UNLIMITED SPEED

Walking down the adorned hallway used on the first day, Noah stood at the forefront of his group again, and the lesser amount of aspirants couldn't be more obvious. The hallway was silently traversed by the experts who could only think thoughts to themselves. For obvious reasons, the last trial had been the most nerve-racking trial, at least for the tier 3 category.

They eventually arrived at the end of the hallway, and into the same massive room. However, this time around the veiled man wasn't atop the large pulpit, only Lady Edna and two other individuals both men. Noah could immediately tell that they were far above tier 3 in terms of strength.

Of course, he could only notice these details after getting in front of the pulpit. Thankfully, they had been allowed to run towards it, since walking would take them a whole hour.

The three categories of present for the trials were eventually fully gathered, and all were neatly separated from themselves to save them the trouble of grouping later on.

"Good day aspirants," one of the males present started. The man had short black hair neatly combed in curly backward waves on his head. He looked to be in his mid-thirties and stood at around 5"6 in height. His clothes Looked just like the ones worn by the experts guiding them, only that they had a golden cape draping down his back, and an extra amount of zig-zagged stripes.

The other male in the room looked to be in his early fifties and had a bald head. The man for some reason had a mean look on his face which ruined his likability. His gaze felt condescending and aloof, but no one really cared anyway, they had their focus on the other man talking.

"I congratulate you all for succeeding on the first day, as it's always the hardest. And for that I ask that you feel proud of yourselves; for over half of your fellow aspirants were disqualified yesterday.' he paused, casually sweeping his gaze on their stern faces.

"Today; as I'm sure you've been informed will be based on your minds or soul cores. And because of this, there'll be only one trial required of you to pass."

"This test would be something general, even if it would be split to fit your different categories of power," he continued.

"The main goal is to keep your mental fortitude intact, as you'll be taken into a chamber which has a special effect on the soul core. The effects are either illusions, mental pressure, or both. You'll most likely experience your deepest fears, whatever they are. Or experience crushing mental pressures. However, the truth is that you remain in control of the outcome."

"Whether you choose to see through the illusions or you remain unfazed before the crushing pressure is up to you.

"As I said earlier, all you have to do is keep your mental fortitude intact. We'll know you've failed when we see you passed out or acting out. And yes, we will be watching over you," the expert explained, stopping.

"Thankfully you won't be allowed to die, but if your soul core suffers too much damage you'll immediately be ejected," Lady Edna started immediately after her colleague ended.

'The trial will last for merely twelve hours, but they might feel like days of mere seconds depending on what you experience," she explained making sure they understood what they were stepping into.

"I'm sure you all understand, so let us get to it," lady Edna announced spreading her arms, but before she could conjure anything the expert that had addressed them first, raised his hand, halting her actions.

Sweeping his gaze on the various experts, his eyes finally fell on the tier 3 category his target audience.

"I'm well aware that many of you won't be able to gain full entry into our guild," he stated, "But for those who would, I will owe you a personal conversation; where you can ask me about the fourth tier. As for my name, get into the guild first," the expert announced, and gasps almost immediately exited the mouth of everyone listening. Apart from his colleagues of course, and a few special individuals.

It was clear his words had been directed to the tier 3 experts, which made the lower-tiered cultivators burn with envy.

Excited murmurs rose in the room as the experts looked ecstatic. Notwithstanding, Noah on the other hand failed to understand why that announcement was exciting to the ears of his fellow aspirants.

A series of ideas welled up in his mind at his wonder and what felt like a suitable reason gained clarity within him. 'I guess they'll need such insights for their rise into the fourth tier,' Noah concluded.

Shaking her head with a big smile, Lady Edna glanced at the bald man beside her, wondering if he too desired to talk. Unfortunately, he shook his head in objection.

"With that done, let's get on with this, For real this time,' Lady Edna announced spreading her hands in front of the crowd numbering a bit over only five thousand!

A crimson magical circle expanded below the experts and their white lighted environment twisted and turned before the scenery changed to something utterly different.

A large room lit with deep red lights unfolded in the sights of the experts, and before the aspirants noticed any other thing, they realized that they had been spaced from each other. Every person was a minimum of 5ft from the other person.

Noah's eyes fell on the black mat below him, and he immediately understood that they were supposed to sit on it.

Doing so immediately, Noah also noticed how hot that location was. There were large red pillars adorned with golden rings spread out in all directions in the room, keeping the red-painted ceiling over 40m in height in place.

There was also a barrier that separated them from the weaker experts, even if they could see through its whitish-gray color.

Further inspecting the room since none of the tier 4 experts could be seen, Noah noticed the gigantic bell at the end of the room. The golden bell shimmered with different colored lights and stood on a black pulpit around 7ft in height.

The redness of the praying room as it would seem, gave off a foreboding feeling, as the more experienced cultivators understood that it had an effect on their minds, and was more of a prelude before the real thing started.

"You are all to close your eyes and meditate immediately I sound the bell. The bracelets on your hands will notify me if you do not follow suit and you will immediately be disqualified," Lady Edna explained, abruptly appearing on the pulpit, while the male experts floated above them.

Only at her words did the aspirants notice the item on their left wrists. It looked transparent and felt weightless which caused their late notice of it. At least for most of them.

No one had time to inspect the bracelet, since before they could an incredibly loud ringing sound barreled out in all directions within the room.

The aspirants immediately shut their eyes in fear of being disqualified, but immediately they did, they felt a wave of relaxation sweep their very souls. And although the bell remained loud, every aspirant fell into meditation almost instantly.

It didn't matter that they were tier 1 or tier 3; none could disobey the soothing effect the bell generated. After all, it was a quasi-tier 4 item.

With the sound of a bell, the second stage of the trials to gain entry into the Divine Lightning guild began. What a bone-chilling and memorable experience it was for them all.