Chapter 26: Standing Tall I
Hitman with a Badass System
Where Michael stood, the young disciples from the major sects were preparing themselves. Their expressions were charged with determination and readiness to conquer the world, with their eyes gleaming fiercely. It didn't take a genius to discern that the relationships between these three sects were far from friendly, particularly the tense dynamic between Morning Star and Golden Valley.
A mere exchange of glares between Evan Clark and Victoria Parker revealed the depth of their enmity. Consequently, the disciples from both sects had begun to engage in a heated verbal confrontation. Not long ago, during a competition among the three sects, Alex Fisher had defeated Adam Kane from Golden Valley within five moves, infuriating many Golden Valley disciples. They now eagerly anticipated Victoria Parker defeating Evan Clark to partially redeem their sect's honor. Therefore, the second round of the competition promised to be even more intense.
At the foot of the stairway, disciples from the sects and the other young talents gazed up at the four individuals standing at the summit, their eyes brimming with envy. Many boys couldn't help but admire the striking young woman at the top.
"Senior Alex and Miss Celina define the perfect couple. Just look at their demeanor and the aura surrounding them. If only I could have a girlfriend like her...sigh."
"And a boyfriend like Senior Alex."
"Hey, look at the Golden Valley disciples drooling over the Morning Stars."
"Shut the f**k up, you scoundrels. If it wasn't for our Senior Adam being sick that day, he would have kicked your Senior's ass and sent him back to where he came from."
"How dare you disrespect our senior Alex? Let's wait until our Evan Clark meets your little Miss Victoria in the battleground. Then we'll see who kicks who's ass,"
"Obviously, Sister Victoria is gonna kick his ass."
"Hey darling, I'll visit your Silver Moon palace later."
"What the f**k, dude!?"
****************
The atmosphere grew incredibly tense, almost as if they were on the brink of attacking each other. Amidst the turmoil, Michael remained the calmest individual on the scene. While he found Celina's presence irritating, he couldn't care less about the enmity among these celebrity disciples. In his mind, he was here to earn badass points and assist the Sunrise Sect in the process, all to secure a secluded place for his breakthrough. His inherent narcissism prevented him from admiring these disciples.
"Begin," Alex calmly declared, yet his voice was amplified by Arch Energy, resounding loudly and marking the commencement of the first round.
Instantly, nearly 700 young talents began racing up the Heaven's Gate stairway. The stairway itself was exceptionally wide, capable of accommodating even more than a thousand individuals simultaneously without feeling overcrowded.
The Heaven's Gate stairway comprised a total of 100 stone steps, with each step standing at a height of at least half a meter. To these cultivators, it seemed like a rather straightforward climb. They were confident that anyone, let alone them as cultivators, could easily ascend such a stairway. Some even leaped forward like agile rabbits upon hearing Alex's command, a sight that amused Michael, causing him to chuckle inwardly.
"Human, what are you doing!? If she sees you, she'll go berserk again," Gaya urgently exclaimed, warning Michael about Celina.
Ignoring Gaya's shout, Michael began ascending the stairway. He stepped onto the first step, then the second, and continued until he reached the eighth step. However, at this point, he felt a slight pressure, and more and more participants began overtaking him, leaving him behind.
"What the heck? Am I really this weak?" he pondered, bewildered.
He observed the others scaling the stairs with ease, displaying no signs of exertion.
"It looks like he's going to be the last one," commented a Sunrise Sect disciple as they watched Michael on the stairs. Several steps ahead of Michael, the young talents who had passed him began to slow down as they encountered the pressure emanating from the four Core Formation cultivators.
Unlike the teachers who had attended the competition two years ago to assess the participants, these four were no ordinary cultivators; they were prodigies and geniuses of the younger generation. Each possessed exceptional talent and power, and the soul pressure they emanated was no trivial matter. This made this year's competition exceptionally challenging.
As they ascended the steps, the pressure they felt increased incrementally. Gaya couldn't bear to witness the crowd's ridiculing glances.
