57 A Different Approach

Elder Marvin's smug voice echoed around the stadium. His words rang clearly amidst the cheering crowd.

The brutal and thrilling twist to the first trial that was completely different from all the previous years felt particularly fresh to the spectators.

Now that the ones subject to the oppression weren't the spectators, the misery and struggle of the aspiring disciples became a spectacle.

They were quick to move on from the fright they had just experienced, and they felt their excitement rise every time a young cultivator collapsed or fainted due to the pressure.

These were all talented cultivators who wished to eventually join the Divine Sword Sect through the Sapling Sword Sect.

Many of them came from prestigious backgrounds and had been carefully nurtured by their families through the use of many treasures.

Watching them fall one by one, fail the first step of their life plans that had been set out for them by their parents. There was an undeniable attraction to watching them fail.

And the speed at which they were falling exceeded anything they had seen in the previous years. It was like when all the characters in the show you're watching began to die one by one at an unprecedented rate.

Just like watching a top-class athlete mess up, there was something about the idea that everything they had worked for being invalidated, being dismissed when it really mattered, that was impossible to look away from.

Even though the gap in privilege between the cultivator participants and mortal spectators wouldn't change, at this moment, the spectators were given the vicarious joy of judging and testing the aspiring disciples.

The spectators felt pity for the shortcomings of the aspiring disciples, and as the ones in the position to pity, they felt themselves better than the ones they were pitying.

In a way, they were just like the Elder who had initiated this impromptu trial: Enjoying the participant's suffering.

The smirking expression of the elder reeked of arrogance as he displayed his domination over the participants.

It felt like a cheap and forceful copy of the Fairy Empress' domination, but it resembled it nonetheless.

Even if he had to make use of killing intent and his higher cultivation realm to do so, the effects were undeniable.

To exert your power over someone else and to make them physically kneel or faint. To do all that with a crowd cheering felt exhilarating and empowering.

"I, as an Elder of the Sapling Sword Sect, am a Soul Sea Cultivator. I've lowered my cultivation to that of a peak level Core Consolidation realm to somewhat match your low level."

Elder Marvin's arms were crossed, and he looked down on all the participants.

"Don't worry aspiring disciples! For those of you who succeed and manage to join the sect, if you try hard enough, one day you might become as powerful as me!"

He laughed at his own encouragement which was more self-praise than encouragement.

Yeon frowned at the Elder's childish display.

'How immature. No wonder he was delegated to act an Elder at the Sapling Sword Sect rather than actually becoming something at the Divine Sword Sect.'

However, despite his personality flaws, his power was real.

So far, there were a few people who were making slow progress by supporting themselves with their swords. Using their weapon as a cane to approach the elder step by step was humiliating, but it was better than failing at the first trial.

The disgrace they would face if they returned home to announce that they had failed at the preliminary round would be immense. They would surely get punished.

At the forefront of those making their way towards the Elder was a handsome young man with long black hair.

His forehead was drenched with sweat as he struggled to overcome his fear and the oppressive pressure bearing down on them.

"Kyaa! Look at him go!"

"You can do it!"

"He looks so dreamy and hot…"

He had already established himself with a small fanbase from the female spectators.

The image as he struggled to overcome the hardship mixed with the boyish charm of a young man made him popular with both the young teens as well as the more mature women present.

"I am Reuben Fastilla of the Fastilla clan!" He loudly proclaimed.

His blue eyes shone with determination and the female spectators began cheering his name.

"We're cheering for you, Reuben!"

"Reuben!"

"You're so handsome, Reuben!"

Reuben's cultivation soared to reach that of a middle level of the Flesh Cleansing Cultivator to resist the cultivation pressure exerted by the Elder.

Elder Marvin's eyes lit up as he admired the talent of the struggling man.

"Not bad Junior Reuben! To be a Flesh Cleansing Cultivator at your age, it seems that at least one of you has promise."

Unlike the Elder who expressed joy and a hint of admiration for the young man, Emily's eyes opened wide in shock when she heard his name.

Her blue eyes which resembled Reuben's trembled anxiously.

Yeon who was standing in front of the two girls missed this reaction of hers.

"Emi…" Mia whispered to her friend.

"It's alright, Mia," Emily whispered back.

Yeon turned around to face the two girls.

He had been observing the Elder and taking the moment to analyze the best course of action.

The most difficult part of this trial was the short time limit and the killing intent.

