Master Yue loudly announced in front of everyone, "Listen up, follow the small path through the bamboo forest ahead, and you'll reach the Seven Profound Gates' Bone Refining Cliff. The first part of the journey is through the bamboo forest, followed by a rocky area, and finally, a cliff. Only those who reach the top of the cliff can enter the Seven Profound Gates. If you can't make it before noon, although you won't become an official disciple, if you show outstanding performance, you may be accepted as a registered disciple."
Han Li naturally didn't understand the meaning of "registered disciple," he just knew that he had to move forward and climb the mountain. Glancing ahead, he saw a not very steep slope with many thick and thin bamboo growing on it. It didn't seem too difficult to climb!
Han Li looked at the other children; he didn't want to lose to his peers, and the atmosphere among the children suddenly became tense.
Master Yue looked at the rising sun and said, "It's time to prepare! Don't be afraid, your senior brothers will protect you from behind and ensure your safety."
Han Li looked back at the young men behind him. These people were called senior brothers, probably the disciples who were recruited earlier. If he joined, could he wear the same majestic clothes?
While pondering, Han Li noticed that the other children had already rushed into the bamboo forest. Seeing this, he hurried to follow.
The bamboo forest seemed very vast. As more than thirty children rushed in, they immediately spread out. A slender senior brother followed closely behind Han Li. He had a cold face and didn't say a word, just silently following him. Han Li felt a little scared and dared not speak to him. He simply lifted his feet, lowered his body, and slowly moved forward along the slope.
Although the bamboo forest didn't look too difficult, after walking for a long time, Han Li felt increasingly tired. His legs became heavier, and he had to use one hand to pull on the bamboo stalks to move forward more easily.
After persisting for a long time, Han Li became extremely tired. He had to sit down on a random mound and catch his breath.
Taking a break, he looked back at the slender senior brother. Despite the steep terrain, the senior brother stood still, as if not a speck of dust had touched him, just like the bamboo around him. He silently watched Han Li from below.
Seeing the cold gaze of the senior brother, Han Li felt a bit frightened. He quickly turned his head back and heard the sound of heavy breathing coming from ahead. He knew that there were others resting ahead, so after a short while, he hurriedly continued upward.
The slope became steeper, and Han Li's strength diminished. To prevent himself from falling, he had to bend over, with hands and feet moving together. Fortunately, his clothes were sturdy enough, otherwise, his joints and knees would have been scraped.
Finally, when he nearly emerged from the dense bamboo forest, Han Li felt that the last stretch of the journey was getting tougher. The ground became rocky, and the bamboo became sparse.
Han Li could no longer pull himself forward with the bamboo stalks. The final distance had to be covered inch by inch.
As he walked out of the bamboo forest, he saw a vast expanse before him. Directly ahead was a huge rock, with several slender figures already slowly climbing up. Behind them were several senior brothers dressed similarly. Han Li hesitated no more and hurried towards the giant rock ahead.
The stone wall was composed of layers of stacked rocks, heavily weathered. Some parts crumbled at a touch, while others were sharp and pointed. After just a meal's worth of effort, Han Li's hands were covered in wounds, his elbows and knees scratched, and although the wounds were small, the tiny stone chips embedded inside made the pain worse.
The few in front had already climbed far ahead. Thinking of his family and the words of his third uncle, Han Li could only grit his teeth and climb harder.
Before setting off, Han Li's father and third uncle had reminded him that the entrance test would be very difficult. If he didn't persevere, it would be impossible to join the Seven Profound Gates. At this moment, Han Li didn't care about joining the Seven Profound Gates anymore. It was just a surge of determination that welled up inside him. The thought of giving up now was too shameful!
Han Li glanced up at the few people ahead. Wuyan was in the lead after all. He was not only older than Han Li by more than a year but also had practiced some martial arts. His body was much stronger than the other children, so it was not surprising that he was in the front.
Han Li glanced back at the several figures behind him. Many people were still moving. Han Li took a deep breath and accelerated his pace.
Exhausting all his strength, he still couldn't close the gap with the few people in the front. His body felt heavier, and he saw the sun gradually climbing to the middle of the sky, while Wuyan had already climbed to the end of the rock wall.
It was a vertical and steep cliff, over thirty feet high, with over a dozen hemp ropes hanging down from the top. Each hemp rope had fist-sized knots tied to it. Wuyan was currently climbing one of them, slowly moving towards the top of the cliff.
Han Li watched Wuyan ahead and felt somewhat discouraged. He knew he couldn't catch up with the few people in the front, and time was running out.
As this thought arose, the injuries on his elbows and knees suddenly throbbed with a burning pain. His limbs felt weak, and one hand trembled. His whole body almost fell, frightening him so much that his heart pounded rapidly. He quickly pressed his body tightly against the rock wall and dared not move.
After a while, his heart calmed down, and he reached out to grab a protruding stone corner. After pulling it a few times and confirming its stability, he finally relaxed.
Han Li subconsciously looked back and saw the senior brother behind him squatting down, arms outstretched in a protective posture. Seeing that he was safe, Han Li slowly stood up straight.
Han Li felt grateful; if he had really fallen, all the hard work before would have been in vain! After resting for a while, he slowly moved forward again, climbing towards the hemp ropes hanging on the cliff.
Finally, he reached one of the ropes with no one on it. The sun was almost directly overhead, with less than half an hour left until noon. At this moment, Wuyan had already climbed to the top of the cliff, and Han Li saw him raise his arm, extend his pinky finger towards the people below, and laugh heartily before leaving.
Han Li felt annoyed, quickly grabbed the rope, and began to climb.
However, Han Li had exhausted all his strength, and now he couldn't even hold onto the rope properly.
After struggling to climb up to the end of a rope, Han Li sat down heavily, feeling completely powerless. Even a single finger couldn't move anymore. He looked back and saw some children sitting on the rock wall behind him, panting heavily. It seemed that they had also used up their last bit of strength like him.
Han Li could only smile bitterly. He had underestimated the difficulty of this test. Fortunately, he hadn't fallen to the back. Turning his head again, he saw the cold senior brother. After hesitating for a moment, Han Li decided to muster his strength and climb a little higher. Even though he couldn't reach before noon, it would be too embarrassing to stay still here!
Stretching his stiff hands, Han Li exerted the last bit of his strength and slowly moved upward along the rope knots. But by now, Han Li's hands were completely unresponsive, and he couldn't hold onto the rope at all. After struggling for a while, he still couldn't make any progress
