Uchiha Juri slowly stepped into the red depression. His next move instantly shocked everyone in the audience.
As soon as Juri took the first step, he ran away at full speed. The previous contestants had to take one step at a time with great difficulty until they were exhausted and had to retire regretfully. Juri chose to quickly get through the first half of the journey and conserve his strength for the second stage of the illusion.
"I didn't expect this arrogant boy to be so smart," Uchiha Huo observed, admiring Uchiha Juri's intelligence. It's not easy for a child to notice such details.
The elders of the clan nodded frequently, approving of Juri's approach. There was pride and joy on Uchiha Dongtu's face. He was deeply gratified to see his son perform so well.
Everyone present couldn't help but change their opinion of Juri and admire him, except for Uchiha Fugaku, who had a sullen expression, leaving everyone wondering what he was thinking.
Fang Yuan, with his usual expressionless demeanor, waited for Uchiha Quan to ask curiously, "Fang Yuan-san, how many steps do you think Uchiha Juri can take?"
Fang Yuan replied, "One step."
"Ah?" Uchiha Izumi was a bit confused. She turned around to look at Uchiha Juri, who was speeding along. She didn't understand why Fang Yuan-san gave this answer.
"He is running now. If he walks, he will fall after one step," Fang Yuan explained.
Uchiha Izumi's mouth opened in shock. At that moment, she suddenly heard the exclamations of the crowd. Something had happened on the field. Uchiha Juri was running wildly without stopping. His breathing was rapid, and his whole body was red and hot.
Twenty-nine steps!
The next moment, he took the 30th step. Just then, the stone sculpture of the Sharingan at the end of the cave suddenly shook, and a terrifying force blasted towards Uchiha Juri like a shock wave.
"Poof~"
Uchiha Juri's brain suddenly went into a trance. He was already at the peak of his endurance, with his heart pounding wildly. The rough illusion left him no time to adjust himself. At the moment his mind was bombarded by the illusion, Uchiha Juri's state suddenly changed from violent to calm. But this nearly cost him his life.
When people are exposed to drastic temperature differences, they can fall into a state of hypothermia. Once the balance is broken, the consequences can be severe.
There was ash and water under Uchiha Juri's feet, which continued to heat up! It didn't matter that he had fainted; his whole body instantly burst into flames.
"Oh no! Help!" Fugaku shouted loudly, his frown deepening.
Uchiha Huo took immediate action. With a few swift movements, he reached Uchiha Juri and was about to grab the boy's shoulders.
"You! You… get out of here! I can still walk! How could it be possible? There's no way I could have only walked thirty steps! I'm a one-in-a-million genius in the Uchiha clan!" Uchiha Juri's expression was distorted. Under the influence of the illusion, he seemed to have lost his mind. He used all his strength, with red eyes, and turned his head to look at everyone staring at him, then took a step forward.
Thirty-one steps!
Run thirty steps, walk one step. It was exactly as Fang Yuan had predicted. Uchiha Quan covered his mouth with his hands, looking at Fang Yuan in shock, his eyes full of admiration.
"Uchiha Juri has lost his ability to move and is ruled as Class B. I would advise everyone here to take one step at a time and eat one bite at a time. If anyone is still trying to be clever, don't blame me for being delayed in rescuing them. Humph!" Uchiha Huo grabbed Uchiha Juri, who was lying on the ground. He was now face down, and his entire face was at risk of being disfigured.
"Don't blame me for being slow, little brat. I'll let you light the fire to cool your spirit." Uchiha Huo slowly carried Uchiha Juri ashore.
Uchiha Dongtu rushed over anxiously. This middle-aged man had lost his previous arrogance, and the gloom and rigidity on his face were gone. He bowed to Uchiha Kaname as he went and then left sadly, holding his son in his arms.
Fang Yuan watched this scene silently and shook his head. Fang Zheng looked at his uncle's departing figure, wanting to say something, but no words came out. At that moment, he finally understood what his brother had meant about living under someone else's roof.
How he wished his uncle could stay and watch his trial here. Fang Zheng wanted to prove that he was no worse than his brother, no worse than Juri. But now he stood alone in the crowd, feeling a deep sense of emptiness and loneliness.
"Brother…" Fang Zheng looked towards Fang Yuan's position. At that moment, he saw Uchiha Izumi holding Fang Yuan's arm with a smile, and he was hit hard again.
"Next, Uchiha Fangyuan!" Uchiha Kagami, after conferring with Fugaku, continued to preside over the competition. He announced Fang Yuan's name, and the whole audience was stunned once more.
The Uchiha clan has many well-known geniuses, including Shisui, Itachi, Juri, Fang Zheng, and the former Fang Yuan was also one of them. Fang Yuan had been very intelligent back then. He could compose and recite poems, climb mountains, and dive in a few months. He was hailed as the most promising genius in Uchiha. But as time went by, Fang Yuan's aptitude for refining chakra weakened, and his reputation gradually faded, causing many Uchiha clan elders to sigh with regret.
Now, this name was brought back to the public's attention. Everyone's forgotten memories seemed to have been refreshed, and they began to whisper among themselves and search for the name in the crowd.
"Uchiha Fangyuan?"
"Is he Uchiha Fang Yuan? He looks so ordinary!"
Fang Yuan walked out of the crowd and looked forward. Behind him was the sound of discussions, but he could not hear anything now. He stepped into the depression in front of him as if no one was around. The flames shot up high on Fang Yuan's body, but he ignored them.
Life is a walk. I only look ahead and walk my own way...
No one knew what Fang Yuan was thinking at the moment. He felt as if the cave around him had disappeared, and the crowd had vanished as well. He seemed to be walking among the green willows of the mountains, as if he had returned to the Qingmao Mountain of the past.
The familiar situation was before him. Back then, he took twenty-seven steps, had a C-level aptitude, and was despised by everyone. But it was these ordinary twenty-seven steps that created a sixth-turn Gu Immortal five hundred years later!
Persistence may not lead to success, but without taking the rugged mountain road, life will lose its poetry.