"Human, you're embarrassing yourself. Come on, cast your strange spell and disappear!" she urged.
"System, purchase the Energy Devourer skill and activate it."
[Ding! The host has successfully acquired the level 1 Energy Devourer.]
[Activating the Energy Devourer.]
[Loading 120...119... 118...]
"Damn, I have to wait for two minutes?" Michael grumbled.
He withdrew from the system and glanced around, realizing he was now the last individual remaining on the fifth step.
"As long as you manage to secure a spot in the top 40, you can choose to become a disciple of any of the sects as you wish," Sadie Kaplan announced. Although the crowd was aware of this, her words incited restlessness among them.
"What about the top hundred? Give that last kid a chance."
"Hehehe."
"I TOLD YOU, HUMAN!" Gaya couldn't contain her anger any longer as she heard mocking comments directed at them.
Michael tried to ignore these remarks, but they were growing increasingly irritating, particularly since he hadn't indulged in any form of bragging or boasting. Surprisingly, even some of the disciples who had surpassed him began joining in on the mockery. They attempted to alleviate their own nerves by poking fun at him.
"Look at that weakling. I bet he can't climb more than twenty steps!"
"Twenty steps? Look at him, where's he even standing? He's stuck at the fifth step, for God's sake! I doubt he'll even make it past the tenth step."
The derogatory comments grew increasingly intense as Michael patiently waited for the system to activate the spell.
[30... 29... 28...]
"It's a good thing he isn't representing our sect," sighed Elder Miles, observing the young man at the bottom of the stairs.
"Humph."
Suddenly, Michael opened his eyes and smirked at the disciples above him. Brushing back his shoulder-length black hair, he began to ascend step by step towards them.
"Teachers, he's moving."
While the sect disciples exerted themselves, sweating and struggling to climb, Michael remained calm, a smile playing on his lips.
[Experience points converted, 2000.]
[Experience points converted, 3000.]
[Experience points converted, 4000.]
The Legendary spell devoured the soul pressure, converting it into experience points. The invisible force he had felt moments ago vanished entirely.
Within a matter of seconds, he reached the tenth step and glanced at the two girls who had mocked him earlier. They were only a few steps ahead, and upon seeing him approach with such calmness, they were utterly shocked.
"Middle finger, you bitches."
He nonchalantly raised his middle finger towards both of the girls and continued past them, their faces flushing red with anger. However, they were powerless to retaliate, struggling to maintain their positions against the oppressive soul pressure.
"How dare he!"
"Shut up, they had it coming."
"Arrogant bastard!"
Some spectators at the thirteenth step witnessed the incident and began arguing among themselves while Michael calmly continued his ascent.
"Human, were you toying with me earlier?" Gaya inquired, watching him climb higher step by step without a pause.
Upon reaching the twentieth step, the pressure nearly doubled, bearing down on them like an insurmountable mountain. Each individual felt crushed, their knees buckling, and their shirts and trousers drenched in sweat. As they ascended further, the pressure intensified, causing many to come to a halt.
"I don't think I can go any farther; the pressure is too intense. I can feel my soul quaking."
"Yeah, same here."
Several of them sighed, wiping the sweat from their brows. By the twentieth step, most of those still standing were at the Body Refining stage, Level 4. When they observed Michael, a mere Level 1 in the Body Refining stage, calmly passing them, their mouths gaped, and their eyes widened in disbelief.
"Huh?"
From the twentieth step to the thirtieth step, only around a hundred participants remained standing, a stark contrast to the initial 700. Among these hundred, prodigies like Evan Clark and Victoria Parker had already reached the thirtieth step, appearing calm and composed, while those beside them showed signs of exhaustion.
"Elder Sandra, how is he ascending with his cultivation level?" Sect Leader Claire asked, her eyes wide with astonishment, as she observed Michael.
"I... I don't know. It shouldn't be possible..." Elder Sandra responded, equally bewildered.