Chapter 2741 – Steel Mind

Inside the dark passageway, Shi Feng walked for five minutes before he finally arrived at a brightly lit hall.

The hall was the size of a basketball court and undecorated. The fluorescence from the walls brightly illuminated the entire hall. When walking into this hall, Shi Feng felt as if he had just entered a white space.

Is that the Mental Path they were talking about?

Shi Feng was slightly stunned when he saw the staircase leading downward at the other end of the hall.

The reason for his surprise was the niggling feeling of familiarity this staircase gave him, yet he couldn’t remember where he had seen it before.

The staircase was made entirely of white, jade- like stones. It evoked a sense of sanctity and comfort that resembled the winter sun and the summer breeze. Moreover, this sensation grew increasingly stronger, the closer he got to the staircase. He even had the urge to dash toward it.

The moment Shi Feng set foot on the white staircase, an indescribable comfort spread throughout his body. For a moment, he felt as if he had been reborn.

However, immediately afterward, he felt as if someone had just smashed a hammer straight into his brain. His thoughts became paralyzed momentarily, and he felt as if his soul was about to leave his body. He even staggered as he briefly lost control over his body.

So, this is the Mental Path? After backing up into the hall, Shi Feng stared at the white staircase in disbelief. The strength of its mental assaults is even more frightening than Lightforged City’s Divine Statues. No wonder the Green God Company set the age limit to below 20!

If the Divine Will of Lightforged City’s Divine Statues were equated to a storm that attacked one’s whole body, then the white staircase’s mental assault was a hammer that struck accurately and ruthlessly at the deepest part of one’s brain.

The penetrative power of the white staircase’s mental assault was far above that of the Divine Will.

During the time Shi Feng was marveling at the staircase’s mental assault, the Green God Company’s newcomers had entered the hall one after another.

“That person is still here, as expected.”

“Of course. Does he think the Mental Path is so easy to traverse? If it were that easy, there wouldn’t only be three to five people gaining identification in the Upper Zone every year, but thousands instead.”

“I wonder how far I can get this time?”

When the newcomers saw Shi Feng standing idly before the Mental Path, they didn’t find his reaction surprising at all.

When they first set foot on the white staircase, they, too, had been shocked by its power. Moreover, the staircase’s mental assault truly hurt. It hurt so badly that they couldn’t even scream.

If possible, they wouldn’t want to experience such a feeling a second time.

“However, someone among the new arrivals this time might actually make it through,” a 19-year-old girl in white clothes said. Looking at the white staircase, she sighed ruefully and continued, “In comparison, this is my last chance. If I don’t get through this time, I can only mingle in the city.”

“You’re talking about that special enrollment, right?” a long-haired girl of similar age said as she looked at a 17-year-old boy with short hair nearby. “How frustrating! The company recruited him just a few months ago, yet he can already participate in the assessment. The company’s executives have a high opinion of him. It really makes you wonder if his head is made of stone. He actually shows no reaction to the mental assaults.”

“Who else?” the white-shirted girl retorted. When she looked at the skinny, short-haired boy, indescribable envy filled her eyes. “If I had half his talent, I might be able to pass the assessment this time.”

“People like him are bound to become internal members of the company. His looks are fine too.” Licking her lips, the long-haired girl said, “I heard he still doesn’t have a girlfriend. If we seize this opportunity, we might have a chance to enter the Upper Zone as well.”

As the two girls whispered to each other, the skinny boy—the boy in question-stepped onto the white staircase.

The next moment, the boy descended the staircase one step after another at a uniform speed. From beginning to end, he showed no response to the staircase’s mental assaults. It was as if the mental assaults didn’t even exist.

The boy’s calm performance immediately took the breaths of the newcomers inside the hall.

“No way! He really isn’t reacting at all!”

“Is his brain made of metal?”

When the lanky youth remained unfazed even after descending over a hundred meters, both the newcomers in the hall and Shi Feng couldn’t help their surprise. With such a performance, his Concentration standard should be at Tier 4 already.

Shi Feng already had a clear grasp of the white staircase’s mental assaults. If the mental assault he suffered were several times weaker, it would roughly match the Divine Statues’ mental assault.

However, the short-haired boy actually remained unfazed by such a mental assault. This showed that the mental assault’s intensity was well within the limit of the boy’s mental fortitude.

