The White Jade Steps stretched for a full seven li, and by the time they approached the White Dragon Academy, the invisible force pressing down on them had reached a full two thousand jin.

The two students from the White Dragon Academy were already channeling their Magical Power to resist this invisible force.

Since they cultivated the Great Cave Spirit Scripture and were nourished by the Magical Power of their Dragon Beasts’ Supreme Nine Transformations of the Dragon Scripture, they were considerably more robust than ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivators. But after the long climb, they were still beginning to feel overwhelmed.

After all, unleashing two thousand jin of force in a short burst was completely different from enduring a two-thousand-jin load over a long period.

Yang Jing held Chi Yu, who was too lazy to walk, in one arm. Her Body Refining Cultivation was the weakest among all the disciples, and she had long since been surpassed by Ji Feng. With his other hand, he supported Dong Qingtao.

Dong Qingtao’s foundation was shallow, and he didn’t cultivate the Great Cave Spirit Scripture. His physique was only average among Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and by the halfway point, he was already struggling to continue.

The two students walking ahead were secretly astonished to see Yang Jing and his disciples proceeding as if they were on a leisurely stroll.

The Restriction on the steps connecting the foot of the mountain to the White Dragon Academy had been set by the Third Generation Sovereign, and it had been in place for over thirty thousand years.

This Sovereign was one of the rare Divinity Transformation cultivators in the history of the Dong Family’s Sovereigns. He worried that because the Great Cave Spirit Scripture was too easy to cultivate, the disciples would lose their reverence for their practice. He feared they would give up in despair upon hitting a bottleneck, so he established these White Jade Steps to temper the bodies and Dao hearts of the Dong Family’s elite disciples.

From then on, every student of the White Dragon Academy who wished to enter or leave had to endure the arduous trial of the White Jade Steps.

’Yang Jing is one thing; with a reputation as great as his, even we disciples of the Dong Family have heard whispers of him. But his three disciples clearly only have a Qi Cultivation, yet they can also traverse the White Jade Steps with such ease...’

By the time they reached the end of the White Jade Steps, Dong Qingtao’s face was as white as a sheet, and his chest was heaving like a bellows.

Freed from the heavy pressure, he immediately sat cross-legged on the ground, Breathing in and out of spiritual energy to recover his Magical Power.

Yang Jing nodded to himself, marveling at the creator’s thoughtful design for these White Jade Steps. ’When a faction develops to a certain point,’ he thought, ’its internal workings inevitably become a tangled mess. It’s common for those with vested interests to block the channels for advancement.’

’With these White Jade Steps, no matter what strings students pulled to get into the White Dragon Academy, at least there won’t be any truly weak ones just filling the ranks.’

The White Dragon Academy was built into the mountainside and covered a vast area. It was surrounded by forests, with lush and vibrant vegetation. The architecture was magnificent, with upturned eaves that seemed to soar into the air, and golden bricks and jade-green tiles that reflected the daylight, making it look like a celestial palace.

A Spiritual Spring flowed around the academy grounds, cascading down a mountain cliff to form a spiritual waterfall.

Yang Jing looked up at the gatehouse and saw a plaque hanging above it. On it, the three words "White Dragon Academy" were written in vigorous, powerful calligraphy.

He was proficient in Artifact Refining and cultivated a Cultivation Technique like the Tai Shi Five Elements True Talisman Scripture, so he had some knowledge of various Restrictions and Ancient True Registers.

The person who had written these words possessed extremely profound skill in both Artifact Refining and Arrays, stirring a deep sense of admiration in Yang Jing, as if he were gazing up at a towering mountain.

"Please follow me to see the Dean."

said one of the students leading the way. ’Young Master Dong Xixian told us to give Yang Jing a hard time, yet we just let him up the mountain this easily,’ he thought. ’If he finds out, we’ll definitely be in trouble.’

’The Dean of our White Dragon Academy hates nothing more than being disturbed at Noon. Taking Yang Jing to him now will definitely make the Dean dislike him.’

He had only taken a single step when a sudden wave of nausea rose in his chest. After a sneeze, the food and wine he had eaten earlier, still not fully digested, sprayed directly out of his mouth and nose.

The student was stunned at first, completely unable to process what had just happened. Then another wave of nausea and revulsion washed over him, and he grabbed onto the gatehouse of the White Dragon Academy and began to vomit violently, as if trying to spew out his own bile.

Such a disgusting scene naturally drew the attention of other students, who quickly gathered to watch.

Someone apparently recognized him, shouting his name and bursting into loud laughter.

The vomiting student was so frantic he nearly wet himself, but the nausea in his chest came in waves, one after another, as if it would never stop.

All he could do was continue to lean against the gatehouse, heaving up yellow bile.

"Wh-wh-what’s going on?"

The other student was completely stunned to see his companion in such a state, his mouth hanging open, unable to speak for a long moment.

"He must have just had some food and wine before accompanying us up the mountain, so his stomach is probably a little upset. Sigh. We should have just let him wait at the foot of the mountain and come up by ourselves."

Yang Jing said nonchalantly, his hands behind his back.

The disciple, however, didn’t believe a word of it. ’We’re Cultivators, not mortals,’ he thought. ’How could one of us get an upset stomach so easily? Besides, even if it was upset, all it would take is a bit of Magical Power to soothe it.’

’The way my senior brother is vomiting now, it looks like he’s about to bring up his own stomach.’

"He’s clearly very unwell. You should take him to get looked at. As for the Dean, we will go see him ourselves."

Yang Jing said to the disciple.

’These two were obviously trying to make trouble for me,’ Yang Jing thought. ’I’m certainly not foolish enough to go with them to see the Dean of the White Dragon Academy.’

’As students of the White Dragon Academy, they’re bound to know all of its taboos. It would be child’s play for them to set a subtle trap for me.’