After the meeting with the supervisor, the patriarchs of the various families shut up about the matter of Arthur Red Mane possibly cheating. They also didn't ask for his information like they planned to do.
But the people below who were not qualified to have that meeting continued to clamor and complain. Especially the examinees. They found Arthur's performance to be absurd and unbelievable.
It didn't help that none of the patriarchs told them about the result of the meeting. So these people were still ignorant and still complaining.
Unfortunately, the fact that they couldn't attend that meeting meant that their opinion didn't matter. No matter how much they complained, the examination was going to continue with or without them.
The first test ended after 20 days. The next test didn't hold until ten days later.
The next test was called the willpower test. Every participant was sent into a white, empty room. The only things in the room were words written on the white walls.
The rules of the test were written on one wall. The ranking for the top 100 for this test was written on the second wall. The time and progress of the examinee were written on a third wall. Lastly, the ranking of the examinees for the whole exam was written on the fourth wall.
The rules of the test were straightforward and easy to understand.
SECOND TEST: Willpower and Determination.
OBJECTIVE: Endure the pressure for as long as possible.
RULE 1: This test is an endurance test. It will begin in five minutes, so adjust your state of mind for the upcoming immense pressure.
RULE 2: The pressure that each examinee will experience will be different. It will be directly proportional to the power of their bodies.
RULE 3: Performance points are earned based on the duration of endurance of the pressure. The reward per minute increases the longer the test continues.
RULE 4: To quit Just say, "I surrender." Saying this will make the end of your test. You will also be eliminated and returned to the teleportation platform if you faint or become unconscious. As long as you don't surrender or faint, the test will continue and when the test ends, all your injuries will be healed.
RULE 5: The points you earn in this test will be relevant in your evaluation for the entire examination. You can also use your points to exchange for cultivation techniques after the examination if you fail to gain admission into a sect.
GOOD LUCK.
Arthur looked at the third wall and saw that there was a countdown on it. It showed that there was less than five minutes left before the start of the test.
After reading the rules, he understood what the test was about. He said, "If the first test was about cultivation and skill, then this test is purely about the willingness to endure suffering."
He smirked and said to himself, "I don't know about my willingness to endure suffering, but I am sure that the true children of the families will be at a disadvantage in this test."
"I wonder how long that stupid Brian will last."
He was in a good mood imagining Brian suffering and also mocking Brian for his failure. As he sat down in preparation for the test to begin, his good mood made him relaxed physically and mentally.
As soon as the countdown on the wall reached zero, the test began. A heavy invisible weight settled on his entire body. It caused him to groan.
The force of the weight was uniform. It came from every direction and pressed every part of his body as if trying to crush him.
Even with his strong body, the pressure was still painful. It felt as if he was in a vice. He was squeezed so hard that he found it difficult to breathe.
On the third wall, the time had started again. It was keeping track of how long he was enduring the pressure.
On the second wall, the highest 100 times of the examinees in the test were displayed. It was informative and also encouraging.
The list of the top 100 told him how long he had to last to reach the top. This encouraged him to hold on for longer.
He gritted his teeth and said, "I would rather die than surrender. I have to be the best."
His determination was fueled by his pride and his need for dominance. He had to be the best of the best, so he was determined to last until he became unconscious.
At first, he felt like he could endure the pressure forever. But a few minutes into the test, he was beginning to hate the test.
He wanted to complain that it wasn't fair that he couldn't use the advantage of his strong body. But he knew that this test was the fairest since every participant would experience the same difficulty and bear the same conditions. There was nothing more fair than that.
Besides, talking won't change anything apart from exhausting his energy and making it more difficult for him to continue to endure. So he could only keep his mouth shut and focus on withstanding the pressure without fainting.
The encouraging thing was that the performance points he was earning were increasing by the minute. For the first minute, he earned one point. For the second minute, he earned two points.
After the third minute, he earned three points. The points were increasing, but he will only earn the point after a minute goes by.
If he endures for 56 seconds and gives up then, he won't earn anything for those 56 seconds. Without doing the whole 60 seconds, all of his effort will go to waste.
While it was encouraging to earn more points as time went by, it was demoralizing to see that the pressure was getting more and more difficult to endure.
It wasn't that the pressure itself had increased. It was simply that the body and the mind were getting tired as time went by. Their tiredness made it difficult to continue to withstand the pressure.