Wan Lei had never been so angry in his entire life.
The news that Fang Xiaoyu had been insulted struck him like a heavy hammer.
No man in this world could possibly tolerate such a thing.
He looked at the ugly and arrogant face before him, listening to the unbearable mockery and taunts. All he wanted now was to kill everyone present, to tear these dogs apart!
He was losing control of his body, his blood was burning, and every thunderbolt within him was shouting,
"Kill him!!!"
However, his reason told him he couldn't.
Fang Xiaoyu was not dead yet; she was still waiting for him to save her. He was still in the assessment, only on the second stage, and had to pass the third to enter the Five Elements Hall.
If he were to charge forward now, he would be torn to shreds by tens of thousands of Five Elements Hall disciples. His death wouldn't matter, but Fang Xiaoyu would be imprisoned for life.
He had to save Fang Xiaoyu first, and then he could kill Chai Lian!
In the end, his reason triumphed over his emotions.
To be precise, the conviction that Fang Xiaoyu must live had overcome his jealousy and hatred.
"Chai Lian, I will personally slay you."
Even though he wanted to tear everyone before him apart, he turned his head, stepped forward, and onto the next stair.
Suddenly, the surrounding scene shifted. The disciples of the Five Elements Hall were silent, watching him nervously, while Chai Lian and the other two had vanished.
"Awesome! Broke through the illusion in five minutes!"
"The greatest in history!"
"Senior Wan is amazing!"
"He's from our Thunder Hall, one of ours!"
The surrounding disciples, seeing the bewildered look on Wan Lei's face, erupted in cheers that pierced the sky.
Wan Lei realized that everything he had just experienced was merely an illusion.
He felt a wisp of heart-fire in his Sea of Consciousness rapidly extinguish.
He looked down at the number on the step. It wasn't the ninety-thousandth step, but the eighty-three thousand two hundred and twenty-fourth.
This meant he hadn't encountered Chai Lian on the ninety-thousandth step, nor had he entered the illusion on the eighty-thousandth, but had unknowingly entered it while making his sprint.
No, that wasn't right. This wasn't an illusion; it was a wisp of heart-fire that had caused him to lose his way.
It was that wisp of heart-fire that had brought out his deepest fears, making him believe he was experiencing them.
No wonder people said the illusions here were insidious.
No wonder the资料 said the second stage tested divine consciousness, soul, and willpower.
It was willpower...
Fortunately, his mind was clear, and his will was firm. He knew what he wanted to do most and wasn't blinded by rage.
If he had truly charged forward recklessly just now, he would now be outside the steps, and the assessment would have failed.
After figuring all this out, Wan Lei felt a pang of shame.
So, his greatest fear wasn't Fang Xiaoyu being killed, but her being...
Bah, you despicable man, to think you're not immune to such thoughts.
Though he had figured it out, the illusion had been too real, and the suppressed anger in Wan Lei's chest had not diminished much.
He had never been so angry. After the anger, realizing it was fake made him feel even more stifled, as if a friend had played an overly harsh prank on him. He couldn't openly express his displeasure, but he was still angry.
The disciples around continued to cheer, none noticing Wan Lei's somber expression.
Wan Lei stopped dawdling, pushed off the step with his toes, and surged upwards.
He advanced in his fury, fully resisting the impact of divine consciousness. Simultaneously, his physical strength and lightning were subtly employed at his toes, increasing his speed!
Soon, he reached ninety thousand steps, ninety-five thousand steps, all the way to the hundred thousandth step, his speed never slowing.
Only when he reached the summit and the pressure suddenly vanished did Wan Lei let out a sigh of relief.
He had climbed the more than ten thousand steps in less than ten minutes, all in one go.
Finally, he could relax.
Countless disciples swarmed towards him. Before Wan Lei could even get a clear look at what was on the summit, they had already surrounded him.
The little streamer was the most enthusiastic, crowding next to Wan Lei. While displaying both their faces on the screen, he shouted into the screen,
"Brother, how are you feeling now? Are you tired? You seem a bit breathless. How did you get through the illusion? Can you tell us?"
Disciples all around crowded him, bombarding him with questions. Some disciples from the Thunder Hall even got into fights with others for not being able to get to the front.
This made the already frustrated Wan Lei even more agitated.
He ignored these disciples and approached the ushers, cupping his hands in a bow.
"Elders, has this junior passed the second stage?"
"Yes, you have. The total time was twenty-nine minutes. Congratulations on breaking the record again,"
An elder usher suppressed his excitement and replied calmly.
"Yes, then may this junior proceed to the third stage assessment?"
"Of course, come, come, make way, let Wan Lei proceed to the third stage assessment."
"It's the third stage, let's guess how long he'll take to deal with his opponent!"
"Anyone taking bets? I guess he can finish off the opponent assigned by the usher in a quarter of an hour."
"Not necessarily. It depends on how the usher arranges it. If the opponent assigned for the combat assessment today is from a hall that specializes in defense, perhaps they can last half an hour."
"This person only has good aptitude and talent, not necessarily strong combat power. Are you so sure he will win?"
While everyone was chattering, Wan Lei followed the ushers to the summit platform, where dozens of large arenas were set up. The arenas were paved with bluestone, exceptionally sturdy, and protected by formations.
Guided by an usher, Wan Lei arrived at an arena and waited for his opponent.
The third stage tested combat power.
The rules were that the longer one could hold out against a disciple of the Five Elements Hall, the higher the score. Defeating a Five Elements Hall disciple earned full marks.
An old usher flew into the air and said with a smile,
"Since there are so many disciples here this time, why not select one of you to spar with this prodigy?
I'm sure you're all eager to personally test his combat prowess.
His cultivation is at the peak of the Tai Xu realm, so the chosen opponent must also be at the peak of the Tai Xu realm. Those in the Tai Heng realm or early Tai Xu realm should not join the fray."
The disciples immediately volunteered enthusiastically.
"Pick me, I'm a disciple of the Sword Hall!"
"Me, I'm ranked number one thousand five hundred on the first level of the Creation Tower!"
"This humble disciple is from the Fire Hall..."
"Pick me, Wan Lei and I knew each other from the very beginning!"
Even Little Gold raised his hand to join the fun.
Wan Lei glanced at his scrawny frame, sighed, and shook his head, saying to the usher,
"Elder, please choose someone who can take a beating to fight me."