The cloth wiped away the deliberately applied pale color, quickly revealing the original skin tone underneath.

His skin was also very fair, but it was clear, bright, and healthy.

Especially since his eyebrows and eyes were naturally well-formed, now that the disguise was removed, he exuded a faintly refined and ethereal aura.

The Inner Sect disciple guarding the Mountain Gate looked at his clear eyes and slightly relaxed his furrowed brows.

His spiritual sense swept over him, finding no abnormalities, and he nodded, stepping aside to let him pass.

"After entering the mountain, follow the stone steps straight up to the Spirit-Guiding Hall square, and line up in order to test your Spiritual Root."

Bai Chen bowed and saluted, "Thank you, senior brother."

The man nodded slightly and turned back to continue watching the other people waiting in line to climb the mountain.

Bai Chen didn't delay any longer and quickened his pace to catch up with Chen Jinbao ahead.

Seeing Bai Chen coming over, Chen Jinbao immediately pulled him forward a few steps, looking back with lingering fear before turning to Bai Chen.

"Oh, I thought that senior brother wouldn't let you up the mountain! Luckily, he did!"

As he spoke, he looked Bai Chen up and down, clicking his tongue repeatedly.

"I must say, Brother Bai, I really thought you were in poor health before. How did you manage this? It looks so real!"

He raised his hand, wanting to poke Bai Chen's face to see if it was real now, but then remembered it would be too rude and withdrew his hand, chuckling awkwardly.

"To think Brother Bai looks so handsome, you're the best-looking man I've ever seen. It's truly a pity to hide such good looks."

"What made you think of disguising yourself like that?"

Chen Jinbao chattered on endlessly, and Bai Chen, being pulled along, couldn't get a word in edgewise even after climbing a dozen steps.

Finally, when he got a chance to speak, Bai Chen sighed and said, "Unlike Brother Chen, I don't come from a wealthy family with protection by my side. Traveling alone, it's better to keep a low profile to avoid trouble."

"That's true."

Chen Jinbao nodded slowly, then patted his own round belly and laughed:

"My father also told me not to be ostentatious, but I can't hide this belly. Wherever I go, it's like carrying a big pumpkin. No one would believe I have no money."

Bai Chen glanced at Chen Jinbao's belly, which was bouncing with his pats, and smiled, "Having money is good; it makes life comfortable."

Chen Jinbao, however, shook his head.

"Although my family's business has some connections with the immortal sects, no one has ever entered one. The little silver we have in the mundane world is nothing in a cultivation sect. If we don't enter, it's fine, but if we do..."

He rubbed his belly and sighed.

"In the future, I'm afraid this belly of mine will soon be gone."

Bai Chen raised an eyebrow, "Looking at you, you seem quite reluctant to part with that belly fat?"

"Of course," Chen Jinbao laughed heartily, "it's been with me for over ten years; there's a bond."

The two of them chatted and laughed as they climbed the steps.

Initially, the stone steps were fairly gentle, and Chen Jinbao could still chat about his family's amusing stories and various rumors about the Hexu Sect.

But the further they went, the steeper the steps became.

Even though the steps were wide enough, it didn't change the fact that the mountain path was steep.

After only halfway, Chen Jinbao couldn't take it anymore.

The energy and spirit he had earlier had mostly dissipated, and the smile on his face had collapsed.

His mouth gaped open, gasping for breath, his feet felt like they were tied with thousand-pound stones, making it hard to lift his legs.

Beads of sweat rolled down his cheeks, and the front of his clothes was already soaked.

"Huff... huff... I can't... need to rest... Brother Bai, go on without me..."

Chen Jinbao propped his chubby hands on his knees, his legs trembling as he panted heavily.

He pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat, and the gold-embroidered cloth was soaked through in no time.

Worried about delaying Bai Chen, he waved him on, telling him not to wait.

"I can't move either."

Bai Chen raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, taking a few deep breaths, his gaze slowly sweeping from the misty mountain above to the stone steps below.

The crowd on the mountain steps had long lost the orderly appearance they had at the Mountain Gate.

Earlier, at the Mountain Gate, over ten thousand people were divided into ten lines under the guidance of Hexu Sect disciples, neatly ascending the stone steps, quite a sight.

But now, only halfway up, the steep steps and thin mountain air had worn down everyone's spirit.

Most people couldn't hold on anymore.

The originally neat ten lines had become a crooked, broken snake of seven or eight segments.

Ahead, sparse groups of people were still gritting their teeth and climbing.

Each of them had flushed faces, sweat-soaked clothes, and their steps were as unsteady as if they were walking on cotton, clearly exhausted to the limit.

Bai Chen looked at this scene, silently rubbing his sore thighs and sighing inwardly.

In terms of height, this mountain leading to the Spirit-Guiding Hall seemed far less majestic than Mount Tai.

Back in the day, he climbed Mount Tai, scaling the steep and dangerous Eighteen Bends in half an hour to reach the South Heavenly Gate.

Though it was exhausting, it wasn't like now, where all his strength felt drained, and even lifting a foot took great effort.

And this body was only sixteen years old, with a talent for a strong body.

Previously, when he traveled from his hometown to Shunhe Square, he often ran to make good time, rarely sweating even after a whole day.

But now, the sweat was pouring out like it was connected to a tap.

His clothes were already soaked through, and his muscles were protesting.

Moreover, he distinctly felt that the higher he climbed, the stronger this sense of exhaustion became.

Something wasn't right.

Bai Chen glanced down at the spiritual power patterns flowing on the stone steps, and suddenly a thought struck him.

Could it be... that this mountain path was actually a large formation?

Perhaps there was a gravity formation or something similar set up here, with the formation's power increasing the higher one climbed.

This way, it could test the disciples' physical strength and silently filter out those with weak wills.

Bai Chen looked ahead.

Earlier, there were at least ten thousand people in front of them.

After climbing all this way, they had overtaken many, and now there were less than a thousand still persevering.

Only now did Bai Chen truly appreciate his talent.

He and Chen Jinbao had managed to surpass so many people and reach this point, likely thanks to their talents.

If Chen Jinbao didn't have his "Abundant Strength" talent, with all that flesh, he probably wouldn't have been able to climb past the foot of the mountain.

Having stopped, Chen Jinbao simply plopped down on the steps, then pulled out a small porcelain bottle from his bosom.

The bottle was adorned with delicate cloud patterns, looking quite exquisite.

A quick look at tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w will leave you more fulfilled.

He uncorked it and poured out two round, plump brown pills, offering one to Bai Chen.

"Brother Bai, here, this is a Spirit-Condensing and Qi-Replenishing Pill my father prepared for me, specifically for restoring strength. It's more effective than osmanthus cake; have one."

A pill to replenish strength?

Bai Chen looked at the pill, his heart stirred, but he politely declined.

"No need, Brother Chen, I can still manage."