Chapter 171: Women Are Such a Hassle

"Which one?" Gu Changfeng's brow furrowed.

Qin烈 pointed toward the center of the platform, his grin widening.

"That one. They've taken exploiting loopholes to a whole new level. Other groups have four or five people working together at most. She, on the other hand, brought twenty in one go. Is she planning to lead everyone to a fortune?"

As he spoke, the others followed his gaze.

In the inner section of the platform's center, twenty people were huddled tightly together, forming a long line.

On this crowded platform, they stood out like a sore thumb.

At the very back of the group stood a young girl.

The girl had delicate features, her black hair tied into twin ponytails, and a hint of cunning in her eyes.

At that moment, she was directing the team with a serious expression.

"Feng Yue, you take the front first! Hold out for at least an hour!"

"Lin Que, you take over for the second round. Don't drop the ball!"

"After two hours, you guys head to the back, and the eighteen of us will take the remaining time!"

She spoke rapidly but with clear logic.

"Everyone, stop looking around! Adjust your breathing. Our goal is simple: hold out for three hours!"

"When the time comes, everyone gets ten million divinity points!"

As soon as those words were uttered, the entire team gritted their teeth, desperately trying to stabilize their state.

High up on the terrace.

Gu Changfeng's face had already turned slightly dark.

Exploiting loopholes in the rules wasn't an issue; it was a 'default privilege' for the scions of the Great Families. After all, this assessment ground was a joint venture built by their five families.

It was tacitly accepted that the younger generation would use this to earn some resources.

But the problem was, you're being way too conspicuous!

Others bring four or five at most, and you straight up brought twenty? Are you that afraid people won't notice?

What an attention seeker!

"That brat Gu Le is playing her little tricks again!" Gu Changkong couldn't help but press his palm to his forehead.

The Gu Family controlled a vast number of Spirit Plant and Spiritual Vein Planets, possessing the most abundant basic resources among the five Great Families.

Yet, in this generation, they just had to produce a 'money-grubber' like Gu Le.

Did the Gu Family lack divinity points rewards?

Not at all! Yet she insisted on 'shearing the wool' like this.

It was honestly a bit embarrassing.

At this moment, Gu Changfeng even felt an urge to just go down and drag her away.

To tell her: Stop competing! If you're short on resources, apply for them at home! Don't make a fool of yourself.

Although the opportunism was over the top, the several gods present only watched it as a bit of fun. Even if she really could hold out for three hours, it would only be a mere two hundred million divinity points.

To the five Great Families, that was just a drop in the bucket.

Time passed slowly.

One hour went by quickly.

In that instant, the pressure on the platform suddenly surged! It had doubled!

"Damn—!" Sima Bang's expression changed abruptly, the veins on his forehead bulging.

"I can't take it anymore. If I stay any longer, I'm going to collapse from exhaustion!"

Gritting his teeth, he forced his body to remain steady, then retreated backward step by difficult step.

"I'm heading to the back! Sister Wen, you've only just made your Breakthrough to Demigod, don't overdo it! If the three of you work together, holding out for an hour is enough!"

His speech became intermittent; every step he took felt as if he were pushing against ten thousand tons of weight.

Wen Yushui was also holding her breath and focusing her mind.

The moment Sima Bang moved away, her face turned deathly pale.

Only at this moment did she truly understand just how terrifying the first stage of the Heavenly Pride Apotheosis Battle was!

The pressure that had previously been shared was now poured down entirely, crashing onto her alone!

She felt as if every bone in her body was groaning under the unbearable burden, as if they would shatter inch by inch in the next moment.

Within her Divine Kingdom, countless believers sat cross-legged, their faces showing pain as they collectively circulated their Cultivation Techniques, trying to resist the downward pressure.

In just a short quarter of an hour, Wen Yushui's body began to tremble. Her clothes were soaked, and sweat dripped continuously from the tips of her hair; she was on the verge of collapsing.

"I… I've held out for too short a time…"

She gritted her teeth hard, constantly cheering herself on in her heart.

"I have to hold on for a few more minutes… otherwise, we won't make it to two hours…"

Her spirit and Physical Body seemed to reach their limits simultaneously.

Every inch of her nerves was frantically screaming warnings at her: 'Give up! Give up now!'

But her pride firmly suppressed that thought.

"Just a little longer…"

"I can still hold on…"

"I can't let people look down on me…"

"I was already the last one in the Qingshan District F4 to Breakthrough to Demigod… I can't hold everyone back!"

As the seconds ticked by, her consciousness gradually blurred. Everything before her eyes began to shake and overlap.

"I… I think… I can't speak anymore…" Wen Yushui's heart sank.

She felt light-headed and top-heavy, as if she would lose all her strength in the next moment and be blown right off the platform by this pressure.

Right then, a hand pressed firmly onto her shoulder.

"Don't overexert yourself," Yang Fan said softly. "Go to the back."

As he spoke, Yang Fan stepped forward to her side, his left arm sweeping out to catch Wen Yushui's slender waist, and then he picked her up with one hand!

The movement was clean and efficient, without a hint of hesitation.

In the next moment, he extended his arm, steadily delivering Wen Yushui into the hands of Ye Jianfeng behind him.

The entire process was smooth and seamless!

At the same time, Yang Fan had already taken his place at the very front! More than eighty percent of the pressure poured onto him!

"Phew—!"

With the pressure suddenly lifted, Wen Yushui felt like she had been pulled from the deep sea, gasping for air.

Her chest heaved violently as if she had come back to 'life'.

Ye Jianfeng caught her instinctively, but he was completely stunned.

Standing right behind Yang Fan, his face was filled with shock.

He almost thought he had seen wrong just now!

One had to realize that over an hour had passed! The pressure from the Eye of Divine Spirit had long since more than doubled.

Even though he was only sharing a portion of the pressure, he felt as if an invisible giant hand were pressing down on him; even moving was incredibly difficult.

Yet Yang Fan hadn't just moved; he had picked someone up, turned around, and handed them over, all in one smooth motion?!

Ye Jianfeng's mind was in a daze; he had almost been afraid to catch her just now! He was terrified that if he lost his focus for a second, he would be eliminated instantly.

Wait…

'Brother, what's your deal?'

'Are you actually even feeling the pressure?'

The thought flashed through his mind, but he didn't ask it out loud.

He took a deep breath, forced himself to stabilize, and helped Wen Yushui stand in front of him, using his hands to steady her so she wouldn't lose her balance and fall.

"Miss Wen…" Ye Jianfeng lowered his voice, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness.

"If you can't hold on, say so earlier. Isn't this just making things more chaotic?"

Speaking was already a bit of a struggle for him, given how strong the pressure was now.

Now he even had to divert some of his attention to stabilize someone who had nearly collapsed.

Ye Jianfeng groaned inwardly. At this rate, could the four of them really hold out for two hours?

Women are such a hassle, they don't even know how to act within their means…

He didn't say those words out loud in the end, only complaining in his heart.

"I'm sorry…" Wen Yushui recovered a bit of her spirit, her voice weak and bitter.

She knew very well that she had become a burden. Logically, the most rational choice was to leave the platform immediately.

But she was unwilling. That was a whole million divinity points! Her Divine Kingdom desperately needed those resources.