Chapter 87: Chapter 69: The Assessment Begins

A brief silence was followed by a wave of irrepressible gasps!

"A 10.8?! How is that possible? His Qi and Blood Value was clearly just 8.0 a moment ago!"

"10.8? That’s the kind of punching power only a Martial Artist could produce!"

"Don’t make such a big deal out of it. This phenomenon occurs when one’s technique has reached the Unity Realm and their control over their physical body is also at a high level," a Martial Dao instructor in the crowd explained.

The Martial Dao instructor spoke casually, but a closer look revealed the shock still lingering in his eyes.

This was undoubtedly a bombshell Li Wen had dropped before the assessment, announcing that he was no ordinary person.

All the candidates finished their tests, and the data was entered.

The atmosphere suddenly intensified!

The main event: Virtual Combat—the Martial Dao Skills Assessment!

Following their exam numbers, all the candidates were directed into the numerous virtual reality rooms temporarily set up on campus.

For this province-wide unified exam, Bluestone Third Middle School had hastily built several additional virtual reality rooms in just a few days.

Rows of high-tech virtual pods, their indicator lights glowing an eerie blue, stood like loyal steel sentinels awaiting their masters.

The virtual pods themselves weren’t difficult to acquire. Their basic design was mature; the crucial part was the access rights to the high-spec, highly confidential dedicated education network.

This education network—built and maintained by the state, covering all major exams, possessing a vast resource library, and boasting exceptional security—was the core guarantee of the assessment.

Li Wen stepped into his assigned virtual pod.

He felt the cold touch of the alloy as the pod door slowly closed, and the light dimmed.

His consciousness felt as if it were being gently pulled by an invisible hand, plunging instantly into darkness.

The next second—

WHOOSH—!!!

A deafening tidal wave of noise crashed into his senses.

The intense light faded, revealing a sci-fi plaza of unimaginable size.

Underfoot was a platform of dark alloy, smooth as a mirror and engraved with complex energy circuits. It stretched endlessly to the horizon, as if the entire world rested upon it.

Overhead was a vast, deep, dark-purple dome, like a corner of the universe had been cut out and placed there, dotted with specks of flowing light, mysterious and solemn.

However, the most visually striking thing was the sea of heads on the plaza, as dark and dense as a tide.

Nearly five thousand consciousnesses were gathered here.

The white and blue uniforms of Bluestone First Middle School, the black and gold patterns of the Second, the silver-gray combat attire of the Third Middle School, the distinctive outfits of the vocational high school... The various uniforms intermingled, forming a surging ocean.

Amid the tremendous din, the teenagers looked around, whispering to one another, their faces a mix of excitement, nervousness, and curiosity.

"Look, the main platform! It’s the county magistrate!"

"Oh my god, people from the four major powers actually came!"

The crowd’s attention was involuntarily drawn to the tiered platform in the center of the plaza, which rose dozens of meters from the ground.

Figures stood in rows upon the platform.

At the very front were local dignitaries such as the magistrate of Bluestone County and the director of the education bureau. Their faces were solemn, their gazes heavy as they scanned the fresh blood below.

But what truly commanded the entire assembly’s attention, exuding an intangible pressure, were the dozen or so figures standing behind them, each with a distinct aura.

The emblems on their clothing silently declared their identities and backgrounds:

The eternally burning flame emblem (representative of the Fire Hall)!

A precise gear entwined with ferocious lightning (the virtual corporation)!

The ancient, imposing Dragon-Tiger Mountain sigil, brimming with endless power (the Mercenary Alliance)!

A mysterious and wild totem of dark, flowing flames and thorns (Galaxy Bank)!

The supervising leaders of the four major powers’ branches in Bluestone County!

They stood calmly on high, their gazes as profound as observers looking down upon the stars, serenely inspecting the seedlings about to be tested.

Their presence invisibly elevated the significance of this county-level mock exam to unprecedented heights, as if this place were the very starting point of the future.

"Hey, who do you guys think will rank at the top for our Bluestone County this time?"

Near Li Wen, a few students who were clearly from other schools were discussing excitedly.

"Is that even a question? It’s definitely Jiang Lingyun from the First Middle School! He signed a B-rank contract with the Fire Hall back in his second year! Who else could be the county’s top scorer?"

