"It looks like that kid from Cyan Wood Hall is going to take first place in this test. Hall Master She, I’ll be happy to take that reishi off your hands!" In the grandstands, the old man who had bet with She Master stroked his beard and said with a smile.

"What’s the rush? It’s not over yet. Don’t be so quick to jump to conclusions!" She Master said calmly, her gaze fixed on Shen Haoran, who stood on the Chaos Celestial Ladder with his eyes tightly shut. She didn’t seem the least bit worried about losing the bet.

"I think the outcome is already quite obvious. That kid from Cyan Wood Hall has reached the Seventy-fifth Tier. That’s a height that was unreachable even for you back in your day! If he takes another two or three steps, he’ll be catching up to the Sect Leader!" the old man said, clicking his tongue.

She Master simply smiled at this and said nothing. She then closed her eyes, waiting for Shen Haoran to awaken.

Atop the Chaos Celestial Ladder, Mu Feiyu’s body had also reached its limit; he was unable to advance another step. He could only sit down cross-legged and use all his might to resist the pressure pouring down from the ladder’s peak.

But in stark contrast to Mu Feiyu’s pained expression, Shen Haoran looked as if he was thoroughly enjoying himself!

In Shen Haoran’s mind, the surrounding pressure was clearly breaking down into fine threads of the Momentum of Heaven and Earth. This Momentum was like newborn babies, curious about everything. It wrapped around Shen Haoran’s Spiritual Power as if... playing to its heart’s content!

Shen Haoran was delighted. He had been worrying about how to get closer to this Momentum of Heaven and Earth, but unexpectedly, it had surrounded him on its own. This was perfect; he could now comprehend it in much greater detail. In truth, Shen Haoran was rather lucky. The Momentum of Heaven and Earth seemed to have a natural affinity for him, perhaps because he possessed the Chaos Divine Body.

As he sensed the fine threads of the Momentum of Heaven and Earth, Shen Haoran’s own Spiritual Power began to mimic its trajectory. Slowly, his Spiritual Power started to resonate with the Momentum, stacking up thread by thread in time with its rhythm!

As the Spiritual Power within Shen Haoran stacked up, an equally terrifying pressure erupted from his body. It began to counteract the external pressure from the Chaos Celestial Ladder, and the two opposing forces strangely began to neutralize each other.

As the pressure from the Chaos Celestial Ladder was neutralized, Shen Haoran felt his entire body lighten. The pleasant sensation almost made him moan aloud.

DONG... DONG... DONG...

Just as Shen Haoran was immersed in this wondrous sensation, the dull tolling of a bell rang out. Chen Yu’s voice then echoed in the ears of all the Martial Artists. "You have the time it takes for one incense stick to burn for comprehension. After that, the test will end, and the results will be announced!"

Hearing Chen Yu’s words, the Martial Artists on the Celestial Ladder who had been hoping to push for a breakthrough quickly sat down. The opportunity to comprehend Martial Arts under a Saint’s pressure was indeed a rare one.

In an instant, the entire Celestial Ladder fell silent. Mu Feiyu’s eyes were bloodshot as he panted heavily, glaring down at Shen Haoran.

Mu Feiyu was in no mood for comprehension. All his focus was on resisting the pressure from the Chaos Celestial Ladder. The pressure on the Seventy-fifth Tier was becoming too much for him to bear, but the thought of utterly crushing Shen Haoran gave him the strength to grit his teeth and hold on.

"Hmph. One incense stick. After that, we’ll see how arrogant you can be!" Mu Feiyu roared hoarsely at Shen Haoran below.

But the moment the words left his mouth, Shen Haoran suddenly stood up!

As Shen Haoran suddenly rose to his feet, all eyes in the arena turned toward him.

"What’s that kid doing? Doesn’t he know that comprehending Martial Arts under a Saint’s pressure yields twice the results with half the effort?" someone in the crowd muttered.

"Maybe his aptitude is too poor and he can’t comprehend anything!"

"Poor aptitude? Are you kidding? He reached the fifty-fifth tier. Even though it’s only one tier higher than the fifty-fourth, it’s still the third stage. How could someone with poor aptitude do that!" someone nearby shot the previous speaker a look. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"Tch, what’s the fifty-fifth tier? He’s a disciple chosen for one of the Five Great Halls. Look at the disciples from the other halls—the lowest among them made it into the sixties. And that Mu Feiyu is a monster; he almost broke our Sect Leader’s record! *That’s* what you call a genius. This Shen Haoran guy... he’s just not cutting it."

"Yeah, you’re right. Sigh... Red Flame Hall really is getting worse every year. Their new disciples are so pathetic. At this rate, even I could get into Red Flame Hall!"

"Tch..."

The crowd below erupted in discussion. Things weren’t quiet in the grandstands either. Mu Feng looked at Elder Huo and sneered, "Tsk, tsk. Is this the disciple you picked? He sure knows his place. Giving up and coming down early because he knows he can’t handle it?"

Elder Huo shot Mu Feng a cold glare and ignored him. His gaze then shifted to Shen Haoran, his brow deeply furrowed. ’What is that brat thinking? He’s going to lose if this keeps up!’

Atop the Chaos Celestial Ladder, Shen Haoran stretched his limbs. He now seemed completely unaffected by the Saint’s pressure. His Spiritual Power and the Saint’s pressure had formed a perfect resonance, allowing him to move as freely as a fish in water.

Of course, his recent comprehension wasn’t limited to just that. The principle of stacking power was Shen Haoran’s greatest takeaway. It had taught him that even insignificant forces could become terrifying when stacked layer upon layer. For now, this principle was still just a theory, but Shen Haoran planned to slowly apply it in actual combat after the test.

But for now, he had to win his bet against Mu Feiyu!

As Mu Feiyu watched Shen Haoran stretching his arms and legs below, a sense of foreboding washed over him.

Sure enough, in the next second, he saw Shen Haoran stride forward and begin to climb. At first, it was one tier at a time. Then, two tiers at a time, then three. He moved so quickly it was as if the pressure posed no obstacle to him whatsoever! And in truth, it didn’t.

Below, the Martial Artists who had just been mocking Shen Haoran all fell silent at the sight of his terrifying speed. They stared at him as if he were a monster, utterly speechless.

"Is... is he *running* up there? Am I seeing things?!"

"I’m seeing things too! Something must be wrong with the Chaos Celestial Ladder. Did the Saint’s pressure on the third stage just vanish?"

"Bullshit! This is a Sacred Artifact left by the Founding Clan! How could anything possibly go wrong with it?"

"Then that kid..." The crowd’s gaze returned to Shen Haoran.

By this point, Shen Haoran had reached Mu Feiyu’s side. He turned to look at the other boy, who was struggling to hold on under the immense pressure, and said calmly, "Want to beat me? You’re still a long way off."