Chapter 1893: Assessment Items

Zhang Xuan smiled slightly as he looked at the group. To his surprise, two familiar faces were among them: Nangong Yuanfeng and Tantai Zhenqing, who had previously caused trouble for the Zhang and Luo clans. As Ancient Sages spend most of their time in slumber, ordinary matters are typically handled by Great Sages. It was clear that these two held significant positions in the Grand Tutor Hall.

The leading expert, an Immortal Realm peak cultivator, swept his gaze around and declared, "You are all outstanding heirs from Ancient Sage clans. To stand out from your families and reach this place, you must have put in immense effort! However, resources are limited. The Grand Tutor Hall's recruitment standards, as you well know, allow for only one hundred spots each year, and this year will be no exception. A total of 2,143 candidates have applied this time. This means that only about one in twenty will pass, making it an extremely brutal test where your fate is not entirely your own. If anyone is afraid, you may withdraw now!"

"Only a hundred recruits?" Zhang Xuan frowned. Over two thousand individuals here had reached Saint 9th Realm before the age of thirty. On the Master Teacher Continent, each of them was exceptionally gifted and renowned. Yet, here, so many would be eliminated, with no regard for their lives... This assessment was truly too harsh!

"Didn't the clan leader mention it before we came? The Grand Tutor Hall has always been this strict. In fact... aren't our clans the same?" A young man beside him said, noticing his surprise. This was Fan Xiaoxing, one of the other two members from the Fan Clan. Although his cultivation wasn't as high as Fan Xiaoxu's, he had also reached the peak of Saint 9th Realm.

"The same in what way?"

"I'm talking about the selection process. There are assessments every year, and those who fail lose access to resources and cultivation techniques, thereby forfeiting their cultivation qualifications... Which one of us hasn't endured countless battles to get here?" Fan Xiaoxing shook his head with a wry smile, looking at him doubtfully, "Surely you haven't forgotten all of this?"

"How could I forget? I was just expressing a thought!" Zhang Xuan smiled faintly, but his heart was churning with shock. Annual assessments, with no resources or cultivation techniques for those who fail... Was this not too cruel for a clan to implement? Shouldn't everyone be allowed to thrive? Why would they cut off cultivation resources and destroy someone's foundation?

"Alright, I won't waste any more time. This assessment is different from previous ones, but it's simpler and easier. You've all seen the mountain ahead. Before you enter, each of you will be given a special teleportation jade token to wear on your chest. If you crush it, you will immediately be teleported out, forfeiting your qualification to enter the Grand Tutor Hall! Over two thousand people will enter the mountain simultaneously. You may form alliances, or you may attack others. As long as you ensure you are not eliminated, that's what matters. Once only one hundred people remain, the assessment will end. Those who remain will have passed and will enter the Grand Tutor Hall! Those eliminated will have no further opportunities!" The leading Immortal Realm middle-aged man spoke again.

"Direct elimination?""That's unfair! If someone is good at hiding and just conceals themselves upon entering the mountain, and no one can find them, wouldn't they pass the assessment without even fighting?""And if someone is skilled in setting up formations, they could just set up defenses and eliminate anyone who approaches. How could others compete?""What if everyone just hides and no one tries to eliminate anyone else?" A murmur of discussion immediately arose from below. They had expected challenges or duels, as in previous years, not direct elimination.

"There's no need to worry, everyone. Since the rules have been set, such problems will naturally not be allowed. The Grand Tutor Hall will dispatch a special enforcement team, and anyone caught hiding or being passive will also be eliminated! Furthermore, you only have three hours. If the number of participants is not reduced to one hundred within this time, everyone will fail!" The Immortal Realm middle-aged man continued.

"Three hours?""An enforcement team?" Everyone's expressions changed. Those who had initially harbored hopeful thoughts of exploiting loopholes now had none. Reducing over two thousand people to one hundred in just three hours was incredibly tight. If anyone tried to hide, they wouldn't just fail to pass; they might also be eliminated. Therefore, to be among the hundred successful candidates, one had to speed up and actively eliminate others.

"Are there any further questions?" After explaining the rules, the Immortal Realm middle-aged man looked around again.

"Understood!" Everyone nodded in unison.

"Very well. Now, proceed to collect your teleportation jade tokens by identifying yourselves with your clan!" The Immortal Realm middle-aged man waved his hand, and a high platform immediately appeared in the middle of the crowd, bearing thousands of jade tokens. A young man stepped forward first, bit his fingertip, and a drop of blood flew towards the platform. With a soft chime, a line of text appeared above the platform: "Zi Qi Ancient Sage Bloodline." As the bloodline was recognized, a jade token flew over and settled on the young man's chest. The second person then stepped forward.

"Indeed, no shortcuts are allowed..." Zhang Xuan thought to himself, feeling relieved. Fortunately, he had anticipated this and had preemptively knocked out Fan Xiaoxu to impersonate him. If Zheng Yang or Wei Ruyan had also tried to pose as candidates, they would have been easily detected, making it much harder to blend in. Following behind the others, he slowly moved forward. Before long, it was his turn. He took out a drop of blood, placed it on the platform, and likewise received a jade token. Seeing that his bloodline was fine, Fan Xiaoxing and the others didn't think much of it.

In less than half an hour, all two thousand-plus individuals had collected their identification jade tokens.

"Alright, you may proceed now. You have three hours!" The Immortal Realm Grand Completion expert in the air snorted and waved his hand. *Whoosh!* It seemed as if a barrier had been opened, and everyone rushed towards the mountain in unison. Getting there first meant gaining a geographical advantage, significantly increasing the chances of passing the assessment.

Just as Fan Xiaoxing and the other person were about to rush forward, they felt a tug and were held back by Zhang Xuan. "Once we're on the mountain, members of the same clan will definitely be separated. Find a place to hide first, and I'll come find you!" Zhang Xuan had noticed the teleportation array in the mountain entrance earlier. He correctly guessed that members from the same clan would likely be randomly dispersed to different locations, preventing them from staying together. Otherwise, if a single clan could unite, they would undoubtedly have a huge advantage.

"Hide?" Fan Xiaoxing and the other person frowned. Their combined strength as three individuals wasn't particularly formidable, and it was hard to say if they would even survive. They thought it might be better to disperse individually to avoid drawing attention.

"Listen to me, and I guarantee you'll both pass the assessment!" Zhang Xuan said calmly. Since he was impersonating Fan Xiaoxu, he naturally intended to provide some benefit to the descendants of Ancient Sage Zi Chi.

"Alright!" Seeing his absolute certainty, Fan Xiaoxing and the others paused, then nodded simultaneously.

Zhang Xuan didn't explain how he would find them if they hid. He simply smiled faintly and flew forward first. *Whoosh!* The array spun, enveloped him, and the next moment, he had vanished from his original spot.