The next day, the Lion-Tiger Combo finished their breakfast and headed to Bailing Square to wait.
After the preliminary eliminations, only about a thousand candidates remained. Most of those who failed the third test hadn't left yet; instead, they gathered around All Souls Square to watch the spectacle.
Once everyone entered the exam’s secret realm, a leaderboard would appear here. Three days later, the rankings would refresh for the final time, and they wanted to witness that moment.
Soon, the time arrived, and the Saint-tier powerhouses appeared as promised.
“Candidates, please pay attention. The final assessment is about to begin. You will enter the Gray Rock Secret Realm along with candidates from other recruitment areas,” the Spatial Saint-tier mage said slowly.
“The rules are as follows: Hunt the magical beasts within the secret realm and extract their soul essence. A Tier Three essence is worth 1 point, a Tier Four essence is 5 points, a Tier Five essence is 25 points, a Tier Six essence is 125 points, and so on. The exam will last for three days. After three days, candidates will be forcibly teleported out for the final tally. Only those with over 500 points will qualify for the rankings, and the top three thousand in total points will be admitted to All Souls Magic Academy.”
“Inside the secret realm, all methods of obtaining points are permitted. However, I advise you all to... behave yourselves!” As he spoke, the Spatial Saint-tier’s gaze turned cold, and everyone felt as if their hearts had been gripped by a heavy hand.
Zhang Ye nodded.
This was a warning to certain people. It was acceptable to gain points through methods like robbery or combat, but if anyone took pleasure in senseless slaughter, they wouldn't be tolerated.
Although there were no explicit enforcement measures, the intimidation from a Saint-tier would cause any murderous psychopaths to restrain themselves.
“Now, please come forward to receive your Soul Essence Lamps. These lamps will automatically extract soul essence.” With a wave of the Spatial Saint-tier’s hand, several boxes appeared on the ground, and the examiners immediately began distributing the lamps.
They were magic devices shaped like handheld candle lanterns, capable of holding a large amount of essence. They were about the size of a palm, and each person received three, along with a matching belt to hang them from their waists.
Because these devices were themselves a type of spatial storage artifact, they could not be placed inside space rings.
After fastening the lamp belt around her waist, Lina did a little twirl and asked, “Does it look good?”
Zhang Ye couldn't help but chuckle.
“Next, please move to the Secret Realm Platform and wait for it to open.” The Spatial Saint-tier gestured again, opening a spatial gate. On the other side was a large plaza, and the crowd stepped through.
High walls surrounded this Secret Realm Platform. In the center stood a stone gate radiating an ancient aura, carved with profound runes.
As the group arrived, other spatial gates opened around them, and wave after wave of candidates from different areas appeared.
Zhang Ye’s gaze was sharp as he scanned the crowd, finally locking onto a certain young man.
The youth had fiery red hair like a lion's mane, thick flaming eyebrows, and crimson eyes. He was handsome and heroic, with a tall, sturdy build. His entire being radiated a powerful aura; just standing there, he gave off the impression of a majestic lion.
Confident and overbearing!
That’s the one. If that’s not Leona’s brother, I’ll do a handstand while I pee!
Analyze!
【Renomon Salomon: Tier Nine early stage. Possesses powerful fire-attribute mana and a formidable physique!】
He really is my brother-in-law!
With such a recognizable appearance, no wonder Leona said he’d be easy to spot. The two siblings were practically carved from the same mold!
Perhaps sensing Zhang Ye’s gaze, Renomon looked over, his eyes locking onto Zhang Ye.
A confident smile played on his lips. Perhaps assuming Zhang Ye was just an ordinary candidate, he gave a slight nod when he saw Zhang Ye looking at him, then returned his focus to the stone gate.
Zhang Ye felt a sense of admiration. This brother-in-law seemed like a decent guy—powerful and confident, yet he didn't look down on others just because he was stronger.
He was nothing like those two guys around Samanra, who acted like they were a big deal just because they were at the mid or late stage of Tier Eight. The word 'superiority' was practically written on their faces.
Samanra, on the other hand, maintained an expressionless, 'do not approach' vibe from start to finish.
