"Buzz!"

Ji Chen's steps were steady, progressing slowly.

He was not walking fast, though the pressure in front did not significantly affect him.

But in Ji Chen's view, progressing too quickly was not a good thing.

Only by moving slowly, allowing the body to gradually adapt to the increasing pressure, could the advantages manifest more as he moved forward.

In the short ten zhang distance, he took nearly a quarter of an hour's effort.

Before him, those like the Dragon Heir, Gu Hao, who had ascended the ladder first, had already reached about fifty zhang.

"Is that the Hongmeng Body you mentioned?"

At this moment, at the end of the Ancient Ladder, at the entrance of the Celestial Emperor's Mansion, nine Saint Venerables stood together.

One of them stood next to Saint Venerable Mu Yun, his eyes fixed on Ji Chen, and he couldn't help but laugh, "Just ten zhang, and it took so long. This boy... might not be as monstrous as you said?"

"It's just the beginning. Watch carefully," Saint Venerable Mu Yun responded.

He never doubted Ji Chen's talent, after all, a genius with Body Sanctification. He had even tested him during their first meeting.

"Buzz..."

Another quarter of an hour passed, and Ji Chen steadily advanced, reaching the twenty zhang mark.

At this point, the pressure here was evidently much stronger than when he first ascended the ladder.

However, this pressure did not change much for Ji Chen, scarcely affecting him at all.

Still, Ji Chen continued moving forward at a steady pace, not accelerating.

Behind him, the other talented individuals who passed through the Forbidden Gate had almost all surpassed him, reaching around thirty zhang, ahead of him.

Now, Ji Chen was nearly at the back of all the participants, progressing slowly without rushing.

After all, the quota for entering the mansion was not limited. Anyone who successfully reached the top would qualify for entry, regardless of rank or order, so there was no need to hurry.

Moreover, with Ji Chen's Body Sanctification, he had a special exception for entry, so he didn't need to compete with others.

"Buzz..."

Finally, two more quarters of an hour passed, and Ji Chen reached the fifty zhang position.

By now, the fastest group had reached nearly two hundred zhang, even people like Huang Shuying and Gu Hao had reached over a hundred zhang.

Only a few were below one hundred zhang, less than a few dozen, and Ji Chen was clearly one of them.

In many people's eyes, someone like him, still below one hundred zhang, would likely find it hard to reach the top today.

"Buzz!"

Ji Chen's steps remained steady, neither slow nor fast, persistently progressing upward.

Beside him, some other participants at this position seemed to be struggling. Even at just fifty zhang, the pressure here had slowed them down considerably.

Each step required time for adjustment before they could continue.

"Buzz!"

Unlike them, Ji Chen still felt little pressure. His steps remained steady from start to finish, with each step taking the same amount of time.

Thus, after another two quarters of an hour, Ji Chen finally reached the one hundred zhang position.

Those who were at fifty zhang with him earlier had only just reached sixty zhang.

"What's going on?"

"How did he suddenly get ahead of us?"

"Wasn't he left behind just now?"

Some noticed Ji Chen with puzzled expressions.

Initially, they thought Ji Chen's progress was slow, and they had already left him far behind.

But by the time they realized it, Ji Chen had unknowingly reached the hundred zhang mark while they were still struggling at fifty or sixty zhang.

"Although this boy's speed is slow, it is very steady. The time he takes for each step is the same," said the Saint Venerable beside Mu Yun at the end of the Ancient Ladder once more.

He occasionally checked Ji Chen's position, and the sight of Ji Chen reaching a hundred zhang was clearly a surprise.

"But at his current pace, he might not reach the top by the end of the test," he remarked again.

Saint Venerable Mu Yun chuckled, "Saint Venerable Lu Lin, do you really not think much of him? How about a bet?"

"A bet?" Saint Venerable Lu Lin was taken aback.

"Let's bet on whether he can reach the top today—one hundred Spirit Crystal Stones, how about it?" Saint Venerable Mu Yun proposed.

Hearing this, Saint Venerable Lu Lin was puzzled, "Do you trust him that much? One hundred Spirit Crystal Stones, are you serious?"

"One word, bet or not?" Saint Venerable Mu Yun countered.

"Since you want to play, why not join you?" Saint Venerable Lu Lin smiled, rubbing his hands, feeling confident of winning.

During their conversation, Ji Chen continued upward and had already reached the one hundred and fifty zhang position.

At the forefront of the Ancient Ladder, someone had reached the four hundred zhang mark, almost halfway.

Only a handful of people could reach there, less than ten. The others, like Huang Shuying and Gu Hao, had just reached three hundred zhang.

"I can't do it, I feel like I'm about to reach my limit."

Ji Chen moved slowly, hearing such a voice nearby.

A young man had been adjusting his breath for a long time, wanting to continue upward, but seemed to have reached his limit.

"Bang!"

Finally, there was a dull sound.

The young man could no longer hold on and was shaken down by the powerful pressure present on the Ancient Ladder.

Such events had happened quite a few times during the test.

Some reached two or three hundred zhang, but ultimately had to give up, unable to withstand the immense pressure, and were forced to descend the Ancient Ladder.

At last, another two quarters of an hour passed, and Ji Chen continued steadily, reaching the two hundred zhang position.

"Phew!"

He took a long breath.

Clearly, the pressure here also gave him some pressure.

But it was only a small amount, not enough to significantly affect him.

"Perhaps it's time to speed up a bit,"

he mused as he looked ahead.

Now, almost half of those participating in the ladder test had failed, leaving the Ancient Ladder and returning to the ground below. Only a few outstanding individuals persisted.

Out of the full fifty thousand from the Nine Great Star Domains, less than twenty thousand remained on the Ancient Ladder.

And as time passed, people were being eliminated almost continuously, leaving them with sighs and looks of desolation.

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