Chapter 124: Terrifying Pressure

Lu Jiannan slowly pronounced a name, and as his voice rang out, the noisy chatter abruptly ceased...

Just moments before, everyone had been racking their brains, wondering who would claim first place. They had considered every possible candidate, yet the name Li Jiansan had never crossed their minds.

After a brief pause, disbelief settled over the crowd.

“Li Jiansan? He took first place in the literary exam?”

“With a perfect score of one hundred? So, he got every question right?”

“The questions were so difficult, and he actually answered them all correctly? How is that possible?”

Then someone else exclaimed:

“When I came out, he was still asleep. That means... he finished answering all the questions in just fifteen minutes!”

“That’s terrifying! Finished all the questions in a quarter of an hour—and got everything right. My goodness, I didn’t even finish reading all the questions, and he...”

Seeing this, the female disciples’ expressions changed instantly, as if they had been struck hard across the face.

They had insisted that Li Jiansan wasn’t even there to seriously take the exam, yet he had just achieved a perfect score!

This fellow who had been dozing off throughout the exam hall had actually scored full marks!

He didn’t even seem like a proper candidate, yet he completed the entire test in fifteen minutes with absolute accuracy. Brother, are you deliberately messing with me?

“How infuriating! That first place should have been mine, but now this kid has snatched it away!”

“Li Jiansan, huh? I’ll remember you…”

At that moment, a man named Su Mingcheng cast a cold, even murderous, glare at Li Jiansan.

Li Jiansan ignored the others and quietly made his way toward the next exam venue.

The admissions assessment for Qinglong Academy consisted of three tests. The previous literary exam was the first stage; next came the Pressure Test, which Xu Lin had taken earlier.

At another examination site—

A portly examiner glanced over the candidates before speaking sternly:

“Alright, everyone present, before you stand ten statues. You will take seats around them in order. Those who endure the test for the duration of one incense stick will pass. Rankings will be based on how long you hold out. Simple enough?”

Upon hearing this, Li Jiansan rolled his eyes—simple, my foot. It’s easy for you to say standing there comfortably…

Suddenly, a cold gaze landed on Li Jiansan.

“Didn’t expect you to steal the spotlight in the literary exam, but here, you won’t have any room to show off.”

Li Jiansan heard the voice and turned around, calmly asking, “Who are you?”

“Hmph. Even if you took first in the literary exam, what does that change? You’d better pray to pass the Pressure Test, so that when the final martial arts contest comes, I can be the first to knock you off the stage.”

“Tsk tsk, first in literature but last in combat—what a spectacle that’ll be,” Su Mingcheng sneered nearby.

Li Jiansan shot him a glance. “You couldn’t even beat me in the literary exam. Where does your confidence to defeat me in combat come from?”

A mere lackey daring to be arrogant before me, the big villain? What a joke. I’m a big shot, mind you.

Su Mingcheng retorted coldly:

“Don’t think a little success in the literary exam makes you great. Let me tell you, this willpower test can’t be cheated through by muddling along.”

At that moment, the portly elder declared, “The Pressure Test begins now. One incense stick’s time!”

Following his words, the candidates entered the testing area one by one, selected their statues, and seated themselves around them.

When Su Mingcheng sat down, he cast a venomous glance at Li Jiansan and said, “This time, I’ll be first. Don’t even think about surpassing me!”

“Kid, you’d better be eliminated here. Otherwise, in the martial arts contest, I’ll make you regret ever joining Qinglong Academy’s trials!”

Yet Li Jiansan remained composed as he stepped forward and quietly sat down.

The statues varied in size, emanating an imposing aura whenever one approached, causing even the strongest faces to tighten.

Shortly after Li Jiansan sat, a candidate beside him collapsed with a thud.

“No way, someone’s already buckling so soon?”

The crowd’s expressions grew serious.

“Boom!”

As they spoke, another person was knocked down, and some began violently vomiting.

Many started trembling in fear.

“What’s going on?”

From the sidelines, an elder explained, “It’s normal for those whose bodies can’t withstand the pressure to collapse.”

“These statues contain intense spiritual energy, exerting oppressive force on the examinees.”

“This test measures your physical resilience and endurance. Anyone afraid or unable to endure may leave at any time.”

“But remember, leaving means failing the test.”

“The Pressure Test isn’t as easy as you might think.”

Hearing this, everyone’s faces grew complicated. Should they continue or give up?

If they persisted, how much longer could they hold out?

After a moment, no one left. Jokes aside, if they gave up now, all prior effort would be wasted.

Li Jiansan, seated beneath a statue, appeared utterly at ease. He had previously used his Purple Extremity Demon Eye to study these statues thoroughly, uncovering their weaknesses.

Thus, by subtly channeling his spiritual energy, he could effortlessly avoid the statues’ oppressive force.

In fact, Li Jiansan barely felt any pressure at all.

Stretching leisurely, he glanced over the others and saw many had already fainted, some vomiting blood.

Soon, the elder waved his hand, and those who had failed were escorted out.

Seeing Li Jiansan so carefree, a few were nearly driven mad with frustration.

Damn it, I’m barely daring to breathe here, and this guy is stretching like he’s lounging—there’s just no comparison…

“Boom!”

More candidates were sent flying; only thirty remained.

The elder shook his head in disappointment.

“Sigh, last year there were still seventy or eighty left at this stage. This year, it’s down to so few. Truly a decline.”

“Boom!”

Following his words, several more were blasted away.

Except for Li Jiansan, the remaining candidates were drenched in sweat, clearly nearing their limits.

Only half an incense stick’s time had passed.

Thinking this, many began to despair.

“Boom!”

Just as they relaxed, a heavy force suddenly blasted them away.

Only twenty remained.

“Boom!”

A few more were ejected, their faces grimacing as they gritted their teeth and endured.

There was still a quarter of the incense stick’s time left. If they could hold out, they would pass.

Time slipped by swiftly. The incense stick’s time had fully elapsed, and the scene had drastically changed.

About ten remained, sweating profusely and clearly at their breaking point.

“Boom boom boom!”

Five or six were blasted away from their statues.

Another half-hour passed.

Only five still endured.

“Pfft!”

One, pale as death, was blasted away.

But Wen Wei did not scold him; instead, he smiled and praised him.

After all, making it this far was already remarkable.

“Boom!”

Soon after, Su Mingcheng was blasted off as well. Straining to speak, he asked, “Elder, how long did I last?”

“Just shy of two hours.”

Upon hearing this, he spat blood in frustration, yet still complained, “Damn it, I almost made it to two hours.”

Despite this, the crowd was stunned. They had all felt the terror of the statues’ pressure—some couldn’t last even one incense stick’s time.

Su Mingcheng had nearly endured two hours, twice the test duration. How could they not be amazed?

Then Su Mingcheng sneered, “Li Jiansan, I wonder how you’ll top that!”

As he searched for Li Jiansan’s figure, someone suddenly shouted:

“Look! There’s still one person left over there!”