Zhang Ye continued to look around and eventually found Nan in a corner at the back of the crowd.
The boy was hiding in the shadows, leaning against a wall with his arms crossed and his eyes closed, resting. He was incredibly low-key; most people probably wouldn't even notice him.
It was likely that candidates from other areas had no idea this kid was the highest-ranked person on the field.
As it turned out, those people in novels who acted invincible just because they were slightly stronger than others didn't really exist much in reality. Those who went out of their way to provoke others were even rarer.
Those brain-dead novels really can't be trusted.
“Attention everyone, the assessment is about to begin.” A voice like a booming bell rang out as an old man descended from the sky. Seeing him, Zhang Ye was immediately reminded of a certain movie character—Gandalf.
He threw an analysis his way.
【Rand Parado: Seven-star Saint-tier. Possesses powerful metal-attribute mana!】
Holy cow, a Seven-star Saint-tier!
That’s one tier higher than Oscar!
Zhang Ye’s eyes lit up. Copy! I have to copy this immediately!
This old man definitely has a hoard of ultimate moves. I need to steal some techniques while I can!
After reaching Tier Seven, his maximum limit for Copy and Analyze was four tiers above his own.
Four tiers above Tier Seven reached the Saint-tier. So... as long as someone was a Saint-tier, regardless of how many stars they had, he could analyze them!
He was just that overbearing!
As the skill list expanded, Zhang Ye’s eyes sparkled.
My god, there are so many!
A pile of Saint-tier spells: Iron Fortress, Eight-directional Metal Tremor, Steel Titan...
Zhang Ye was stunned!
Analyzing Saint-tier magic took too long, so Zhang Ye only selected four to analyze. For the rest, he picked spells from Tiers Eight, Nine, and Ten to serve as a transition for himself later.
Coming to this recruitment exam was definitely the right choice. He had learned countless spells on this trip alone. Once the analysis time was up, he would truly take off!
“Candidates from each recruitment area will enter the secret realm as a group. The secret realm will randomly teleport each group into the Gray Zone of the Gray Rock Secret Realm.”
“Note that the primary assessment area is the Gray Zone. The Yellow Zone and Red Zone outside the Gray Zone are extremely dangerous. If you wish to venture there, consider the risks carefully.”
“Furthermore, I shall give you all a warning.”
“Do not, under any circumstances, enter the Black Zone. Otherwise, you will be responsible for your own consequences.”
“Now, the secret realm is open.” With that, Gan... I mean, Grandpa Rand, took out a crystal ball radiating white light. With a wave of his hand, the stone gate below rumbled and slowly opened.
Inside the stone gate was a barrier. Passing through it would lead into the secret realm.
Zhang Ye looked curiously at the crystal ball in Grandpa Rand’s hand. Let’s analyze it.
【Gray Rock Secret Realm Core: The core used to control the secret realm. Requires manual analysis. Once analyzed, control over the Gray Rock Secret Realm can be obtained.】
I can control the entire secret realm after analyzing it? That’s some good stuff!
Unfortunately, it could only be analyzed manually, which meant Zhang Ye’s understanding of magic had to be high enough, or he wouldn't be able to analyze it at all.
Besides, he didn't think Grandpa Rand would let him touch such a precious item.
“Bailing recruitment area, you may enter first,” Rand said. Immediately, an instructor led the candidates from the Bailing area toward the stone gate.
The thousand people moved forward slowly, gradually disappearing into the magical barrier.
Lina seemed a bit nervous, unconsciously grabbing the corner of Zhang Ye’s shirt. Zhang Ye turned and gave her a reassuring look.
“Don’t worry, your big brother is here.”
Lina nodded gently, and her uneasy heart calmed down quite a bit.
Finally, crossing the barrier, Zhang Ye found himself standing on a massive magic circle along with the other candidates. In the next moment, the circle lit up with a light identical to that of a teleportation array.
The scenery before his eyes blurred for a moment and then gradually became clear.
Zhang Ye widened his eyes as he looked around.
So this is... the Gray Rock Secret Realm...
...
...
Rate on N.U.
