ryethenovel Chapter 38 Trial Passed
Chapter 38 Trial Passed
Zhang Siqi looked at his body as if in a dream. Just a moment ago, he was fighting a monster that suddenly appeared in the forest.
In an instant, he was carried away from the forest, and even the scars and injuries from fighting the monsters were completely healed.
Zhang Siqi considered himself to be quite lucky, as he had almost died just now, or rather, he would have really died if it had been any later.
Various monsters suddenly appeared in the forest, indiscriminately slaughtering everyone. Some people begged for mercy in panic, but it was to no avail, and they had no choice but to fight desperately.
However, there were too many monsters, seemingly endless, and they could not be killed at all. He watched as one unlucky soul after another, just like himself, died.
They truly disappeared after their deaths, but Zhang Siqi cannot die; he still has a family!
Finally, when he was the only one left alive, a powerful force carried him out of the forest, and he returned to normal.
Before Zhang Siqi could even understand what was going on, countless pieces of information flooded into his mind, giving him an idea of the current situation.
It turns out that everything in the forest before was a trial, and Zhang Siqi's insistence on being the last one was how he passed the trial.
But the trial was not over, or rather, he had only passed the first trial, which was merely a test of courage.
Now we face the second trial, the purpose of which is to test our perseverance.
Before my eyes stretched a golden staircase that seemed to go on forever.
The information told Zhang Siqi that there were a total of fifty people participating in the second trial.
As for what happened to those eliminated in the first trial, Zhang Siqi didn't think about it in detail, nor did he bother to investigate further.
The trial was quite easy; it was just climbing stairs.
If it were just a test of physical strength and endurance, he might not be afraid. But he was willing to endure any hardship to go back home and for his family.
He lifted his foot and steadily stepped onto the first golden step.
It felt solid and slightly warm to the touch, no different from ordinary steps. He continued upwards, his steps steady.
As soon as Zhang Siqi stepped onto the second step, he felt his body sink.
This feeling was not an illusion. The moment I stepped onto the second step, it felt as if an invisible force was quietly pressing down on my shoulders; though slight, it was clearly perceptible.
This is not just a difference in physical height caused by a higher step, but more like a... fine adjustment of gravity, or a suppression of some kind of field.
It wasn't that simple after all!
Zhang Siqi's heart tightened, and his previous relaxed thoughts immediately vanished. If this trial was merely a tedious climb, it would hardly live up to its name as a test of perseverance.
If the first trial had an element of luck—after all, Zhang Siqi wouldn't dare say he was the strongest among the participants in the same batch—he did persist the longest.
So this second trial is truly a test of physical strength and willpower.
At level three, the pressure seems to have increased even further.
Level 4, Level 5...
As the number of steps increased, the invisible pressure also accumulated step by step, in a very regular and stable manner. At first, it was just a slight heaviness in my shoulders, but it quickly spread to my whole body, as if I were wearing a lead apron that was gradually getting heavier.
Each time you lift your leg, you need to exert a little more effort than the last time; with each step, you can feel a reaction force from your feet that is stronger than the actual weight.
Zhang Siqi adjusted her breathing, trying to calm herself. Sweat began to bead on her skin. The pressure was so intense that she had to slightly hunch over to better bear the weight. The surrounding scenery remained unchanged: the golden staircase, the surging light mist, and absolute solitude.
Level 100...
Zhang Siqi heard the thunderous sound of her own heartbeat, which was particularly irritating in this lonely environment.
Ignoring everything else, Zhang Siqi felt a deep-seated fatigue, not just in his muscles, but also in his bones and internal organs, which seemed to be bearing the weight of this omnipresent force field.
A voice inside him kept telling him, "Stop! Take a break before you climb again!" But Zhang Siqi just gritted his teeth and persevered.
Zhang Siqi dared not stop, fearing that if she stopped, she would lose the courage to move forward, after all, it was too tiring!
In this state, Zhang Siqi seemed to see a warm home, with her mother serving up steaming hot meals and her father sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper...
Zhang Siqi has a compelling reason to persevere! Right now, Zhang Siqi is sticking on entirely out of sheer willpower.
Countless voices in Zhang Siqi's mind were seducing him.
"Wait a minute, let me rest for a while. I can keep going, but I need to rest at least once!"
"What if giving up turns out this was all just a nightmare? Maybe I'll wake up one morning and it'll all be over!"
"Perhaps those who failed the first trial have already gone home!"
"Even if we persist, what's the point? That winged centaur is clearly not human. Maybe in the end, it'll all be for nothing?"
"Maybe if I stop, I'll pass the trial directly? Maybe other test takers like me have already stopped, and just stopping means you've passed."
Countless reasons could have made Zhang Siqi stop, but his steps never faltered. Even though he moved as slowly as a tortoise, even though every breath was accompanied by the burning pain and rusty taste in his lungs, he continued to move upwards.
The pressure was like a crushing mountain, and Zhang Siqi bent even lower, almost crawling on the ground. His bones creaked under the weight, his vision blurred, and sweat stung his eyes.
The whispers and terrifying visions that tempted him to give up crashed against his crumbling mental bulwark like a tidal wave.
Zhang Siqi's consciousness was almost fading away, and only one thought remained in his mind: to climb the steps, to reach the highest point step by step. In other words, Zhang Siqi was climbing almost entirely by willpower.
It's no longer the brain controlling the body with emotions, but rather the will forcibly driving the body's parts.
Finally, that familiar feeling carried Zhang Siqi away from the steps.
The message flooding his mind congratulated him on passing the trial.
Looking around, Zhang Siqi realized that he had returned to that strange floating island.
"Hey! That's impressive! Congratulations on becoming a resident of Qingyu Island." A male voice came from behind him, and the voice sounded somewhat familiar to Zhang Siqi.
Following the sound, Zhang Siqi discovered that the speaker was the same guy who had taken out the gem from the winged centaur earlier.
The other person looked at me with admiration and emotion, but also with a hint of agreement.
Did I pass that trial? What about those unlucky guys who woke up here after a nap and didn't pass the trial?
"Why aren't you saying anything? Are you scared out of your wits? Or are you too tired? Although you looked tired from climbing those stairs, you shouldn't be scared out of your wits!" Just as Zhang Siqi was thinking, Chen Yang had already come to Zhang Siqi's side.
Chen Yang admired this person who dared to fight and was tenacious. Even if he was just a supporting actor, he was still a good prospect. Moreover, with the protagonist protecting him, his future was bright!