The examinees quickly lined up, Huang Ying and the two others that had gotten a free pass to the final test also lining up. The silence that covered the area had almost reached a state where one could hear the drumming heartbeats of the examinees, the silence only broken by a faint smile from Gang Yongye.

"Keep in mind, if you really cannot bear it, then you just have to quickly kneel down, I'll immediately stop the test for you. Alright, you can begin."

The first examinees that had lined up audibly gulped when they heard his words. They gathered all their might and courage, raising their legs and taking the first step towards the academy gates. And the moment they took the first step, they were crushed flat against the ground, none of them even able to move a muscle.

Huang Ying's eyebrow shot up when he saw the scene, closely inspecting them. Parts of their bodies twitched incessantly as they tried to move, but they were completely unable to move further, their backs pressed down as if something was pressing down on them from above. Gang Yongye waited for half a minute before shaking his head and tutting.

"Tut, couldn't even withstand one step, yet wanting to become students of the academy? Go home and reevaluate yourself, temper yourself and you might have a chance next time."

The examinees crushed against the ground seemed to suddenly be relieved of the pressure, all of them standing up with bitter expressions. They had gotten this far, yet they couldn't even take one step towards the gate before they were crushed flat, it was really laughable.

They cast one last longing look at the gates before turning around, walking away with slumped shoulders and lowered heads. The remaining examinees audibly gulped again, but there was no stopping now, they could only move forward and do their best to pass through those gates.

More and more of the examinees stepped forward to attempt the final test, but quite a few of them were either crushed flat or forced to kneel before they managed to pass through the gates of the academy. By the time it was the last batch's turn, as well as Huang Ying's turn to attempt the trial, dawn had already arrived, orange and pink rays dyeing the sky. Song Yi and the yellow-haired youth were also in this group of examinees, their expressions carrying a solemness that they didn't even have when facing their opponents earlier in the tests.

No words were spoken nor were any glances exchanged, they all simply stepped forward at the same time. And the moment he finished the first step, Huang Ying felt a strong pressure push down on his shoulders, attempting to force him to his knees, it almost felt as if an elephant had been placed on his shoulders. But just this wasn't enough to stop him, Huang Ying quickly taking his second step forward.

The pressure on him grew even heavier the moment he finished his second step, his shoulders sinking down slightly. Huang Ying did not stop, continuing to step forward, allowing the pressure to get heavier and heavier. Even as the other people around him were forced to their knees in surrender, Huang Ying continued to step forward, his eyes burning with a ferocious determination. By the time they actually took the 11th step and passed through the gate, other than Huang Ying and the two other special people, only a further five from his group of 50 were still standing.

But even after they passed through the gate of the academy, the pressure didn't stop. This was something they already expected, everyone else who had passed the gate so far had been forced to kneel by the strong pressure after passing the gate. Whether or not this was still part of the test or if Gang Yongye was just trying to establish his dominance and position, none other than he knew.

At this point, not only Huang Ying's eyes were burning with determination, even the lively eyes of Song Yi and the carefree gaze of the yellow-haired youth were burning with defiance. The five other people also carried a hint of defiance in their eyes, but the pressure here was already so great that their bodies were nearly completely bent. Unable to take another step forward, they were forced to kneel down, the pressure on them vanishing.

For the first time since they started heading for the gate, the eyes of Huang Ying, Song Yi, and the yellow-haired youth interlocked. The yellow-haired youth did his best to smile brightly, but the beads of sweat dripping down his face betrayed what state he was in.

"Greetings, I am Chen Hong, lovely day we're having, no? Seeing as we're the only ones still able to bear it, how about we go for broke and see who can walk the furthest? If any of you can walk further than me, I would be more than willing to pay for some good drinks as a reward."

Chen Hong's voice was a bit forced, his teeth almost fully grit as he pushed out the words. His robe stuck so closely to his body that Huang Ying could actually see Chen Hong's chiseled muscles moving in a rather strange rolling manner. Song Yi quickly piped up after Chen Hong made his proposal, pumping her fists.

"Alright, now you're talking my language! I'm Song Yi, and I'll make damn sure to beat your ass. But if you were to somehow walk further than me, I will do my part and pay for a wonderful feast, I'll have you gorge until you can gorge no more."

Chen Hong made the original proposal and Song Yi quickly jumped on it, their gazes drifting towards the last remaining person. Huang Ying wasn't against this, far from it, he was actually rather excited at the prospect. He nodded his head but could only smile bitterly while also giving a light shrug of his shoulders.

"I'm Huang Ying, and you can count me in. But I'm poorer than you rich snobs, so don't expect anything grand if you can walk further than me, the best I can give you is my delightful presence."

