68: Chapter 68, Fourth Civilization Advancement Assessment: The Spark of Civilization

Gu Changming did not wait long.

Not long after the last pillar of light in the city completely disappeared, the sky suddenly brightened.

Blinding sunlight poured down from high above without warning, illuminating the entire city with crystal clarity.

Immediately after, a notification box for passing the Assessment popped up.

【Assessment ended.】

【You have obtained the professional certification for "Apprentice Psychic".】

【Partial system functions have been unlocked.】

Gu Changming didn't even look at the notification box. With a simple thought, he swiped it aside and then opened his personal panel.

The moment the panel opened, an extremely simple and clear translucent data interface expanded before him.

【Name: Gu Changming】

【Rank: E-rank】

【Personal Attributes:】

【Strength: 72】

【Agility: 75】

【Constitution: 69】

【Spirit: 132】

Gu Changming glanced at it; it was roughly what he had estimated.

The E-rank level was also as expected.

The various physical attributes of an ordinary person are around ten points; fifteen points is at the level of an elite athlete, and twenty-five points is the limit for humans.

After breaking through twenty-five points, one reaches F-rank.

At F-rank, one has already begun to exceed the human scope. Specifically, one's strength can directly lift a small car, and various athletic feats can break human records.

And once fifty points are surpassed, it's E-rank.

Which is where Gu Changming's other three physical attributes currently stood.

At this level, a single punch can flip a car weighing several tons, and the physical body can withstand point-blank shots from thermal weapons.

As for rank determination, two different attributes must simultaneously break through to the next stage to count as a breakthrough.

Currently, Gu Changming's Mental Power was prominent, exceeding a hundred points—nearly double his other attributes—while the rest were still hovering at E-rank, so it wasn't surprising he received an E-rank evaluation.

However, this was just a reference. For instance, although he was E-rank now, if a few D-ranks actually showed up, he'd have no problem killing them.

Gu Changming continued looking down.

【Skill Slots: Psychokinesis (Advanced), Hexagram Meditation Method】

【Inventory: whistle of contract, Katana night erosion, nightwalker gloves, Telekinetic Shuttle...】

【Title Slots:】

【Lucky One: Hidden Luck attribute +1. Effect is weak, but perhaps it can bring an unexpected turning point at a critical moment.】

【Shadow Hunter: Increases damage to dark-attribute creatures by 10%, reduces dark-attribute damage taken by 5%.】

【Apprentice Psychic: Not very useful, but you can hang it on your title list to avoid having an empty title slot.】

...

After a brief look, Gu Changming withdrew his gaze.

Then, he raised his head and looked toward the sky that had only recently returned to azure.

"It's about time."

The "Organizer's" sick sense of humor was always like this; shortly after an Assessment ended, they would announce the time for the next one, making people feel like a sword was constantly hanging over their heads, unable to relax for even a moment.

And this time, the announcement of the schedule was even more full of that malicious humor.

As Gu Changming looked up, a hint of ominous dark red surfaced at the edge of the horizon again.

In just a few breaths, the blood-red color once again swallowed the entire firmament.

The blinding sunlight was crudely shielded, and the world was re-shrouded under a viscous, bloody hue.

Inside the city, the slightly relaxed atmosphere that had just risen due to passing the Assessment and the reappearance of sunlight froze instantly.

Although there was no one around Gu Changming, he could imagine the expressions and emotional shifts of those who had just finished the Assessment and breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this change.

In the center of the blood-red canopy, massive and cold white characters arrived as expected:

【The Fourth Civilization Advancement Assessment will officially begin in seventy-two hours.】

The blood-red sky lasted for about ten seconds and then receded quickly like a ebbing tide.

The corner of Gu Changming's mouth curled up. "Three days."

Yes, after this Assessment ended, they weren't given much breathing room—only three days of respite before they had to face the fourth Assessment.

Of course, Gu Changming was not surprised by this.

He had known long ago.

One could even say that the fourth Assessment was the real test; the one just now was merely the 'newbie reward' Gu Changming kept mentioning.

Gu Changming set off toward home, his thoughts never stopping.

However...

From Gu Changming's current perspective as someone who had been through it, that fourth Assessment actually wasn't that difficult.

While it lasted longer, from a certain angle, it seemed like a long adaptation period for them to polish and use the rewards they had obtained from the 'newbie reward' Assessment.

Because of his different perspective, Gu Changming's brow furrowed tighter the more he thought about it.

Were these continuous Assessments intended to exterminate human civilization? Or were they intended to help human civilization progress?

If it were the former, there would be no need for 'newbie rewards' or the consideration shown in an 'adaptation period Assessment' like the fourth one.

If it were the latter, then based on what he knew, some Assessments were truly aimed at exterminating human civilization.

...

Three days passed quietly in a state of nearly stagnant tension.

On a patch of wilderness outside the city, Gu Changming glanced at the sun, estimated the time, stopped his pace, and checked his wristwatch.

The hand on the watch face was approaching the twelve o'clock position.

Seeing this, Gu Changming simply stopped and turned to look around.

Almost at the instant the second hand hit the mark, without even needing to look up, that familiar, heart-palpitating sense of pressure descended from the sky.

The sky turned blood-red again, and massive white characters tore through the blood-red canopy, appearing before the eyes of everyone on the ground:

【The Fourth Civilization Advancement Assessment is now officially open.】

【Assessment Name: Civilization Spark.】

【Brief Description of Rules: The planet where the current human civilization is located will be temporarily transformed into a special mystic realm field. During the opening of the mystic realm, extra-dimensional monsters and biological groups will descend continuously. All survivors must survive as long as possible under their invasion, hunting, and encirclement.】

【Assessment Duration: Ninety natural days.】

【Note: Preserve the spark of civilization; individual survival is the continuation of the spark.】

"The descriptions have become much more detailed now that the system functions are unlocked," Gu Changming muttered to himself.

【Supplementary Rule 1: Killing descending monsters can yield valuable materials from their bodies or special rewards.】

【Supplementary Rule 2: Within fixed ranges, some physical laws will undergo adaptive adjustments to match invaders from different dimensions.】

【Failure Penalty: Death.】

The blood-red color and the subtitles lasted for about half a minute before slowly fading.

The sky did not return to its previous color; instead, it took on a strange, sallow glow as if twilight and dawn were intertwined. At this moment, it seemed as if the very "base color" of the world had been changed.

The wind stagnated for a moment.

Then, Gu Changming heard a sound.

It wasn't from one direction, but from all directions—deep in the wilderness and behind the sallow clouds overhead.

Countless indescribable shrieks and roaring background noises were rapidly becoming clear.