Chapter 271: First Attempt to Cross

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Before the Light of the Sea God, Li Luochen pondered how far his demi-god-level body and Level 98 spirit power would take him.

While Li Luochen was deep in thought, the rest of the Shrek team arrived at the base of the stairs leading up to the Sea God Mountain.

Glancing at them, Li Luochen took a step forward onto the staircase. As soon as his left leg entered the range of the steps, he felt a slight resistance pushing against his advance.

Unperturbed, Li Luochen continued onward. The others from Shrek followed suit, charging directly up the steps—but they were immediately repelled and sent flying backward.

Jing Ling remarked, "It's like hitting an elastic wall. Whatever force I used, it rebounded right back at me. There's no way to resist it. Huang Yuan, what about you?"

"The same for me," Huang Yuan replied.

"Ah Jun, try firing a thin line of flames!" Oscar suggested to Ma Hongjun.

Mah Hongjun unleashed a slender thread of Phoenix fire toward the Light of the Sea God.

A strange sight unfolded. Everyone saw a faint red glow flash, and Ma Hongjun's Phoenix fire barely paused before rebounding with lightning speed—faster than when it had been fired. Its target? Ma Hongjun himself.

Ma Hongjun casually waved his hand, dispersing the rebounding flame.

"It seems the Light of the Sea God is a truly domineering shield. It can reflect any physical or energy-based attack. Moreover, it doesn't just reflect randomly—it specifically targets the attacker. Otherwise, that Phoenix fire Ma Hongjun shot diagonally should have rebounded into the upper diagonal airspace," Oscar analyzed.

Huang Yuan added, "If that's the case, then…"

Oscar nodded, confirming his thoughts. "Exactly. That means we can't use any skills while climbing the stairs. If we do, we'll immediately suffer backlash."

Ma Hongjun couldn't help but exclaim, "Damn, this trial is insane. Both physical and energy attacks are reflected—so how are we supposed to climb?"

Oscar spoke gravely, "We'll have to endure the pressure step by step. If our strength gives out, we'll be instantly repelled.

Look at Big Brother Chen. Because of his immense cultivation, he's climbing effortlessly. I suspect it has something to do with his physical body.

Though offensive skills can't be used, I believe defensive and enhancement-type skills should still work. Let's give it another try."

Returning to the base of the stairs, Oscar stepped forward first, slowly raising his right leg and stepping onto the first stair.

As soon as his right leg entered the range of the steps, he immediately felt a powerful resistance pushing against his advance.

Oscar's assessment was spot-on. Once his entire body stepped onto the stair, a crushing pressure engulfed him, squeezing his body as if pressing a finger into a balloon—the indented surface attempting to expel the finger.

A faint golden mist enveloped his body, and Oscar could clearly feel his spirit power rapidly draining.

Bracing himself against the pressure, Oscar took his second step. Just as he expected, upon reaching the second stair, the pressure intensified by approximately ten percent compared to the first step.

Looking up, Oscar noticed that Li Luochen had already climbed far ahead, steadily ascending without changing his pace.

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At the Base of the Stairs

Huang Yuan asked, "What level has Big Brother Chen reached? I think around seventy or eighty stairs?"

Jing Ling replied, "I counted—he's already at 136 stairs."

"What?! ×N"

"Goodness! Xiao Ao struggles so much with every step, and he's only at fifteen stairs? Big Brother Chen left just moments ago and is already here?" Ning Rongrong exclaimed in shock.

Dugu Yan was also ready to test the so-called Light of the Sea God. She stepped forward and immediately sensed the pressure—but for her, the resistance on the first step was negligible.

Seeing Dugu Yan ascend, the rest of the Shrek team began climbing one after another. Even the auxiliary soul masters joined in, though the pressure on them was immense, making each step difficult.

"Three hundred and thirty-third stair? Is this all? Someone had to exhaust themselves and get kicked up by a rabbit just to barely pass this point? I'll keep going."

Li Luochen had already reached the 333rd stair—the very spot where Tang San had completed his first trial. Li Luochen found the pressure here significant; it would indeed be challenging for a Soul Sage to reach this point.

Even a powerful Soul Douluo might struggle, but Li Luochen had faith in Dugu Yan. He knew exactly how strong her body was.

She might reach this point on her very first attempt. Turning to look down, Li Luochen saw the rest of the Shrek team striving to climb.

Dugu Yan was far ahead of everyone else, currently around the 210th stair.

The gap between her and the others was staggering.

Third place surprisingly belonged to Zhu Zhuqing! This shocked the rest of the Shrek team, as Zhu Zhuqing had always been quiet and unassuming.

Yet she had managed to reach the 73rd stair—a remarkable feat!

Zhu Zhuqing now possessed several spirit bones, a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring, and a spirit bone, granting her tremendous self-enhancement. That was why she was able to surge ahead!

However, she had already exhausted her trump cards. Her external spirit bone had been activated, and she had even used her true martial soul form. Zhu Zhuqing had given it her all, and her limit seemed to be around the 75th stair.

Behind Zhu Zhuqing was Ma Hongjun, who had reached the 70th stair. His top-tier Fire Phoenix martial soul had greatly strengthened his physical body.

Ma Hongjun also possessed several spirit bones and had absorbed spirit rings beyond his limits, allowing him to withstand immense pressure!

After Ma Hongjun came Yu Tianxin and Oscar, both standing at the 57th stair.

Oscar had used his Sausage Enhancement, while Yu Tianxin had fully transformed into a dragon to hold his ground.

Two stairs farther than Tang San's first attempt—not bad at all!

Next was Niu Dun, who had reached the 54th stair, followed by Yang Wu at the 50th stair. The disadvantage of being a tool-based soul master was clear.

To Li Luochen's surprise, Ye Lingling had reached the 45th stair. Though a fragile auxiliary healer soul sage, her perseverance was admirable. Despite her weak physique—comparable to a Beast Soul Ancestor—she was drenched in sweat, clearly giving it her all.

Behind her were Jing Ling and Huang Yuan, struggling to break past the 29th stair.

Ning Rongrong stood at the 26th stair. Thanks to her luxurious resources, she could enhance herself while using Mirror Sausages to transform into a Ghostly Spirit Cat.

Unfortunately, Zhu Zhuqing's physical strength stemmed from her spirit bones—something the Mirror Sausage couldn't replicate.

Dai Mubai was stepping onto the 25th stair, while Bai Chenxiang struggled at the 23rd. As the weakest among them with the lowest spirit power and a flight-based martial soul, the pressure on her was immense. She had never undergone such training before.

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