Only a few dozen people were seated on the main platform.

But these few dozen individuals, merely by sitting there, emanated faint wisps of aura that seemed to transform into tangible mountains and oceans, filling the entire upper expanse of the great hall.

Each one of them was like a profound universe, containing an unimaginable, majestic power.

Li Wen even felt his own vital energy stir under the influence of this formless pressure, flickering unsteadily like a candle in the wind.

’As for the thought of sending out my Primordial Spirit to investigate?’ He extinguished it in an instant as alarm bells screamed in his mind.

It wasn’t that he lacked confidence, but that the people on the main platform were simply too strong!

His gaze instantly locked onto a figure in a corner on the right side of the platform.

’Marquis Jiangling.’ Li Wen’s heart jolted.

Lu Feng, the Marquis Level expert who was already a paramount titan in Jiangnan Province, was currently relegated to a relatively unremarkable seat on the fringe of the main platform.

This silent tableau was enough to show that the weakest among them were at the Marquis Level.

Furthermore, the one seated at the very center exuded an aura like the midday sun, completely transcending the Marquis Level.

"It’s the Chuhe King! He’s actually presiding over this in person!"

"Hiss... A King-level expert! So this is the grand style of Ember University..."

Someone in the crowd with broad knowledge immediately recognized the middle-aged man seated in the center of the main platform—the one wearing black robes, with a simple, serene, and ancient-looking face—and couldn’t help but let out a low gasp of surprise.

The Chuhe King. He was a King-level super-expert who stood guard over an entire region, a true titan whose power could shake the heavens and whose might awed the world!

In Li Wen’s mind, Teacher Fang’s warning still rang in his ears:

"Unless it’s absolutely necessary, do not reveal the secret of your awakened Primordial Spirit. It will attract unforeseen attention, not all of which will be good."

He had absolute trust in Fang Chengwu.

And now, having broken through to the second layer of the Primordial Spirit Realm, his Spiritual Power was even more acute, and the intuition stemming from the depths of his soul was also frantically warning him.

Before these unimaginably terrifying beings, especially with a King-level expert present, the slightest carelessness would make the power of his Primordial Spirit as conspicuous as a firefly in the dead of night, with nowhere to hide.

’In any case, I’ve already made it this far, stepping through the doorway of Ember University’s assessment. There’s no need to be hasty.’

Since Teacher Fang had told him just to get into Ember University and not to worry about what came after, he decided not to overcomplicate things. Li Wen solidified his resolve and completely calmed his mind, focusing inward.

...

Ember University’s annual entrance assessment for new students was always presided over by one King-level expert and co-hosted by two Marquis Level experts.

Such high standards not only reflected the extreme importance placed on the selection process but also served to guarantee the absolute fairness of the assessment with overwhelming power, eliminating any possibility of cheating, disruption, or external interference.

Seeing that the more than three thousand top young geniuses from around the globe had all arrived, the great hall became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

A Marquis Level expert with a lean face and an ethereal, almost immortal-like aura, who was seated to the Chuhe King’s left, slowly rose to his feet.

His gaze swept across the young, vibrant faces below. He spoke calmly, his voice not loud, yet it carried clearly into everyone’s ears with a dignity that pierced right to the soul. "Everyone."

"Welcome to Ember University. I am one of the hosts of this assessment, Marquis Qingyuan."

"The hall behind us is called the Heart Mirror Hall. It has witnessed the selection and growth of countless Ember University students.

Today’s assessment is designed to select the seeds who possess the true potential to become future powerhouses. It is not entirely the same as the Martial Dao university entrance exam; there will be no separate written academic test. However—"

He paused, his gaze seeming to deepen.

"For a true expert, aptitude is fundamental. Therefore, this assessment will be held over two days. The first day will test the foundation of your skills. The second day will cut to the core, testing your combat prowess and aptitude."

Then, without further ado, Marquis Qingyuan got straight to the point:

"Day one of the assessment, first event: a test of strength."

As soon as he finished speaking, he gave a light wave of his hand toward the testing area in the center of the hall.

HUMMM!

A dazzling, pale gold light flared. In front of the queued geniuses, layered golden walls of vital energy materialized out of thin air.

These walls were like solid, colored glass, arranged in tight formation. They extended from the point closest to the test-takers into the distance, layer after layer, so densely packed that a quick glance revealed several hundred of them.

Each layer radiated a tough and stable aura.

"The rules are simple," Marquis Qingyuan’s voice rang out again, perfectly clear.

"Your sequential numbers have already been registered. Proceed in batches of ten according to your number to be tested."

"Be aware, you each have only one chance to strike with your full power. You may select from the standard-issue weapons of identical make and weight displayed at the side of the hall."

He gestured toward the racks of weapons at the side of the hall, which held gleaming sabers, swords, spears, and pikes of a uniform, archaic design.

"The use of any explosive Forbidden Technique that comes at the cost of damaging your foundation is strictly prohibited! The number of vital energy walls you break through will be the basis of your score for this event."

"Begin!"

As Marquis Qingyuan’s final word fell, the air in the great hall instantly grew taut.

