But just then, another solemn announcement echoed from beyond the mountain gate.

"The Elders of the Yi, Dong, and Qin Families from the Golden Jade Tower have arrived to observe the ceremony!"

CLAMOR—!

The moment the announcement was made, the plaza erupted into chaos. More than half the attendees shot to their feet, filling the air with the grating sound of dragging chairs.

"The Golden Jade Tower? Why are they here?!"

"That can’t be right. The Golden Jade Tower has always been neutral in Jade Lake City. They never get involved in local disputes, only business. Why the change of heart now?"

"Don’t tell me the Seven Profound Sect and the Golden Jade Tower have been in cahoots all along? They hid it too well!"

As a superpower that spanned entire regions, the Golden Jade Tower wielded immense influence. The arrival of all three of its Vice Tower Lords at once was a shock to everyone.

After the initial shock wore off, the families allied with the Seven Profound Sect were overjoyed.

At a time like this, the Golden Jade Tower’s willingness to send representatives meant they favored the Seven Profound Sect.

With their support, the Seven Profound Sect would have an extra layer of security, even if they ran into trouble.

Moreover, everyone knew the Golden Jade Tower’s reputation; they never made a losing deal. Their arrival at this moment meant the Seven Profound Sect had something they valued.

But joy is a zero-sum game; where some were happy, others grew worried.

Seeing the Golden Jade Tower’s arrival, the Patriarchs of the Cheng, Zhu, and Hong Families exchanged glances, their faces turning incredibly grim. They realized that events were spiraling beyond their control.

Cheng Zhi asked, "Why? Isn’t the Seven Profound Sect in decline? Why would the Golden Jade Tower pay so much attention to them?"

This time, even Zhu Tianqi’s brow was furrowed in a tight knot, his face a mask of shock and doubt. "Could it be... we bet on the wrong horse?"

In a corner, Li Feng of the Six Extremes Demon Sect, who was leaning against a pillar with a long saber in his arms, opened his eyes.

He could afford to ignore the three great families of Jade Lake City, and even the so-called Seven Profound Sect. But the Golden Jade Tower, a power that was, strictly speaking, on par with his Six Extremes Demon Sect, was an entity Li Feng had to respect.

However, though he grew a bit more cautious, Li Feng still didn’t believe he would lose.

’Even if you enter the fray yourselves, I have no fear. And if you’re only here to watch, you won’t affect me in the slightest.’

...

The arrival of Yi Qing, Dong Sea, and the others stirred different thoughts in everyone’s minds. Some people looked toward the High Cultivators of the Seven Profound Sect with expressions full of reproach.

’If you had this connection, you should have said so earlier! You had us worried sick.’

Little did they know, the High Cultivators of the Seven Profound Sect were just as bewildered. They had never had deep dealings with the Golden Jade Tower, and today’s display was truly bizarre.

’Why is the Golden Jade Tower here?’

However, although the reason was unknown, their arrival was a boon for the Seven Profound Sect. As such, Law Enforcement Elder Wei Jingcheng once again went forward to greet them.

Seeing him approach, Yi Qing, who led the group, was dressed in a simple white long dress. Her smile was gentle, and when she exchanged pleasantries with him, her tone was so familiar it was as if they were old acquaintances.

The sight of the two of them talking and laughing together further convinced the crowd that the Golden Jade Tower had come to back the Seven Profound Sect.

Upon realizing this, it wasn’t just the High Cultivators on the platform who were excited.

The ordinary Cultivators below were also thrilled and overjoyed.

At that moment, Lian Zhixia of Molten Fire Peak sidled up to Yan Chen and said with reverence and envy, "Senior Brother, the people from the Golden Jade Tower love to invest in prodigies. They’ve probably heard of your fame and think highly of you. That must be why they came."

"Ahem..." Yan Chen coughed at her words and replied with a hint of modesty, "That’s an exaggeration. My Talent isn’t so great as to warrant a personal visit from three of the Golden Jade Tower’s Vice Tower Lords."

