I leapt from one bamboo stalk to another, my body light as a feather. My strength had increased significantly after consuming the pill given by Zhu Quan.
Over the past few days, I had been trying to adapt to my body—now far more agile and powerful—testing the limits of my jumps, balance, and flexibility, things I had never been capable of before.
My basic physical strength was now extraordinary: my movement speed had increased severalfold, and my endurance felt far more resilient.
One morning, while I was leaping from bamboo to bamboo, Zhu Quan's figure appeared amid the morning mist. His body floated in the air, standing atop a flying sword just as before.
"Lin Wu," his voice was calm yet firm, "it's time to go. The disciple recruitment trial is being held today."
I looked at him, took a deep breath, and prepared myself for the challenge ahead.
With a casual wave of his hand, Zhu Quan lifted my body into the air as usual. We flew over valleys and forests, the wind brushing against my face as vast mountain ranges stretched beneath us. In the blink of an eye, we arrived at the trial grounds.
There, dozens of youths about my age—around fifteen—were gathered together, their faces filled with both nervousness and excitement. Zhu Quan gently lowered me to the ground, gave a brief nod, then turned and departed, leaving me alone amid the crowd.
Suddenly, an elder appeared before us. His robes fluttered in the wind, his gaze sharp and resolute. He raised his hand, and his voice echoed through the air:
"Welcome, prospective disciples. This trial will test your endurance, agility, and courage. You must pass through a dense forest, climb a steep cliff, cross a deep ravine, and reach the mountain summit before sunset. As always, only the first three to reach the peak will be accepted as disciples. The rest… will fail."
I swallowed hard and stared at the towering mountain peak in the distance. I could not fail—no matter what. This trial would determine my future as a cultivator.
Everyone lined up at the edge of the forest, and I walked along with them.
"All right, the trial begins!"
In an instant, all the participants rushed into the forest. I stomped the ground and surged forward. In the blink of an eye, several people were left behind. I was now competing with two others at the very front. My heart pounded as joy surged within me—consuming that entire pill had not been in vain.
If this continued, I would surely pass the trial.
After running for about an hour, we were still deep within the forest. Fatigue began to seep into my body. My pace gradually slowed, and the two ahead of me began to drift out of sight.
I clenched my teeth, enduring the exhaustion, and forced myself to speed up in pursuit.
Before long, several people began catching up to me.
"Hey, how can you already be tired? Is this your first trial?"
A young man with a headband across his forehead approached me as he spoke.
Too exhausted to reply, I chose to ignore him.
"Hey, don't ignore me!" He reached out and touched my shoulder, but I slapped his hand away.
"You… judging from your earlier display of strength, I'd say you've only consumed one body-tempering pill."
I continued to ignore him, focusing solely on regulating my breathing.
"Hahaha… I thought so. How could you think you could compete with us relying only on first-stage Body Tempering?"
I was slightly startled by his words, but replied, "I don't care. What matters is that I'm still holding the front line."
He laughed even louder. "Listen. Those two ahead of you are at the fifth layer of Body Tempering, while I'm at the third."
Hearing that, an uneasy feeling settled in my chest.
"You might think you can keep up with them, but in reality, they're conserving their stamina for the obstacles they truly excel at."
My face darkened instantly. His words struck me like a hammer, shattering the fragile hope I had been holding onto.
"Listen, I was once in your position too. But don't worry—you can try again next time. For now, conserve your strength and observe the terrain. Treat it as experience for the future."
The young man slowly disappeared from my sight, along with several others who managed to overtake me.
Did I really have another chance? The answer was no. No matter what happened, I had to succeed in this trial if I wanted to begin cultivating.
"It's not over yet. I haven't truly lost."
Grinding my teeth, I forced myself to run faster, ignoring my body's desperate cries of exhaustion.
After running for a long time, I finally emerged from the forest.
Behind me, footsteps echoed as others tried to catch up.
"Yohoo! I finally got out of that damn forest! This is where I'll shine!"
A youth dashed past me at incredible speed, followed by many others who quickly overtook me as well.
We were now on a straight path, bamboo trees lining both sides. Without the forest's obstacles, several people surged forward at full speed, easily passing those ahead.
Frustration gripped me as I realized the vast disparity in physical strength between us.
"Is there really no way?" Anxiety filled my heart as my pace continued to slow.
Suddenly, an idea flashed through my mind. I looked at the bamboo surrounding us and realized—those bamboo stalks could serve as footholds and springboards to increase momentum.
With a swift motion, I leapt onto a bamboo stalk. It bent slightly before snapping back, generating a spring-like force that launched me forward. Using that momentum, I shot ahead, stepping onto another bamboo to add even more propulsion, amplifying my speed to an astonishing level.
I zigzagged through the bamboo grove, maintaining my velocity. While airborne, I took quick breaths to recover, and whenever I neared a bamboo stalk, I exerted force to launch myself forward once more. This allowed me to preserve both speed and stamina.
Several youths below stared in shock as Lin Wu soared above their heads. Seeing this, some attempted to imitate his movements. They failed—bamboo stalks snapped under their feet, sending them crashing to the ground, while others couldn't stop their momentum midair and ended up plunging deep into the bamboo forest.
Lin Wu accelerated even further, leaving many behind.
"Good. At this rate, I can secure enough time in this stage." He refocused on the race.
After leaping from bamboo to bamboo for a long while, he finally spotted the headband-wearing youth again. The moment the youth saw Lin Wu pass him, he immediately increased his speed to chase after him.
After continuing for some time, Lin Wu finally saw the edge of the bamboo forest. With a single leap, he descended and landed firmly on the ground.
"Phew… that was quite a thrilling contest. Looks like you've got some skill," the headband-wearing youth said, patting Lin Wu's shoulder from behind.
Lin Wu ignored him and walked forward, thinking that everyone in this competition was an enemy he needed to defeat.
Five chains stretched across a ravine nearly one kilometer long. Some had already crossed—some clung to the chains like monkeys, others walked with arms outstretched, and some even strolled casually atop the chains.
"This stage is quite different. If you arrive first, you can pass easily. But if you're late, you'll have to wait for those ahead of you to move before you can proceed," the headband-wearing youth explained.
Hearing this, frustration surged within Lin Wu as he realized he couldn't overtake others.