Chapter 88: How Could It Be Me?

Chapter One: Secret Technique 'Three Autumn Leaves'

Black mist rose from beneath the feet of each genius on the dark altar, seeping into their bodies.

Meanwhile, on an empty space nearby, Ji Yuantong also regained consciousness.

"Only nine eliminated so far?" Ji Yuantong's gaze swept over the scene, and his heart sank. "Out of a hundred people, I'm ranked ninety-second?"

He was incredibly proud. Ever since he was young, he had looked down on his peers, disdaining all his siblings within the family. His family had spared no effort in cultivating him, hoping the Ji family would produce another powerful Godfiend. In this Yuanchu Mountain entrance examination, he had only considered Meng Chuan as a competitor. Yet, the final challenge of the assessment had completely stunned him; he had nearly come in last.

"Their inner will is stronger than mine?" Ji Yuantong looked at the geniuses above him. Many of them had never consumed any natural treasures, and he had previously disregarded them. Yet, these geniuses were slowly ascending step by step, while he had already stopped and was out of the running.

"Ji Yuantong's potential will be greatly discounted now," the watching Godfiends thought. "Hopefully, other geniuses with strong Godfiend foundations won't have any more mishaps." Yuanchu Mountain naturally valued geniuses with strong Godfiend foundations, high cultivation realms, and excellent combat talent. They hoped these individuals wouldn't display fatal shortcomings in the final 'inner will' assessment.

On each successive step, more geniuses continued to fall.

"Hahahaha..."

Laughter suddenly erupted among the Godfiends. This was because the smallest and most youthful genius among the group, thirteen-year-old Yan Chitong, had reached the twenty-second step and stopped. His eyes had turned completely black. King Donghe smilingly teleported Yan Chitong down.

"Marquis Xihai, your son did very well."

"Indeed, being able to reach the twenty-second step of the dark altar at thirteen is very impressive."

"At thirteen, while still undergoing mental development, reaching the twenty-second step is truly excellent," these Godfiends commented with smiles.

Yan Chitong was still a mere youth. Ji Yuantong, however, was already an adult, and adults generally have mature minds. Yet he only reached the seventeenth step, which indeed worried many Godfiends.

"I actually lost."

Yan Chitong also regained consciousness. Seeing the many geniuses still on the dark altar, he couldn't help but clench his fists in dissatisfaction. But when his gaze swept to the nearby Ji Yuantong, he grinned.

Thirty steps was considered the minimum threshold by the Yuanchu Mountain Godfiends. Fortunately, the other geniuses they valued most, those with strong Godfiend foundations, all surpassed this minimum threshold. Among the hundred geniuses, twenty-six failed to reach thirty steps.

"Hmm?"

"Chu Yong stopped too?"

The Godfiends frowned slightly. Chu Yong, the highly renowned top genius of the imperial capital, stopped at the thirty-eighth step. His eyes also turned completely black, like a statue. Although he passed the minimum threshold, his score of thirty-eight steps was truly mediocre, even considered 'mid-to-lower' tier among the hundred participants.

But then—

Princess Li Ying and Jin Huan, who was second only to Meng Chuan in speed, both stopped at the thirty-ninth step.

"What?"

"All three of them stopped one after another."

King Donghe and the others all frowned slightly. This time, there were only ten individuals with exceptionally strong Godfiend foundations, besides Yan Chitong. These were Chu Yong, Yan Feng, Meng Chuan, Yan Jin, Zong Sha, Li Ying, Jin Huan, Ning Yibu, Dong Fang, and Ji Yuantong. Among these ten, except for Yan Feng who had a fortuitous encounter, the other nine were all exceptionally talented and had received their families' full cultivation support.

Their cultivation realms and Godfiend foundations were all very high. It was already disheartening that Ji Yuantong stopped at the seventeenth step, and Chu Yong, Li Ying, and Jin Huan also stopping around the thirty-seventh or thirty-eighth step was only a mid-to-lower tier performance among the hundred participants. Soon after, the most robust, Dong Fang, stopped at the forty-third step, which was considered average, ranking him around the fiftieth position among the hundred.

"Half of these ten individuals with strong Godfiend foundations are below fifty steps." The Godfiends watched calmly; this was within their expectations. Godfiend foundation had no direct correlation with inner will. Sixty-one out of the hundred geniuses failed to reach fifty steps, and five out of the ten with strong Godfiend foundations didn't reach fifty steps, which was a very normal proportion.

Time flowed on. The geniuses continued to ascend step by step.

Ning Yibu stopped at the fifty-ninth step and was also teleported out of the dark altar.

"Hmm?" After Ning Yibu regained consciousness, he looked up and saw that the slowest of the remaining geniuses on the dark altar had already reached the sixtieth step. "There are still eighteen geniuses left on the dark altar." Among the geniuses he was observing, only Meng Chuan, Yan Jin, Zong Sha, and Yan Feng were still slowly walking on the dark altar, all visibly struggling.

Meng Chuan felt like he was trapped in a nightmare from which he couldn't wake, yet he could still sense the existence of his body. It was like being in a semi-conscious state between sleep and wakefulness.

"These are all illusions, all fake."

"Keep walking."

Meng Chuan struggled to stay conscious, his strong will striving to control his body, to keep walking. Illusions constantly enveloped him, making Meng Chuan's consciousness feel like it was falling into an abyss. Many memories began to blur, starting to confuse real memories with illusions, as if the illusions were real.

"Stay awake, maintain consciousness," Meng Chuan's consciousness roared.

"I can't even withstand these petty illusions? And I want to slay all demons?" Meng Chuan roared inwardly.

He was furious. Furious that he was being influenced by illusions. But despite his fury, his memories grew blurrier, and his consciousness sank deeper. The illusions became even more real.

He became a soldier on a battlefield, facing an overwhelming siege by demons with his comrades. His comrades died one by one beside him.

"We can't stop them, we can't stop them. How can I alone stop so many demons? I'll be killed." He and his remaining comrades were terrified. Countless demons swarmed in, covering the land, while their own numbers were few. Comrades were torn to shreds one by one, their blood splattering onto him.

Terror and despair filled his heart. Finally, he was the only one left on the battlefield! All his comrades were dead, and countless demons grimly lunged at him.

There was no hope!

It was over!

"How could this be me?"

"So weak, so fearful! How could this be me?"

A roar echoed in his heart. It was fury. Furious at his own weakness, furious that this wasn't him!

"Even if I die, I, Meng Chuan, must kill. If I can kill one, I'll kill one; if I can kill ten, I'll kill ten!" Meng Chuan's will roared. "I, Meng Chuan, will never fear demons! Not even in death!"

Meng Chuan's will solidified, freeing himself from these illusions, and his perception of his body grew stronger. Meng Chuan regained partial consciousness, and his memories became much clearer. He remembered that he was still walking on the dark altar.

"Keep walking."

"In Dongning City, those weak ordinary people, for their children, used their bodies to withstand the demons' sharp claws."

"Third Elder, for the younger clan members, used his life to resist."

"Generation after generation, they charged forward."

"I am one of them; how could I fear demons?"

"I once swore to slay all demons! Then I must first slay my own weakness, my own fear!"

Meng Chuan's will continued to solidify, and he continued to ascend step by step.