Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 772 - Bridge of Heaven

Those who had accompanied the participants stepped aside, retreating to the platform’s rear. Meanwhile, over one hundred thousand prodigies gathered before the platform to take the recruitment test.

After looking around, the ten examiners discussed among themselves, “The prodigies this year seem rather promising.”

The one who spoke was a woman standing third on the right. Her eyes glimmered with approval as she surveyed the participants.

“I hope they can impress us during the test and are not just a bunch of weaklings whose cultivation is boosted by pills,” said the man standing fifth on the right, his tone laced with disdain.

Every year, there were participants who relied on pills to boost their cultivation, but without exception, they all failed at the first stage. Such scenes were a recurring pattern.

“Let’s not waste any more time—begin!” said the man third from the left. The examiners had their own responsibilities within the academy and had only briefly stepped away to oversee the assessment. The ten examiners were all esteemed elders of the academy, holding significant authority.

“Let the assessment begin! Everyone split into groups to enter the Gate of Heaven in batches!” Qu Su announced. While his voice wasn’t loud, it reached the soul seas of every participant.

This was a sound-related technique that transformed the speaker’s voice into a soundwave that reached everyone’s soul sea. However, it had a prerequisite that the speaker’s soul energy was powerful enough.

Everyone began to squeeze forward, wanting to ascend the bridge first.

As the ten elders clasped their hands together, spatial ripples started spreading out. The heavens split apart, revealing an ethereal bridge. This was the legendary Bridge of Heaven, which was also known by other names, such as the Passage of Heaven. However, they all had the same meaning.

The bridge’s railings were forged from jade. They radiate a pristine white glow that refracted into a multicolored brilliance suspended in the sky.

This scene left everyone in awe, including Liu Wuxie. As the Bridge of Heaven began to descend, it gave off an overwhelming aura. Liu Wuxie was shocked to see this bridge connected to the heavens. This made him wonder if the True Martial Continent was really linked to the Astral Domain. Otherwise, what was with this bridge?

The bridge’s other end seemed to connect to a mysterious world—a domain that embodied the profundities of heaven and earth.

To pass the test, one had to traverse two-thirds of the bridge to qualify. Otherwise, one would be disqualified even if they only reached halfway through the bridge. Only a few individuals could reach the end of the bridge. @@novelbin@@

The length of the bridge remained a mystery, as the answer varied for each individual based on their cultivation, knowledge, and talent. Only those whom heaven blessed would have a smoother journey on this bridge, and those whom heaven did not favor would be rejected and fall.

The bridge slowly descended, then came to a halt mid-air. While it looked only a hundred meters long, it emanated endless profundities.

“What ancient laws! I even sensed a wisp of immortal runes’ aura!” Liu Wuxie marveled inwardly. If his speculation was correct, this Bridge of Heaven should be comparable to a heaven profound artifact, which corresponded with human cultivators in the Heaven Profound Realm or even surpassed it!

Many cultivators in the Central Plains had reached the Earth Profound Realm, but few had broken through to the Heaven Profound Realm. The tribulation required to ascend had obstructed nearly half of those at the pinnacle of the Earth Profound Realm.

“Step onto the Bridge of Heaven now! Relax your mind, and do not resist. Those who try to resist will face dire consequences,” Qu Su said without a hint of emotion in his tone. Those who resisted the heavens faced suppression. In milder cases, they would be banished from the bridge; in severe cases, their cultivation could be crippled.

As everyone began to move, the True Profound Realm cultivators took the lead, and no one dared compete with them. The Liu Clan were one of the last batches to arrive, so they were at the rear of the queue.

However, it didn’t matter who went first since everyone would have the opportunity to attempt the bridge.

The first person to step on the bridge was a twenty-three or twenty-four-year-old at the fifth level of the True Profound Realm. When he leaped onto the bridge, he released his True Profound Realm aura, trying to attract the ten examiners’ attention.

“That’s the Profound Cloud Sect’s Ning Hai. He’s already reached the fifth level of the True Profound Realm! Wasn’t he at the third level not long ago?!” exclaimed some of the other examinees, their voices filled with envy. Reaching the fifth level of the True Profound Realm at such a young age not only reflected the abundant resources he had received from his sect but also highlighted his remarkable talent.

The person second in line didn’t move and waited, trying to observe Ning Hai to prevent mistakes. Ninety-nine percent of the people present were taking the exam for the first time.

When Ning Hai stepped onto the bridge, he paused briefly as faint light descended from heaven, enveloping him entirely. When he began to walk on the bridge, the surrounding voices vanished, and he found himself in a mysterious world with countless laws shuttling through him.

“He moved!” Everyone focused their attention on Ning Hai. In just a few breaths, Ning Hai had already taken ten-odd steps.

Everyone from the Profound Cloud Sect looked nervous as Ning Hai was their sect’s strongest prodigy in the past ten thousand years.

As time passed, the ten examiners didn’t rush Ning Hai, as it was normal for the first few participants to take longer. After all, there was a learning process for everyone as this was their first time on the bridge.

“He’s nearly halfway through!” exclaimed the spectators as Ning Hai reached the halfway point of the bridge in just one minute.

