The Copy Mage

Trying to get up onto the seventh step and feeling as though they were unable to do so, Damian's friends were shocked to see that he had succeeded in placing one foot on the step.

He had made it seem so effortless, but the truth was he had reached a breakthrough and was enlightened to something suddenly when facing the imaginary wall he came across.

The mind and body would set subconscious barriers to stop one from progressing in order to reduce the pain, strain and suffering they would have to experience, but they could both be dominated by one's spirit.

One's spirit is essentially an amalgamation of one's willpower, drive, determination and pain tolerance, and Damian was beginning to learn to tap into and understand his own spirit.

Through doing so, he is able to tap into the latent potential and power that is being suppressed within his mind and body due to natural and physical limits. By surpassing those limits, he may suffer damage or backlash, but may also improve and grow stronger.

It was the secret behind the staircase.

Intentionally, the principal of the academy had produced something that could not only be used to test students, but also to help them unlock any hidden potential within them.

Only by enduring and having a strong enough spirit to reach the peak, could one completely benefit from the staircase and there was also likely to be some sort of reward for doing so.

Damian could feel an unusual tingling sensation within his dantian and felt a similar power begin to rise within him, just like whenever he had been pushed to the brink of death.

Up until then, he had only been able to feel that power once he had his back against the corner and was about to die, but this was the first time he had consciously and intentionally begun to draw it out.

Although he was only beginning to feel the same sensation and couldn't control or draw out its power completely, it was a step in the right direction and maybe the staircase he was on might be able to gain a better understanding of what exactly the power within him was.

With one foot on the seventh step, the pressure bearing down on Damian felt as though it had almost doubled, but he endured and within a matter of minutes, managed to place his other foot on the step.

Standing firmly on the seventh step for a short while, Damian had proven that he had made it onto the seventh step which was a great achievement, then sat down and began to cultivate again.

Seeing that, the students couldn't help but feel annoyed, wanting to get the second round over and done with, while they were also annoyed about not making the best of the opportunity themselves.

Meanwhile, Trevor, Larry, their companions, Elder Ray and Elder Norris were all already angry with Damian for what he did in the first round, and became even more enraged to see how well he was doing and how much he was benefiting from the second round.

Replaying within their minds what they had just seen Damian do, they remember him completely relaxing his body and mind to a point that pain was merely a blur. They almost felt as if Damian's soul had left his body and he had somehow managed to overcome the pressure by completely focusing on something else.

Their observations weren't completely accurate, but were helping them also begin to strengthen and use their spirit as they also managed to place one foot on the seventh step, with Milo being the first to do so.

When Darren set the record for the highest step reached on the staircase, it was said that he had spent an entire day on the staircase and even went as far as to train his sword techniques on each of the steps.

It was also stated that similarly to Damian, he would enter a meditative state and would seemingly cultivate on each step, receiving some sort of enlightenment meant on each one.

Damian had heard about how Darren had completed the staircase and set Darren's record as his target to beat, while he had also heard about how before Darren could even place his foot down on it, he was launched flying away.

It was as if it was impossible for anyone, even the young sword prodigy, to be able to overcome that level. However, those rumours and stories merely excited Damian more and he was confident that he would be able to surpass him and uncover the mystery of the staircase.

After being on the seventh step for a short while and cultivating their quite comfortably, despite the immense power that was bearing over him, Damian suddenly heard a voice within his mind.

The only thing is, it wasn't Utsusu's...

He could feel as though the staircase had a will of its own and was calling out to him, while it had also become clear that there was more to the staircase than what met the eye.

What he didn't expect was for it to be able to communicate with him and have a mind of its own.

"You are quite impressive, young one, managing to make it onto the seventh step is no simple feat. I must congratulate and reward you for it," said the profound and mysterious voice in a grand manner.

Damian was so shocked by the sudden voice in his mind that he almost lost control and focus for a split second, which would have caused him to be launched flying off the staircase due to submitting to the pressure for an instant.

"Just who are you and what kind of reward are you offering?" asked Damian, after regaining his cool.

He had never heard the voice before, while it seemed to belong to someone that was incredibly powerful and mystical, but at the same time, was also quite soothing to the ear.

"Well, I am not a person. I am the will of the founder and principal of Akegria Academy," the voice announced.