Degrade from Nobility to a Humble Slave

Paved with ordinary limestone slabs and decorated with neatly trimmed verdant grass on both sides, it looked like any other road in the empire. The road turned and twisted, stretching away as far as the eye could see.

Participants who had registered for the initial exam seemed pretty confident and relaxed as they stood in line. Refining had strengthened their body, so for them, running was child's play. Most of them were quite sure that they would breeze through the exam.

The white-bearded old man gave a signal, and the exam began.

All candidates broke into a run. Just then something strange happened. The lead runners stumbled and sank to the ground, making a perfect pratfall.

Only a few people reacted quickly enough to recover their balance. They pulled themselves together and carried on running forward.

This incident gave the others an indication that there was something unusual about this road. They were more careful where they set foot on the road. Although no one else fell, since the candidates were being careful, their speed reduced. It looked as if they were carrying a thousand pounds of weight.

After the first few batches set off on the road, it was Zen's turn.

He approached the edge of the square and stepped out slowly. Instantly he felt an invisible pressure. As he tried to lift his foot, he found that his legs felt leaden.

It was an odd feeling.

had stepped on to the road, the pressure encased him completely. Every inch of his skin felt weighed down. Even his eardrums throbbed!

normal, the air pressure seemed

his breathing. With enough food to supply his body with energy, he could

pressure made this simple task seem daunting. The running would wear him out quickly. He wasn't sure how long he would last. Since he had lit up two dragon scales and

his breathing, then with a light cry he mustered every ounce of strength, tightened every muscle against the pressure,

pressure almost instantly. They continued to run at a brisk pace

most participants were unable to continue.

As their bodies gave up, they

continued to run, they were panting and staggering. The effort to maintain their pace against

to drop back as time wore on, and the crowd gradually thinned into a

Then he adjusted his breathing to tune up his body as this was the only way to

"Zen!"

someone call his name. A silk-robed boy waved to him. It was Nory, the boy he had met the day before. His

replied with

gasped. "Impressive! Even though you are running under such high pressure, you look as if you are