The seventh step held the pressure of the 8th level of the Qi Absorption Realm!
Before Harry entered the Winter Fold Forest, there was no way he could have come this far. With just Strengthening Flesh, he could withstand up to the 4th level of the Qi Absorption Realm. Adding on Forging Bone and the Five Element Battle Body, which gave him a huge boost, Harry could withstand even the 6th level of the Qi Absorption Realm.
But after filling 18% of his Sea of Wood, the strength of his flesh increased by 18 times. Just with Strengthening Flesh, Harry could withstand the 2nd level of the Core Formation Realm, at the very least. It was a huge increase in his strength.
Therefore, Harry confidently stepped onto the seventh step.
Other than Firenze, Draco Malfoy, and Felix Rosier, everyone else was at the 7th level of the Qi Absorption Realm. Therefore, this was the first step where they were being challenged.
The pressure of the 8th level of the Qi Absorption Realm slammed into everyone at once, with the power of a raging river. It was like they were reduced to tiny little fish, trying to swim upstream against the rushing water. To counter it, most of them had to bring out their own Qi to counter the incoming force.
Yet, these people weren't the most talented of the Sacred Clans for no reason. After a few seconds, people were able to stabilize themselves, and firmly stay on the seventh step.
All except for one.
One scream, loud and extremely shrill, caught Harry's attention. It sounded like a woman being tortured. He whipped his head around – only to see Pansy Parkinson screaming at the top of her lungs as she was blown off the stairs. Next to her, Draco's face twisted into a sneer before looking away.
The force was so great it seemed as if Pansy would be thrown all the way to the base of the stairs, but in midair, a gentle force caught her and carried her to the sixth step. Once her feet were firmly planted there, a series of runes lit up which locked her in place. The force on her lane of the stairs disappeared, and there Pansy Parkinson stood, looking at everyone on the seventh step with envious looks.
As for everyone else, the results were mixed. Some, like the centaurs, resisted this pressure without any issue. Similarly for some of the body cultivators, like Crabbe, Goyle, Bulstrode, and Rowle. Those at the 8th level, Draco Malfoy and Felix Rosier, didn't have any trouble issue. The rest were showing various signs of struggle.
"James, you're definitely cheating!" Zacharias Smith howled. He was using all his strength, and just barely remaining on the step. He furiously tried to resist the pressure of the 8th level of the Qi Absorption Realm, and seeing Harry calmly standing there made him incomparably angry.
How could he accept that the person he was looking down on, and who's cultivation was so much lower than his own, actually turned out to be stronger than him? Such a cruel blow was too much for him to take in.
"Hehe, Zacharias, you should worry about yourself. You look like you're about to fall off," Harry mercilessly taunted him.
At those words, Zacharias' face turned a livid color, and he almost lost his balance. He stared at James with an expression of pure hate, then went back to focusing on the test.
Of the competitors, it was Pansy, Zacharias, and the centaurs who were the most outraged, and also most vocal, about James being a cheater. As for everyone else, they were either waiting to see what their leaders thought, such as Rosier's group, who had mostly been silent, or were waiting to see just how high James could go before casting judgment. But now, seeing James still standing strong, they couldn't keep silent anymore.
"The power of the 8th level is 10 times stronger than the power of the 2nd level! It's impossible for someone at your level to resist this!" This time, it was Felix Rosier who was staring at Harry. And once Felix expressed his displeasure, the rest of his group did too.
"Right, he's cheating!" Avery growled.
"Of course he's cheating, but how?" Travers asked.
"He must have some method to fool the formation!" said Yaxley, his eyes glinting towards Harry.
"Maybe he has armor under his shitty robes!" Gibbon suggested.
"James, you fucking cheater! If our paths ever cross, I'll beat you to a pulp!" Rowle roared.
Despite his best efforts, Harry felt a spike of irritation. How could they claim he was a lowly rogue cultivator one second, then claim he had the ability to cheat Rowena Ravenclaw's formations the next second? Wasn't she supposedly one of the strongest cultivators to ever live in the empire?
"Right, what Rowle said!" Draco spat. "My Malfoy Sacred Clan won't allow a cheater like you to roam freely!"
"Neither will my noble Star Scrying Centaur Clan. For the sake of fairness, my clan will put a cheater like you to death!"
"The Yellow Hero City won't tolerate someone like you!" Ernest Macmillan roared. He, like his friend Zacharias Smith, was just barely hanging on.
And at that moment, Harry received a flash of inspiration, a truly brilliant way to get back at all of these idiots.
"Alright, let me ask you all something."
"What is it?"
