90: Chapter 90: Hell-Level Difficulty! A life-or-death crisis unexpectedly leads to the premature termination of the assessment!

The skill [Spiritual Energy Infusion] had truly unleashed Zhang Jian.

Wei Donglai and Yan Han could barely get a hand in and had already retreated to the side of the furnace.

Wang Fei no longer needed to command either; he stood with the other two, admiring Zhang Jian's one-man show.

Although Zhang Jian had become the Incarnation of the Thunder King, clearing wave after wave rapidly, he wasn't without gains.

With each successive release of [Sky Storm Slash].

Zhang Jian was gradually becoming more and more familiar with his mastery of this skill.

The issues that plagued him—the automatic corpse-whipping and the wasted waiting time—were also being resolved step by step.

He was slowly managing to minimize the follow-up corpse-whipping effect after killing monsters.

It was just that after this skill was leveled up to the max, the energy it contained was too powerful.

Coupled with the fact that the quantity increase effects from the entries were also constantly strengthening.

It was still quite strenuous for him to control.

He could only adjust and improve his control bit by bit.

But his feelings were something no one else could know.

For the other three, clearing the Dungeon had almost become a routine, procedural existence.

Wang Fei even felt like he wasn't grinding a Dungeon anymore, but rather working on an assembly line.

Buffing Zhang Jian with skills, waiting. Continuing to provide support. Dungeon cleared!

32 minutes. 31 minutes. 30 minutes. ...

The speed of clearing the Dungeon had been squeezed almost to its limit.

After successfully clearing it again.

During a break, Zhang Jian checked the time; the cumulative assessment time had already reached 11 hours and 21 minutes.

Two more runs were not enough.

Just as Zhang Jian was preparing to take them for one last run, he suddenly noticed something.

An additional option had appeared at the Dungeon: [Hell] difficulty.

Below it were a few lines of prompts.

"The number and attributes of monsters in this difficulty will increase significantly; please choose with caution."

"This Dungeon type has not yet been triggered or successfully challenged by anyone; there will be a mysterious reward upon clearing it."

Zhang Jian's heart stirred.

He had actually triggered a new difficulty? This was something not taught in textbooks.

Wei Donglai and Yan Han also shook their heads, indicating they had never heard of this difficulty.

Wang Fei egged him on, "Why don't we give it a try?"

Zhang Jian was tempted.

He glanced at the leaderboard.

The four of them were currently ranked in the top four.

Even Wei Donglai, who had the lowest score, was significantly higher than the fifth place. The gap between them and the ninth and tenth places was even more massive.

Based on the rate at which these people were gaining points, even if they were given another hour or two, it would be impossible for them to catch up.

Since the goal was basically achieved, Zhang Jian felt relieved.

He couldn't help but nod, "Alright, let's give it a try."

Truth be told, he was actually a bit eager.

After all, having ground the Dungeon dozens of times in the same repetitive manner, the harvest was indeed substantial.

The points from the other three had also allowed him to exchange for a large amount of rare Materials, which he estimated would be enough to last until his Second Job Change or even the Late Stage.

The dropped equipment and skill books, in terms of value, were enough to make him a billionaire. It could be said that the harvest was immense.

But the non-stop fighting and the repetitive actions had indeed made him a bit weary.

Having finally encountered a difficulty that posed a challenge to him, his competitive spirit was ignited.

He wanted to see what exactly it was all about.

Seeing that Zhang Jian was interested, the other two unconditionally raised both hands in agreement.

They were just along for the ride anyway. Moreover, they completely trusted in Zhang Jian's strength.

No matter how high the difficulty, it was still just this same Dungeon, wasn't it?

Based on Zhang Jian's performance along the way, even if there were more monsters or they were stronger, it didn't seem to make any difference to them.

Besides.

If it were a difficulty that Brother Jian couldn't clear, then no one in this world could clear it.

They didn't believe such a thing existed in this world. It would definitely be fine!

The four of them were full of confidence, and under Zhang Jian's lead, they entered the Dungeon again.