However, when Ning Hai crossed the halfway mark, his expression began to change as he felt an obstruction that slowed him down.

In the crowd, Liu Wuxie activated Ghost Eye and attempted to analyze the bridge’s structure. However, his efforts were futile. The invisible laws safeguarding the bridge blocked and repelled his divine sense.

The rebound force became more intense for those with stronger divine senses, explaining why others refrained from attempting it lightly. When Liu Wuxie felt a sharp pain radiate from his soul sea, he quickly circulated the Soul Forge Art to repair the damage.

“He crossed the two-thirds mark!” Only those who crossed the two-thirds mark would qualify for the next stage. The light enveloping Ning Hai also grew stronger, and he was practically basking in it.

Cheers erupted from the Profound Cloud Sect, celebrating Ning Hai’s passing through the first stage. But even after reaching the required distance, Ning Hai had no intention of leaving and was determined to go further.

In the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy’s history, less than five people had reached the other end of the bridge. For thousands of years, the best result was only one step away from the summit before they were repelled.

Ning Hai could see the summit of the bridge, and there lay a mysterious gate that seemed to be the door to the heavens. He was just ten steps away and felt an invisible pressure oppressing him, making his face pale.

“Five more steps!” exclaimed an elder from the Profound Cloud Sect. Reaching this point alone had already solidified Ning Hai’s reputation as a monstrous prodigy. After all, only a few had managed to take the final steps in thousands of years, as most were stopped within five steps of the summit.

“Keep going!” The Profound Cloud Sect’s elders and disciples began to urge Ning Hai forward. After all, Ning Hai was inches away from having his name etched into history.

The bridge trembled when Ning Hai lifted his right foot and determinedly placed it down. The light enveloping him vanished, and he plummeted from the bridge. He was four and a half steps away from reaching the summit, but the result he achieved was already impressive.

Yet, when he returned to the ground, Ning Hai’s face was grim. He was confident in his talent, having reached the True Profound Realm at age twenty. But failing to reach the summit meant he hadn’t fully earned heaven’s favor.

The Bridge of Heaven had nothing to do with innate talent, cultivation, or strength. Even a mortal could reach the summit if heaven favored them. Thus, being four steps short didn’t mean Ning Hai’s talent wasn’t enough.

The next contender swiftly ascended the bridge and was enveloped in radiance like Ning Hai. It didn’t take long before the third and fourth person ascended.

However, when the fifth person stepped on the bridge, he was sent flying from the bridge. It was shocking to everyone that someone in the first level of the True Profound Realm was eliminated outright.

“Trash! Do you think you can cheat the Bridge of Heaven by reaching the True Profound Realm relying on pills?” The examiner third from the left sneered. The bridge acted like a sieve to eliminate all the unworthy candidates.

The pace quickened as time passed, with candidates ascending and falling. On average, one person was eliminated out of every four who tried.

Among the first dozen participants were others like the Flying Snow Sect’s Ma Tianming and the Blazing Sun Gate’s Liu Jianshu, both stopping five steps short of the summit, similar to Ning Hai.

The ten examiners quietly noted those names, confident that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, they would secure their places in the academy.

Most True Profound Realm participants successfully passed the trial, though a few were eliminated. Next, those in the Nascent Transformation Realm took their turns. The majority of them were stopped at either the two-thirds mark or halfway across the bridge, while only a small fraction failed at one-third of the way.

Some were excited, while others were filled with regret. Various emotions were displayed on the platform.

As time passed, one-third of the participants had passed, and ten thousand people had been eliminated. Such a high elimination rate was terrifying to watch, and it was no wonder Liu Xiucheng had said the first stage was highly critical.

Many participants’ confidence wavered before they even stepped onto the stage. The Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy had strategically placed the martial stage last to weed out as many unworthy candidates as possible.

By sunset, the queue had shortened, bringing the Liu Clan closer to their turn. The Wang Clan, positioned ahead of the Liu Clan, boasted impressive results—more than half of their eighty-plus disciples managed to traverse two-thirds of the bridge, a feat that would inspire envy in any observer.

Over at the Liu Clan, Liu Lin was the first to take the test, while Liu Wuxie was the last. Liu Xin’er was ahead of him, and she occasionally turned around to chat with him.

When it was finally the Liu Clan’s turn at night, Liu Lin jumped onto the bridge without hesitation. The ten examiners had already grown exhausted and barely glanced at anyone beneath the eighth level of the Nascent Transformation Realm.

When Liu Lin went on the bridge, it only took him a minute to traverse half of it. The other Liu Clan disciples quickly followed behind, and Liu Wuxie also made his way forward following the queue.

Two minutes later, Liu Lin had passed the two-thirds mark, and he was expelled from the bridge when he was ten steps away from the summit.

After the remaining disciples took their turns, Liu Wuxie finally leaped into the air to step onto the bridge. However, before he could land, a powerful palm descended from above, slamming him back to the ground.

“How dare a mere Astral River Realm somebody attempt to partake in this test! Who allowed you to come here?!" Miao Hanxuan bellowed, his resounding voice drawing everyone’s attention.