Huang Ying only had a few silver to his name, and looking at what these two people had shown so far, a few silver was far from enough to reach their standards. Chen Hong and Song Yi responded to Huang Ying's words with a chuckle and a giggle, the three locking eyes one last time before moving their gazes onto Gang Yongye. They all stepped forward at the same time, the pressure on them growing even heavier.

There was no sound in the area other than the heavy thuds of their footsteps, each step loud and clear, hammering the hearts and eardrums of everyone watching. First, they took another ten steps, then another twenty steps, then another twenty steps, slowly closing the distance between them and Gang Yongye by half.

But each step caused the pressure to grow heavier and heavier, at this point Huang Ying's shoulders were already fully slumped, his back and knees forced to bend slightly. The three slowly took another seven steps forward, Song Yi suddenly throwing her arms up in defeat.

"Bah, screw you bullies who take advantage of your age. Just wait until I'm the same age as you, I'd pass a test like this no problem. I'll let you have your little victory for now."

Her feet gave out on her the moment she finished her words, her knees smashing into the earthen path so hard that small cracks spread across it. But strangely enough, the cracks quickly repaired themselves, the path returning to normal. Huang Yi and Chen Hong locked eyes, the last two remaining contenders.

The two sucked in a short breath of air and continued to move forward, each step so heavy that it felt extremely slow and agonizing. They took another three steps, arriving a mere 40 steps away from Gang Yongye, who's eyes were gleaming with admiration as he looked at the three youths that had gotten so close to him.

"I highly recommend that you stop here, moving closer can quickly be dangerous for you. You have done well enough, better than I ever expected, just kneel down and let it end."

There was, in fact, a purpose behind Gang Yongye having these people kneel down. Many of the students that came would often be arrogant and insufferable, this test served as a tempering for them, showing that there was always a stronger person, a higher mountain. Chen Hong only smiled blandly in response while Huang Ying's eyes still burned with the same unbreakable determination, their answers clear.

They continued to move forward, step by step, inching closer to Gang Yongye. But after taking another ten steps, Chen Hong stopped in his tracks, a carefree smile with a trace of bitterness in it appearing on his face.

"Seems like this is it. Brother Ying, if you can take one more step then you will be the victor, I'll eagerly await your performance."

Chen Hong was forced to the ground after he finished his words, his knees shattering the path beneath him before the pressure finally vanished. Now it was only Huang Ying that remained, and he only had to take one more step forward to beat Chen Hong. Huang Ying raised his right foot and brought it forward a bit before placing it down again. But the moment his foot touched the ground and the pressure increased, the weight became too much for Huang Ying's body, his shin shattered under the immense force pressing down on him.

Chen Hong's expression changed slightly when he saw the scene, this wasn't the outcome he wanted when he urged Huang Ying on. But Huang Ying didn't fall to the ground, several thin shards of earth rose up from the path and dug into his leg, forcing the pieces of his shin back into place and preventing his leg from dropping down. The pain only caused the fire in his eyes to burn brighter, like an ever-increasing inferno that refused to be extinguished.

Huang Ying raised his other leg and brought it forward, the shin of that leg shattering as well when he brought it down. But more shards of earth simply rose up and pierced into his leg, holding it together and preventing him from falling. Huang Ying's gaze remained on Gang Yongye as he stepped forward again, the shards of earth stabbed into his legs controlling them like parts of a puppet.

Step by step, Huang Ying walked forward, more and more shards of earth rising up and piercing into his body as it started to slump more and more. By the time he was 15 steps away from Gang Yongye, there were several tens of earthen shards stabbed into every part of his body, his face pallid as he used all his energy to control these earthen shards to support him. They were the strings and he was the puppet, unceasingly moving forward, his blood staining the path behind him. If he hadn't broken through to the 2nd Mortal Step before the tests began, he wouldn't have enough energy to control this much earth so he considered himself lucky for listening to Li Jun's advice.

Now it wasn't just the onlookers that were utterly shocked, even Gang Yongye gaped as he looked at Huang Ying. He knew that he should stop this test, he should have stopped it long ago already. But he couldn't bring himself to end it, he wanted to see the culmination of this youth's determination, wanted to see if he could walk the full path.

The dull thud of Huang Ying's footsteps had already been replaced by a squelching sound as each step pushed out blood through the soles of his feet, his black robe already dyed completely red. But no matter how much blood he spilled, no matter how much his body screamed at him in pain, Huang Ying's eyes continued to burn, the fire within them growing brighter and brighter.

And then, with the light of the dawn shining down on his bloody figure, he took the final step and arrived right in front of Gang Yongye. As Gang Yongye looked at the bloody youth in front of him and saw his blazing eyes, he couldn't explain why, but he felt a shiver run down his spine. Huang Ying didn't know anything about the shiver running down Gang Yongye's spine, he used his remaining energy to open his mouth and force out a few words, stating the one thing he promised himself when he died and his body was remade.

"I...Do not...Kneel."