The ten youths, male and female, at the very front of the line—numbers 1 through 10—immediately moved. They quickly walked to the weapon racks, selected the standard-issue weapon they were most skilled with, and then strode before the layered golden walls, spacing themselves out.

Some gripped long sabers, some held single-edged swords, while others picked up spears or heavy hammers.

"Hah!" "Break!" "Sever!"

The ten figures unleashed their long-accumulated power at almost the same instant. Deep roars erupted along with dazzling flashes of light.

A sharp saber light tore through the air, lunging straight for the golden walls.

A scorching sword gleam shot forward like a rainbow piercing the sun.

A massive hammer fell, bringing with it the dull roar of wind and thunder.

For a moment, the hall echoed with the piercing sound of rushing air and the roar of energy impacts and explosions.

One sharp blade light instantly pierced through layer after layer of the seemingly tough vital energy walls, advancing several dozen layers with unstoppable momentum before the light finally dimmed and dissipated.

Another sword gleam was exceptionally sharp when it shot out, but after piercing twenty or thirty layers, it became like a spent arrow and disintegrated completely.

The results of the first batch of ten were announced aloud by a registrar standing at the side, their voice devoid of any emotion:

"Zhang Chenglin, thirty-seven walls broken!"

"Mazol, forty-one walls broken!"

...

"Hedel Mueller, seventy walls broken."

This was the highest score so far, achieved by a tall young man wielding a saber.

The testing proceeded extremely quickly.

Batch after batch of geniuses took their turn, with the number of walls broken generally fluctuating between twenty and eighty. The occasional person who broke past ninety layers would draw a low murmur of amazement.

When the tenth batch of youths stepped forward, nearly everyone’s gaze instinctively focused on one person among them.

He was an exceptionally tall and well-built blond youth with deep-set eyes and a high-bridged nose. Unconcealed confidence and a sharp glint danced in his pupils.

He was none other than Ron Zaka, from the United States of America.

Ron Zaka strode over to the weapon rack and, without hesitation, selected a spear as black as ink.

With the spear in hand, he did not rush forward. Instead, he stood still for a moment, holding the weapon, as if adjusting his state and sensing the seemingly endless layers of vital energy walls before him.

He took a deep breath, his chest expanding abruptly like a ferocious beast inhaling.

BOOM!

An aura several times more violent and ferocious than any of the previous test-takers erupted from his body without reservation.

An almost tangible pressure instantly spread out, causing the few young geniuses standing nearby to turn pale and subconsciously take half a step back.

This violent momentum was so powerful that even the many geniuses queued up behind him felt a heavy pressure, and looks of shock appeared on their faces.

Standing in the crowd, Li Wen’s expression instantly became as sharp and serious as a blade’s edge.

’He’s strong! The pressure from the pure power radiating from Ron Zaka makes him absolutely the strongest opponent I have ever encountered among my peers.’

"BREAK—!" The shout was like a sudden clap of thunder on a clear day.

A thunderous roar erupted from deep within Ron Zaka’s throat, the sound wave carrying a terrifying shockwave that spread in all directions.

With that roar, he moved.

His entire body seemed to transform into a human catapult. Power channeled up from the ground beneath his feet, through his waist and back, and erupted ferociously from his right arm.

The standard-issue black spear in his hand seemed to be imbued with world-ending divine might, transforming into a black lightning bolt that tore across the sky.

The spear tip burst with a blindingly brilliant light, carrying the will to pierce and destroy everything as it viciously stabbed toward the first vital energy wall.

PFFT! PFFT! PFFT! PFFT...

The violent crash one might have imagined never came. Instead, there was a heart-pounding, continuous, muffled sound, like heavy cloth being ripped apart.

That black spear light, condensed to the absolute limit—or rather, it was more like a destructive shockwave of infinitely compressed power—was unstoppable.

One wall! ...Ten walls! ...Fifty walls! ...One hundred walls!

When it broke through the one hundredth vital energy wall, the blinding light had not dimmed in the slightest.

One hundred thirty walls!

One hundred fifty walls!

One hundred eighty walls!

Finally, after piercing the one hundred eighty-eighth vital energy wall, the power of that soul-shaking black beam of destruction was at last depleted, and it dissipated completely into the void.

A brief, suffocating silence fell over the massive Heart Mirror Hall.

"Ron Zaka, number of walls broken—one hundred eighty-eight!"

The registrar’s emotionless voice rang out, but it was like a giant boulder thrown into a deep pool, instantly setting off a monstrous wave.

WHOOSH—

The crowd erupted in an instant, like water splashed into boiling oil.

"One hundred eighty-eight walls?! My God!"

"That... that Hedel guy just now only got seventy, right? This... this is a difference of more than a hundred walls?!"

"A monster! Is this the power of number one on the Platinum List?!"

"And he was using a standard-issue weapon, too! Was that pure physical strength and a burst of vital energy?!"

"Terrifying! The gap is just..."

Whispers of shock, disbelief, admiration, and even a trace of fear spread like a tide through the thousands of geniuses.