CHAPTER 222: GRAND COMPETITION XXI

Tian Lei led them closer to the line of thick wooden pillars.

Each pillar was as tall as a person, and each one was attached to a mechanism that made it swing in random directions.

Han Yi stared at them with empty eyes.

"...Those things want to kill me."

Yue Shanshan snorted.

"They’re just wood."

Han Yi pointed at a pillar that suddenly jerked sideways with a loud thunk.

"That wood is angry."

Mu Chen patted his shoulder.

"Relax. Just move fast."

"I can’t move fast!" Han Yi cried. "My legs are still shaking from last round!"

Ling Qingxue stepped to the front of the group, quiet and focused.

Tian Lei nodded to her.

"You will go first again."

Yue groaned.

"Of course she goes first. She’s the only one who won’t die."

Ling stepped onto the starting line.

No hesitation. No complaint.

Tian Lei raised his hand.

"Begin."

The pillars started swinging.

Ling moved through them smoothly.

She leaned left to avoid one.

She stepped back from another.

She ducked under a low swing and passed the last pillar without slowing down.

She reached the end in only a few seconds.

Mu Chen’s jaw dropped.

"...She didn’t even blink."

Lei Feng said, "I think she knew every swing before it happened."

Yue crossed her arms.

"She’s cheating. Her face doesn’t move. That’s cheating."

Ling returned to the group, breathing evenly.

No signs of stress.

Tian Lei pointed at Han Yi.

"Your turn."

Han Yi almost cried.

"No. No! Choose someone else! Choose Yue! Choose the moon! Choose ANYTHING ELSE—"

Yue pushed him toward the starting line.

"Just go. If you die, I’ll tell the sect you tried your best."

Han Yi stumbled into place.

Tian Lei raised his hand again.

"Begin."

The pillars moved instantly.

Han Yi screamed instantly.

He dodged the first swing by falling down.

He crawled forward and rolled away from the next one.

A third pillar hit him on the back and launched him forward like a kicked potato.

He bounced off the fourth pillar,

spun in the air,

landed on his feet by accident,

and shot out of the track with pure panic-driven speed.

He collapsed on the ground.

"I made it! I made it! I never want to do that again!"

Mu Chen clapped slowly.

"...Well. That was... effective?"

Lei Feng nodded.

"He has talent in surviving disasters."

Yue looked impressed.

"I take it back. Maybe he won’t die today."

Han Yi wheezed.

"I’m already dead inside..."

Tian Lei rubbed his forehead.

"Fine. You passed. Somehow."

Yue stepped forward confidently.

"My turn!"

She cracked her knuckles and glared at the pillars like they had personally offended her family.

"Come at me!"

Tian Lei raised his hand.

"Begin."

Yue charged in.

A pillar swung toward her.

She jumped.

Another came from the right.

She ducked.

A third moved at her face.

She slapped it.

Everyone blinked.

Mu Chen whispered,

"...Did she just slap the pillar?"

Lei Feng nodded.

"She definitely slapped it."

But Yue’s confidence lasted only a few seconds.

She dodged one pillar, but two moved at her at the same time.

She tried to twist away—

but the left one clipped her shoulder.

She spun, stumbled, and got hit by the next pillar like a giant wooden hammer.

She flew out of the track and landed on the ground with a heavy thud.

She groaned loudly.

"Ugh... I think I saw my ancestors..."

Han Yi lay next to her.

"Welcome... to the floor..."

Tian Lei shook his head.

"You’re out for this round. Next."

The rest of the group lined up nervously.

Ling stood off to the side,

calm as usual,

watching without much expression.

Han Yi rolled onto his back.

"...Why is every test worse than the last...?"

Yue raised a finger weakly.

"Because the sect hates us."

Mu Chen stretched his arms.

"Well... we still have to finish."

The wooden pillars reset themselves with a loud click.

Round Four wasn’t over yet—

and almost everyone already wanted to go home.

Lei Feng stepped up next.

He shook out his arms and took a deep breath.

"Alright. Let’s get this over with."

Tian Lei lifted his hand.

"Begin."

The pillars swung.

Lei Feng moved fast—much faster than Han Yi or Yue.

He dodged the first pillar cleanly, slid under the next one, then jumped over a low sweep.

But halfway through, three pillars swung at him at once.

Lei Feng cursed.

"Oh, come on!"

He blocked one with his forearm, twisted his body to avoid another, but the third one smacked him on the hip and sent him stumbling out of the path.

He didn’t fall—he caught himself—but he was pushed out of bounds.

Tian Lei nodded.

"Disqualified. Good effort."

Lei Feng sighed and rubbed his hip.

"Yeah... feels great."

Mu Chen was next.

He walked up, shaking his head.

"If I die, someone write a nice gravestone for me."

Han Yi raised his hand weakly.

"I will... but it might be crooked..."

Mu Chen ignored that and took his position.

Tian Lei lowered his hand.

"Begin."

The pillars swung.

Mu Chen tried to copy Ling’s style—calm steps, quiet dodges.

It worked for about three seconds.

Then a pillar came from behind and hit him in the back.

He shot forward like a launched arrow, tripped over his own feet, and rolled straight out of the track.

He stopped face-down on the ground.

"I think... my soul escaped," he mumbled.

Yue clapped from her spot on the floor.

"Nice dive."

Han Yi nodded.

"Very graceful."

Tian Lei exhaled slowly.

"Only Ling passed so far. Wonderful."

He looked at the remaining few disciples, who all looked like they wanted to run away.

One by one, they took their turns.

One dodged the first pillar but forgot about the second.

Another tried to sprint through and got hit three times in a row.

Someone else panicked halfway and simply curled into a ball.

None of them made it.

Tian Lei finally raised his hand, calling the round to an end.

"That’s it. Round Four is complete. Only Ling Qingxue passed."

Everyone except Ling lay on the ground in various states of pain and sadness.

Han Yi groaned,

"...So the final round... is going to be worse, isn’t it?"

Yue replied,

"Yes. Much worse."

Mu Chen raised one finger weakly.

"I regret joining this sect."

Lei Feng nodded from the dirt.

"Same."

Ling looked at them, calm as always.

"You can still stand," she said.

Han Yi blinked.

"No... we can’t..."

Ling pointed at their legs.

"They’re still attached. So you can stand."

Yue let out a long suffering sigh.

"She’s not wrong. I hate that she’s not wrong."

Tian Lei stepped forward, hands behind his back.

"Final round starts soon. Get ready."

Han Yi sat up, horrified.

"Soon?! Can we rest?!"

"No," Tian Lei said.

Han Yi fell back down.

"...Just bury me here..."

Ling stood quietly, steady and composed.

The others?

They looked like they were questioning their entire life choices.