Competing on the same stage was the only way Wang Yue could truly feel the weight of Lilith’s power.
It was absurdly high.
Every moment, the girl radiated a suffocating pressure. Only by exerting her absolute maximum effort could Wang Yue keep from being left in the dust. Every nerve in her body was screaming, every muscle burning with the agony of impending exhaustion.
Wang Yue gained a fresh perspective on her rival: Lilith’s arrogance and overbearing nature weren’t just for show—they were built on a foundation of genuine, terrifying strength.
Wang Yue held her breath, relying on that single spark of will to keep moving. If she let that breath go, she knew she would collapse instantly.
Teacher Vida’s voice, amplified by witchcraft, thundered across the grounds and echoed in her ears. However, Wang Yue’s mental focus was so narrow that she automatically tuned most of it out.
“Both students have entered the second stage: the Rotating Cylinder Maze! This mechanism isn’t the most difficult, but it is the most sadistic! It’s a massive drum shaped like a giant sausage, with the maze built directly onto its curved surface. It’s spinning like a rotisserie! Inside, there are countless trapdoors and spring-loaded ejectors!”
The maze walls were wooden, encased in a transparent outer shell so the audience could clearly see the internal structure and the movements of the competitors.
“Oh! Oh! Both students are struggling with the rotation!” Vida shouted excitedly.
Inside the maze, Wang Yue’s thoughts were a frantic blur. Where am I? What am I doing? Am I a pinball? Am I the ball?
She fought to find her bearings. The constant rolling of the terrain messed with her nervous system, making her feel like she had been tossed into a washing machine. The world spun, and her head throbbed with vertigo.
She didn’t just have to fight the rotation and find the path; she had to deal with the various traps to make any progress at all. Wang Yue’s iron will allowed her to steady her steps, and with a stroke of luck, she took a slightly shorter path than Lilith. She actually managed to close the two-body-length gap and return to the same starting line!
Both cats burst out of the maze at the same time.
It was only then that the true lethality of the obstacle was revealed. The inner-ear disturbance from the spinning hadn’t faded; they were dizzy, their legs felt like jelly, and the third stage looming before them was the Thin Rope Bridge—a section that relied entirely on balance.
The bridge looked like a standard rope ladder with wooden rungs. However, the ends were joined into a single strand. This meant that the slightest slip would cause the entire thing to flip a hundred and eighty degrees—or even twist into a braid.
Wang Yue had a sudden flash of inspiration. She unsheathed her claws from her paw pads, making them as sharp as iron hooks. She lunged forward, sinking her claws into the rope. Though her body flipped halfway, leaving her hanging like a bat, she remained firmly attached.
Lilith used the same method. The two cats moved in tandem, successfully reaching the fourth stage.
“Trapdoor Hell! My favorite part!” Teacher Vida screamed. “The obstacles here are split into two: slowly rotating geometric shapes and trapdoors that snap open without warning! If you can’t react in time, you’ll be swatted into the pool!”
On the track, Wang Yue suddenly ducked, dodging a foam cylinder sweeping through the air. Feeling the floor give way beneath her, she immediately rolled to the side, narrowly escaping being launched into the air.
By now, her physical strength had reached its limit. A wave of motion sickness flooded her mind, stars danced before her eyes, and she felt a desperate urge to vomit. Failing to catch her breath for just a moment, she fell behind Lilith by another three body lengths.
Despair welled up in Wang Yue’s heart. It felt like weightlifting—she had hoisted the bar, but the crushing pressure was too much to withstand. Her body felt out of control, like a skyscraper on the verge of collapse.
Fortunately, she possessed the Mystic Art: Puppet. Even without actively using its skills, the mental fortitude it provided was unparalleled. The sense of despair receded instantly. Re-centering herself, she gave one final push to catch up.
Wang Yue found her rhythm, dodging and leaping with fluid precision. Her reaction speed remained sharp. Even when she was clipped by an obstacle, she used the natural flexibility of her cat form to turn danger into a safe landing.
The two cats charged out of Trapdoor Hell and onto a straight track designed for maximum speed. At the end of the runway sat two skateboards. They needed to hop onto the boards and use their momentum to rocket through seven consecutive loop-the-loops!
The track rose before them, coiling like a majestic, dangerous dragon. Wang Yue sprinted in a straight line, her back arching with athletic grace. She leaped onto the skateboard with a sharp clack and dove into the loops.
The world turned upside down. It felt like she was traveling through some surreal, high-speed dimension.
“Meow!”
Wang Yue let out a pained cry. It felt like her bones were rattling apart. Her head was a cocktail shaker, and her brain was the drink being tossed around inside. Even Lilith was starting to look haggard at this stage.
The two cats exited the loops, raced across the Uneven Staggered Pillars, and cleared a jumping section made of 45-degree slanted boards and rubber balls. Finally, the last stage appeared: the Iron Chain Forest!
The forest consisted of hundreds of thick iron chains hanging from above, resembling vines in a rainforest. The sadistic designer had coated the chains in a thick layer of anti-rust oil. Using claws to grip them was impossible; the only way through was to hug the chains with all four limbs and climb like a sailor on a rigging line.
The chains were as slippery as ice. Trying to climb them was no different from scaling a greased waterfall.
Wang Yue was at her absolute limit. Her breath was ragged, and her limbs felt like lead. She glanced ahead; Lilith still seemed to have a bit of stamina to spare.