But what they didn't notice was that the moment they selected the difficulty, a violent fluctuation rippled across the Star Gate.

After they entered, teams or individuals kept coming out after clearing the Dungeon.

They were surprised to discover that although there was clearly time left, they could no longer enter.

More and more candidates gathered in front of the Star Gate, all with puzzled expressions, not understanding what was happening.

Soon, the Reception Envoy arrived upon hearing the news.

"The time hasn't run out yet, so why can't we continue grinding the Dungeon?" he asked in confusion.

He sent his consciousness toward the Star Gate, preparing to investigate.

The next moment, his expression changed drastically.

"Someone has triggered the Hell-level difficulty!"

Waving his hand to signal the onlookers to stay away from the Star Gate, his figure shot into the sky.

He stopped only when he reached a silent space.

Touching a button on his chest, he reported in a low voice.

"Dean, some candidates have mistakenly entered the Hell-level difficulty Dungeon. Should I stop the Star Gate from operating?"

A moment later, a voice came from his chest.

"Isn't that a good thing? Being able to trigger this difficulty, they are completely at the elite student level."

"If they can clear it, wouldn't that be contributing another hope for the future of our Water Blue Planet?"

The Reception Envoy looked anxious.

"That may be true, but these students don't understand the difficulty and significance of Hell-level at all. I'm afraid they might get into trouble!"

The voice on his chest paused.

"They don't even know about Hell-level, yet they have the strength to trigger it?"

"Strange! It seems a Prodigy who transcends the era has appeared!"

"I authorize you to use a Mythical-grade item to add a protective mechanism to the Star Gate to ensure their safety!"

The Reception Envoy breathed a sigh of relief, "Understood!"

Since the Dean had spoken, it would be easy to handle.

He flew back to the plaza from the sky and, facing the puzzled expressions of the crowd, signaled everyone to disperse first.

Then, he solemnly took out a crystal compass that shimmered with a faint light and flowed with a galactic halo from his backpack. [Starry Fate Orbit Instrument]

It possessed a Karma-level protective function, which could provide the currently running Dungeon with a special protective mechanism.

Whenever someone triggers a fatal crisis, it would automatically freeze the surrounding space-time and place them in a special space where they could not be attacked.

If everyone in the team was in this state, the Dungeon would be forcibly terminated, and all personnel would be teleported out.

Don't think that the effect seems similar to the protection mechanisms of external Dungeons; in reality, it's not the same thing at all.

A normal Hell-level Dungeon cannot be forcibly terminated. Nor can one exit directly.

Basically, once you enter, it is a life-or-death situation.

People who understand this difficulty either carry high-quality resurrection items before entering or are mentally prepared for death.

Zhang Jian and the others had entered rashly, forcing him to use this precious item.

After this use, it could not be used again for 30 days.

But now was not the time for regrets.

He gently held the [Starry Fate Orbit Instrument] and came to the Star Gate.

He directly embedded it into a vacant spot in the center.

The next moment, countless galactic vortex-like light patterns instantly appeared on the surface of the Star Gate, flickering back and forth incessantly.

The surrounding space suddenly produced a feeling of weightlessness and chaos, as if an earthquake were happening.

The candidates were all a bit unsteady, their expressions panicked.

"Don't be afraid, it's a technical adjustment!" the Reception Envoy shouted to reassure everyone.

Not long after, the surroundings returned to normal, and the candidates calmed down.

The Reception Envoy stood in front of the Star Gate, blocking the curious gazes of some who wanted to explore the crystal compass, and announced loudly.

"Due to an Overload of the Star Gate's core energy, the assessment is terminated 36 minutes early."

"The points of the candidates currently still in the Dungeon have been permanently locked; that is, Zhang Jian's team, who are in the 'Hell-level' trial, will have their points frozen regardless of their clearing results."

He paused deliberately, and the galactic light patterns refracted a deep light in his pupils.

"According to the final points on the current leaderboard, those who have entered the top ten are:"