I have an Apocalypse City Chapter 1169

Chapter 1169: Chapter 1171: Right Before Eyes_1 Chapter 1169: Chapter 1171: Right Before Eyes_1 Gu Luo and Duan Jian, both formal disciples of the Imperial Sword Sect, didn't feel the slightest pressure from the Ascent to Heaven Stairs upon them.

In contrast, those desiring to join the Imperial Sword Sect, to become disciples, appeared tense, like ants ceaselessly climbing upwards.

“Gu Luo, with so many people here, how many do you think will actually reach the peak?” Duan Jian couldn't help but be a bit dazed as he watched the examinees on the Ascent to Heaven Stairs.

“Hmph, at least ninety-nine percent will be eliminated!” Gu Luo disdainfully glanced at the people and said in a low voice.

Most of these examinees were natives in the game, also known as NPCs to the players, with only a very small number of players, referred to as Heaven Favored Ones by the NPCs.

Gu Luo believed that the potential of Heaven Favored Ones was immense. An average Heaven Favored One had much better natural talent than the game's talented natives and was certainly worth cultivating. This was also why the disciple he chose was a Heaven Favored One.

Of course, what pleased Gu Luo the most was that Xin Ling, a Heaven Favored One, actually possessed the Ancient Moon Sword Physique. Even Gu Luo himself felt he had stumbled upon incredible luck. He was sure that the sect would grant him a significant reward for this. Thinking of this, his heart flared with excitement. Looking toward Duan Jian beside him, his gaze became more casual.

The moment Xin Ling set foot on the stone steps, her speed surged. Within seconds, she had ascended twenty or thirty steps. However, she soon noticed that every ten steps, gravity intensified on her body. But this gravity was insignificant to her. With a cold snort, her speed did not slow but quickened instead, like a gust of wind climbing towards the mountain peak. In no time, she had already surpassed Song Jian, taking the lead.

Seeing this scene, Gu Luo grew even happier and laughed heartily, teasing, “Look, Duan Jian, Xin Ling has already passed Song Jian. The sooner you climb the Ascent to Heaven Stairs, the better; the slower you are, the more you expend. Isn't that simple logic? Or doesn't that kid understand it?”

Duan Jian glanced at Song Jian's leisurely pace, frowned slightly, and shook his head as he said, “He surely has his own ideas. Besides, the Ascent to Heaven Stairs test isn't about who climbs faster but about reaching the peak. So what if it takes a year?”

“Hmph, a year? If someone could stay on the Ascent to Heaven Stairs for a year, I, Gu Luo, would kowtow three times to him!” Gu Luo couldn't help but snort coldly.

You see, it's not just that every ten steps on the Ascent to Heaven Stairs increased gravity. As time went on, the gravity acting upon the examinees would also increase. Although it took longer – approximately gravity doubling every three days – it meant that, in reality, the Imperial Sword Sect only gave examinees three days.

Three days later would come another three days, and yet another after those. It's not about a year; with the strength of formal disciples like Gu Luo and Duan Jian, it would be impossible for even them to spend half a month on these stairs, let alone those examinees with far less strength?

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, half a day had already gone by. Many examinees, having only climbed a little over three thousand steps, suddenly emitted a white light and vanished from sight.

These were those unable to withstand the pressure and whose lives had come into jeopardy. The stone stairs automatically triggered protective measures, teleporting them to the base of the mountain. Otherwise, they would have been crushed to death by the gravity.

Being teleported to the base, of course, meant their assessment had failed. Three thousand steps were a hurdle; beyond that was five thousand and then every thousand steps was another, all the way until ten thousand steps!

As he ascended, the number of examinees dwindled, and when Song Jian reached the six-thousandth stair, he looked up to find that there were no more examinees above him.

By now, the pressure on Song Jian had reached 600 kilograms. One must understand that lifting a 600-kilogram weight is completely different from climbing a mountain with the same weight on one's back. Lifting a 600-kilogram object could be achieved by anyone with a level over 30 and a strength attribute of more than 50 points.

However, climbing such a high mountain with a 600-kilogram weight not only demanded a sufficient strength attribute but also required good physical and agility attributes; otherwise, one would never be able to make it this far.

Song Jian soon spotted Xin Ling, who was breathlessly climbing the stone stairs. She no longer exuded her previous confidence and vigor, leaping two or three steps at a time. Now, Xin Ling seemed to find each step as challenging as ascending the heavens, her entire body aching, with even her bones emitting a faint sound of being overburdened, almost as if she was undergoing torture.

In fact, although Xin Ling had the Ancient Moon Sword Physique, which indicated her great potential, her level was just over fifty. In terms of physical quality, she absolutely couldn't compare to Song Jian. Song Jian had twice undergone combat power exams and received an SS rank on one occasion and an S rank on another. The attribute points he gained were far beyond the reach of ordinary players. Moreover, as the lord of the City of Hope, the treasures he acquired to enhance his own attributes were also beyond Xin Ling's reach, let alone his epic class that set him further apart from her.

If it weren't for the fact that the Ascent to Heaven Stairs couldn't be affected by external forces, with all his luxurious equipment, Song Jian could have left Xin Ling far behind.

Although the attribute boosts from his equipment were temporarily blocked, Song Jian's innate talents and skills were still effective. For some reason, every time Song Jian climbed a step, his innate skill “Thick-Skinned” emitted a faint golden glow, flickering slightly as if it were enhancing something.

Yet Song Jian's innate skill “Thick-Skinned” had already reached level 10 MAX and couldn't be improved further. He wondered whether this change was good or bad for him.

Six thousand, six thousand five hundred, seven thousand, seven thousand five hundred, eight thousand…

When Song Jian reached the eight-thousandth stair, he was almost among the clouds. The breeze blew and his sleeves fluttered, making him seem like a sage floating in the sky.

At some point, mysterious runes had appeared along both sides of the stairway, flickering faintly. At such a high altitude, Song Jian didn't feel the slightest bit of breathlessness or exhaustion from the thin air. Were it not for the increasing pressure on his body, he might even have enjoyed the leisurely feeling of being high above the ground.

Looking up, he saw a continuous array of palace buildings rising and falling among the clouds, partially hidden as if they were fairy palaces.

“Almost there. Just a little more effort and I'll reach the top!” Song Jian took a deep breath and continued to climb. His legs had already begun to tremble slightly, and his entire body bore an enormous pressure, with sweat dripping onto the stone stairs. Despite the pressure, it hadn't reached an unbearable limit for him, and he was still able to persist.

However, just as he was about to step up to another stair, he suddenly received a system prompt that changed his expression drastically.

PS: Thank you “A Night of Melancholic Song” for the 100 starting coins reward~

Chapter end

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