The Mental Strength Testing Area was a tower.
The tower had nine floors. The mental strength test consisted of five challenges — walking from the first floor to the fifth, and finding a jade pendant corresponding to one's assigned number.
Those who completed the task within the time limit could earn the full twenty-five points in one go. If a participant failed to find it, they would be scored based on how far they had gotten.
If someone lost their way on the first floor, they received no points. Making it past the first floor to the second earned five points.
By that logic, reaching the third floor meant ten points, the fourth floor meant fifteen, and the fifth floor meant twenty.
Only by reaching the fifth floor and finding the jade pendant matching one's number could one earn the full twenty-five points.
This mental strength test bore some resemblance to the Path of Reincarnation that Jiang Chen had faced during the preliminary selection.
The difference was in the construction. The tower employed spatial arrays to create all manner of spatial distortions, making it extremely difficult for anyone walking inside to find the correct path forward.
This technique of spatial folding already touched upon various spatial Divine Abilities.
Jiang Chen stood at the base of the tower and gazed up at the nine-story pagoda without the slightest ripple of emotion. The Path of Reincarnation hadn't stumped him, and neither would this testing tower.
"Hmph, kid — scared? If you are, then scram back to the mortal world already. Stop blocking the way."
While Jiang Chen was observing the tower with focused attention, a grating voice sounded from behind him.
A red-haired young man in a short-sleeved shirt stood there with his chest exposed. Broad-shouldered and thick-backed, he gave off the impression of someone with the physique of a bear or tiger.
What was most striking about him wasn't the wild, flowing red hair — it was his enormous feet. Bare and unfettered, each foot was a full size larger than a normal person's, like the paws of some great beast. He went barefoot, lending him an altogether wild appearance.
Jiang Chen's brow creased slightly. What an rude fellow. I'm standing here minding my own business — what's it to you?
He held his ground, standing as still as an abyss or a mountain, deliberately refusing to move aside.
"What's that? Looking for trouble?" The red-haired young man let out a crude laugh and reached out with a fan-sized hand, grabbing straight for Jiang Chen. "Move!"
Jiang Chen swept his hand in a casual deflection. Two forces collided in midair.
Both men grunted, and each of their bodies swayed slightly.
"Oh?" The red-haired youth seemed to grow interested, laughing oddly. "I underestimated you, mortal kid. Not bad."
He strode forward and lunged at Jiang Chen once more.
This time he put far more force behind it — easily seven or eight tenths of his full strength — with the unmistakable air of someone who would not rest until he'd pushed the other aside.
Jiang Chen gave a cold smile. He brought both hands into a circle, left hand channeling Yin, right hand channeling Yang, and traced out a Taiji vortex. With the faintest guiding motion, he redirected the force.
The red-haired youth's grab hit empty air yet again.
This time he fared even worse — his momentum carried him stumbling forward, nearly pitching headfirst into the ground.
The fellow froze, his copper-bell eyes going wide as he stared at Jiang Chen. "Alright, kid! I take back what I said earlier. With skills like yours, this Mysterious Spirit Tower won't be a problem. Interesting, very interesting. Every day I hear about some mortal-world genius called 'Rock.' Every day, every month — my ears have grown calluses from all the talk. Turns out the rumors, exaggerated as they are, aren't without basis. Very good, very good. You've earned your reputation."
The red-haired youth rubbed his large hands together and broke into a grin. "Your fists and feet are quite something. Beating you won't be easy. But time is tight — I need to get into the tower. Next time we have a free moment, let's have a proper fight and see whether your technique is sharper or my fists are harder."
The fellow gesticulated wildly as he spoke, spittle flying everywhere. He radiated a brash, overbearing energy — a straightforward brawler through and through.
At first Jiang Chen had thought the man was deliberately provoking him. Now he realized he'd been mistaken. This was simply the fellow's natural disposition — blunt to the core.
Jiang Chen offered a faint smile and stepped aside. "Go ahead."
For someone with no real hostility, Jiang Chen had no interest in needlessly picking a fight. He cleared a path, ready to let the man pass.
"You're not going in?" The red-haired youth blinked in surprise.
"I am."
"Oh? You're going in too?" His eyes lit up, and a sudden excitement crossed his face. "What do you say — let's make a bet! We both go in at the same time. Whoever reaches the fifth floor first, whoever finds their jade pendant first — that one wins. How about it?"
The red-haired youth's face beamed with enthusiasm.
"And if I win? And if I lose?" Jiang Chen couldn't help but find this amusing. So the fellow was a gambling addict.
"Let's raise the stakes. How about we bet Ling Shi?"
"Ling Shi?" Jiang Chen smiled bitterly. "I don't have any."
He truly didn't possess that currency. In the mortal world, Ling Shi were essentially not in circulation. Despite Jiang Chen's vast array of treasures, actual Ling Shi were something he simply didn't have.