"I mean in the city-wide rankings. He’s definitely number one in our county, but do you think he can make the top ten in the whole city?" the previous speaker corrected himself.

"Top ten in the city? I think he probably can. After all, he signed a B-rank contract as a second-year."

"Then... then is it possible for him to make the top ten in the province?" the first speaker asked tentatively, a hint of yearning in his voice.

"Top ten in the province? Pfft—" Someone immediately let out an undisguised snort of laughter, as if they had just heard the world’s biggest joke.

"Dude, are you daydreaming? Do you have any idea how many geniuses in the province have signed A-rank contracts? The four major powers alone have publicly announced no fewer than twenty!

And that’s not even counting the prodigies scouted in advance by certain special government departments! For the elites in our city, making it into the provincial top hundred would already be a great achievement! Top ten? Dream on!"

This sharp and realistic analysis was like a bucket of ice water, instantly extinguishing the group’s unrealistic fantasies.

The provincial top ten? What a dazzling constellation of stars that was! A place only accessible to prodigies who had the province’s, or even the nation’s, resources backing them.

Thanks to the enhancement from his nascent Primordial Spirit, Li Wen’s five senses were far superior to an ordinary person’s, and he clearly picked up on this conversation.

’Top ten in the province? Twenty people with A-rank contracts, prodigies scouted by the state...’ A heavy sense of pressure instantly crept into his heart.

However, this pressure lasted for less than a second.

Immediately after, a hotter, more scorching excitement erupted from the depths of his heart like lava, instantly incinerating that wisp of pressure.

Challenge! Transcendence! The stage was so vast, surrounded by powerful enemies! A gathering of geniuses?

’Perfect!’

Only by being tempered into steel in such a crucible, by crushing one legendary name after another.

This, and only this, was worthy of his second life, worthy of the panel and the Primordial Spirit in his sea of consciousness!

Just then, at the forefront of the platform, the director of the Bluestone County education bureau took a step forward.

He didn’t speak. He simply raised his hand and pressed down, and an invisible force instantly spread out.

"Silence!" The resonant and majestic voice, specially amplified by the virtual space, boomed like thunder from the heavens.

It echoed clearly in every candidate’s ears, making their eardrums ring.

In an instant, the plaza, which had been boiling with noise just a moment ago, became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Thousands of pairs of eyes shot toward the high platform in unison.

"Fellow students, this is the virtual platform for the Bluestone Examination Area of the Provincial Adaptive Model Exam for Joint Admissions to Institutions of Higher Martial Dao Education!"

The director’s voice was as steady as iron, carrying immense weight.

"On your shoulders rests the future hope of Bluestone County, and you are also the cornerstone of the future for the Huaxia Human Race."

"The path of the college entrance exams is a battlefield of thousands! Today’s mock exam is the critical benchmark to test your more than two years of arduous training! It is the foundation stone that will allow you to see your path forward, find your direction, and build your confidence for the final battle!"

The director turned slightly, sweeping his arm powerfully behind him to gesture at the dozen or so figures with extraordinary auras:

"These individuals on the platform represent the top-tier power and resources of the alliance that protects the Human Race of Blue Star. Their eyes are on you!

Every part of your performance today could open entirely new doors for your future!"

"The rules of the exam can be summarized in one word: fairness! In this virtual combat, you must give it your all!

Unleash your greatest strength, display your deepest potential! Go and strive, go and fight, go and struggle! Seize the glory and the future that belong to you!"

His words, like the sounding of a charge, had barely faded.

The director’s gaze was like a torch, sweeping over the young, battle-hungry faces below.

"I now declare the Bluestone County Third-Year High School Martial Dao Skills Assessment... officially open!"

"I wish you all great success and a triumphant start!"

"BOOM—!!!"

The instant his voice fell, a blinding white light erupted from every inch of the plaza’s floor, like a bursting galaxy, instantly submerging the figures of the nearly five thousand candidates.

After the intense light passed, the massive platform, which moments ago had been teeming with people and buzzing with noise, was now completely empty.

A cold, indifferent electronic voice chimed simultaneously in the reset virtual spaces of all the candidates:

"Candidate identity confirmed. Assessment scenario loading..."