"Suppose I am cheating. What are you going to do about it?" Harry shot everyone the widest grin he could.
"You!" Draco's face turned an alarming shade of red.
"Come on! Why don't you come over here and stop me from cheating?" Harry laughed.
"You – you – James!"
In any other competition, these heirs of the Sacred Clans would no doubt have attacked him already. But thanks to these barriers existing between them, everyone was confined to their own lane. No one could do anything about James – even if he was cheating.
"Why don't you break down these barriers and stop me? Hahahahaha!" Harry threw his head back let out a loud and refreshing laugh. And when Harry saw the sheer fury etched on their faces, over two dozen people looking like they were going to rush over and kill him, the annoyance in his heart finally disappeared. To Harry, their reactions were simply hilarious.
"Lowly human, I shall remember this insult!" Firenze spat.
"To dare cheat on Rowena Ravenclaw's inheritance test – have you no shame? Not just our Yellow Hero City, the whole Scarlet Phoenix Empire won't tolerate anyone who disrespects Rowena Ravenclaw!" it was Zacharias Smith who yelled those words.
"The Rosier Sacred Clan and its allies will not tolerate this either. Continue this farce, and you'll soon learn the consequences," Felix flatly stated. Though he sounded calm, there was a dangerous tone behind his words. His meaning was clear – get off the staircase, or else the Rosier Sacred Clan and its allies would join the assault against Harry.
Ding!
"Step onto the eighth step. You will feel the pressure of the 9th level of the Qi Absorption Realm."
Ignoring the looks of fury around him, Harry bounded up to the next step, and immediately felt the brunt of the 9th level of the Qi Absorption Realm. This was a powerful force, far stronger than the previous step. If the last step was a raging river, then this one was a violent waterfall, slamming against Harry with all its might.
Yet, this pressure was still unable to hurt Harry! Even though this was twice the strength of the 7th level, it barely took Harry any effort to resist it.
Looking around, Harry couldn't say the same for everyone else.
From the Yellow Hero City's group, the three Young Masters, along with Terry Boot and Michael Corner, managed to resist for five seconds before they were thrown off the staircase. They landed onto the seventh step, unable to progress any further. They looked towards Harry with an expression of anger – until they noticed that Sullivan and Daniel, somehow, were still standing on the eighth step. Their faces were scrunched into grimaces, as they revolved their power to the maximum to handle the pressure. Harry could tell they were close to collapse – perhaps it was sheer determination that drove the two of them on.
On Felix's side, Rowle and Felix Rosier were having the easiest times, standing firmly on the eighth step and glaring at Harry in outrage. The other five looked like they were at the limit.
As for Draco's group, all six of the remaining cultivators stood on the eighth step without budging. None of them appeared to be struggling, though Harry could see their bodies shaking slightly, betraying the pressure they were under. In terms of physical strength, and not counting Pansy Parkinson, Draco's group was the strongest among the humans.
And finally, the centaurs seemed the least affected. Firenze stood there calmly, every bit as easily as Harry, while the five remaining centaurs looked like they were struggling, just not as much as the humans. Their inherent physical strength significantly helped here.
"James… cease… cheating!" Marcus Flint glared at him. The pressure was too great for him to speak full sentences, instead he spat out words one at a time. Though not quite his limit, it was still a massive pressure for him to be under. It took all his effort just to speak a few words.
"Right. You're cheating," from Draco's side, Crabbe, Goyle, and Milicent accused Harry. Perhaps it was due to their lack of brain cells, but it seemed like they only just made that conclusion.
"The strength of the 9th level is over 15 times the strength of the 2nd level! Despicable human, my centaur clan will have your life for this treachery!"
A cultivator who was 15 times stronger than his level… who had ever heard of such a thing? It was obviously impossible!
"James, you better admit to cheating, or else!" Zacharias Smith screamed from the seventh step.
"Or else what? Just what are you going to do to me?" Harry smirked.
"You – you – we're going to –" people tried to threaten Harry, but found that they just couldn't. Indeed, there was no passing these walls of light. And once the competition ended, James would be sent back to wherever he came from. He could be anywhere in the empire. In fact, considering how long the seventh platform went unfound, most likely James was in some remote location no one had ever been to. Over the long years, there were endless theories about where the seventh platform was. Some people said it was at the bottom of the ocean, others thought it was buried deep underground, there were hundreds of possibilities for where it might be hidden. It had evaded detection for so long some people even thought it was a myth, or already destroyed. They would probably never guess where James was.
And the more the competitors looked at James' chubby face, the more enraged they felt. Some of them were literally shaking in anger, jeopardizing their result in the test of strength.
