Observing the scenes displayed on the monitors, the main control room plunged into an ineffable silence.
The purpose of Assessment Item Two was to test whether candidates could effectively utilize their abilities under high-pressure situations and showcase their strengths. The ultimate goal was to select Awakened individuals possessing practical combat talent and useful abilities. To achieve this, the examiners subtly manipulated the beast hordes, creating scenarios tailored for each candidate to demonstrate their powers. For instance, Huang Xiu and her two companions had faced a mix of beast and bird swarms, while Candidate 3 had encountered… precisely that kind of situation.
Typically, a candidate’s outstanding performance was something everyone welcomed and expected. However, the examiners had never anticipated Huang Xiu would shine so brilliantly, essentially playing both father and mother, single-handedly tackling every challenge thrown her way.
Now, they were truly at a loss.
How were they to score this?
“What do we do now?” the Pajama Man asked, his voice tinged with helplessness.
“There’s no other choice,” the White Coat replied, an ethereal calm gracing their features. “We’ll just have to increase the difficulty.”
“Raise the difficulty to Level Three,” Jiang Wenmao, the chief examiner, declared, making the final decision.
****
Moon’s Surface, who had longed for a chance to prove himself, finally seized his opportunity.
A silver-white tiger claw swelled in his vision, its sharp talons gleaming with a cold light. There was no doubt that a single strike from it could effortlessly tear him open.
The tiger claw slammed into the air wall, easily piercing its surface at first. Then, with a resounding *thud*, the air wall, stretched and distorted to its absolute limit, transformed into something akin to resilient steel, deflecting the blow. However, Moon’s Surface was left battered and bruised.
Having parried the first strike, a second and a third quickly followed. How many more blows could his [Firm Wall] withstand? Unable to overcome the silver-white tiger before them, they were reduced to passively enduring its assault. Its immensely powerful body, however, was utterly impervious to the attacks from Chi Xue and Candidate [Number]…
He yearned to fight, yet lacked the power to deliver a killing blow.
‘If only Candidate [Number]… were still here,’ he lamented silently, turning his head to glance beside him.
Apart from a distant patch of greenery that still persisted, the entire botanical garden had been engulfed by a tide of silver-white monsters. The very walls beneath their feet became their sole remaining foothold. The situation had deteriorated from its previous state to this dire scene in less than half a minute.
Without a sound, monsters suddenly erupted from beneath the botanical garden, instantly obliterating everything. Caught in a pincer attack, the battlefield was cleaved apart. Candidate [Number] fought and retreated, quickly overwhelmed by the beast tide, barely able to hold on. Meanwhile, they, with their weaker abilities, had become cornered beasts.
*Bang!*
To the terrified gazes of the three, the tiger claw violently shattered the air wall. Just as it seemed poised to disembowel Moon’s Surface, the silver-white tiger abruptly melted, dissolving into a puddle of silver-white liquid that splattered across the ground.
“You have been eliminated.”
A cold, mechanical voice resonated in their ears. Powerless yet somewhat relieved, they lowered their heads. Fortunately, this was not a real battle…
Meanwhile, Huang Xiu was still locked in a fierce struggle, nearly ninety-nine percent of the monsters targeting her alone. She had no time to spare for anything else, her entire being focused solely on the battle.
One by one, the mutated plants were torn to shreds. The colossal vine python coiled around the girl, its tail lashing like a whip, repelling or shattering any silver-white monster that dared to charge. Yet, against the relentless tide of creatures, it was ultimately outmatched. Its body was ripped apart inch by inch, green blood splattering across the ground.
“Hiss!”
It raised its head in a weak, drawn-out hiss, its eyes losing their luster, but its body remained steadfast, still protecting its master.
‘It seems… this is the limit!’ Huang Xiu observed the chaos outside through the shredded remains of the vine python. Her ethereal energy was depleted, and there were no more plants nearby for her to mutate.
‘Still, I’ve held out for over twenty minutes. My score certainly won’t be low.’
Huang Xiu had already braced herself for surrender. Her pet, however, seemed to have other ideas.
“Master, let me out! I can still fight!” Huang Xiaoxian flexed its right arm repeatedly, seemingly showcasing its muscles.
“Stop messing around!” Huang Xiu shot it a glance, then grabbed it firmly, securing it in her grip. ‘This is just an assessment, not a life-or-death crisis. The monsters outside might show me mercy, but they would definitely kill Huang Xiaoxian without hesitation.’
“Fine!” Huang Xiaoxian pouted, then listlessly burrowed into Huang Xiu’s pocket. If there was no fight to be had, it might as well go back to sleep.
“You have been eliminated!”
As the silver-white monsters finally tore apart the python’s body, a cold, mechanical voice echoed eerily in Huang Xiu’s ear. Before the words fully faded, the surrounding silver-white monsters abruptly melted into liquid, spilling across the ground before ultimately sinking into it.
“Assessment concluded. Please return to the waiting room.” Accompanying the cold, mechanical voice were Chi Xue and her two companions.
“Holy cow, boss, you were absolutely incredible!” Moon’s Surface, transforming into an enthusiastic fan, showered Huang Xiu with praise before abruptly changing the subject. “Let me introduce myself, boss. My name is Bu Chenghua.”
“I’m Chi Xue,” the girl in the dress said cheerfully.
“My name is…” Candidate 100, the skinny, tall student, scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed. His voice was quite soft. “My name is Lin Sheng,” he added.
*Click!*
A distant door creaked open, revealing a passage, and a red guiding line illuminated the floor.
“Candidates, please note: Do not disclose assessment details. Violators will be disqualified.”
Huang Xiu didn’t pay much attention to this rule; after all, even if she wanted to leak information in this assessment, she wouldn’t have had the chance. She turned to the three, a hint of eagerness in her tone.
“I’m Huang Xiu. Let’s head back to the waiting room.”
For a diligent student, few things were more exhilarating than checking one’s scores at the office after an exam. Although the other three hadn’t performed exceptionally well, they too held a glimmer of anticipation. Finishing the assessment felt like shedding a heavy burden.
With light steps, the four of them passed through the passage and soon returned to the waiting room.
Upon their arrival, the crowd grew somewhat boisterous, though not to the extent Huang Xiu had imagined.
“They’re finally back! It took so long!”
“Wow, they really took their time!”
Hearing these remarks, Huang Xiu’s heart sank with a *thump*. ‘Could it be that my score isn’t even higher than Candidate 46’s?’
No way!
She turned to look at the [Retest Score Ranking], her gaze immediately falling to the top line, the position of number one.
It was still Candidate 46!
“This must be the group that took the longest, right? Why haven’t their scores been released yet? They should have the highest score, shouldn’t they?” Another voice from the crowd reached Huang Xiu, instantly easing her worries.
So, the scores hadn’t been released yet!
“It’s updated! It’s updated!”
The candidates gathered around the ranking list gasped in excitement, much like readers eagerly awaiting an update to their favorite novel.
“A new third place has appeared!”