Despite his words, the pride on his face was impossible to hide.

At the same time, he resolved to go all out and perform his best in the upcoming assessment.

’Becoming a Celestial Level guest of the Golden Jade Tower would be very useful for me, especially when I leave Jade Lake City and travel to other places.’

As Yan Chen prepared to give it his all, Han Yu of Dharma Seal Peak also clenched his fists.

’People from the Golden Jade Tower, huh? I really have to give it everything I’ve got this time.’

Among the groups of family disciples, Cheng Yong and Hong Kun felt uneasy. Zhu Feiyu’s expression also turned ugly for a moment when the people from the Golden Jade Tower arrived.

But soon, the worry on his face vanished, and his fighting spirit was rekindled.

’Does the Seven Profound Sect have someone the Golden Jade Tower favors? Whatever. No matter who I face, as long as they’re at my level, I won’t lose!’

The Golden Jade Tower had always invested generously in young prodigies. Their arrival thoroughly ignited the fighting spirit of the Cultivators below.

At this moment, the youths, who were split into eight groups, stared at each other with fiery gazes.

In this atmosphere, with a low HUM, the Heaven-Filling Array Map flared with brilliant light. Countless runes began Flowing through the air, and a powerful suction force emanated from within the array map.

WHOOSH...

This suction force was like an invisible giant hand, seeking to pull Zhong Ming’s and the others’ Heart Souls completely into the great array.

...

The Heart Souls of the others were pulled into the array almost instantly. As for Zhong Ming, a faint light shone between his eyebrows as he relied on the Sword Seed in his Sea of Consciousness to resist for a brief moment.

However, knowing this was an assessment, Zhong Ming didn’t resist with his full strength. He soon relaxed his Heart Spirit, allowing the Heaven-Filling Array Map to pull his Heart Soul away.

SWOOSH...

Following a flash of shifting light and shadow, when Zhong Ming could see again, he found that he had been transported from the central plaza of the Seven Profound Sect to a dilapidated city.

Broken walls and ruins were everywhere. Dark red bloodstains were caked onto the stone bricks. The air was thick with the smell of smoke and the stench of Demonic Fiends. Dark shadows flitted through the depths of the alleys. Everything about the city exuded an indescribable sense of danger and strangeness.

And, just as Zhong Ming had expected, he was alone after entering this ruined town.

’So they really did scatter us all.’

BOOM...

The thought had barely crossed Zhong Ming’s mind when a tremendous roar echoed from the sky.

Looking up, he saw a celestial screen appear high in the firmament.

There were words on the screen, which turned out to be a ranking of the Seven Profound Sect’s Seven Peaks and the three great families.

[First Place, Molten Fire Peak, Score: 0]

[Second Place, Dharma Seal Peak, Score: 0]

[Third Place...]

SWOOSH...

Before Zhong Ming could get a closer look, the words on the celestial screen suddenly flickered and changed.

[First Place, Molten Fire Peak, Score: 10]

’...So the assessment has truly begun.’

The real-time score display allowed Zhong Ming to clearly observe everyone’s rankings.

What Zhong Ming didn’t know was that the celestial screen wasn’t just visible to the disciples in the assessment.

In the outside world, another screen hung in the sky, displaying their scores in real time. At the same time, their figures also appeared on the screen, watched by all.

The crowd outside was holding its breath, their gazes locked tightly on the celestial screen.

On it, every change of name, every movement of a figure, tugged at the hearts of the various factions in Jade Lake City.

"It’s starting!"

"Phew, I wonder who will take first place this time."

"I’m betting on Molten Fire Peak. They have the most people, and every one of them has a Magical Artifact."

"Dharma Seal Peak isn’t bad either."

"Don’t forget the three great families. Since they dared to come, they must have an ace up their sleeve!"