Even Violet Cloud did not possess such frightening mental fortitude. “Hehe. Shocked, right?” Kerui, who had just arrived in the hall, giggled as she looked at the short-haired youth’s departing back. “I already told you to be careful. This Mental Path isn’t as simple as you think it is. As for that boy you saw, he’s Yan Wuming, a peerless talent the Green God Company went to great lengths to discover. The company considers him the best talent of the past few decades. Even my elder sister is far behind him.”

“Yan Wuming?” Shi Feng suddenly recalled something. “He is that Yan Wuming?”

“That’s right. He’s Yan Wuming. What’s the matter?” Kerui was confused as she looked at Shi Feng’s surprised expression.

I see. So that’s why his Concentration standard is so high. Shi Feng chuckled.

Everyone in God’s Domain had known Yan Wuming’s nickname in the past.

Invincible Swallow!

He was a master among magical classes, and he could cast Spells as easily as speaking. He was an overlord of magic, and he had fought countless PvP battles without suffering defeat during his career in God’s Domain. Even the old monsters of the various Super Guilds couldn’t last more than three exchanges against him.

When Invincible Swallow was at his peak, only Tier 6 God-ranked experts, who were one tier above him, stood a chance against him. Only, the number of Tier 6 God-ranked experts in the game at that time could still be counted on the fingers of one hand. Moreover, all of them were incredibly elusive, and finding even one was a challenging task, let alone dueling one.

Meanwhile, after Invincible Swallow reached Tier 6, he suddenly disappeared without a trace. Nobody knew the reason for his disappearance, either.

Invincible Swallow’s disappearance had caused a great commotion back then. Rumor had it that even the Green God Company had frantically searched for him. However, he remained missing.

This is interesting.

Shi Feng never thought that he would actually meet the legendary Invincible Swallow here today.

“You’re not thinking of challenging the Mental Path, are you?” Kerui was stunned when she saw Shi Feng’s mood suddenly brightening. She had a strong suspicion that the Mental Path had driven Shi Feng crazy. “Challenge?” Shi Feng shook his head. “I don’t plan on challenging it. I just plan to take a look inside the Upper Zone.” “Is there a difference?” Kerui was a little puzzled.

If Shi Feng didn’t cross the Mental Path today, he shouldn’t even think of entering the Upper Zone.

“Of course, there is.” Taking a deep breath, Shi Feng said, “It means I don’t intend to bear the mental assaults anymore.”

“???” Kerui grew even more confused.

Were mental assaults something one could avoid confronting just because one wished it?

However, Shi Feng did not make any additional explanations. He immediately stepped onto the white staircase.

Previously, he had used a trick to absorb the Divine Will of the Divine Statues to improve his Concentration. This time, he also planned to use a similar trick. Only, the white staircase’s mental assault had also given him some new ideas.

And that was how to enhance his mental control.

Since the white staircase’s mental assaults possessed great penetrative power, he would gather all his focus into a single point instead of elevating his control over his whole body. He would turn his mind into steel and defend only the deepest part of his brain.

The next moment, Shi Feng took his first step on the white staircase and paused. However, unlike before, his expression did not change at all. There was no dissonance in his body, either. He simply stood there quietly.

Success! Shi Feng’s eyes widened in delight. However, this state also deprives me of all control over my body. It seems that I still have to retain a small part of my focus to control my body and concentrate the rest on shielding my mind from these mental assaults. Afterward, Shi Feng took another step forward.

Clang!

A faint jangle echoed in Shi Feng’s mind. However, not only did the hammer-like mental assault fail to shake the depths of his mind, but his body didn’t even twitch in the slightest.

It works, but adapting to this state isn’t going to be easy.

Shi Feng couldn’t help smiling bitterly at the heaviness of his body.

This was his first time using only a small amount of mental power to control his body. Right now, he felt as if he was hovering between consciousness and unconsciousness. His body also felt incredibly ponderous.

However, after taking several steps, Shi Feng began to have a better grasp of this state.

Meanwhile, from an outsider’s perspective, Shi Feng looked as if he was descending an ordinary staircase. He showed no reaction whatsoever to the white staircase’s mental assaults. Moreover, his speed of descent was even increasing as time passed. In less than a minute, Shi Feng overtook Yan Wuming. The distance between the two even kept growing afterward.

How is this possible?!

Kerui’s eyes nearly fell out of their sockets when she saw Shi Feng practically flying down the staircase. Is he immune to the mental assaults, similar to how Yan Wuming is?

As for the other newcomers in the hall, they were even more dumbfounded by this situation. None of them dared believe their eyes.

In the end, Shi Feng spent less than 15 minutes traversing the Mental Path. When he reached the goal, melodious bells rang and echoed throughout the Upper Zone.