The Iron Ridge Sect loomed like a giant beast resting against the mountains.
Towering stone pillars stood at the entrance, engraved with ancient runes. A massive gate separated the mortal world from the path of cultivation.
Lin Tian stood at the foot of the stairs, looking up calmly.
Around him were dozens of youths—boys and girls of various ages—each with excitement, tension, or arrogance written across their faces.
"Outer disciple recruitment ends today!" a disciple shouted. "Those who fail—leave immediately!"
Su Yan stood a short distance away, arms crossed.
Her gaze followed Lin Tian silently.
A middle-aged man stepped forward, his aura thick with qi.
"First test," he said coldly. "Climb the Pressure Stairs."
Murmurs erupted.
The stone stairs leading to the gate shimmered faintly.
Spiritual pressure.
The man continued, "One hundred steps. Each step heavier than the last. Fall, and you're out."
One by one, the candidates stepped forward.
Some barely reached twenty steps before collapsing. Others gritted their teeth and pushed past fifty.
Cries of pain echoed.
Lin Tian moved.
The moment his foot touched the first step—
Boom.
Pressure slammed down on him like a mountain.
His muscles tightened instinctively.
But his expression didn't change.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Ten.
Twenty.
Thirty.
The pressure increased exponentially, crushing the body and spirit alike.
Sweat poured down the backs of many candidates.
Lin Tian's breathing remained steady.
At fifty steps, a youth beside him screamed and rolled down the stairs.
Lin Tian didn't even glance at him.
Sixty.
Seventy.
Eighty.
The air became suffocating.
Only three people remained.
A tall youth with sharp eyes.
A cold-looking girl in black robes.
And Lin Tian.
Ninety.
The tall youth's legs trembled violently.
He collapsed at ninety-two.
The girl in black gritted her teeth and reached ninety-five before kneeling, blood dripping from her lips.
Lin Tian continued.
Ninety-six.
Ninety-seven.
The pressure felt like it wanted to crush his bones into dust.
His blood roared.
The Heaven-Defying Body Art activated instinctively.
Ninety-eight.
Ninety-nine.
One step remained.
The gate loomed before him.
Lin Tian stepped forward.
One hundred.
The pressure vanished instantly.
Silence fell.
The overseeing elder's eyes widened slightly.
Su Yan exhaled slowly.
"He did it…"
Lin Tian stood alone at the top of the stairs.
Unbothered.
Unbowed.
The elder recovered and nodded stiffly.
"Accepted," he said. "Proceed to the second test."
Lin Tian descended and joined the remaining candidates.
Only five remained.
The second test was simple.
A strength stone.
"Strike it," the elder said. "All you have."
Candidates took turns.
Most produced faint glows.
The tall youth who failed earlier clenched his teeth and struck.
A dim yellow light appeared.
"Barely acceptable," the elder said.
Then the girl in black struck.
The stone flashed bright yellow—almost orange.
Murmurs erupted.
"A genius!"
Lin Tian stepped forward.
He raised his fist.
Then—
He punched.
There was no explosion.
No dramatic light show.
The stone cracked.
Then shattered.
Fragments scattered across the ground.
Dead silence.
The elder froze.
Su Yan's eyes widened.
"That stone… is reinforced with formations!"
Lin Tian withdrew his fist calmly.
"I broke it," he said. "Does that count?"
The elder swallowed.
"…Accepted."
No one laughed.
No one mocked.
Fear replaced arrogance.
From that moment on, a new name spread quietly among the outer disciples.
Lin Tian.
As Lin Tian was led toward the outer disciple quarters, the girl in black approached him.
She studied him with sharp, curious eyes.
"You're strong," she said. "What's your name?"
"Lin Tian."
She nodded.
"Mo Xue," she replied. "Remember it."
From a distance, Su Yan watched them with a complicated expression.
She didn't know why.
But she felt it.
This man would not remain in the outer sect for long.
And when he left—
He would shake the entire cultivation world.