"Next, I will announce the cut-off score," the examiner shouted.
Everyone present immediately fell silent.
"The cut-off score for this elimination round is 10500."
Upon hearing the examiner's announcement, some in the crowd let out joyful screams, while others burst into tears.
This meant that out of the hundreds of thousands who participated in this recruitment assessment, only ten thousand five hundred had passed the elimination round and advanced to the next stage.
At this moment, within the crowd, a man's face contorted. This man was none other than Zi Xiao Ming.
Zi Xiao Ming's number was 10662, and the cut-off score this time was 10500. He was only a little over a hundred places away from advancing to the next round, but reality was so cruel.
"Ahhhhh!" Zi Xiao Ming roared.
Zhou Hong and the others, however, showed no expression, as their numbers were in the 6000s, leaving no room for doubt.
"Youthful talents who have passed the elimination round, please come here at the same time tomorrow to participate in the next round. You are all dismissed," the examiner shouted, and then turned to leave.
However, at that very moment, someone suddenly yelled, "Wait a minute, I want to report! I want to report!"
The examiner, who was about to leave, immediately turned his head towards the source of the shouting. He saw a young man, and this young man was none other than Zi Xiao Ming.
Zi Xiao Ming had stated earlier that if he advanced, he would not report, but if he did not, he would.
"What do you want to report?" one of the examiners asked.
"I want to report that someone cheated."
"Who cheated? How did they cheat?"
All eyes in the crowd turned to Zi Xiao Ming.
"I want to report that among the people from our Zi Xiao Continent, there's a man named Zhou Hong. He used his superior strength to help several others who were weaker. Now, those weaker individuals have passed the elimination round with his assistance," Zi Xiao Ming blurted out.
"Who is Zhou Hong?" the examiner asked.
"It's them," Zi Xiao Ming immediately pointed at Zhou Hong and the others.
Everyone's eyes immediately shifted to Zhou Hong and his group.
The examiner walked towards Zhou Hong, stopping a few meters in front of him. He appraised Zhou Hong with a glance and then said with a smile, "You're at the early stage of the Heart Movement realm. From my impression, the Zi Xiao Continent is among the bottom-ranked continents out of hundreds. It's unexpected that such a poor continent could produce a cultivation genius like you."
"Thank you for your praise, senior."
"Why did you help others pass the elimination round?" the examiner asked.
"To the senior, they are my friends. They weren't far from passing the assessment, and it was just a small effort on my part. If I recall correctly, the rules of the recruitment assessment do not prohibit helping others," Zhou Hong replied neither subserviently nor arrogantly.
"That's correct, there is indeed no such rule. However, most people wouldn't hinder their own progress to help others. You should know that your ranking in the elimination round and the subsequent assessment rounds will affect your class placement after entering the Taigu Academy. Therefore, everyone tries to achieve the highest possible ranking. What was your ranking in this elimination round?"
Zhou Hong replied, "Over 6000."
"With your strength, it wouldn't be difficult to enter the top 500. Yet, you are ranked over 6000. In this way, even if you get first place in the second assessment round, your average ranking will only be over 3000, and you'll be assigned to a lower-tier class.
"I don't mind."
"Since that's the case, it's your prerogative," the examiner said and left. He did not impose any punishment on Zhou Hong for helping his friends.
The crowd gradually dispersed.
"Zi Xiao Ming, you deserve to fail the assessment," Gu Dao Chen said angrily as he approached Zi Xiao Ming.
Zi Xiao Ming, seeing that his report of Zhou Hong cheating had yielded no response from the authorities, felt extremely dissatisfied.
Zhou Hong also walked up to Zi Xiao Ming, let out a cold snort, and delivered a fierce kick to his groin.
"Ah!" Zi Xiao Ming cried out in agony as his groin was instantly crushed by Zhou Hong's kick.
"Zhou Hong, how dare you assault this prince? You are audacious."
"Hmph, Zi Xiao Ming, you trash. What if I kill you? Did you think reporting me for cheating would be effective? Now look at the result."
"Zhou Hong, when I return to Zi Xiao Continent, I will absolutely not spare your family," Zi Xiao Ming threatened.
"You still intend to return to Zi Xiao Continent?" Zhou Hong scoffed.
"What do you want to do?"
"What do you think? Here's a saying for you: Heaven's wrath is forgivable, but self-inflicted ruin is not."
"Zhou Hong, I advise you not to do anything rash." Zi Xiao Ming, sensing the killing intent radiating from Zhou Hong, instinctively recoiled in fear.
Gu Dao Chen and the others also felt the killing intent and hastily restrained Zhou Hong.
"Zhou Hong, don't be impulsive. He's a prince, after all. You still have a family on Zi Xiao Continent."
"Yes, Zhou Hong, calm down."
However, Zhou Hong showed no restraint. Even if the Emperor knew he had killed Zi Xiao Ming, he wouldn't lift a finger.
"I apologize, but I am determined to kill Zi Xiao Ming. He has repeatedly crossed my bottom line. He deserves only death," Zhou Hong declared, and then struck Zi Xiao Ming's head with a palm.
"Bang!" Zi Xiao Ming's head exploded like a watermelon.
"Ah!" Gu Dao Chen and the others were stunned to see Zhou Hong kill Zi Xiao Ming so decisively and swiftly.
"Zhou Hong, you killed the Eighteenth Prince. What about your family? This news will surely reach Zi Xiao Continent," Lu Yi Long asked Zhou Hong, his disbelief evident.
"Don't worry. I'll say something you might not believe," Zhou Hong said with a slight smile.
"What is it?"
"The Emperor of Zi Xiao Empire once knelt before me."
"Alright, Zhou Hong, this is hardly the time for jokes," Su Dan Xiaoshuo Wang said.
"Believe it or not, let's go. We'll find a place to stay for the night and continue with the second round tomorrow," Zhou Hong turned and walked away.
"What about Zi Xiao Ming's body?" Jiang Cai Yue asked.
"Why don't we bury him? It'll only take a few minutes," Shui Yang Mei suggested.
Zhou Hong no longer objected, as he had no intention of stopping them if they wished to bury him.
Out of humanitarian reasons, Gu Dao Chen and the others dragged Zi Xiao Ming's body to a nearby forest. They dug a shallow pit in the ground and buried Zi Xiao Ming's corpse.
Meanwhile, within his mind, Zhou Hong was using soul communication to inform the Emperor of the Zi Xiao Empire that he had killed Zi Xiao Ming.
The Emperor of the Zi Xiao Empire, after learning the reason, did not say anything.
After burying Zi Xiao Ming, Zhou Hong and his companions found an open space and set up tents to spend the night.
The official assessment would take place the following day.
The method of the official assessment, according to past rules, involved entering an ancient dimensional rift. Zhou Hong was unaware of any further details.