Death... and me

Chapter 3894: Blood and Sweat

Everyone was teleported to the floating island, being dropped around its borders. If you turned around, you could see the city below, and you only needed a few steps to fall from there.

Each group, obviously, had ten members, and they all waited to see what was going to happen.

-As mentioned, the first test is the Path of Endurance.- Bugel’s voice echoed throughout the entire floating island. -Ahead of you is a barren, flat land. If you pay attention, you should be able to see the end of it just a few tens of kilometers away.-

-Normally, it would be easy for any of you to get to the other side, but that’s not the case here. During this test, you will need to walk the entire distance. Well, if you can run, you can do that too. Anyway, each step you take into this barren land will increase the Divine Energy pressure on you. Other than that, the only rule is that you can not attack each other.-

-Now then, that’s basically it. The first fifty teams to get to the other side will earn the right to participate in the second phase. You can start now.-

Very simple and straightforward. Immediately, all the teams jumped into the barren land without a second thought.

*Boom!*

Yet, the exact moment they stepped inside, the Divine Energy pressure assaulted their bodies, and most of them fell on their knees. Even a good number of the participants who had higher cultivations saw themselves forced to stop in their tracks.

Of course, there were exceptions. One of them was obvious: the Pengen Beast Alliance. It goes without saying that they formed a group full of Demon Beasts, and their powerful bodies helped a lot against this pressure.

Other than that, there were a few other groups that barely managed to stay up as they walked forward. Any group with Demon Beasts immediately understood they got an advantage in this challenge. After all, this was a team test, and you could have your teammates help you move in this flat and barren land.

It was then that the spectators noticed one thing. There were two teams already distancing themselves from the rest. It wasn’t a surprise to anyone that the Pengen Beast Alliance was there, as this test looked to be tailor-made for them.

However, there was another one, which only had two Demons, a Demon Bird and a Demon Plant. The rest of the group had humanoids and spirits. Even more impressive, most of these group members were all kids, around thirteen years old or so...

It was quite hilarious. While eight of their members walked through that land, the last two couldn’t even breathe correctly. When people paid closer attention, they saw that Kentucky and Celis were dragging the two kids who couldn’t stand up. It’s just that they pulled those two kids’ legs, just one of their legs each, mind you. It was almost as if Kentucky and Celis were dragging two bags of trash through the sand.

Rean looked to the side, seeing that Wisfreya was sweating buckets. "Are you okay there?"

Well, truth be told, everyone in the twins’ group was sweating nonstop, and they seemed to be struggling to keep up the pace. It’s just that, other than Wisfreya and the two kids, the rest of them were just pretending. Roan even walked slower than the Pengen Beast Alliance to make it look a little more credible.

Wisfreya breathed heavily, nodding. "I... I don’t have your... your cultivations, remember? But... *gasp* I can manage..." Wisfreya complained, feeling the full force of the endurance test.

Rean corrected her. "Truth be told, none of us is using our Divine Energy at the moment. We are relying solely on our bodies to move forward. You are still in a better situation. Even though your cultivation is being suppressed to the Core and Soul Fusion Realm, you are still using your Divine Energy to help yourself."

Wisfreya looked at Rean and the others. She could understand why Kentucky and Celis could walk without Divine Energy since they are Demons. But what about Rean, Roan, Foliana, and Zangeshu?

"Hey, I am using Divine Energy, okay?" It was then that Tanxan spoke. "Your body cultivation techniques don’t work for Spirits like me. My body is definitely stronger than any other Spirit in this test, but not so strong that I can move without Divine Energy help."

He turned to Wisfreya. "So, girl, don’t you worry. We are in the same boat."

Rean shrugged. "Well, he is using Divine Energy, but the rest of us aren’t."

Then, he looked at Gakrid and Rovitel, the two kids being dragged through the sand almost as if they were being punished. "Errr... those two are also using Divine Energy, even if it is all being used just to stay alive... Anyway, look at the difference between you and them. You are doing great!"

Wisfreya didn’t know if she should feel happy or sad with that comparison. No, she absolutely shouldn’t feel satisfied at all. Those two are the worst participants in this last event. "Just... *gaps...* just leave me alone. Also, I want to see that body cultivation technique Tanxan talked about when this is over."

Rean smiled. "No problem. You would already get that even if you didn’t ask. Roan’s training methods focus on all three sides of the cultivation path: body, soul, and energy. He was the one who trained Foliana, so you can expect Foliana to be as harsh with you as Roan was with her. Just try not to die in the process."

Foliana walked to their side, ’sweating and almost falling to the ground several times,’ but still smiling at Wisfreya. "Here is a little advice. If you think you are going to die under my tutelage, then you are doing it right."

Roan, who was walking ahead, couldn’t help but give a slight nod. Foliana’s words were an amalgamation of his philosophy.

Back on the ground, Bugel and the other members of his Verjansy Country government looked at that in surprise. ’Just how did she know that bunch of young kids and demons were that good? It must be that bloodline of hers, right? Maybe her aether energy?’

Of course, the important thing was that she proved to be right. She was only behind the Pengen Beast Alliance, which was already an incredible accomplishment!

Five hours later, the Pengen Beast Alliance was the first group to cross the finish line, followed by the twins’ group after another two hours. Now they had to wait for the next forty-eight groups to finish it.