In a moment, Gao Liang reached halfway up the mountain slope. Gong Honglai, taking advantage of the moment when Gao Liang was fully focused, kicked a smooth stone with precision. Gao Liang, completely absorbed in his forward charge, failed to notice the sudden change. "Master! Quickly lean to the left!" Gao Liang instinctively moved to the left. *Whoosh!* A large stone skimmed right past his right leg—just barely! The speed of the stone was astonishing. If it had struck him, he would have been seriously injured, possibly rendered disabled. Gong Honglai, watching from a distance, was stunned that Gao Liang had not been hit. Her face lengthened in disbelief. For goodness' sake, her stone-throwing technique was world-class—how could this young man have evaded it so easily? "Brother Gao! Wait for me! Don't rush so fast! I simply can't keep up! After all, the first place is yours!" Gao Liang pretended to be out of breath, gasping for air. Upon hearing Gao Liang's voice, Gong Honglai immediately softened her expression and said with a show of com "Senior brother, give up now!" Many of the younger brothers urged High Liang. "What do you mean, give up?" Seeing that High Liang had taken advantage of Gong Hong's slowing down to align himself with the others at the starting line, he patted his head, feigning confusion: "We're all on the same starting line, aren't we? Why should we give up?" The brothers were stunned. Gong Hong gritted her teeth, furious—she had been publicly outwitted by this newcomer! Her temples bulged with anger, and she exclaimed, "I tell you right now, get out of the Shaolin Temple immediately!" "One final try to decide the winner!" A younger brother eagerly wanted to witness an exciting mountain-climbing contest. "Master, you're going mad!" Ying'er reminded High Liang, pointing out that Gong Hong possessed a light step so refined it could almost leap over obstacles—she would surely lose if they competed head-to-head. "I know I'll lose," High Liang admitted. "But I don't want to give up. I just want to try. Even if I leave the Shaolin Temple right now, I'll have no regrets!" High Ling's tenacious spirit greatly impressed Ying'er. With her wings outstretched, she exclaimed to High Ling, "Master! No matter what happens, as long as you keep striving, I will always stand by you!" The mountain-climbing race showdown began, with two opponents of vastly different strengths now competing against each other. As Lin Tianhao's whistle blew once more, Gong Hong came charging forward with a roar, like a powerful bull, swiftly pulling away from the other senior brothers. At this moment, Gao Liang seized the advantageous opportunity and began to exert himself from the starting line. Though his explosive power still wasn't strong, he was gradually adjusting his body posture after the start. "I'm accelerating!" Gao Liang roared. "Master is exploding! Truly exploding!" Ying'er's voice sounded more melodious than ever before. This time, Gao Liang fully activated the latent energy within him. If the first half of the race had been a warm-up, then the second half was pure explosive power—explosive, indeed. "Just let the old veteran roar once, and even the Earth will tremble!" "Highlight surged like a jaguar, exceptionally agile and nimble, his jumping index skyrocketing—from previously climbing three steps at a time to now leaping six. This was utterly unimaginable under normal circumstances. 'Master is so handsome! So handsome!' Ying'er cheered for Highlight. Indeed, Highlight performed outstandingly; his nerves were highly activated, making him a true athlete. Ying'er monitored Highlight's heart, confirming it was functioning normally and capable of further acceleration, able to withstand even greater acceleration. Highlight, the jaguar, quickly overtook Lin Tianhao and the other senior brothers, closing the gap to just 100 meters from Gong Honglai. Gong Honglai still looked dismissive, glancing back at Highlight with a cold smile and saying, 'I haven't even deployed my best move yet! Today, you're going to the Shaolin Temple!' For just two seconds of distraction, Highlight had already surged ahead to a distance of 30 meters." Gong Honglai couldn't help feeling a bit anxious, as there were still 180 meters to go before the summit. Gong Honglai wasn't going to let this young newcomer take the lead—he immediately pulled out his trump card: the light footwork of "Grass-Flying," moving forward like a crane. Gao Liang had already pushed himself to his absolute limit; his heart was pounding wildly, his face flushed red. He simply couldn't accelerate any further. What could he do? With a sense of helplessness, he closed his eyes and raised his voice toward the sky, calling out, "Heaven! Let me be a truly outstanding man! I can't lose!" "Wait a moment—what is this?" Gao Liang felt a smooth, slippery substance entering his mouth, swiftly flowing down his esophagus and into his stomach. Suddenly, a surge of warmth radiated through him, as if his entire body were blazing with fire. The restless Gao Liang now sensed a tremendous surge of energy within. "Breakthrough! Breakthrough! The master is exploding!" Ying'er's voice made every single one of Gao Liang's ten thousand and eight thousand pores stand upright, and every blood The bright young leopard surged forward like a gust of wind. The younger brothers and sisters watched from afar, amazed as this seemingly ordinary junior quickly caught up with the outstanding senior brother, Gong Hong. Now only twenty meters from the summit, Gong Hong sneered, drawing out all his strength—how fast he was going! Even Ying'er was astonished, as Gao Liang fell slightly behind. Yet, unnoticed by everyone, Ying'er made a subtle gesture at the summit. It was the large smooth stone that Gong Hong had kicked to Gao Liang earlier. With a gentle smile at the corner of her mouth, she said, "Big bird's feather—I'll return it to you on behalf of the master." Gong Hong, absorbed in his own excitement and jubilant at being just three steps away from the final stair, didn't notice the stone. As he reached for it in his pride, his foot slipped—and with a startled "Ouch!" the stone precisely caught his right foot. He lost his balance, wobbled, and rolled down like a pumpkin. The other senior monks and brothers grew anxious. It wasn't until Gong Hong managed to steady herself against a nearby branch that Gao Liang had already crossed the final step and stood confidently atop the mountain peak. "I've reached the summit—now I can see all the others beneath me!" With the majestic mountain beneath his feet, he truly felt a sense of accomplishment. Ying'er was overjoyed at her master's successful ascent, darting around Gao Liang and performing an elegant "figure-eight" dance in the air. The brothers carried Gong Hong, who had sustained injuries, to join them. Though she lost the match with considerable reluctance, Gong Hong said, "Today just wasn't my day—your luck truly seems to be running strong! But this isn't the end. Next time, I'll definitely beat you!" "No next time!" Gao Liang declared, leaving everyone stunned. Lin Tianhao looked puzzled, saying, "High brother, think carefully! Once you leave Shaolin, you'll never return!"