"You won't get away with this!" people yelled towards Harry, who just tuned them out.
Ding!
"Step onto the ninth step. You will feel the pressure of the 1st level of the Core Formation Realm."
The Core Formation Realm! Though it had only been eight minutes since the test started, it felt longer, much longer. For many people, their muscles were aching and their Qi was depleted from resisting the force of the first eight steps. Under such pressure, short seconds passed by like minutes, and the minutes like hours. And everyone was aware – the strength of the Core Formation Realm was far greater than the Qi Absorption Realm!
The 22 remaining people hesitantly stepped upwards. Once everyone's feet were on the ninth step -
WHAM!
The power of the Core Formation Realm slammed into everyone like a hurricane, a raging whirlwind of force that mercilessly blasted everyone backwards. Harry gritted his teeth as he felt an enormous weight, like a boulder, was placed onto his back.
Strengthening Flesh!
Finally, Harry activated his ability. The Wood Qi in the Sea of Wood immediately spread throughout his flesh, counteracting the pressure. He felt strength infuse into his body, and Harry was easily able to stand straight and tall again. As long as Strengthening Flesh was activated, the 1st level of the Core Formation Realm couldn't hurt Harry!
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" some people weren't so fortunate. Harry saw Daniel and Sullivan, along with Avery, Yaxley, Travers, Gibbons, and Jugson, last about two seconds before they were violently thrown off. A few seconds later, Marcus Flint, Cassius Warrington, and Millicent Bulstrode followed suit. After a few more seconds, the five centaurs other than Firenze were also launched off, unable to resist any longer.
That left only seven people standing – Harry, Draco Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Felix Rosier, Rowle, and Firenze – and of the seven, six of them just barely. Some were on their hands and knees, others were hunched over like an old lady, like their body was about to snap from the pressure. Inch by inch, the six of them were being pushed backwards off the staircase. If this went on for a few more seconds, none of them would pass this level!
Of those seven, only Harry could stand straight without betraying the pressure he was under!
There was a crazed look in Firenze's eyes as he stared at Harry, still standing tall, and a determined expression set into his equine face.
"Bloodline power – activate!" he roared. Harry turned to look – and saw Firenze's body expand. His large frame, already dwarfing any human, doubled in size as every vein and muscle on his body bulged. Harry could sense a wild, animalistic Qi, even through the walls of light, erupt throughout the centaur's body, and Firenze crazily roared as the power in his bloodline activated.
Firenze had been buckling before, four knees nearly against the floor, but with this, he immediately stood straight up again. His large frame glowed with a dull red light as his bloodline power coursed throughout his body.
"Lowly human, even if you cheat, you can't defeat my noble centaur clan!" he roared.
On Harry's other side, Draco activated some kind of cultivation technique, which encased his entire body in a silver suit of armor. It was like water, flowing and covering every inch of his skin in a rigid metal armor. Immediately, he too straightened up and was able to withstand this pressure.
Further away, Harry saw Crabbe, Goyle, and Rowle activate some techniques of their own. The three of them had their own separate techniques, but they all resembled what Firenze had done – using Qi to physically inflate their bodies. Their bodies bulged with unnatural muscles, and they were all able to firmly resist the pressure of the Core Formation Realm.
And finally, there was Felix Rosier. His physical strength was the weakest of all, and he had to support himself with all four limbs. He gritted his teeth, then –
"Blood Seeing Eye, come out!" Felix yelled.
And behind his back, a giant eyeball appeared! It was large, larger than Harry's head, and was definitely one of the creepier Magic Spirits Harry had ever seen. The spirit was just a solitary eyeball, without the rest of the face, that hovered behind Felix. Bloodshot veins snaked through the eye, a mass of red lines like squirming scarlet worms. Seeing it would cause anyone to shudder.
'That's – that's a Rank 4 Magic Spirit!' Harry thought in shock. He could tell simply because this spirit had an awareness. It felt alive, despite it being a creepy, floating eyeball. The pupil of the eye had a mind of its own, as it spun in the sclera and took in the occupants of the room.
Perhaps he shouldn't be so shocked. As the Young Master of a Sacred Clan, Felix was almost guaranteed to have a powerful Magic Spirit.
As it spun, Felix slowly but surely straightened up, standing just as firmly as everyone else. Somehow, the eyeball was pouring strength into Felix's physical body, giving him a huge boost of power.
'Impressive,' Harry couldn't help but admire these people. Only those from a Sacred Clan would be able to resist the pressure of an entire realm above. It was a true testament to their background and strength that allowed them to go this far.
