"Little San!"
"Mubai!"
Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing flashed to their sides, their faces filled with worry.
"Are you alright?"
Meeting Zhu Zhuqing's concerned gaze, Dai Mubai shook his head, describing his recent experience, "I'm fine. It just felt like crashing into a wall that was full of elasticity. Whatever force I exerted was directly rebounded back to me."
Tang San straightened up with Xiao Wu's support, "I'm the same as Brother Dai. It seems that the range truly covered by the Sea God's Light begins from the stairs."
"If the force is reflected, what about the attack power?" Tang Sui looked at the translucent stairs, raised her hand, and a trace of demon power mixed with a little soul power condensed at her fingertip, shooting towards the stairs leading to the island.
The result was the same as when Tang San and the others rushed up. The attack was completely reflected back, even stronger and faster than Tang Sui had casually exerted.
"Bang—!"
Just as the demon power ball shot from her hand was about to touch her upon being repelled, a dark shadow vortex opened in front of Tang Sui, devouring the returning energy.
It was all her own energy, and she couldn't waste it.
Seeing this, Tang San's expression was as expected, "It seems my guess was correct. The Sea God's Light is a domineering shield that can reflect any attack and only reflects it back to the person who launched the attack."
The energy ball Tang Sui had sent out earlier was aimed in an arbitrary direction, not directly forward, but the reflected attack bypassed Oscar, who was directly in its path, and went straight for Tang Sui, who was standing at the very edge.
The others also found it reasonable, as the positions were clear.
Oscar wore a bitter expression, "In that case, does it mean we can only rely on our physical strength and cannot use any skills?"
One hundred and twenty steps! Not to mention Rongrong was level 136, and Xiao San was level 333!
Just the first step had sent Xiao San and Brother Dai flying back. If it were them, wouldn't they be even more done for?
Ma Hongjun, a flying soul master, also wailed, "Then this trial is too difficult!" Isn't this clearly targeting flying soul masters like them?!
"Again!" Dai Mubai took a deep breath, adjusted his state, and stood before the stairs leading to the island once more.
Tang San also braced himself again, standing parallel to Dai Mubai before the stairs.
Their gazes sharpened, and they simultaneously took a step forward, heading towards the first step.
As they reached above the first step, they immediately felt an invisible wall of air, as if someone had turned on over a dozen powerful fans blowing directly at them. The immense resistance almost pushed their feet back.
"This is much more troublesome than Teacher Zhao's gravity domain," Dai Mubai, who had firmly taken the first step, exhaled. He felt not only resistance from below but also from the front and sides, all trying to push him off the stairs.
However, the first time they were caught off guard. Now that they knew the setup of these stairs, they naturally wouldn't be pushed off unprepared again.
"Xiao San, want to race?" Dai Mubai turned his head to look at Tang San, his eyes flashing with a fighting spirit.
Tang San smiled faintly, his Profound Heaven Skill circulating faster, "Alright!"
Facing the overwhelming pressure that swept in from all directions, the two of them pushed forward with their steps.
The second step, the third step...
Reaching the fifth step, Tang San calculated the rapidly depleting soul power in his mind and was surprised to find that it required a Soul Venerable-level soul master to exert their full strength to achieve it on the fifth step!
And from the fifth step to the tenth, when he stepped onto the eleventh, he quickly felt the pressure increase significantly.
It was somewhat similar to the pressure test he underwent at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, subjected to the pressure of the three elder council members. The pressure increased layer by layer.
The temples of Dai Mubai and Tang San were already drenched in sweat, and cold sweat constantly beaded on their foreheads.
And they were only at the twentieth step!
Seeing Dai Mubai momentarily stop at the twentieth step, catching his breath, Tang Sui's gaze shifted. She looked at the stairs shimmering with a faint golden light, thought for a moment, and walked to the first step.
"Sui Sui?" Xiao Wu was the first to notice Tang Sui's action.
Tang San, who had already climbed to the twenty-third step, turned his head upon hearing her. He saw his sister standing before the stairs leading to the island, attempting to take a step.
"Sui Sui, don't rush to try it first!"
Tang San's heart tightened, and he quickly called out, trying to stop Tang Sui.
Tang Sui chose to ignore him. After resting, she stepped forward again. Dai Mubai, who had reached the twenty-fifth step in one go, slowed down on that step. He turned his head and said loudly, "Xiao San, let Sui Sui try. For now, besides the immense pressure, there's no real danger. If it doesn't work, we'll walk ahead of her and test these steps first, won't we?"
Dai Mubai, who had grown up with a hands-off approach from his family, was very calm.
Tang San, understanding Dai Mubai's meaning, showed a helpless expression but agreed with Dai Mubai's suggestion. He turned back, refocused his attention on the stairs ahead, and continued to climb.
As long as he and Brother Dai climbed higher than Sui Sui, there was no danger that could escape their notice and reach her!
Looking below again, Tang Sui had already lifted her right foot and stepped onto the first step.
Like a calm sea suddenly churning with terrifying waves, immense pressure surged from all directions, trying to push her back.
But Tang Sui merely frowned, and the next second, she shifted her weight onto her right foot, stepped with her left, and onto the second step.
The experience of testing it herself was entirely different from hearing about it from others.
As she lifted her left foot, she clearly felt the resistance strengthen considerably.
The third step, the fourth step, the fifth step...
Under the worried gazes of Xiao Wu and the others, Tang Sui felt as if her limbs were locked by heavy shackles, dragging her backward. Or rather, it was like she was dragging a boulder uphill with shackles on her hands and feet.
This slow, gradual torment was more grueling than a fierce and rapid battle.
Stepping onto the sixth step, Tang Sui's expression remained unchanged, not even breaking a sweat. Compared to Tang San and Dai Mubai, who had already passed the sixth step, Tang Sui's pace was light and brisk.
Meanwhile, Dai Mubai and Tang San, who had climbed to the thirtieth-odd steps, were not faring as well.
From the thirtieth step onwards, each subsequent step bore a slightly deeper footprint.
These were the water stains from the sweat that evaporated from the golden mist surrounding their bodies, as well as the moisture from the humid mist.
Both of them had flushed faces and bulging veins on their necks, indicating that every step required them to exert their full strength to climb.
At the thirty-sixth step, Dai Mubai's breathing grew heavier. Amidst the colossal pressure that could send him flying at any second, six spirit rings appeared beneath his feet. The fifth, a pitch-black one, flashed, accompanied by a roaring tiger's cry. Intense golden light enveloped him, instantly boosting his weakened aura. Golden tiger stripes also appeared on his face.
This was precisely his fifth spirit ability, White Tiger Demon God Transformation.