The words inscribed at the entrance of the palace glowed with a crimson light, emanating a strange pressure. As everyone stood in awe, Elder Hong spoke in a calm voice, "This is the Heavenly Slaughter Palace, one of the special palaces within Sky Palace. There's no need to know too much about it now, but just understand that it is the strongest palace here, with fewer than 200 students."
Upon hearing this, many were astonished. Sky Palace houses tens of thousands, perhaps even hundreds of thousands of students, yet the Heavenly Slaughter Palace has fewer than 200 members. One of the students at the front of the line asked, "Hasn't the test always involved withstanding the pressure of someone at the ninth level?"
Elder Hong responded seriously, "Indeed, the person currently residing in the palace is at the ninth level, but he is a very powerful student from the Heavenly Slaughter Palace." He added, "But a word of advice, even I cannot withstand his pressure, even if I unleash all my strength."
Everyone was surprised by Elder Hong's words, unable to comprehend their full meaning. Before they could ask more questions, he continued, "The staircase before you has 999 steps. If you can surpass the first hundred, you will enter Sky Palace."
Everyone assumed the test would be easy, and some children even hurried forward. But as soon as they reached the first few steps, they felt a massive pressure, as if gravity had suddenly increased. However, it was somewhat bearable, and they continued to climb.
In the end, all the children managed to ascend except for Neil. He looked up at the top of the palace and thought to himself, "How is this killing intent similar to mine?" Neil had slain thousands of beasts, absorbing all the killing energy from them, but this person had killing intent without the need to absorb it, meaning he had likely killed more than Neil, perhaps ten times more.
As Neil pondered someone who had slain tens of thousands of beings, he felt a bit of respect and finally understood why Elder Hong said he couldn't withstand this pressure. It wasn't just the pressure of cultivation; it was the pressure of killing intent as well.
While Neil was deep in thought, Elder Hong asked, "Aren't you going to climb?" Neil looked at Elder Hong and replied, "Let's give them a chance. Wouldn't it be too disheartening for them?" Elder Hong didn't fully grasp Neil's meaning, but Neil continued, "Elder Hong, I actually have a question."
Elder Hong responded, "What is it?"
Neil asked, "What does the Heavenly Slaughter Palace do? Do they kill a lot of beings? And can I join them?"
Upon hearing Neil's question, Elder Hong hesitated for a moment, but he remembered the sect master and thought there would be no harm in answering. He said, "Regarding your question about the Heavenly Slaughter Palace, all you need to know is that they protect our southern continent. As for killing beings, yes, they do. And as for whether you can join, the answer is simple; as long as you're strong enough, you can take the test."