Chapter 463: Chapter 463: Realm of Flowing Light
Even Qingfeng’s eyes flashed with a sudden gleam of appreciation.
"According to the academy’s statistics, anyone who lasts three hours in the first assessment is one hundred percent guaranteed to become a Tier Seven Martial King, so long as they don’t meet an untimely end."
He murmured to himself, a smile playing on his lips, his face full of admiration.
Gale Light Academy’s mission was to cultivate the strong, and in their eyes, only those who reached the Martial King realm could truly be called strong.
Thus, Qingfeng was naturally overjoyed to encounter such a genius.
’Xuan Ye?’
Hou Fei, who had just been eliminated, watched Ye Xuan inside the Array. His face, which had been tinged with surprise and doubt, was now filled with solemnity.
’Just who is this guy? To think he lasted even longer than me. It’s unbelievable.’
He had thought he would be the strongest contender in this first round, but Ye Xuan’s performance had dealt him a heavy blow.
By now, everyone had a high opinion of Ye Xuan. The only question on their minds was how much longer he could last.
Inside the Array, Ye Xuan had no idea he had become the hottest topic of conversation outside.
Not long after the three-hour mark passed...
’That should be enough. This result should secure first place,’ Ye Xuan murmured.
Others couldn’t sense their fellow contestants during the Array assessment, but what was Ye Xuan’s level of mastery? He knew perfectly well who had been eliminated and when.
And so, not long after the third hour, he proactively crushed the jade token in his hand.
In the next instant, his entire body was ejected from the Array.
"He’s finally out."
"He was just shy of three hours and fifteen minutes."
Seeing Ye Xuan get ejected from the Array, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.
His ability to last three hours was already astounding. If he had stayed any longer, some might have suspected the Array was malfunctioning.
Outside the Array, Ye Xuan intentionally put on a weary expression as he slowly stood up and returned to the line.
"Young Master Ye, you’re incredible! Three hours! A full three hours! I heard you broke a century-old record at Gale Light Academy!"
Luo Cheng said, his face flushed with excitement.
"Did I? It was probably just a fluke," Ye Xuan said nonchalantly, rubbing his nose.
In truth, with his level of mastery, he could have kept going. Three and a half, or even four hours, wouldn’t have been out of the question, let alone three.
But Ye Xuan knew this was just a preliminary selection. It was best to quit while he was ahead; there was no need to be too flashy.
Next, the ninth and tenth batches of Martial Artists entered the Array one after another.
Unexpectedly, a few geniuses who lasted two hours emerged from these two batches. One even neared the two-and-a-half-hour mark.
In the end, however, Ye Xuan’s time of three hours made him the uncontested champion of this round.
"Now, congratulations to the three thousand contestants who have passed. You have successfully earned the chance to proceed to the second round of the assessment."
"This second round of assessment is ’Crossing the Gale Light Realm.’"
Qingfeng announced from the front, his voice booming.
"The Gale Light Realm? What’s that?"
"I don’t know. Maybe some kind of perilous secret domain?"
The three thousand contestants who had passed the first round began to murmur amongst themselves.
"I can’t believe their second round is the Gale Light Realm. These guys are in for it."
"Gale Light Academy has many kinds of entrance assessments, and they change every year. In terms of difficulty, the Gale Light Realm is definitely ranked among the very hardest."
"I wonder how many of these three thousand will be able to pass the Gale Light Realm. Think even a tenth of them will make it?"
"Doubtful!"
The senior students, hearing the mention of the Gale Light Realm, commented from the side with knowing smiles.
"The assessment for the Gale Light Realm will take place in the training grounds at the rear of the academy. All prospective students, follow me."
Qingfeng spoke calmly and started walking toward the training grounds.
The vast crowd followed closely behind him.
A moment later, the group arrived at a vast, open field. In the middle of the field stood a black stone stele as tall as a man.
"Gale Light Realm, activate."
Qingfeng embedded an ancient-looking Token into the stone stele and let out a low cry.
RUMBLE!
The next moment, a series of rumbles echoed from the sky, like a sudden thunderclap on a clear day that shook one to the core. Immediately after, streams of seven-colored rainbows swirled up from the ground, forming a dazzling display of light.
"The Gale Light Realm is about to open."
A senior student murmured, their expression full of excitement.
Resplendent light filled the sky and swirled madly through the air, like dozens of seven-colored dragons. Finally, it coalesced into a band of rainbow light as thin as gossamer, materializing before the crowd.
The rainbow-colored region was a thousand meters long, a thousand meters high, and a thousand meters wide. The brilliant, seven-colored bands of light undulated and flowed like running water, as magnificent as the aurora. The beautiful sight left countless Martial Artists shocked and mesmerized.
"So this is the Gale Light Realm?"
"One of the most difficult trials in all of Gale Light Academy’s assessments."
Many of the senior students were also seeing the Gale Light Realm for the first time. "Incredible," one said in awe.
"Everyone, this is your next trial: the Gale Light Realm assessment."
