The Second Stage of the Sky Cloud Sect's Entrance Trial was The Barrier Gauntlet. This test was designed to gauge a candidate's speed, mastery of combat techniques, and spiritual reserves.
The candidates who had passed the Dao Heart Trial were led into a narrow valley covered by an illusionary formation array. The gauntlet consisted of a series of rapidly moving obstacles, mechanical puppets firing Qi arrows, and energy-draining defense formations. Candidates had to traverse the ten-kilometer gauntlet, and the fastest time would determine the ranking.
The Elder in charge, clad in green robes, announced, "Any violation of the rules will result in elimination! The fastest time ever recorded is 1 hour, 23 minutes, held by Core Disciple Zhang for five years. Proceed!"
The hundreds of candidates immediately scattered. Those in the Spirit Foundation Realm took the lead, leaping and using their combat techniques to shatter the mechanical puppets. The Qi Condensation candidates struggled, many tripping over Qi arrows or suffering from exhaustion.
All the Sect Elders' eyes were on Ling Tian. They didn't know what to expect from someone whose Dao Heart was so dominant it had destroyed the jade platform.
Ling Tian stepped forward, unhurriedly.
"He is slow!" exclaimed one Elder. "He isn't using any speed technique!"
Ling Tian, of course, did not require an ordinary speed technique. He merely activated a minute trace of Primordial Chaos Qi in his feet.
Whoosh!
He vanished.
Not with a mighty leap, but with a velocity so intense that he left only a faint afterimage. Ling Tian was barely running along the ground; he was almost floating mere centimeters above it, his movement almost soundless.
In the blink of an eye, he had overtaken a dozen Spirit Foundation candidates who had just started.
Absolute Domination
The first obstacle was a Qi-draining Energy Formation. Normally, a cultivator had to endure it for five minutes to pass.
Ling Tian simply walked through it. The formation attempted to absorb his Qi, but when confronted with the dense, pure Primordial Chaos energy, the Formation instead shattered into pieces as if corrupted by a cosmic toxin.
CRASH!
The observing Elders were stunned. "He didn't endure the formation; he breached it! The formation couldn't digest his energy!"
The second obstacle was five Spirit Foundation Realm mechanical puppets firing powerful Qi Arrows.
Ling Tian did not stop. He didn't bother using any Absolute Immortal Lineage techniques. He simply clenched his fist.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
In a fraction of a second, he delivered three punches, using no Qi. The punches utilized only his absolute physical strength purified by the Primordial Chaos.
The three leading mechanical puppets exploded into scrap metal before their arrows could even be fired. The remaining two froze in 'terror' before the subsequent blows obliterated their energy cores.
Ling Tian kept moving, not slowing down one bit.
Throughout the rest of the gauntlet, it was the same sight. He did not fight; he simply decimated.
Illusion Trap Formations? He walked straight through them. His arrogant Dao Heart was too strong to be fooled.
Chasms requiring a Spiritual Leap? He floated across them with effortless ease, using minimal energy.
Peak Spirit Foundation defense puppets? He kicked their heads like balls, and they exploded in the air.
The other candidates, struggling hard one kilometer behind, only saw a blur of grey streaking past their field of vision.
The Record Obliterated
At the finish line, the observing Elders had gathered, their eyes wide with dread and excitement.
They braced themselves for the record setter. They hit the timer button, preparing for an hour
However, only seconds after the button was pressed...
Ling Tian crossed the finish line.
He slowed to a casual walk, looking relaxed and unsweaty.
"Time. How much?" asked one Elder, his voice hoarse.
The Elder in charge stared at the time crystal, his hand trembling. He had to check it three times.
"He... he did it in... Four Minutes, Thirty Seconds!"
An absolute silence descended upon the observation area.
The previous record was 1 hour, 23 minutes. Ling Tian had shattered the Sky Cloud Sect's record by a monstrous margin, completing the ten-kilometer gauntlet in less than five minutes, annihilating obstacles designed to slow down Spirit Foundation cultivators.
Grand Elder Xi, who suddenly appeared from thin air on the hills, looked at Ling Tian with an expression that was now pure ecstasy.
"Monstrous genius!" she exclaimed. "His combat technique is basic, but his physical power and spiritual energy transcend all known cultivation limits. He is no longer Qi Condensation. He is an Absolute Anomaly."
Ling Tian looked back at the observing Elders, a cold sneer appearing on his face.
"Is this sufficient for the title of Honorary Core Disciple, or must I shatter this mountain too?" he asked, his voice filled with an arrogance that transcended the Seven-Heaven Realm.