The sudden emergence of the Great Evil Land sparked intense curiosity and a strong desire for exploration among all the various forces present.
Many of those gathered silently decided that after the ceremony, they would approach this Gu Yuena and uncover her origins, identity, and what mysterious connection she shared with Lu Yunzhou.
After exchanging some polite pleasantries and a few casual words with the crowd, Lu Yunzhou wasted no time and got straight to the point:
"Everyone, the admission ceremony for the Ethereal Sanctuary officially begins now!"
As soon as Lu Yunzhou finished speaking, the Supreme Elder of the Ethereal Sanctuary, Qian Daoliu, immediately followed up with a statement: "First, we will begin with the disciple and student admission ceremony."
Following his words, the core Elder of the Ethereal Sanctuary, Golden Crocodile, spoke up:
"Next, we come to the first checkpoint of the admission ceremony for disciples and students. This checkpoint is called the Test of Endurance. So, anyone who wishes to become a disciple or student of our Ethereal Sanctuary, please step forward. Remember, just one step forward is all it takes."
As soon as Golden Crocodile finished speaking, many people, mostly low-ranking Soul Masters, began to take a step forward.
"How many of these people will actually make it through?" Qian Daoliu thought to himself as his gaze shifted to Lu Yunzhou.
The process of the admission ceremony was familiar to Qian Daoliu and the others, but the difficulty of these tests was unknown. Thus, Qian Daoliu couldn't help but ponder.
Seeing that the first checkpoint, the Endurance Test, had already been set up, Lu Yunzhou immediately explained the rules clearly:
"The rules of the Endurance Test are as follows:"
"Before you, there will appear a total of one hundred steps. As long as you can climb to the ninety-ninth step, you will be allowed to enter our Ethereal Sanctuary and become an outer disciple."
"Of course, once you reach the steps, you must stand there for three seconds. If you fail to do so, your attempt will not be counted as successful."
"The test will last for one hour!"
After Lu Yunzhou finished speaking, he casually waved his right hand, and the hundred golden, ethereal steps appeared before everyone, catching their attention.
After successfully establishing his own sect, in addition to granting the corresponding task rewards, the system had also provided Lu Yunzhou with these hundred steps as a tool to assess the candidates applying to join the Ethereal Sanctuary.
Aside from the Hundred Layer Gravity Steps, the system also gave Lu Yunzhou other treasures, such as the Heart-Warding Array, Eighteen Bronze Men, and Myriad Dao Books.
Seeing the sudden appearance of the hundred steps, Ning Fengzhi couldn't help but think to himself:
"This Ethereal Sanctuary's assessment is quite interesting. No matter how talented or gifted the participants are, they are made to climb these steps. But Lu Yunzhou is no ordinary person, so these steps must not be as simple as they appear."
Hearing these words, Chen Xin nodded thoughtfully and then spoke in response:
"We'll soon find out how these steps work and whether they hold any mysteries."
With that, Chen Xin and Ning Fengzhi stood by, observing the developments.
"Lu Yunzhou... just how many tricks do you have up your sleeve that I don't know about?"
A few days ago, after learning that his daughter, Qian Renxue, had been 'outwitted' by Lu Yunzhou, Bibi Dong couldn't help but feel an inexplicable anger, rather than joy.
Now, other forces were sending gifts, but the Spirit Hall had made no such gesture.
"Climbing the steps, huh? It can't be that simple, can it?"
Looking at the hundred steps, Zhu Zhuqing, after seeing no one take action yet, decided to be the first to step up.
Under such circumstances, anyone would understand that the more cautious one is, the better. After all, for something unknown, the first person to act is bound to suffer some disadvantage, right?
On the other hand, letting others go first, figuring out a few things, and then going up would be more advantageous for oneself. But Zhu Zhuqing, on the other hand, charged ahead without hesitation!
Of course, Zhu Zhuqing wasn't foolish. She had her reasons.
Her aim was clear—she wanted to catch Lu Yunzhou's attention.
For her, entering the Ethereal Sanctuary was only the first step. What she truly wanted was to be noticed by Lu Yunzhou and become one of his subordinates. With Lu Yunzhou backing her, she was confident the Star Luo Empire's royal family would not dare to harm her!
Having a large chest doesn't necessarily mean being brainless.
This could be seen clearly from Zhu Zhuqing's poised demeanor as she took her first step onto the steps.
The moment she stepped onto the first step, her own weight—doubled—immediately pressed down on her.
"So this is the Test of Endurance. Could it be that I have to carry this weight and climb to the ninety-ninth step? If that's the case, then this test doesn't seem that difficult," she thought, preparing to channel her Soul Power and make a determined effort to reach the ninety-ninth step.
However, just as she was about to unleash her Soul Power, she suddenly realized that her meridians were sealed by a mysterious force.
This meant that on these steps, she could not use her Soul Power.
At the same time, this also meant that Zhu Zhuqing had become an "exceptional being"—one who only had enhanced physical strength and spiritual power, compared to ordinary people.
"Well, if I can't use my Soul Power, I won't. After all, climbing the ninety-nine steps is no big deal for me," Zhu Zhuqing thought confidently, determination flickering across her beautiful face, and she began ascending the steps.
When others saw Zhu Zhuqing beginning to climb and nothing unusual happened, they quickly followed suit, eager to ascend the steps.
"The Hundred Layer Gravity Steps are divided into eleven stages,"
"The first stage covers the first to tenth steps, with a gravity of one time the standard. The second stage covers the eleventh to twentieth steps, with double the gravity, and so on. By the time you reach the tenth stage, which is between the ninety-first and ninety-ninth steps, the gravity will increase to an astounding ten times."
"As for the one hundredth step, I doubt anyone in this group will reach it. After all, the gravity there is a terrifying fifty times!"
As Lu Yunzhou observed the introduction to the Hundred Layer Gravity Steps, he thought to himself and instructed a few healing-type Soul Masters to prepare for any emergencies.
"If someone falls from the Hundred Layer Gravity Steps, they must be treated immediately," he ordered.
"Xiao Gang, are you sure you don't want to take the test to become a disciple of the Ethereal Sanctuary?"
In the crowd, Liu Erlong asked Yu Xiaogang, whom she had searched tirelessly for, with the help of Zhao Wujie and Flender, and now brought him to take the corresponding exam for the Ethereal Sanctuary.
Hearing this, "Pig Head Yu Xiaogang" sneered and confidently responded: "Disciple exam? What a joke! Why should I, Yu Xiaogang, take that exam? I should be taking the test to become a teacher!"
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