Initially intending to see Yan Jiaojiao embarrassed, they did not expect her to quickly re-cultivate to the Red Grade third tier, and even become the first person on the Boundless Continent to possess five elemental attributes. Was this Yan Jiaojiao truly a heaven-blessed genius?
In their shock, everyone had completely forgotten Yan Ruxue’s excellent achievement of Orange Grade first tier.
Seeing everyone’s gaze fixed on Yan Jiaojiao, Yan Ruxue found it difficult to accept reality.
Although she was doted upon in the Yan family, she was still a concubine-born daughter. In the eyes of outsiders, Yan Jiaojiao, as the legitimate daughter, always had the upper hand over her.
Furthermore, whether it was in academics or cultivation, even if all the Yan family’s resources were directed towards Yan Ruxue, Yan Jiaojiao could still easily surpass her through innate talent.
Yan Ruxue was unconvinced that Yan Jiaojiao deserved to defeat her. Yet, even though her cultivation had reached Orange Grade first tier, she was still overshadowed by Yan Jiaojiao, dim as dust!
“Next candidate, please step onto the stage.” Jiang Yiling’s voice rang out again. Yan Ruxue snapped back to attention, doing her best to maintain her usual composure as she descended from the stage.
The next student to take the stage was also someone Yan Jiaojiao recognized. A thin, grey-clothed young man carrying a pack walked up. It was none other than the person who had eaten wontons with her that morning!
The young man seemed unaffected by what had just transpired, his face relaxed. He stepped forward, placed his hand on the Spirit Testing Stone as instructed.
The light this time shone faintly, just as before. After a brief rotation, it displayed the color of Red Grade seventh tier, and the surrounding elements were only of the Wood attribute.
However, this Wood element was extremely pure, almost filling the remaining space in the Spirit Testing Stone. It was even more concentrated than the elements of others with single attributes.
He Baifeng, the sect leader of the Wood faction, walked directly to the city wall to watch, exclaiming happily, “This child is truly born for my Wood faction!”
Jiang Yiling also reported, “Xu Changzong, Red Grade seventh tier, primary attribute Wood, can optionally cultivate in the Wood faction.”
So his name was Xu Changzong.
Yan Jiaojiao watched Xu Changzong. He showed no unusual reaction to his assessment result, as if he had known it all along, and then stepped down.
Xu Changzong even walked directly to Yan Jiaojiao’s side and stood still. Yan Jiaojiao smiled at him and said, “Congratulations on passing the first round.”
Xu Changzong nodded faintly, his gaze continuing to watch the stage ahead, and replied, “Likewise.”
They say people with Water attribute have calm personalities. This Xu Changzong, with a Wood attribute, was also quite calm.
Yan Jiaojiao said no more and continued to watch the stage.
This time, it was Wen Jinshu’s turn. As the daughter of the Governor of Genan City, and blessed with beauty, she was naturally one of the focal points of attention. The moment she stepped onto the stage, the crowd below eagerly fixed their eyes on her.
Wen Jinshu placed her hand on the Spirit Testing Stone, and everything proceeded as normal. Soon, Jiang Yiling announced loudly, “Wen Jinshu, Orange Grade second tier, primary attribute Fire, secondary attribute Metal, can optionally cultivate in the Fire and Metal factions.”
She was even one tier higher than Yan Ruxue!
Yan Ruxue’s smile had become very forced. Who would remember second place? In this assessment, she remained obscure and unrecognized.
Yet, facing Wen Jinshu, Yan Ruxue still had to force a smile and offer her congratulations.
In the subsequent assessments, no one surpassed Wen Jinshu, nor did anyone else possess five elemental attributes. Instead, some were directly eliminated for failing to reach Red Grade third tier.
When the last student’s assessment was complete, Yan Jiaojiao looked around and saw that the crowd had reduced by a third compared to the beginning, leaving around two hundred people.
Jiang Yiling then said, “Congratulations to everyone who has passed the first round of assessment. You may now enter Genan Academy with me.”
As soon as he spoke, the tall main gate of Genan Academy reopened. The crowd followed Jiang Yiling into the academy and discovered that it was truly a place of hidden wonders, living up to its reputation as the foremost academy on the Boundless Continent.
A grand avenue extended inwards, culminating in a massive circular plaza. Five factions were situated around its perimeter, each with its own branch, their magnificent and varied architecture inspiring longing.
Behind the high platform at the very end of the plaza lay a vast, boundless primeval forest. This was once the battlefield where gods clashed in ancient times. After thousands of years of evolution, it had transformed into this forest, teeming with countless rare flowers and exotic plants, as well as myriad precious beasts.
Even Genan Academy had only developed the hundred-li territory near its grounds, designating it as a place for students to cultivate. The deeper parts of the forest were sealed by a barrier, and no one was permitted to enter.
Jiang Yiling led the group to the high platform and pointed towards the dense forest, stating, “This is the second and final round of the Genan Academy entrance assessment: the Jungle Maze.”
Standing at a height, the crowd looked down upon the verdant, dense forest stretching to the horizon as if without end, a sense of unease rising within them.
Jiang Yiling waved his hand, and a huge screen appeared in mid-air, displaying the assessment requirements for the Jungle Maze to the assembled students.
Yan Jiaojiao also watched intently. She discovered that the assessment was not merely about exiting the maze. The maze was also equipped with traps, illusions, and even formations of the five elements and the eight trigrams. Poisonous flowers and dangerous beasts were also present throughout the jungle, making it a place of great peril.
Furthermore, while students could use summoned beasts for protection in previous assessments, this year’s assessment explicitly prohibited it. They could only rely on their weapons and their own skills to pass. If they were on the brink of death, they would be eliminated midway, and there was even a possibility of unfortunate demise. It was no wonder everyone had to sign a life-and-death waiver before the assessment; this was genuinely a place where people could die!
Once everyone had taken it in, Jiang Yiling’s voice rang out again, “As you are all aware, Genan Academy will only admit ten students this year. Therefore, only the first ten individuals to reach the end of the maze and retrieve the sect nameplates will be eligible for selection.”
An atmosphere of fierce competition began to brew among the students. A few individuals started looking for alliances, as achieving a top-ten spot was the goal, and a few people working together were better than one person fighting alone.
Yan Jiaojiao recalled Wen Jinshu rejecting Yan Ruxue’s offer of alliance. Seeing Wen Jinshu now standing with Xiao Su, she understood that the two had already formed an alliance before the competition. Both came from prominent families and possessed strong abilities, truly a powerful union.
However, Yan Ruxue and Chen Bingbing were also standing beside them. It seemed Yan Ruxue had finally persuaded Wen Jinshu, forming an even stronger four-person group.
This was likely the strongest combination in this assessment.
The crowd also noticed this, and upon seeing the four of them, they mentally struck off four of the assessment spots, leaving only six remaining positions to contend for.
Jiang Yiling waved his hand, and a yellow protective talisman appeared on each of the students’ wrists.
Jiang Yiling then announced loudly, “I have distributed these protective talismans to everyone. If you find yourself unable to persevere in the maze, you may tear the talisman to return to this spot.”