Everyone in the first floor’s hall had their eyes on the old man. Sounds of whispers started to appear from everywhere as people started to discuss the old man.

“Master of Riddles? What a weird old man.”

Zhao Luo thought while barely holding his chuckle when he heard the title of the mysterious old man in front of him. For him, riddles were a joke. 

‘In the end, the riddle is just about a simple word expressed in such a way that one being asked about it will be confused and yet this old man is a master of such riddles. Heh.’

Zhao Luo thought wondering if the test will be related to riddles.

“Zhao Luo please don’t take him lightly. According to the rumors, the Second Elder was the one who once taught the Xin Sect’s other ranked elders, except for the first elder.”

Yan noticed the look on Zhao Luo’s face and advised him.

“Yes I know but how do you know that?”

Zhao Luo knew what Yan meant but how did he come to know about this rumor. 

So he asked Yan with a curious look. Zhao Luo may as well know a little more about Yan before the test starts.

“Haha, I-i said it without knowing. Please don’t mind what I said. how would I even know about the second elder or any rumor regarding him?”

Yan evaded Zhao Luo’s question while contradicting himself.

“Hmmm.”

Zhao Luo didn’t further question Yan. 

‘Boom.’

A smacking sound came from where the Second Elder was.

Everyone shushed as the smack sound reverberated in the air and focused their attention towards the second elder.

‘How did he do that?’

Zhao Luo thought as he noticed that there was nothing around the old man from which he could make such a smacking sound by hitting it.

The old man was looking at Zhao Luo and gave a smile as if he had read his thoughts. This caused Zhao Luo to freak out a little.

While he was looking at the Second Elder, the Second Elder raised his hand and brought it down at a very normal speed.

He slowed his hand right before his palm would be facing the ground.

“Boom.”

A sound blasted from right under his palm. As if the Second Elder had smacked the air itself.

The intense air pressure locked the space since he had started his hand movement. Right before he slowed his hand the air pressure was at the threshold of what that space could bear and then space ruptured causing everyone to hear that blasting sound.

But what was even more interesting was what happened after the blast sound came.

‘Boom.’

‘Boom.’

‘Boom.’

The sound traveled in the air resounding four-five times.

‘So how did you find my Wind Plam?’

The voice of the second elder landed in Zhao Luo’s ears.

Zhao Luo had no words coming in his mouth as he was still focused on the old man’s action.

“Some of you may already know about me while some of you will know me soon enough.”

The second elder said while moving his hand down on his white long beard.

Everyone was listening to him with their utmost concentration as his earlier display was already too exceptional for them, including Zhao Luo.

“The first test will be simple.”

The Second Elder said while giving them a faint smile.

“You just have to keep on standing till the test time ends.”

He continued. All the examinees were baffled. 

“How could ‘standing’ till the test ends be a part of the exam to enter the Xin Sect?”

One of the examinees said in confusion.

“Respected Elder, how long will the test last?”

A girl from among the group of examinees asked the Second Elder.

‘She is a smart one.’

Zhao Luo thought. 

While standing may not even be something difficult yet if one keeps on changing the conditions then it may even become impossible.

Like standing on water. Standing on a peak of a mountain. Standing on burning coal. The simple process of standing can be made as hard and impossible as one wishes to.

This the girl first asked about the time. This will let them know about the time that they will have to keep on standing for.

“The test will only last for 3 minutes.”

The second elder replied to the young girl.

He then waved his hand and took out a sand timer otherwise known as an hourglass and made it float in front of him.

Thus the sandglass was between them and the Second Elder.

The sand from the upper part would be completely depleted when the 3 minutes pass.

“Stand in the way you are most comfortable with.”

Said the Second elder.

Some were starting normally. Some had to incline their backs on the wall. While some had a bent standing position.

While Zhao Luo, Yan, and Feng Mei just stayed as they were.

The second elder snapped the finger of his left hand which was the start of the first test of this entrance exam.

The sand in the sandglass started falling to the lower part slowly. This was just the start of this exam.

‘This shouldn’t be everything there is to the test.’

Zhao Luo thought as 10 seconds had already passed. He had his arms folded in front of his chest and his haors covering his shoulders.

The Second Elder looked at everyone around him and smiled as no one was sweating.

They didn’t have a problem standing till now.

‘What if I do this then?’

The old man questioned them inside his mind as he raised his hand upwards.

He then starting bringing his hand downwards causing the pressure in the whole hall to rise.

“What?”

 Questioning shouts came from many people who were in the hall trying to keep standing while the mysterious pressure was crashing on them.

The old man grinned as the motion of his hand, even though was slow but kept on coming down.

Proportionally the pressure on the people taking the test kept on increasing.

“I give up.”

The girl who had questioned the second elder before had already thrown the white flag.

Her looks were haggard while her face was completely red as if someone had tried to suffocate her. 

The old man looked disappointed as he held some hopes towards this batch. Yet one of them had already given up in 20 seconds. 

He waved his hand and the girl disappeared. 

She then appeared back on the first floor.

With 2 minutes and 40 seconds still to go, only 677 of the examinees were left.

A minute later, the hand of the old man was still quite high up as only 100 remained standing.

Even among these, most of them were already on the verge of giving up or just falling downright in their place.

Only a few were standing without any discomfort visible on their face.

Among these few were Yan, Feng Mei, and Zhao Luo.

While Yan and Feng Mei were easily able to handle the pressure, Zhao Luo hadn’t even felt anything till now.

Since the start when the girl had given up he felt that everything going around was weird. 

But then people started giving up left and right till only these 100 were left, which confused him even further.

‘What’s going on?’

He didn’t know why they were going up. 

Right when Zhao Luo was thinking that he felt like the second floor had fallen on his head.

An intense pressure fell on him and he looked upwards. 

‘The floor is fine though.’

Zhao Luo thought as he looked around and realized that others looked as if they were under way more pressure than him.

Two third of the sad had already fallen.

Only the last minute of this was remaining and yet this wasn’t the end.

The Second Elder increased his hand speed thus increasing the pressure on everyone by two folds.

‘Mhmm.’

Feng Mei groaned as she felt a crushing air pressure acting on her body but she still held on.

Yan was also barely holding on.

More and more people kept on falling after fainting under the pressure. These were the ones who never gave up until the end.

Only 20 people were left with the last 10 seconds remaining.

The old man brought his hand down again increasing the pressure by three folds.

Except for Zhao Luo and another man with red hair who was standing ahead of Zhao Luo everyone else was simply holding on with all of their willpower. 

Some were biting their lips. While others were holding on to their random thoughts.

‘Just a little more.’

‘I can’t lose now.’

Yan was still okay but Feng Mei’s legs were shaking. Her legs had already given up yet she still somehow kept on standing.

“3.”

The old man started the countdown as only 3 seconds were left from the 3-minute test.

“2.”

“1.”

‘Thud, thud, thud.’

Many fell on their butts and sat down as the test ended.

Feng Mei had lost control of her body as she was falling backward but before she could even hit the ground, Zhao Luo embraced her keeping her from falling.

“Thank you Elder Brother.”

Feng Mei thanked Zhao Luo while blushing as Zhao Luo only smiled and supported her to stand.

“What is he doing?”

A jealous voice could be heard from the second floor as Rose and Si Chen along with other disciples of the Xin Sect were observing the first test and their to-be juniors.

The jealous voice belonged to Si Chen. While Rose was only looking at Zhao Luo with cold eyes as if he had done something wrong.

“Quite Impressive.”

the Second Elder praised the examinees who had passed the first test.

“All of you will move to the second test.”

The Second elder grinned while looking at Zhao Luo.