Just as the examiner had said, the Metamagnetic Gold Mountain wasn't overwhelming at the start. It was like any ordinary mountain range — you could barely feel any pressure at all.
By the second level, the metamagnetic force fluctuated slightly, but for a martial artist, its impact was still practically negligible.
Jiang Chen pressed forward in one burst and charged straight to the third level.
The metamagnetic force here was noticeably stronger than on the second level, but for Jiang Chen, it was clearly insufficient to slow his pace.
Of course, Jiang Chen wasn't the type to just barrel forward recklessly.
This Metamagnetic Gold Mountain — with his cultivation at the third level of the Spirit Realm, breaking through five levels would be a walk in the park.
After all, this was just a preliminary selection aimed at secular martial artists. The difficulty couldn't possibly be so extreme that even someone at the third level of the Spirit Realm couldn't surpass it.
On the way up the fourth level, Jiang Chen occasionally spotted a few who had pushed too hard early on and burned through their energy. They sat cross-legged on the stone steps, apparently planning to meditate and accumulate strength right where they were.
Seeing this, Jiang Chen silently sighed.
"Those guys don't understand the principle that haste makes waste. This is the Metamagnetic Gold Mountain — the longer you stop to meditate, the heavier the metamagnetic restraint on your body becomes. Meditating on the Metamagnetic Gold Mountain is practically tying your own noose."
In his previous life, Jiang Chen had studied the Metamagnetic Gold Mountain and knew its peculiarities.
Once trapped by this mountain, you absolutely must not stop to meditate, because the Metamagnetic Gold Mountain would never provide external spiritual energy for you to absorb.
If you couldn't absorb external spiritual energy, how were you supposed to replenish the spirit power being consumed inside your body?
The Metamagnetic Gold Mountain wasn't devoid of spiritual energy, but as the name suggested, its force was purely metallic in nature, carrying an intensely destructive and lethal charge.
Unless a cultivator was born with an innate metal-attribute talent, or one who could perfectly absorb metallic metamagnetic energy — once such a person tried absorbing that energy, it would be like continuously drawing a sharp blade into their dantian sea. It was nothing short of slow suicide.
"If you don't want to die, keep moving. Meditating on the Metamagnetic Gold Mountain is a guaranteed death sentence," Jiang Chen called out coldly, offering a well-meaning warning.
After that, he didn't bother waiting to see whether anyone would take his advice. He drifted onward.
His reminder was nothing more than an act of goodwill. Whether they listened or not was beyond his control.
If they ignored his warning and ended up suffering for it — or even losing their lives — they could only blame themselves.
Jiang Chen's steps were light and measured, neither hurried nor slow, and before long he arrived at the fifth level.
The fifth level was a watershed.
Reaching the fifth level meant passing the third trial's requirement.
Although the Metamagnetic Gold Mountain spanned thousands of miles and thirty to forty thousand participants were taking the exam simultaneously, encounters between them were still rare.
All the contestants were scattered across different positions, different zones, spread throughout every corner of the mountain.
At the fifth level, Jiang Chen could clearly feel the binding force of the Metamagnetic Gold Mountain surge dramatically.
"The fifth level really is different from what came before. At this level, without the cultivation of a True Qi Grandmaster, you probably wouldn't have what it takes to challenge the next floor."
But reaching the fifth level was enough to clear this trial.
"The chief examiner said that beyond the fifth level, there are opportunities at the peak of every floor, like a lottery draw. Since I've already made it through the fifth level, should I try my luck?"
The thought crossed Jiang Chen's mind. Each trial had a ten-day limit, so there was no rush.
He wandered around the peak zone of the fifth level, using his spiritual senses along with his Heavenly Eye Divine Pupil and Seven Apertures Spiritual Resonance divine ability — a combination that would expose every hidden treasure for what it was.
But after surveying the area, he simply smiled and shook his head.
The examiner hadn't been lying — those so-called opportunities and hidden treasures at the peak of the fifth level were indeed rare finds for secular martial artists.
However, given Jiang Chen's current cultivation and breadth of knowledge, these things were like chicken ribs — tasteless and hardly worth the effort of picking them up.
"Forget it. Let these go to those who actually need them."
Secular martial artists had precious few chances to advance. These items were undoubtedly extremely valuable to them, genuine rare treasures for most. If used properly, they might even offer a mortal True Qi Realm martial artist a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to defy fate.
Jiang Chen wasn't the type to hoard every advantage for himself. Since he had no more use for these things, why bother competing with secular martial artists over them?
Causing harm to others without benefiting himself — that was beneath him.
In a fleeting moment, Jiang Chen arrived at the sixth level.
Here, the metamagnetic force was far more pronounced. Even the airflow in the open air carried a needle-sharp sting as it circulated.
The movement of the atmosphere itself had a pricking sensation against the skin.
Jiang Chen knew this was merely a manifestation of the metamagnetic force. But for someone at the third level of the Spirit Realm, this mild discomfort was like a light drizzle — hardly significant.
What Jiang Chen hadn't expected was that on this sixth level, a surprising number of martial artists had already arrived before him.
He chuckled inwardly. "The examiner kept warning against burning out too early, but these secular geniuses are clearly brimming with confidence."
Jiang Chen had no intention of competing with anyone.
He had his own plan. It was like a long-distance race — the person in the lead at any given moment wasn't necessarily the one who would reach the finish line.