The seven of them stood like that, furiously resisting the pressure, nobody wanting to be the first to fail and be thrown off. They were so absorbed in withstanding the force that none of them could even muster the energy to accuse Harry of cheating. Besides from physically augmenting their bodies, they were all using their Qi to counteract the pressure above. As their bodies caved and muscles cramped, a single thought ran through all their minds – just one more second, one more second, just a bit longer, and then…
Ding!
"Step onto the tenth step. You will feel the pressure of the 2nd level of the Core Formation Realm."
The seven of them gritted their teeth, and took a laborious step upwards. Just raising their leg against the mammoth pressure was a Herculean task, and bringing their body up took the rest of their energy.
Then without warning, the force of the 2nd level descended. It was like a mountain slamming into each of their backs, and even Harry's legs buckled against the sudden pressure. There was a brief moment of silence, and then -
"AAARRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHHH" five screams rang throughout the room. As one, Felix Rosier, Rowle, Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle were blown off the tenth step. Even with their strongest techniques, powers, and Magic Spirits, they had no chance to resist.
The 2nd level of the Core Formation Realm was just too strong!
After the dust settled, that left only Firenze and Harry standing!
But, it was all Firenze could do to just stand there. His knees were caving, and the centaur's massive body was almost crushed into the floor. As the seconds slowly trickled by, more and more of his body gave away, legs and waist slowly bending, caving in to the pressure.
20 seconds…
30 seconds…
40 seconds…
"NOOOOOOOOO!" Firenze roared, and the next moment, his legs slipped and the centaur was shot off the staircase like a cannonball.
Even though his cultivation level was higher than the rest, and a centaur's body was stronger than a human's, it still made no difference. The gap between levels in the Core Formation Realm was just far too much.
That left only Harry, still standing calmly. As long as Strengthening Flesh was activated, this pressure was easily bearable!
"DAMNED HUMAN, JUST WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!" Firenze screamed in apoplectic rage.
"JAMES, YOU DESPICABLE CHEATER, GET OFF THE STAIRCASE NOW!" Rowle yelled at the top of his lungs.
Everyone, besides Daniel and Sullivan, was also cursing at him. Firenze and Rowle just were the loudest, drowning out their competitors by far. Harry paid them no attention. He kept his eyes closed, pretending he couldn't hear them.
50 seconds…
55 seconds…
60 seconds!
Harry breathed a sigh of relief, and then –
Ding!
"Step onto the 11th step. You will feel the pressure of the 3rd level of the Core Formation Realm."
The 3rd level of the Core Formation Realm!
Harry wasn't quite sure where the upper limit of his strength lay, but he knew it was around here. Most likely, this was the highest he could climb – and perhaps, he wouldn't even be able to withstand the full minute. But despite that, he had to try!
With all his strength, Harry lifted his legs against the huge pressure and stepped on 11th step.
WHAM!
The force of the 3rd level of the Core Formation Realm slammed against Harry's back. If there was a mountain on his back before, then now, there were two mountains. Their enormous weight was pressing him down – Harry lasted for about five seconds – and then he was mercilessly forced onto his hands and knees.
10 seconds…
15 seconds…
'Dammit, this is too much!' Harry gritted his teeth. Even with all four limbs supporting him, the force was just too great. Inch by inch, he was pressed down until his chest was almost touching the stairs. He could resist it, but just barely.
20 seconds…
His arms were screaming, his back was screaming, and Harry was sure his body was going to give out any moment. It was embarrassing, to be on his hands and knees in front of all these witnesses, but Harry couldn't worry about that now.
Inch by inch, he was being pushed backwards, losing ground every second.
'Not good!' Harry frantically thought. At this rate, he wouldn't make it through the full minute!
Five Element Battle Body!
With no other choice, Harry activated his most powerful technique!
Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, the chain of the five elements wound across his body, bringing his physical power to the peak. Immediately, the pressure lessened, and Harry's limbs stopped trembling.
Although it was his most powerful technique, there was a saying that a chain is only as strong as the weakest link. That also applied to the Five Element Battle Body – although he had completed the Washing Marrow medium accomplishment, and part of Strengthening Flesh, he made no progress on Fire Qi, Earth Qi, or Metal Qi. Those were still stuck at the minor accomplishment – and therefore, so was the overall Five Element Battle Body.
If Harry filled the Seas of Wood, Fire, Earth, and Metal, then activated the Five Element Battle Body, he felt his strength would increase by an enormous leap. But in his current state, it didn't provide as much of a boost as he was hoping for.
