Comprehension Ability: I Forge a Villainous Longevity Family

Three days later, at dawn.

The sky was tinged with a pale white glow, and the air was filled with a mist like a light veil. Gentle rays of sunlight filtered through the dense leaves, forming golden spots on the Nine Peaks of Ziwei.

Normally peaceful Ziwei Mountain was exceptionally lively today.

At the mountain gate, the Nine Great Peak Masters and the Netherworld Elders stood on the steps, smiling and discussing the grand opening of the mountain gate for the new recruits.

Below them, the stone steps, initially only a few hundred meters, now extended seemingly endlessly downward.

On both sides of the stone steps, thick fog rose, obscuring the entire mountain path, making it impossible to see the end.

"The Patriarch's testing method is excellent. The higher you climb these stone steps, the more the pressure multiplies, with various illusions on either side to distract, and not being able to see the way forward—only those with great perseverance can endure it."

The Fifth Peak Master stroked his beard and smiled.

This recruitment mainly focuses on two aspects.

One is the talent of the root bone, the other is the temperament and character!

Those with extremely strong talent, such as those who have reached Six Ancient Patterns or more, are already taken directly into the family without further assessment.

Those still climbing the stone steps are of ordinary talent.

These people do not have extraordinary talent, but still not too bad, so their temperament and character need to be evaluated.

"Unexpectedly, within Lin'an City, there is actually someone with Eight Ancient Patterns. Truly unexpected..."

"Indeed, what's that young man's name again?"

"Wang Hao! The person recommended by the Black Dragon Gang, also the most talented in this recruitment!"

"Hmm, this Wang Hao is from a clan within Lin'an City. If properly nurtured, he will surely become a pillar of our Ziwei Chen family in the future!"

"I heard Wang Hao has two brothers joining the recruitment with him. Another seems to be called Wang Yi, who barely has Six Ancient Patterns, while the last one, named Wang something...his talent is far inferior, extremely mediocre."

The elders and peak masters conversed quietly, stroking their beards with smiles.

At this moment.

All the elders and peak masters halted their conversation, eyes twitching, as they looked at the slender figure in white approaching from afar.

"Patriarch!" called the elders and peak masters respectfully.

"Hmm."

Chen Zhixing casually nodded then turned his gaze towards the youths on the stone steps.

As Chen Zhixing's gaze swept over them, the Life Book in his mind slowly unfolded, and a flurry of information appeared in his mind.

[Black Earth: Mediocre Appearance!]

[White Earth: Utterly Ordinary!]

[Gray Earth: Blend into the Crowd!]

Chen Zhixing's face showed no surprise as he continued to observe.

As he watched, suddenly, Chen Zhixing's eyes sharply focused.

His gaze landed on a frail yet determined youth, and a look of interest gradually appeared on his face.

...

...

Meanwhile.

On the stone steps, a plain-clothed youth was steadily climbing forward with a resolute expression.

The stone steps were steep and uneven, flanked by treacherous cliffs like sheer mountain walls. A moment of carelessness would lead to a fatal fall!

Of course, that was not the real challenge.

The true difficulty lay in the pressure that confronted you with every step forward!

After walking for only a short while, Wang Lin felt as if his legs were filled with lead, sweat pouring down like rain, out of breath and struggling to move. Initially, he thought the stone path at the mountain's foot was short, but once on it, it seemed as though it had no end, and despair arose from the depths of his heart!

Originally, over a hundred people were ahead of him, but some stumbled into the abyss on either side, while others could no longer hold on and chose to give up, shouting to forsake the climb.

Only about twenty or thirty robust youths continued the struggle, gasping as they slowly climbed.

"I can! I definitely can!"

Thin-framed Wang Lin gritted his teeth and persisted, knowing this was his last chance. The hopeful eyes of his parents lingered in his heart, when suddenly another boy behind him trembled, stumbled, and fell rapidly from the side, his terrified screams echoing loudly.

Upon seeing this, Wang Lin's face turned paler,

Another one eliminated!

He remembered clearly that when he climbed the mountain earlier, the stone steps were only a hundred feet high, and there were no massive cliffs on either side. Why, after a brief distraction, did the steps appear to be built on high cliffs, and dense fog swirled over the steps ahead?

But he understood.

If he wanted to succeed, he could not retreat even a little!

"Father, Mother, I will not disappoint you!"

Wang Lin clenched his fists, silently continued his climb.

Time slowly passed, he didn't know how long he'd been climbing, only knew that the number of people traveling with him was dwindling.

"Where is the end?"

"Why do the steps seem to multiply as I climb?"

"Hmph, Ziwei Chen family just looks down on us, purposely driving us away!"

"No more climbing! To continue would mean either falling to death or dying of exhaustion!"

Youth after youth chose to give up.

Wang Lin clenched his teeth as his legs and feet were worn raw, the searing pain radiating from the burst blisters, yet he persevered by inching forward with his hands.

"A child's resolve is strong, but the Great Tao is merciless, futile...futile indeed..."

"Give up, this path is not meant for you..."

"Why subject yourself to this hardship?"

Shadows of sighs echoed from the cliffs on either side, trying to persuade Wang Lin to abandon the climb.

His consciousness was blurry, in pitiful condition, drenched in blood, his clothes soaked with it, his knees and toes gnarled and bloody, determinedly using his hands to crawl forward!

He held onto one thought: to reach the summit even if he died. For him, those sighs were unheard, and in his eyes, there was nothing but the stone path!

Time drifted by, leaving a long trail of scarlet bloodstains on the steps wherever Wang Lin climbed.

....

....

At the mountain gate.

"This young man indeed shows great perseverance, but unfortunately, his talent is too ordinary, merely Two Patterns. I'm afraid the Treasure Body Realm might be his limit, far inferior to his two cousins..."

An elder looked at Wang Lin, who was crawling in a bloody mess on the steps, and slightly shook his head.

Beside him, the Sixth Peak Master expressed regret:

"I know this boy...he came with three others. The other two, one is Wang Hao with Eight Ancient Patterns, the strongest talent this time, and the other one is Wang Yi with Six Ancient Patterns, both directly entered our Ziwei Chen family..."

"Only this one, with the poorest cultivation talent among the three, got eliminated... Yet, in the face of such setbacks, his perseverance is indeed remarkable. Sadly, this selection only chooses the top ten; he hasn't even made the top twenty, so he probably won't pass... The Great Tao is merciless!"

Elder Zhaoguang calmly shook his head and said, "Mere perseverance is not enough to achieve great things!"

As they conversed,

Chen Zhixing finally withdrew his gaze from Wang Lin and smiled slightly, saying:

"Sixth Peak Master, elders, how can you casually decide someone else's future?"

His words fell.

Chen Zhixing looked at the deep purple, almost black Fate patterns of Wang Lin on the Life Book in his mind, his smile growing more pronounced.