Profound Heaven Soul Sovereign

Chapter 456: Chapter 456: Enrollment Assessment

Someone whispered, "Does anyone know how many students Gale Light Academy recruits each year?"

"Not sure. For an academy this huge, they must recruit at least ten thousand every year, right?"

"Yeah, that sounds about right. Even if it’s not ten thousand, there have to be at least a few thousand. Otherwise, it wouldn’t deserve its title as the top academy in the Dream Realm Plain."

"Over a hundred thousand people competing for a few thousand spots... doesn’t that mean only one person out of every twenty or thirty has a chance of being selected?"

"That’s not so bad. One in twenty or thirty isn’t too low of a chance."

A large crowd of parents and their companions, who had clearly come from all over the Dream Realm Plain to enroll their children, stood around chattering and sizing up the situation.

"A bunch of idiots."

Someone off to the side glanced at them, a look of disdainful mockery on his face.

"Who are you calling an idiot?"

The surrounding crowd immediately bristled.

"I’m talking about you, of course. Do idiots have no self-awareness?" the man sneered.

The group of parents was instantly incensed, rolling up their sleeves as if ready to throw down.

"Heh, I call you idiots and you still don’t get it. Gale Light Academy recruits thousands of students a year? That’s hilarious. Let me tell you the truth: Gale Light Academy recruits a minimum of one hundred students a year, and at most, no more than three hundred."

The speaker’s lips curled into a cold smirk.

What? Gale Light Academy only recruits between one and three hundred students a year?

The parents were dumbstruck.

"Is that true?"

The man scoffed. "I’m a local Martial Artist from Gale Light City. Do I have any reason to lie to you?"

His words were heard not only by that group, but by the other parents and Martial Artists nearby as well. One after another, they couldn’t help but gasp.

A quick glance across the plaza now revealed several hundred thousand young people, all here to participate in Gale Light Academy’s entrance assessment.

If Gale Light Academy only accepted two hundred students, didn’t that mean the odds of getting in were a terrifying one in a thousand?

Only one person out of several thousand could gain admission... That... that was just too absurd.

Seeing their stunned faces, the man spoke again, his tone light. "Actually, the odds of getting into Gale Light Academy aren’t as low as you think. It’s just that many people in the plaza right now are just here to try their luck, making the odds seem terrifyingly low. Once the preliminary selection is over, you’ll see the real number of examinees."

The man had barely finished speaking when a resonant voice boomed from the entrance of Gale Light Academy, reaching every ear in the plaza.

"Everyone, the preliminary selection assessment begins now!"

VMMMM!

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire plaza was suddenly illuminated by streaks of white light. The light spread rapidly across the ground, forming an incredibly complex web of white light that enveloped everyone within the plaza.

"An Array! It’s an Array!"

"To think such a massive Array was hidden in this plaza."

Everyone stared dumbly at the bands of white light that had appeared in the center of the plaza. Obscure and complex auras emanated from them, and the vast pressure made everyone’s expression turn grim.

PTHOO! PTHOO! PTHOO!

The great Array had barely begun to activate when a series of sounds of people spitting blood echoed across the plaza.

As far as the eye could see, many people had been unable to withstand the moment the white light flared up. They spat out blood, their faces turning deathly pale.

"All who have just spat blood, please leave the plaza. Our Gale Light Academy’s preliminary selection Array contains a smaller identification Array that can discern each person’s age. Any Martial Artist over the age of twenty-five cannot become a student of our academy."

"Do not attempt to endure it. If you are over the age limit and remain within the preliminary selection Array, it will cause irreparable damage to your bodies over time. Don’t say I didn’t warn you."

The majestic voice, now tinged with mockery, rang out once more from the entrance of Gale Light Academy.

Within the great Array, the many who had spat blood looked embarrassed and grim as they sheepishly exited the plaza.

All of these people were over Gale Light Academy’s clearly stated age limit of twenty-five. They had all harbored hopes of getting in by some fluke, trying to cheat their way into the academy.

They just never expected that Gale Light Academy’s preliminary selection would use such a massive Array to so easily identify their ages.

With their departure, the number of people in the plaza instantly dropped by more than ten thousand.

"Heh, I can’t believe so many people who are clearly over the age limit still dared to show up for this year’s assessment. Gale Light Academy has been a pillar of the Dream Realm Plain for ages, one of its three greatest powers. Did these morons really think the academy couldn’t detect their age?"

Some Martial Artists from Gale Light City sneered continuously.

In reality, the Martial Artists who had been driven out knew full well that their chances of staying were next to none.

But the temptation of entering Gale Light Academy was too great, and they had all been banking on a long shot.

’What if they don’t find out?’

At this very moment, a cold gaze was sweeping through the crowd, scanning the many people present.

’Is that brat in there or not?’

Crazy Battle’s gaze was cold as he searched for Ye Xuan among the countless prospective students, his killing intent radiating from him.

