Chapter 411: High Hopes!
"What's going on...?"
"It seems that the Heavenly Stairs have encountered an unexpected situation!"
"The pressure on the Heavenly Stairs seems to have decreased significantly!"
In the far emptiness, the powerful members of the Divine Sword School also detected the anomaly. At this moment, the pressure on the Heavenly Stairs greatly decreased. Basically, all disciples could climb to the fourth level.
"Just a few more steps to go, I made it!"
"Father, mother, I'm going to succeed!"
Around the Heavenly Stairs, some disciples were moved to tears.
Their five-year effort was for today. They had thought the opportunity was slim, but now they had truly succeeded and ascended to the fourth level, allowing them to enter the Battlefield of Ten Thousand Swords.
One by one, the disciples ascended to the fourth level and immediately entered the spatial portal, heading towards the Battlefield of Ten Thousand Swords.
Some of the disciples were still ascending, hoping to reach the fifth level.
At Heavenly Stairs, the pressure has reduced considerably at this moment. However, it is not entirely without pressure. It is just that this kind of collapsing force is only a fraction of the usual.
Therefore, many disciples feel that they have the opportunity to reach the fifth level.
"It seems that the Heavenly Stairs has had an accident."
"What is going on? How could the Heavenly Stairs have an accident?"
All of the Divine Sword School's cultivators in the audience, as well as the stewards under the Heavenly Stairs, were now staring in shock; they had never heard of the Heavenly Stairs having an accident before.
The "Battlefield of Ten Thousand Swords" is a solitary area. Under normal circumstances, it would take at least a month for a disciple with cultivation in the Yuan Spirit Realm to walk out of it.
The vastness of the "Battlefield of Ten Thousand Swords" is beyond imagination, and it is fraught with numerous dangers and instant crises. It serves as a training ground for the Divine Sword School disciples.
According to the data from previous years' "Grand Swordsmanship Competition," even among the ten thousand inner disciples, only a few hundred have succeeded in smoothly coming out of the "Battlefield of Ten Thousand Swords."
The Battlefield of Ten Thousand Swords is almost identical to the outside world. It has sun, moon, stars, and everything else. However, it is a separate area controlled by the predecessors of Divine Sword School. Everything is arranged and screened to hone the young disciples of the school.
"The Battlefield of Ten Thousand Swords" has numerous demon beasts, albeit ones whose cultivation level is not too formidable, posing a lethal danger to inner disciples, while also retaining some fighting capability.
In essence, within the "The Battlefield of Ten Thousand Swords," lies true forging and honing, involving real bloodshed and even mortal peril.
The competition is brutal, but no one shall utter a word, because in this world, only might makes right. Everything is dictated by strength, and this holds true even within the Divine Sword School.
In a certain place at the Battlefield of Ten Thousand Swords, there is a spatial portal.
Two elder men, in their fifties, with extraordinary aura, stood before the space teleportation gate, adorned with the emblem of Divine Sword School's protector.
Behind these two protectors, there were also disciples of Divine Sword School who were about thirty years old, with impressive aura.
They waited here, hoping that some outer disciples could enter the Battlefield of Ten Thousand Swords so that they could assess the aptitude of these outer disciples.
The Heavenly Stairs tested these outer disciples again, and to a certain extent, this represents that the Divine Sword School didn't want to miss any of its disciples.
"I wonder how many people will be able to come this time. Do you remember five years ago, only 121 people were able to participate? That was already the maximum number of people."
One of the two guards on the left, a round-faced and portly old man, spoke up. Despite being slightly chubby with a slight bulge in his belly, his gaze was filled with a formidable sharpness that could not be ignored.
"It's about time. Hasn't anyone come in yet? Are these outer disciples so useless this time?"
One of the guards on the right, a tall and thin figure, said that according to the previous Grand Swordsmanship Competition, it was already midday and someone should have already come out of the space portal.
"One year slightly better, one year worse, this is also a normal state, after all, being an outer disciple, it is impossible to be more outstanding..."
The slightly plump protector sighed, also understanding that the Divine Sword School didn't want to miss any talented disciples, but didn't have great expectations for these outer disciples.
After all, these disciples were already failures for not becoming inner disciples in the first place.
"Fortunately, among the young disciples of this generation, there are talented individuals such as Liu Yunchuan, Yun Lingfeng, Gong Qi, and so on. It is indeed a blessing for the Divine Sword School."
The thin and tall disciple showed a smile on his face. Five years ago, Liu Yunchuan, Yun Lingfeng, Gong Qi and other disciples entered the Divine Sword School, which shook the whole school.
Over these years, in order to hide the real strength and talent of these guys and to prevent outsiders from knowing, the school deliberately made them appear less often in public.
"It's been so many years, and finally our Divine Sword School has produced such a group of outstanding talents. The school has high expectations for them!"
The slightly plump protector's eyes showed fluctuations, his expression profound and suggestive. As protectors, they were all too aware of the vast resources that had been invested in Yun Lingfeng, Liu Yunchuan, and others during the last five years, which could only be described as high hopes placed upon them.
"I wonder how Hou Changming is doing over there?"
The thin and tall guard spoke, the corners of his mouth instinctively curling into a smile.
"Haha, looking at the situation, it is unlikely that anyone will be able to enter the fifth level."
The slightly chubby protector smiled knowingly; throughout the hundred years of Grand Swordsmanship Competitions, the disciples who could walk out of the fifth-level teleportation gate were rarely seen. Strictly speaking, they could be counted on one hand.
Only during the Grand Swordsmanship Competition held four or five times, has an outer disciple on the Heavenly Stairs shown remarkable talent, able to ascend to the fifth level of the Heavenly Stairs.
In the Grand Swordsmanship Competition five years ago, only one exceptional disciple ascended to the fifth level of the Heavenly Stairs.
Therefore, it's unlikely for any disciple to ascend to the fifth level of the Heavenly Stairs this time.
Several protectors were waiting outside the spatial teleportation gate within the Battlefield of Ten Thousand Swords. They were doing so because they had the opportunity to select some preferred disciples and bring them into their own faction.
As the protectors of the Divine Sword School, they were also able to accept disciples.
However, every time a talented newcomer joined the Divine Sword School, they were immediately targeted by the elders of each peak. The protectors never had the chance.
Therefore, during the Grand Swordsmanship Competition, the protectors could only hope to discover potential talents among the outer disciples who were being re-evaluated. The elders were generally reluctant to compete with them, as they had no interest in those who they had previously disregarded five years prior.
Because these re-examined ones are exactly those who the elders five years ago turned a blind eye to.
Dharma Protector Hou Changming lost the draw this time and had to wait at the teleportation gate on the other side.
That space teleportation gate connects to the fifth level of the Heavenly Stairs. Anyone who can walk out of that space teleportation gate represents having King Grade talent.
King Grade talent wouldn't have been easily missed five years ago.
In the Grand Swordsmanship Competition five years ago, there was only one outer disciple who was quite formidable and actually made it to the fifth level of the Heavenly Stairs.