The oppressive pressure released by a higher cultivation base made it hard to move, but the killing intent was the bigger problem.

It clouded the participant's judgement and made it difficult to put strength in their legs.

By the time they had resolved themselves and mustered up the courage to put on a full resistance, the trial would be over.

Although the contents of the trial had been randomly made to satisfy the ego of Elder Marvin, it sufficiently tested the different aspects of what made a good cultivator.

'An Elder is an Elder regardless of what he's like…'

Yeon noticed that Emily was shivering with her head down. Mia was next to her supporting her while continuously mumbling encouragement.

"Emi, are you alright?"

Yeon didn't find her reaction to be out of place since there were numerous other participants who were reacting similarly to her.

Emily didn't reply but nodded in response.

"The most difficult part of this trial is that it's difficult to muster strength in your legs. If it were just the pressure, then it wouldn't be as hard," explained Yeon.

"The way I see it, all you need is one moment to propel yourself towards Elder Marvin. One moment where all you have to do is resist the pressure and have perfect control over your body."

The girls nodded to what he was saying. Even as they listened, their bodies continued to release cold sweat due to the killing intent.

It looked as if they were shivering due to the cold and the moisture on their skin, but it was due to the fear they felt for the Elder.

Yeon felt that the killing intent of the Elder was having a noticeably smaller effect on himself compared to the others present.

'I guess dying twice does help me get used to it…'

Honestly, Yeon wouldn't find this trial too difficult to handle by himself.

The largest factor, the mental block that prevented the participants from approaching the Elder, had little effect on Yeon. Moreover, his cultivation that was at the peak of the Bone Cleansing realm was above average for those present.

'The problem is getting these two to succeed…'

With every step they took toward the Elder, the greater the fear got.

Each time they resolved to face their fears and made progress, the terror they felt got stronger.

Logically, they understood that the Elder wouldn't kill them. But it felt like they were approaching an angered magical beast.

As the distance between them and the beast decreased, the more the beast growled threateningly. It was as if they were willingly walking deeper and deeper into the maws of death.

"So, this is what we're going to do…" Yeon said while summoning his Mountain Annihilation Blade.

""?"" They watched as he began to write his plan on the floor using the tip of the blade.

"Sorry if this is inconvenient, but the Elder might listen in if I say it aloud. Then there's no chance that this is going to work."

Mia and Emily waited for Yeon to finish writing. When he finished, Mia gulped nervously.

"… Yes, it certainly wouldn't work if he heard it," muttered Emily.

Her face was still pale, but it looked hopeful.

"I think this can work. It's a good plan," Emily said.

She looked around and noticed that there were a few others who had gotten close to the Elder with only a few steps to go.

Luckily, it seemed like no one had thought of something similar. In fact, considering the contents of the plan, there was no need for anyone to follow it. Not only was it risky, but it only made the trial harder for the one who executed it.

Mia tugged on Yeon's sleeve to get his attention.

"But Yeon, what about you? Are you going to be alright?"

She held onto his sleeve even after asking the question. It calmed her nerves and she felt as if everything was going to be ok.

Yeon's red eyes gleamed with a hint of excitement over his plan. The fact that he looked unconcerned and unafraid comforted Mia greatly.

She felt once again that Yeon was reliable. It made her want to trust him and his plan.

It was something he had come up with for the two of them, and the fact that he was looking after her even in this situation made her feel special.

Yeon brushed over the floor with his feet to erase his writing.

Some of the spectators had been watching them curiously but the writing was blocked from view by their bodies.

"Of course, it's going to be alright. And Elder Marvin has been looking real smug standing in the centre…" Yeon said with a hint of mischief, "a bit too smug…"

"Anyways, there's not much time. I'm going to go circle round now. You two get as close as you can manage then wait for the signal."

"… Thank you, Yeon," said Emily.

Yeon smiled in response.

"And Mia…" Yeon said while lifting his arm, "you can let go now."

"Ah…" Mia reluctantly let go of Yeon when she noticed that she had been holding onto him the entire time.

Yeon began walking around the Elder. Yeon's distance from the Elder, which was around 30 steps, remained the same but he walked a semicircle around the Elder while keeping the distance the same.

Compared to those who were struggling at the 30 steps, he was relatively unperturbed.

"Let's go, Emi."

"Mmm. We shouldn't put his efforts to waste."