However, the white radiance emanating from the Array blocked his Profound Sense. Trying to find a single person among a hundred thousand with the naked eye was exceedingly difficult—like finding a needle in a haystack.

’Hmph, Gale Light Academy’s preliminary selection is always quick. Once the great Array dissipates, I’ll see how you plan to hide.’

A savage sneer formed on Crazy Battle’s lips, his expression filled with malice.

’If Ye Xuan’s destination is truly Gale Light Academy, then he must be among the hundred thousand people in this plaza. The moment the preliminary selection ends, he’ll have nowhere left to run.’

Ye Xuan, completely unaware that Crazy Battle was lying in wait for him, was currently bathed in the light of the Array.

’This Gale Light Academy really has a few tricks up its sleeve, to be able to design an Array like this.’

Most of the young men and women within the Array were holding their breath, circulating their Profound Power in concentration, terrified of being eliminated.

Ye Xuan, however, was calmly and leisurely observing the great Array.

’This great Array has several layers. The first layer merely identifies the age of the Martial Artists within it. If someone exceeds the maximum age limit recorded by the Array, it releases a powerful Divine Sense attack.’

’That’s how those earlier Martial Artists were eliminated.’

After a few moments of operation, the aura within the great Array shifted once more.

Ye Xuan clearly felt an array pattern designed to probe cultivation levels sweep over his body.

SQUELCH!

The next moment, nearly twenty thousand more people spat out blood.

"Those who have spat blood, please exit the great Array. Our Gale Light Academy does not accept any Martial Artist below the rank of Tier Four Celestial Martial Artist."

The majestic voice boomed once more.

The minimum entrance requirements for Gale Light Academy were to be under twenty-five and a Celestial Martial Artist or higher. Clearly, many in the crowd had not even reached Tier Four and had tried to bluff their way through the assessment.

This new group of blood-spitters immediately lowered their heads and trudged sheepishly out of the plaza.

"Heh, every year you see these delusional cheats. It’s truly a pathetic sight."

At some point, a group of handsome men and beautiful women with extraordinary bearing had appeared at the entrance to Gale Light Academy. With playful smiles, they scrutinized the prospective students being tested in the plaza.

This group wore matching white robes and carried themselves with an exceptional air. They all appeared to be between twenty and their late twenties, and their auras were profound and powerful, not to be underestimated.

The identical academy emblem was embroidered on their chests, clearly identifying them as senior students of Gale Light Academy.

"I wonder how many new students will join our academy this year. Any real geniuses, you think?"

a young man with sharp, hawk-like eyes said with a smirk.

"Heh, Senior Brother Chu Jian is always so focused on the talented students. I’m just hoping we get a few more pretty junior sisters this year to liven the place up."

A young man with a lecherous look in his eyes spoke with a sleazy tone, his gaze darting back and forth over the female candidates in the plaza.

"Haha, Senior Brother Feng Guang, haven’t you already corrupted enough of the junior sisters in the academy? These girls haven’t even passed the preliminary selection and you’re already eyeing them up. Tsk, tsk. Here, let me help you take a look, see if there are any good prospects this year!"

Several of the male students laughed, their voices dripping with frivolity.

"Look, that girl over there isn’t bad. Tsk, tsk, pretty face, fair skin... she’s definitely Upper Grade."

"And that one—slender figure, cold expression. Hehe, she’s got some spice."

"Mmm, this one’s figure is just average, but she’s really stacked in one place. I bet she’d be a handful."

The few of them continued to speak, their foul language too vulgar to bear.

Not all the senior students were like this, however. Many who overheard them frowned and deliberately put some distance between themselves and the lewd group.

Seeing this, however, the group was completely unbothered and showed no signs of stopping.

Now, after the age and cultivation probes, another array pattern swept over the bodies of the crowd.

This array pattern locked directly onto the internal bodies of everyone in the plaza, focusing on three locations: the Tianmen, the heart acupoint, and the Dantian.

’It’s a Martial Soul identification array pattern.’

Ye Xuan was slightly surprised. ’This array pattern is obviously designed to detect the strength of an examinee’s Martial Soul.’

He immediately circulated his Soul Power, concealing the Life Martial Soul and the Devouring Martial Soul located at his Tianmen and Dantian.

An array pattern is inanimate, after all. Under Ye Xuan’s deliberate concealment, the Array’s power indeed focused on the Earth Martial Soul at his heart acupoint, scrutinizing it carefully.

「A moment later.」

PTHOO! PTHOO! PTHOO! PTHOO...

A continuous series of blood-spitting sounds rang out across the plaza.

This time, a full half of the remaining people spat out blood.

"We are now assessing everyone’s Martial Soul potential. Anyone whose Martial Soul does not meet the requirements will be automatically struck by the Array. All who spat blood, please leave the plaza."

Following that, yet another array pattern swept through the crowd...