Three days later, at dawn.
The sky was tinged with a pale white glow, and the air was filled with a mist like a light veil. Gentle rays of sunlight filtered through the dense leaves, forming golden spots on the Nine Peaks of Ziwei.
Normally peaceful Ziwei Mountain was exceptionally lively today.
At the mountain gate, the Nine Great Peak Masters and the Netherworld Elders stood on the steps, smiling and discussing the grand opening of the mountain gate for the new recruits.
Below them, the stone steps, initially only a few hundred meters, now extended seemingly endlessly downward.
On both sides of the stone steps, thick fog rose, obscuring the entire mountain path, making it impossible to see the end.
"The Patriarch's testing method is excellent. The higher you climb these stone steps, the more the pressure multiplies, with various illusions on either side to distract, and not being able to see the way forward—only those with great perseverance can endure it."
