The Survival Assessment Begins

In the darkness, Chi Xue pressed the switch while teaching the other two candidates about perception of Void Energy.

Huang Xiu was off to the side, learning by eavesdropping.

Not because she refused to share her method.

She had realized that her way of passing the test was a bit unreasonable.

Ding ding ding!

A piercing bell suddenly rang in the darkness, then the darkness receded like a tide, light returning inch by inch.

“Time’s up. Assessment Project One ends. Number of candidates who completed it: two.”

The mechanical voice came from all directions.

“Wait, I was about to succeed! Give me another minute… no, half a minute, just half a minute!”

Moonsurface’s face was full of unwillingness.

Under the dress-wearing girl’s verbal guidance, he had just touched the edge of Void Energy perception, able to intermittently sense the switch’s existence.

He was about to walk toward the switch when the assessment ended. Such a short time, what could it really test?

“Damn!” The tall, thin man clenched his fist and cursed under his breath.

The time was too short. Even with someone teaching him, he had made no progress, had no clue.

“No, it’s over. Over is over.”

Inside the control room, the man in the white coat shook his head, as if answering their questions.

Assessment Project One lasted three minutes.

Those three short minutes were the boundary between excellent and failing.

In this re-examination, which was only meant to select geniuses, anything less than excellent was a failure.

“Switch to Project Two,” the man in the white coat said, turning around.

The two people beside him nodded and pressed their hands against the wall.

Milky-white Void Energy visibly spread from the contact points of their palms and the wall, slowly yet quickly forming a pattern, not just huge, but flickering.

The pattern appeared for only a moment before sinking into the wall.

At the same time, the examination hall underwent a massive change.

Buzz!

Huge tremors came wave after wave from afar, the ground quivering like jelly.

Huang Xiu and Chi Xue leaned against the wall and immediately sat down to steady themselves.

The other two male candidates weren’t so lucky. They were thrown around on the ground, rolling back and forth, a miserable sight.

Amid the violent shaking, except for the area where the four of them were, the rest of the ground cracked and sank.

Various buildings rose slowly from below.

There were Chinese-style structures, Western-style mansions and churches, ancient wooden houses, and modern skyscrapers.

Huang Xiu even saw a small botanical garden.

The garden wasn’t large, but it stood out completely from the surrounding buildings.

It was the only building with living plants.

Not only that, but Huang Xiu also sensed a faint connection from the garden to her.

It was Huang Xiaoxian.

“Was this specially prepared for me?” Huang Xiu understood instantly.

This was probably because Professor Yuan, considering her abilities’ limitations, had specifically requested the Administration Bureau to add it.

“How thoughtful,” she murmured, a faint smile curling at the corner of her mouth.

Soon, the mechanical voice sounded again, not yet a thousand times.

“Assessment Project Two: Survival. Please use your abilities to survive as long as possible while being hunted by monsters.”

“Two minutes until the assessment begins. Friendly reminder: proper division of roles will help you survive better.”

“Monsters? Void creatures?” A trace of fear appeared on Moonsurface’s face.

But he quickly forced himself to calm down.

There were examiners watching. Even if Void creatures appeared, they wouldn’t pose a real threat.

“Division of roles…”

Huang Xiu pondered these words, deep in thought. She wasn’t the only one who noticed them.

“I’m Candidate No. 3. My ability is Solid Wall. I can solidify anything into a wall. My role is support.”

Moonsurface spoke rapidly.

He had already understood the intent of Assessment Project Two. It was clearly a team survival test.

Whoever persisted longer and performed better during the survival process would get a higher score.

“I’m Candidate No. 122. My ability is Senluo. I can strengthen and control plants. I need to go to the botanical garden. Let’s talk as we walk.”

Huang Xiu was the second to speak up.

This time, she was determined to show her S-class style, so she naturally wouldn’t shrink from displaying herself.

“Alright.” The four nodded.

The botanical garden was about a hundred meters away, not far, but as they walked, they soon broke into a jog.

While running, the tall, thin man couldn’t help but speak: “I’m Candidate No. 100. My ability is Fire God. I can launch fireballs and control them freely. My role is attack.”

Chi Xue spoke last: “I’m Candidate No. 4. My ability is Momentum. I can enhance an object’s kinetic energy. Even a small pebble thrown has the force of a bullet. My role… is also attack.”

“Two attackers. I’m support. So Candidate No. 122, your role is control?”

Moonsurface tried to keep his tone steady, showing his composure.

He wanted the examiners to think he was fit to be the team leader.

Having been class monitor throughout middle and high school, he was confident he could shoulder that responsibility.

“No, my role is actually all-rounder,” Huang Xiu said, choosing to be honest. “If you don’t mind, let me be the main attacker, and you can support.”

You will support me.

“You as the main attacker? Then what will I do?”

Candidate No. 100 almost blurted that out, but held back at the last moment.

Don’t say anything that harms unity!

At a critical moment in the assessment, if they argued privately, they would definitely lose a lot of points.

He had already lost points in Project One. In Project Two, he had to get a perfect score.

So, despite his displeased expression, he tried to keep his voice calm.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you. My ability is fire. Its destructive power should be stronger than your plants.”

No, you’re probably not stronger than No. 122…

Chi Xue shook her head inwardly. She remembered the short-haired girl’s eyes, blazing with white flames.

That was definitely not something an ordinary Ability User could do.

“Let’s each rely on our own abilities,” Huang Xiu said, not insisting.

After all, with her ability [Senluo], as long as there were enough plants, she alone was an army.

The botanical garden’s overall shape resembled an ancient Roman Colosseum, open-air, without a ceiling.

Under the thick surrounding walls, there were passages to the north, south, east, and west, but all were locked with iron gates.

Huang Xiu and the others arrived at the nearest south gate.

She wondered where the Administration Bureau had found this antique.

The iron railings of the botanical garden’s gate were covered in rust, with green vines climbing up them.

A large yellow padlock hung on the gate, locking it.

Moonsurface strode to the gate first, grabbed the lock, and tried to pull it off with his hands.

Ability Users generally had better physical fitness than ordinary people.

The ungreased hinges turned abruptly, making a creaking sound. The gate was pulled outward, forming an obtuse angle.

But the yellow padlock remained unharmed.