"Damn, just three more."
Li Yun gritted his teeth as he slowly moved his leg and took a step.
"Agh!"
The moment he took that step, the pressure on him increased so much that it felt like a truck was standing on his back. It was pure torture, but he held on.
'I can do it.'
Li Yun resolved his thoughts and took another step.
Bang!
The pressure increased once again, and he bent down completely, but he refused to fall. He wouldn't fall.
"Aaaah!"
He screamed lightly as he managed to straighten his position, little by little.
'The pressure is too much.'
He felt his breathing slow down because of the immense pressure, but he didn't give up and continued straightening up his body, bit by bit.
Another hour passed like this, and by that time, almost all the disciples had given up. Only the top geniuses remained standing.
Elder Hie looked at them and nodded. His eyes were drawn to Li Yun, noticing that he was the closest to the circle mark, while the second closest was Hua Fu, who was five steps behind the mark.
'I can do it.'
Li Yun was sweating heavily, but the determination and resolve in his eyes were as strong as they had been from the moment he started moving toward the circle mark.
After another hour of effort, he could withstand the pressure without hunching down.
Now, only a single step remained before he would cross the red circle mark.
'Just one more step.'
Li Yun thought, gritting his teeth. He slowly moved his leg, crossed the circle mark, and stepped inside.
The moment he set foot inside, he was almost slammed into the ground. However, once again, he didn't fall. He was fully hunched over, but he didn't fall, and that was all that mattered to Li Yun.
'I have to fully stand inside the circle.'
Li Yun thought and took another step without hesitation, bracing himself for the impact. He felt he might not be able to withstand the pressure any longer.
However, the expected pressure didn't come. Confused, Li Yun looked around and noticed everyone else was in the same situation as him.
"Well done," Elder Hie praised as he looked at all the disciples before turning his attention to Li Yun and Hua Fu. "Especially you two, Li Yun and Hua Fu. One managed to cross the red circle, and the other was just four steps behind. Well done, you two."
Li Yun was surprised that Hua Fu had managed to move so close to the circle, and so was Hua Fu. Neither of them had expected Li Yun to be the first to cross the circle.
"You're good!" Li Yun praised Hua Fu.
"You too." Hua Fu laughed lightly.
"Alright, that's enough for today," Elder Hie said with a serious expression. "This is the pressure from a demon, and you will have to face and kill these demons more often now that you've become disciples of the Mystic Cloud Sect."
He added, "The pressure training will continue for half a year on alternate days."
"Ah, I made a mistake that I just realized now," Elder Hie said, his face showing a bit of embarrassment.
"What is it?" Li Yun asked curiously.
Elder Hie pointed at the demon hanging between the nine pillars and said with a smile, "That demon isn't at the 9th level of the Qi Training Realm, but the 9th level of the Innate King Realm."
A stupefied look appeared on the faces of all the disciples present. They couldn't believe they had been standing in front of a 9th level Innate King demon, enduring its pressure, just because their instructor made a mistake.
"Well, I'm human, and humans make mistakes, so it's fine, isn't it?" Elder Hie said, looking at the trembling faces of the disciples, who were doing their best to hold back their curses.
"Oh, Elder Qin is here," Elder Hie said suddenly, looking behind them.
The disciples turned when they heard this and saw that Elder Hie was looking behind them, but no one was there. Realizing they had been tricked, they quickly spun back around, ready to curse Elder Hie for real this time, only to find that he was nowhere to be seen.
"Damn, we've been fooled twice by the same person," Li Yun cursed aloud.
"Elder Hie is very amusing," Hua Fu laughed lightly.
Li Yun rolled his eyes when he heard him.
"Kids, what are you doing here? Where's Elder Hie?" Elder Qin's voice reached them, causing everyone to turn their heads toward the source of the voice. A bearded elder was approaching them.
"Greetings, Elder Qin," all the disciples said, cupping their hands in respect.
Elder Qin frowned when he didn't see Hie Tian among them. "Where's Elder Hie? He's supposed to teach you kids about demons. So, where is he?" he asked, frowning.
"Elder Qin, it's like this..." Li Yun sighed and explained how Elder Hie had disappeared.
"That kid is still as mischievous as ever," Elder Qin muttered to himself with a wry smile.
Li Yun and the others heard him loud and clear, and they were shocked to hear him call Elder Hie a kid.
"Heh," Elder Qin smirked when he saw the shocked expressions on their faces and explained, "Elder Hie is the youngest elder of the Mystic Cloud Sect, and not only that, he is even considered—"
"Elder Qin, that's enough for now," someone interrupted Elder Qin mid-sentence.
The disciples saw it was an old man with long grey hair. He appeared ancient, but there was an aura of authority around him, making him seem aloof and calm.
Elder Qin's pupils shrank when he saw the man with grey hair.
"There are some good kids among them. I hope Hie Tian takes good care of them," the old man with grey hair said before turning his attention to Elder Qin. "Elder Qin, we need your assistance. Quickly report to the Hall of Elders after sending these disciples away."
Elder Qin nodded solemnly, understanding what the old man in grey hair meant.