Despite that, the strength of the five elements couldn't be underestimated. His muscles, his bones, and his flesh all gained an extra layer of power. In this state of mind, he felt invincible.
'Get up!' a voice ordered in his mind.
'How can a Sovereign be on his knees? GET UP!'
The voice commanded Harry, and he had no choice but to obey. With the power of the five elements rippling through his body, Harry stood back up, straight and tall.
"NO! IMPOSSIBLE!" Firenze shouted, his fists and face scrunched tight in anger. He could clearly see James was at his limit – so how did he straighten up all of a sudden?
Harry briefly turned to glance at Firenze, and the look on James' face made Firenze freeze up. Though Firenze couldn't quite explain it, it was like James had completely changed. Before, Firenze saw irritation written all over James' face, so he knew the insults were reaching him. But now, the expression on his face was entirely indifferent, as if he saw Firenze as nothing more than ant, not even worthy of a response. Harry's eyes swept over the rest of the room, then faced forwards again, as if there was no one here worthy of his notice.
40 seconds…
There was a sickening SNAP! sound, and Harry felt the bone in his right calf snap in half. The Room of Requirement lurched around him. A lance of pain shot up his leg, and Harry fell over, hands and knees landing back on the staircase for support. As he crouched there, Harry realized this was bound to happen – after all, his flesh may have been enhanced, but his bones weren't.
Despite his disadvantaged position, Harry refused to give up!
Washing Marrow!
As quickly as his leg was broken, the soothing Water Qi washed through his body, instantly mending his leg. His healing power was so great that his broken bone was set in mere seconds – snapping back into place as quickly as it had broken – and the next second, Harry was standing again.
"Wha – impossible!" Draco Malfoy blurted out. He was the closest to James, and clearly saw what he had done.
"You – how did you do that!" Firenze demanded, his mouth dry.
But Harry didn't deign to respond to the two of them, nor anyone else in the room.
They were simply beneath his notice.
45 seconds…
SNAP!
The bone on Harry's other leg snapped next, and he fell back onto his hands and knees.
'Again!'
Washing Marrow!
50 seconds…
SNAP!
His legs were broken again, but Harry unflinchingly stood back up, as if he didn't feel the pain at all.
55 seconds…
SNAP!
Washing Marrow!
Just a bit more…
56 seconds… 57 seconds… 58 seconds… 59 seconds… 60 seconds!
Ding!
"Step onto the 12th step. You will feel the pressure of the 4th level of the Core Formation Realm."
'I made it!' Harry thought in elation. His strength wasn't quite enough, but his willpower and tolerance for pain had brought him past the edge. But as for the next step…
'I won't be able to withstand it… but – I still want to try! Where else will I get the chance to safely experience the 4th level of the Core Formation Realm?'
Inch by inch, Harry slowly lifted his body onto the 12th step. His legs wobbled beneath him, and he almost crawled forth on his hands and knees if it weren't for the voice in his mind ordering him not to. It took every little iota of strength he had left just to reach the 12th step – and then –
BAM!
Harry didn't even have the chance to resist before a vast pressure, like the ocean, slammed into him. He held on for the briefest of moments – and then before he knew it, his feet were off the staircase, flying backwards at a breakneck speed.
A gentle force caught Harry in mid-flight, and carried him through the air, depositing him on the 11th step.
"That concludes the test of strength."
With that, the room shifted around Harry. Harry blinked, and found he was standing in a different location. He was still on the staircase, still on the 11th step, but his position it the room was different.
Before, he was standing somewhere around the middle, between the centaurs and Draco's group. But now, he was all the way on the far right.
Next to him was still Firenze, who had reached the ninth step – the 1st level of the Core Formation Realm. On Firenze's left was Draco, then Crabbe, Goyle, Rowle, and Felix, also on step nine. There was an empty space after Felix, then it was followed by the other centaurs, Millicent, Daniel, Sullivan, and everyone else who reached the eighth step – the 9th level of the Qi Absorption Realm. The five from Yellow Hero City followed, on the seventh step, and at the other end was Pansy Parkinson, on the sixth step. As Harry's eyes travelled down the line, he realized that their positions had been sorted. The weakest people were at the left, while the strongest were on the right.
Breathing heavily, Harry relaxed and deactivated the Five Element Battle Body. Just as he expected, he came out on top during the test of strength.
"Your positions have been sorted, and will update after the end of each test. This will help keep track of your relative scores," Rowena Ravenclaw confirmed.
"The next test is the test of determination. In order to give everyone a chance to recover their strength, there will be a short break before the test of determination starts."
With that said, the voice fell silent, and all eyes predictably shot towards Harry.