As the three waited silently, an entire day passed. Just as they were about to consider leaving, another person made it to the peak of the mountain. He was another one of the 20 that did not belong to the top ten sects.
Zhu Yi stood up as the numbers turned to 4/4. So did the other two. Suddenly, lines formed around the flat mountain peak and fell vertically like pillars. They surrounded the mountain peak as a boundary and words appeared in the sky.
"Body like a rock, Heart like a boulder."
Zhu Yi did not understand, but before he could think, a pressure descended upon him. It felt as if he was holding up a mountain, not only in body, but in spirit.
Along with the bodily pressure, Zhu Yi felt a pressure descend upon his heart. It felt like it covered his willpower and pushed down upon it.
Zhou Fan spoke. "The body strong and firm like a rock. The heart unmovable like a boulder. This test is one of resistance and willpower. I'm not sure that you can succeed."
These words hurt Zhu Yi's spirit. Although it was true, it hurt to see his master not believe in him.
His master had always been above him, like a god. No matter how strong he became, he could not see Zhou Fan in any other way.
He, the disciple, was lacking.
Zhu Yi resisted the pressure. He was fueled by the desire to prove his master wrong.
Zhou Fan nodded outside of Zhu Yi's vision. Willpower could be trained and built up, but it could also temporarily skyrocket under certain circumstances.
Zhu Yi was experiencing a temporary boost. As for his body, although he did not specifically practice strengthening it, this trial focused less on the strength of the body and more on the strength of the heart.
It was clear that not only Zhu Yi, but the other three participant's eyes were unfocused. The body pressure was simply to allow one to feel it everywhere and fall into an unfocused state, but the pressure of the heart was the only test that truly mattered.
Zhou Fan was impressed by the creator of this inheritance. He had talent and was firm in will. Yet, in the vast universe, there were countless that were the same.
Perhaps a genius in a village was an ordinary person in a city. Perhaps a genius in a city was an ordinary person in a country. Perhaps a genius in a country was an ordinary person in the world. Perhaps a genius in a world was an ordinary person in the wider universe.
As far as Zhou Fan had seen, only Chen Jie had the potential to be a genius even in the wider universe.
Zhu Yi silently endured the pressure. At one point, his only thought was to prove his master wrong.
The first person to fail was the last person to come. He collapsed and rolled off of the mountain peak.
None of the remaining three even noticed. They were all too focused on enduring.
Zhu Yi lasted longer than Zhou Fan expected. The second person to fail was the third person that had come up the mountain. All that remained on the mountain peak were Zhu Yi and the girl.
Although Zhu Yi was doing well, it seemed as if he was about to lose. Zhou Fan spoke to him.
"At this rate, the girl will beat you."
"I know, but I will endure."
Zhou Fan laughed. "Then why don't we cheat?"
Zhu Yi was confused. He could not think much under the pressure.
"Speak to her. Tell her that you killed her brother."
Zhu Yi was shocked at Zhou Fan's ruthlessness.
"Are you sure, master?" Zhu Yi asked.
Zhou Fan nodded. "If you're not cheating, then you're not trying your hardest."
Zhu Yi agreed and strugglingly spoke. "You-You're looking for your brother, right?"
Although the girl wouldn't have usually heard Zhu Yi in her current state of mind, the word "brother" had caught her subconscious attention.
She did not speak, but she was listening.
"Down on the mountain, we met. I killed him with my bare hands while he begged me to stop. While I was ripping out his organs, he was saying something about a sister."
Zhu Yi ruthlessly lied. To say he didn't feel evil was a lie, but he needed to win.
As expected, Zhu Yi's ruthless words were heard by the girl, and her mental state temporarily shook. The pressure hit her heart full force and knocked her down.
As soon as she fell, the pressure disappeared.
Zhu Yi opened his eyes and looked around. The mountain was the same, but only he and the girl were left on it.
Above, a light was shining, but Zhu Yi did not look at it just yet. Lying on the ground, staring at him with bloodshot eyes, was the girl, Tin Ih.
Zhu Yi ran up to her and unsheathed his sword. "For the record, it was a quick death."
Tin Ih saw a sword wave traveling towards her and a wall of earth Qi blocked it. Unlike her brothers, this wall blocked the sword strike, though it collapsed with it.
"As expected, she's the stronger of the bunch."
Tin Ih was moving in pure anger with unrivaled hatred.
A spear of earth Qi condensed in each of her hands and stabbed towards Zhu Yi.
To say the least, it was clumsy. An attack fueled by rage was usually messier. Zhu Yi dodged each with a spin and slashed his sword towards Tin Ih.
Tin Ih ignored it and stabbed at him. She was truly fighting without caring for her life.
Zhu Yi mumbled. "Let the siblings die together."
He flipped up and moved his sword. Tin Ih's head flew and fell.
Zhou Fan spoke. "She would have been a more challenging fight in different circumstances."
Zhu Yi shook his head. "Regardless, let's focus on the reward."
He looked up and saw a floating key. It was high enough that a mortal wouldn't be able to reach it, but Zhu Yi jumped casually and grabbed it.