Lantern Sister is still very capable.

Chapter 97 Mountain Climbing

As the saying goes, even two fists can't beat four hands. Without using his special abilities, Chu Deng was helpless against the swarms of giant wasps.

Fortunately, she ran faster than the three people behind her, so she was able to successfully shake off the three of them and a swarm of wasps.

In the central forest, the four of them staged a "every man for himself" scenario. Chu Deng took the lead and turned back. Since the forest was difficult to find the card, she headed towards the Wind Whispering Stone Forest, thinking that finding the card on the bare rocks would be easier. Liu Hua was stuck to the two behind her and could only run in any direction. Cheng Hao was very cunning. Seeing that the wasps had already targeted Liu Hua, he chose to run in a different direction to lighten his load. Zhao Jiacheng's face was swollen and his vision was obstructed, making it difficult for him to discern directions. As he ran, he realized that he had lost the two of them and could only keep running with his head down, not daring to stop.

Because Chu Deng ran fast, after she left the central forest, she found that the people and bees behind her had disappeared. After regrouping, she went to the chaotic rock forest.

Before even entering the rocky forest, the howling wind roared and howled through the cracks in the rocks, sending chills down one's spine.

From afar to near, stone pillars rise into the sky, some as thick as centuries-old giant trees, requiring more than a dozen people to encircle them to measure, others as thin as tree branches, easily broken with a gentle snap. There are also various strange shapes, some resembling lanterns, monkeys, and ladders, each with its own unique characteristics, making them quite interesting to look at.

Compared to the central forest with its dappled shadows, the view from the chaotic rock forest is relatively more open, but the stone pillars still block the view, so it's not completely unobstructed. Chu Deng didn't see anyone nearby for the time being.

She walked straight in, only stopping when she was close to the very center.

Chu Deng had never been to the Wind Whispering Stone Forest for a quest, but he had heard that the central stone pillar here was comparable to a high mountain. Although it was a cylindrical pillar, it was full of pits and bumps, with many protruding stones and recessed holes for climbing.

There is only one task in the Wind Whispering Stone Forest: to climb to the top of the Heavenly Pillar. The difficulty lies only in how many times you have to climb and which side you choose to climb from.

Of course, to ensure the safety of the examinees, the ground near the Tongtian Pillar was covered with protective mats, which were the same color as the ground and had a layer of camouflage. Only by walking on them could one feel the difference in texture from the ground.

What shocked Chu Deng was that the scorecards here were tied with red ropes and hung directly on the pillar to the sky, like a wishing tree full of wooden plaques for wealth. Each card floated in the wind, which also touched Chu Deng's heart.

This was a blatant display of the points competition, laid bare before the test-takers. There was no hiding anything; the card was right there, and if they wanted it, they could take it based on their own ability. But there was a condition—

"Points! Points! Points! Points!" someone shouted, and like a monkey climbing a tree, howling as he started to climb.

But before he could climb more than a few steps, the pioneer who was already above him stepped on his hand.

"Damn! Insidious!" The man only managed to utter one curse before collapsing to the ground with a thud. Fortunately, he was protected by both the protective pad and his training uniform, so apart from a bit of pain, he wasn't seriously injured.

—The premise is that you can outcompete other candidates.

Before Chu Deng could decide where to start climbing, several more people fell from the sky. They were covered in sweat after falling, and after a while, they shook their heads, stood up, and crouched to the side. Judging from their flushed faces, they probably lacked the physical strength and endurance to reach the top and fell halfway down.

Another person fell down and was still recovering when several people suddenly appeared and surrounded him.

"What are you doing?! This is my card!! Give it back to me! Ouch!"

This is because some people deliberately wait for those who have fallen down to snatch their cards. They are the type of test-takers who can't climb up themselves or are afraid to climb up, so they wait for others to fall into their traps.

Chu Deng chose a good spot mainly because she arrived at the Wind Whispering Stone Forest quite late; more than half an hour had passed. The red rope cards on the lower and uppermost levels had already been taken by others. Only a few vertical ones on the upper middle level had been picked up by those who climbed up. There were still many waiting for candidates with strength, endurance, and perseverance to use them.

Chu Deng may not be very talented, and although her luck is worse than most people's, she is no ordinary candidate. She has physical strength, endurance, and perseverance.

Chu Deng spent some time climbing up from the lower level. She had chosen this route after careful consideration, as there were many cards along the way.

With her long arms and legs, she climbed upwards at a considerable pace. Those watching could only sense that she had initial momentum, but they guessed that she would soon have to slow down due to the height.

But she refused to slow down at all, stepping on the hollows and gripping the protruding rocks as if walking on flat ground.

When she encountered a card tied with a red string, her slender fingers deftly took out the card, stuffed it into her pocket, and continued climbing. Wherever she went, it was like a locust swarm passing through, leaving not a single card behind, only the bright red string.

The higher Chu Deng climbed, the more people gathered around the ground directly below her. They had undoubtedly seen that Chu Deng had made a considerable haul and wanted to snatch her cards after she fell.

But Chu Deng wouldn't give them a chance; not only did she not give them a chance, she made them even more envious.

When Chu Deng reached the upper part of the Tongtian Pillar where the cards were concentrated, he stopped climbing and instead reached out to grab the rocks on the side. He moved horizontally across the area, collecting all the cards that no one had picked up. In no time, his pockets were full.

Chu Deng's arm muscles tensed, revealing beautiful curves. She grabbed a rock with one hand to support her entire weight, lowered her body slightly, and kicked up a card she had missed.

The card jumped up with Chu Deng's strength, broke free from the red rope, and was obediently handed to Chu Deng's other free hand. Chu Deng pinched the card between two fingers and casually stuffed it into his training boot.

"Wow, that was a brilliant move!" exclaimed one of the people who witnessed Chu Deng's action.

"What do you mean 'be good'! Let's go, let's go. It doesn't look like it's going to fall." Another person punched the person who shouted a few times, their tone filled with undisguised sourness.

He's really impressive, but since the cards were all taken by others, he couldn't get anything. Of course he's jealous!

The people guarding below Chu Deng scattered in all directions, but a few remained unwilling to give up. They thought that she couldn't stay up there forever, and that once Chu Deng came down, they could use their numbers to suppress her and maybe even get the card.

What if someone else has already put it on themselves?

"Why bother with all that? I might not be able to get the card anywhere else anyway, so I'll just stay here!"

Those who are stubborn are in the minority, so two or three more people left.