Darkness Altar with great difficulty.
Meng Chuan felt like he was in a nightmare that he couldn’t wake up from. He could sense his body, but it was like he was in a trance.
These are all illusions. They are all fake. Continue walking. Meng Chuan tried to maintain clarity of his mind and forced his body to continue moving.
Illusions constantly barraged his mind, making him feel like he had fallen into an abyss. He was starting to confuse his real memories with the illusions. It was as though the illusions were real.
Wake up. Stay awake. Meng Chuan roared angrily. You can’t hold on because of these puny illusions? You want to kill all demons with such willpower?
He was furious. He was angry about being affected by the illusions. However, no matter how angry he was, his memories became blurrier as his consciousness sank deeper into the illusions. The illusions became closer and closer to reality.
In one illusion, he was a soldier. He and his companions faced the overwhelming horde of demons on the battlefield. His companions died one after another.
I can’t stop them. I can’t. How can I withstand so many demons alone? I’ll be killed. He and his remaining companions were gripped with fear. Countless demons surged towards them. He only had a few allies left by his side. His comrades were torn apart, and their blood splattered on his body.
Fear and despair filled his heart.
Eventually, he was the only human alive on the battlefield! All his comrades lay dead as countless demons charged at him ferociously.
There was no hope! It was over!
How can this be me? So weak and so fearful! How can this be me?
An angry roar sounded in his heart.
He felt pure anger.
He was angry at his weakness, angry that this was all fake!
Even if I—Meng Chuan—were to die today, I’ll continue killing until I drop. If I can kill one demon, I’ll kill one. If I can kill ten, I’ll kill ten. Meng Chuan roared inwardly. I, Meng Chuan, will never fear demons! Even in death!
Meng Chuan’s will condensed, and he escaped the illusions. His perception of his body grew clearer. Meng Chuan regained some control over his mind, and his memories became much clearer.
He remembered that he was still walking on the Darkness Altar.
Continue walking. Remember Eastcalm Prefecture. Remember those weak civilians that used their bodies to block the demons for their children. Remember how Third Elder sacrificed himself for the young clansmen.
For generations, people have charged forward. I’m also one of them. How can I be afraid of demons? I once swore an oath to kill all demons! I’ll first sever my weakness and fear!
Meng Chuan’s will continued to condense as he continued climbing the altar.