Raveena was only a few steps behind Lucius and Damian when they both suddenly burst forward. Her eyes widened as she watched them start sprinting up the stairs as if the crushing pressure did not exist at all.
"Eeep," she murmured under her breath. The sight felt unreal.
Raveena quickly shook her head and forced herself to focus. She looked down at her trembling legs, she could feel the deep exhaustion spreading through her body. Every one of her muscles ached, and she was breathing heavily.
Even with the body strengthening technique Lucius had taught her, the one where she spread her Qi around her body like a shell. It was still overwhelming.
She had never been physically strong since young. She had never liked running or fighting. Her world had always been in the library reading. While others trained their bodies, she trained her mind. Yet here she was, climbing a stairs under crushing pressure. She could feel the sweat soaking her robes and dripping down her face.
Raveena clenched her fists and took another step. The pressure pushed down harder, making her knees shake.
She swallowed and lifted her head. She had to do this. She wanted to join the Clear Sky Sect, not just for herself, but for her mother. Her mother had always believed in her.
But there was another reason too.
Lucius believed in her.
He did not have to help her. He could have focused on himself, on winning first place, yet he still took the time to stop and guide her. The thought warmed her chest, pushing back the exhaustion. Just like the heroes in the novels she loved, Lucius had stepped forward without expecting anything in return. He was strong, kind, and inspiring.
A small smile appeared on her lips.
She gently slapped her cheeks, the light sting helping her stay alert. "Just twenty-five more steps," she murmured, her voice shaking but firm.
Looking behind, she noticed fewer and fewer people climbing. Some had already collapsed onto the stairs, while others sat with pale faces, unable to move. Raveena realized she was still ahead of many of them. Fourth place.
Her eyes sharpened with determination.
"I won't let anyone pass me," she whispered.
.
.
.
A female figure could be seen walking up the stone stairs as her white hair flowed down her back, damp with sweat, and her clear blue eyes remained focused on the steps ahead.
Her name was Iris Frost. She was the only daughter of the current patriarch of the Frost family and the acknowledged heiress of her clan. From the moment she could walk, her life had been decided for her. She would become strong, she would cultivate, and she would never fall behind others.
Since childhood, Iris had trained harder than most adults. While other children played, her clan spared no expense in rare pills to improve her cultivation aptitude and strengthened her body. Elders had always praised her talent and her peers looked at her with admiration and envy. Being called a prodigy became normal to her, almost expected.
Because of that, Iris learned early to control her emotions. Pride, jealousy, joy, anger, she kept them all tightly sealed. Strong emotions, the elders said, would only disturb her cultivation path. She believed them and followed their words faithfully.
That was why today felt so strange.
Earlier, during the first exam, she had finished second. It was an excellent result, one that would have shaken the entire Frost family with pride. Yet her eyes had been drawn to the boy who finished first.
He had blonde hair, green eyes, and a friendly expression. But also an aura that did not match his age. He had not only passed first, but broken through two stages of the Qi Refining Realm during the exam itself.
Now, as she climbed the stairs, that feeling returned.
Footsteps thundered past her from below. Iris looked up just in time to see two figures running upward, their movements fast despite the crushing pressure of the test. Her eyes widened slightly as she recognized one of them. It was the same boy from before. Lucius.
Before she could fully process it, he crouched and then leaped into the air, his body bursting with Qi. He soared over several steps with ease, passing her by more than ten stairs in a single motion. For a brief moment, their eyes met. His expression was relaxed, almost carefree, as if this test was nothing more than a challenge to enjoy.
Iris felt her heart beat faster.
She forced herself to look away and continued climbing, but her steps felt heavier than before. This time, it was not just the pressure of the stairs weighing on her body. It was the realization settling deep within her mind. She had come second in the first exam, and now at least two people had surpassed her in the second. One of them had done so with overwhelming ease.
For someone praised as a prodigy since childhood, the truth was sharp and clear.
There were greater geniuses in this world.
If others could surpass her, then she would simply have to climb higher. She will prove she had the talent and ability to overcome this challenge.
She stepped through the final steps and entered a wide platform. At once, she noticed the two people who had passed her on the stairs.
They did not look exhausted at all. If they were tired, they hid it well. The scene in front of her left her confused.
The two of them were laughing and chatting as if the exam had never happened. They were even playing a childish game of rock, paper, scissors. She could hear the muscular boy grumbling each time the other beat him.
They looked completely relaxed, as if they had nothing in the world to worry about.