Qingfeng floated in mid-air, gazing down at the three thousand contestants. "Every one of you must enter this Gale Light Realm and press forward. Only those who pass through the Gale Light Realm and safely reach the other side will have the chance to participate in the final, third round of the assessment."
"Remember, once you enter the Gale Light Realm, your cultivation will be restricted to a certain degree. Furthermore, the seven-colored bands of light within contain terrifyingly powerful attacks. Therefore, as you advance, you must use every means at your disposal to dodge these bands."
"Now, those of you who lasted less than one hour in the first round will have half an incense stick’s time to observe the trajectory of the seven-colored light bands and plan your path. Those who lasted between one and two hours will have a full incense stick’s time to observe. And for the Martial Artists who lasted over two hours, you will have one and a half incense sticks’ time. When your time is up, you must enter the Gale Light Realm. The clock starts now!"
An incense stick was quickly planted in the ground before Qingfeng. With a flick of his right hand...
A stream of Profound suddenly streaked over the incense tip, which immediately began to burn.
’From what Master Qingfeng said, does that mean the seven-colored bands of light inside follow a pattern?’
’We’d better start observing. We only have half an incense stick’s worth of time.’
Many of the contestants who had lasted less than an hour in the first assessment hurriedly held their breath, concentrating as they carefully scrutinized the seven-colored bands of light.
Even the contestants who had more time didn’t dare to be complacent, every one of them focusing with all their might.
Among all the contestants, only Ye Xuan’s gaze was not focused on the bands of light, but rather sizing up the vast Gale Light Realm as a whole.
’This Gale Light Realm... it’s actually a Domain Realm barrier. To create such a powerful Domain Realm barrier and use it for an assessment, the creator must have been an Eighth-Level Array Master working in concert with a Tier Eight Martial Sovereign.’
’But why does the method of this Gale Light Realm assessment seem so similar to the Forbidden Ridge in the Profound Domain?’
Ye Xuan’s brow furrowed deeply, a hint of shock on his face.
Ever since seeing the Seven Treasures Tower of the Sky Empire, Ye Xuan had already been prepared for the existence of Tier Eight Martial Sovereigns on the Dream Realm Plain.
What shocked him was the nature of the Gale Light Realm’s trial.
Outside the main city of the Profound Domain lay a terrifying forbidden land, ten li long, named the Forbidden Ridge.
The Forbidden Ridge was an incredibly bizarre place. Anyone who entered, even a Nine Heavens Martial Emperor, would have their cultivation sealed, turning them into an ordinary mortal.
Inside the Forbidden Ridge, illusory spatial rifts were everywhere, making it fraught with peril.
No one knew how this forbidden land had been formed. Many powerful experts had tried to enter and investigate, only to perish within.
However, the few lucky Martial Artists who managed to survive and escape the Forbidden Ridge found that their bodies had undergone a strange transformation, granting them an exceptionally keen perception of space.
In the beginning, many Martial Artists attempted to enter it in search of opportunities.
But the Forbidden Ridge was simply too dangerous; for every one hundred experts who entered, it was rare for even one to survive.
Gradually, the Forbidden Ridge became a true forbidden land in the Profound Domain, a place no one dared to enter.
The format of this Gale Light Realm was remarkably similar to the Forbidden Ridge. It seemed to be an imitation, restricting cultivation upon entry and presenting dangers in the form of the attacking seven-colored light bands.
This couldn’t help but make Ye Xuan curious.
’Could it be that a powerful expert from Gale Light Academy once traveled to the Profound Domain and either saw or heard about the Forbidden Ridge, leading them to create a trial like this?’
Ye Xuan guessed to himself.
Not far away, Elder Qingfeng sat quietly cross-legged.
’More than ten Martial Artists lasted two hours in the first round of this year’s entrance assessment. That meets the condition for opening the Gale Light Realm.’
’The Gale Light Realm was established a hundred years ago by the current headmaster of Gale Light Academy, Huangfu Changkong. Its difficulty is exceedingly high.’
’But those who pass often receive great benefits. I wonder how many will be able to enjoy this prize this time.’
Qingfeng’s eyes, unblinking, shone with a bright light.
Half an incense stick’s worth of time passed quickly.
"Will the Martial Artists who lasted less than an hour in the first round please enter the Gale Light Realm. Anyone who has not entered within ten breaths will be considered to have failed the assessment."
Qingfeng’s commanding voice echoed across the field.
The hearts of the students who had been desperately observing the lights trembled.
In half an incense stick’s time, they hadn’t been able to discern any pattern in the seven-colored bands of light within the Gale Light Realm at all.
"Screw it. If I’m gonna fail, I’m gonna fail."
"Let’s go!"
SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
A series of sharp whooshes filled the air as the more than two thousand contestants from the first group instantly became a torrent, rushing toward the Gale Light Realm. The sheer density of the whistling sounds was astounding.
BANG!
As one disciple entered the Gale Light Realm, his body was immediately weighed down.
’Such immense pressure.’
He was horrified to discover that the Gale Light Realm, which looked so brilliant and transparent from the outside, felt like moving through a thick colloid, exerting immense pressure and resistance.
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