59: Chapter 59 The assessment begins!
“A total of 3,718 people are participating in this assessment, but the Holy Land will only accept the final one hundred.”
As soon as the young man finished speaking, a buzz of whispers erupted among the crowd. With such a low pass rate, some couldn't help but feel worried.
“Only one hundred people? I wonder if I can pass. Although most are at Spirit Connection Perfection, my King Body isn't the strongest.”
“What's there to be afraid of? Haven't you seen that kid at Spirit Connection Early Stage? He's not scared, so why are you?”
“Him? Hmph, he must have accepted that he won't pass, so he's acting so fearless.”
Despite these words, seeing Jiang Xuan's composed demeanor somewhat balanced his own psychology; at least he wouldn't be at the bottom… *Whoosh!*
Just then, a group of fist-sized light orbs flew down from the sky and floated before everyone. The front of each orb had a name engraved, and the back had a number, zero. Inside each light orb was a miniature Formation.
“These are your identity orbs. Remember not to lose them, or you will be deemed to have failed the assessment.”
“Next, enter the first stage of the assessment: Secret Realm trial!”
After the young man finished speaking, he conjured a hand seal, and a spatial gate appeared in the air, from which a chilling Qi emanated.
Jiang Xuan frowned. “This is the Qi of the Demon Race? How can there be Demon Race in the Secret Realm?”
Jiang Xuan was puzzled. He was all too familiar with this evil Qi.
Suddenly, inside his spatial ring, the unrefined nine nether demon heart began to stir.
“There truly are Demon Race inside, otherwise the nine nether demon heart wouldn't be so excited,” Jiang Xuan affirmed in his heart.
Shaking his head, Jiang Xuan stopped thinking about it. This was a Holy Land assessment, and the Holy Land would surely be very clear about the situation inside. The presence of the Demon Race in the Secret Realm must be permitted by the Holy Land. Perhaps whether this Secret Realm assessment could be passed was related to the Demon Race inside.
As if to confirm Jiang Xuan's guess, the young man's voice came again from high in the sky, “The rules for this assessment: do you see the number on the back of the light orb in your hands?”
“Turn that number into one thousand or more, and pass through the finish line, and you will be considered to have passed the assessment.”
The crowd looked at the back of their light orbs. So that number meant this.
“As for how to obtain the number?”
The young man paused, then his tone turned cold, “Kill the Demon Race within the Secret Realm! For each one killed, you gain one point.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd instantly erupted. Their eyes were filled with fear.
The Demon Race, that evil race! Before this, they had only heard of them in books: bloodthirsty, cruel! And their combat strength was formidable; at the same Realm, the Human Race was generally no match.
To ask them to kill Demon Race, what kind of assessment was this? What if they accidentally lost their lives!
Looking at the expressions of the crowd, a hint of disappointment flashed in the young man's eyes. A bunch of hothouse flowers. He sighed silently in his heart.
However, there were also many promising talents. He glanced at the few people at the very front; their eyes showed no fear of the Demon Race at all.
“Hmm? That person? Spirit Connection Early Stage?” The young man was surprised. However, although his cultivation was low, his courage was quite great, and there was even some excitement in his eyes.
“Heh heh, commendable courage, an interesting kid. I hope you have good luck and pass the first stage.” Although he said this, he didn't believe Jiang Xuan could pass; his cultivation was too low.
Jiang Xuan in the distance was naturally excited. The Secret Realm having many Demon Race meant a continuous supply of Demon Race essence blood. He was just wondering how to obtain it, and now the opportunity had arrived.
Jiang Xuan couldn't suppress the corners of his mouth. “Heh heh, I can make another fortune.”
“Silence!” Looking at the noisy crowd, the young man sternly shouted, “Most of the Demon Race in the Secret Realm are at Spirit Connection Perfection. You can form teams to carry out the task. Also, if you encounter danger, you can crush the Formation inside the light orb. Of course, that also means elimination!”
Hearing this, everyone breathed a slight sigh of relief. It was good that they wouldn't lose their lives, and they could also form teams, so they didn't have to worry about fighting the Demon Race alone.
Immediately, the crowd began to move. Some people who were already from the same faction grouped together, and some sought refuge by clinging to powerful figures. In short, no one was fighting alone, except for Jiang Xuan, who stood out like a crane among chickens.
“Heh heh, that kid will probably be eliminated within half a day in the Secret Realm, hahaha.”
“Half a day? You think too highly of him. I estimate he won't even last a quarter of an hour!”
The people around looked at Jiang Xuan, their eyes full of contempt and mockery. Not a single person thought highly of him.
Jiang Xuan sneered in his heart, his expression unreadable. “You'll have your turn to cry.”
“Now, if you are ready, enter the Secret Realm. Remember, you only have three days. Once the time is up, the Secret Realm will automatically close!”
“Whoosh!”
As the young man finished speaking, thousands of people instantly flew towards the entrance, afraid of being a step slower than others.
On one side of the crowd, Xia Wudao said to the rest of the Great Xia Dynasty, “After you go in, don't worry about the Demon Race first. You only have one mission: find Jiang Xuan for me, cripple him, and then bring him before me!”
“Understood!” The few of them spoke in unison. Their original mission was simply to assist Xia Wudao in entering the Holy Land; as for themselves, it was irrelevant.
After Xia Wudao finished speaking, he cast a chilling gaze at Jiang Xuan's location, then flew into the Secret Realm.
Jiang Xuan slowly followed behind everyone. Only when most people had entered did he step inside.
On a massive floating mountain peak, the Holy Land's Pilgrimage Platform. At this moment, dense crowds sat all around, and directly in front of the Pilgrimage Platform sat ten figures clad in dark purple robes, imbued with endless Daorhyme.
They all watched a portal in the center, from which emanated Qi identical to that of the Secret Realm Jiang Xuan and the others had entered.
“Heh heh, every Holy Land assessment is the most lively event within the Sect. Not only hundreds of thousands of outer Disciples, but also inner and Core Disciples, anyone with free time will come to watch the excitement,” someone in the crowd said with a laugh and a sigh.
“Of course, this is a major event for the Holy Land, concerning its fresh blood.”
“I wonder what the talent of these new Disciples is like this time, and if any can be favored by a Core Elder.” They looked with reverence at the ten figures in front.
Core Elders! In the Holy Land, apart from the Old Ancestors and the Holy Lord who remained secluded, the Core Elders held the most power and were the strongest!
If one could be favored by a Core Elder, it would be a meteoric rise, skipping the outer and inner Sects to directly become a Core Disciple. It was something countless people dreamed of.
In front, among the Core Elders, an imposing old man with deep-set eyes and frosty temples stared at the Secret Realm's exit. “I wonder what abilities that kid Wuhui spoke of truly possesses.”
“He insisted I come and see, but wouldn't say why. Hmph, if there's nothing special about him, just wait until I get back and deal with you!”
The few people beside him occasionally glanced at the old man, feeling puzzled, then their expressions turned playful. “Why did this madman come too? Could it be that he's taken a liking to another oddball?”