Zhou Yan soon arrived at the fourth stage.
The previous stages had tested their combat, reaction, and endurance.
In the fourth stage, several instructors appeared before them, each with a set of equipment: helmet, vest, gauntlets, greaves, and boots—five pieces in total.
"Each of you must choose a suitable set of equipment and then you may proceed. Furthermore, you must wear this equipment to the mountaintop. Anyone found missing a piece of equipment will be eliminated," the instructors told the students who had reached this stage.
"It's just a set of equipment, we can just change into it."
"It seems we can't wear the equipment we prepared ourselves."
"This equipment looks so simple."
The crowd stepped forward to select suitable equipment, then unequipped their own gear with a single click.
Zhou Yan also stepped forward to choose. He quickly realized the equipment was not simple.
"Why is this equipment so heavy? Climbing the mountain with this on will be too difficult!"
"It's obvious you've put your attribute points into agility. This is a piece of cake for me."
"If we have to wear this equipment, our own gear will be useless. That's a huge loss in attributes!"
"This stage is meant to test our inherent attributes, so wear it, or go home early."
"If the entrance exam for Ziwei Academy were this easy, so many people wouldn't fail it."
Many had easily passed the previous stages by relying on the advantage of their equipment.
However, starting from this stage, even the best equipment became useless.
After putting on the equipment, Zhou Yan found he could no longer channel the spiritual energy within him. From then on, no matter how high his cultivation, he couldn't use it to his advantage in the assessment.
He finally understood why the older students, even after staying for so many years, were still unable to pass the assessment.
Ziwei Academy emphasized fundamentals, inherent strength, and fairness, with many restrictions. Even with high cultivation, one could not channel spiritual energy.
Moreover, once this set of equipment was worn, it could not be removed, preventing anyone from taking it off midway.
And the subsequent stages would entirely rely on their own strength to overcome.
For Zhou Yan, this was still a minor issue.
He ignored the complaints of others. This was how Ziwei Academy had always conducted its assessments. If they didn't want to participate, they could withdraw voluntarily; no one would force them.
Indeed, many found it difficult to move with the equipment. Students who had allocated all their attribute points to agility after leveling up were dumbfounded upon seeing it.
Soon, some people voluntarily withdrew. They simply could not pass this stage.
Walking itself was a problem, let alone climbing such a high mountain, and more crucially, with many other challenges awaiting them on the path.
These were all new students, and facing such an assessment, they could only reluctantly wait for next year's exam.
However, the older students knew that the assessment differed each year, and even if they rectified their shortcomings in strength later, they might not necessarily pass.
This stage purely tested a person's strength.
Following this pattern, they would surely be tested on other aspects later.
He also couldn't understand why they, being lords, were being tested on their individual strength rather than the strength of their entire territory.
Although many lords might find this unfair, Ziwei Academy arranged the assessment this way. What could they do even if they were displeased?
This stretch of road was several kilometers long. Those with insufficient stamina had to walk and rest intermittently. The weight of the equipment was considerable.
He then saw the instructor for the next stage, along with a prompt for the assessment.
Fifth Stage: Capture five Burrowing Mice, dead or alive, and bring them back to complete the assessment.
Beside the prompt were many cages, intended for students to catch the Burrowing Mice.
When the students saw the requirements for this stage, they immediately cried out, "Holy hell, no way, we have to catch those monsters wearing this gear?"
"This assessment is too difficult! Burrowing Mice prefer to stay underground. Getting them to the surface is a problem in itself."
"These little creatures are quite clever and fast. Catching them will be extremely difficult."
"Excuse me, what is a Burrowing Mouse?"
"Damn, you don't even know what a Burrowing Mouse is... Well, I haven't seen one either."
"..."
"The Burrowing Mouse is a level 1 demonic beast. It likes to burrow and lives in comfortable, dry soil. It also has a particular fondness for sweets... Friends, you can start with these points."
A young man, holding a book, began to explain the habits of Burrowing Mice to everyone.
To an outsider, he might seem like a bookworm, but he exuded an aura of wisdom, not of a simple nerd.
"Thanks, thanks! What's your name, man?"
"My name is Zhuge Kaiming. I usually like to read, so I'm quite knowledgeable about these monsters."
"Zhuge Kaiming." From the man's casual actions, Zhou Yan recognized him as a significant figure, likely quite skilled.
"This stage should test a person's intelligence and knowledge."
Although he understood the basics about Burrowing Mice, he had never actually seen one. These little creatures only lived in the mountains and were said to be very particular about their environment.
These demonic beasts were cunning, though their strength was low, and even an ordinary person could catch them.
So, a group of people scattered across the mountains and plains, searching for the location of Burrowing Mice.
Since this stage was placed here, there were bound to be Burrowing Mouse nests nearby, and they would surely find them.
As expected, many small holes were discovered on a hillside. These must have been dug by Burrowing Mice.
However, Zhou Yan observed the surroundings carefully and found that these places were not solely inhabited by Burrowing Mice.
"I heard Mud Snakes have a particular liking for Burrowing Mice and tend to take over their nests. The tracks on the ground are clearly not from Burrowing Mice. These holes have long been occupied by Mud Snakes."
Zhou Yan suddenly recalled a piece of common knowledge.
Mud Snakes were level 2 monsters and non-venomous, but being bitten by one would likely be unpleasant.
"Ah!"
"Damn it! I was bitten by a mouse!"
Zhou Yan glanced to the side and saw someone reaching directly into one of the holes. They were bitten.
As the person pulled their hand out, their expression changed. They violently shook their hand, throwing the snake onto the ground, and shouted, "Oh my god, it's a snake!"
"Will I get poisoned?"
"Do you have any common sense? That's a Mud Snake! They eat Burrowing Mice and occupy their nests."
"I really don't know how some idiots get into Ziwei Academy, reaching in to grab something directly."
"Who are you calling an idiot? Come here!"
"I'm talking about you! What, you're not convinced?"
And so, two teenagers, in their prime, began to attack each other to prove who was the bigger idiot.
What was ironic was that the surrounding classmates were enthusiastically clapping and even egging them on:
"Hit his face!"
"Kick his legs!"
"Why aren't you using your other hand?"
"You don't even know how to dodge; your evasion is terrible."
This truly exemplified the saying: only an idiot can fight an idiot, and only those who act like idiots would watch a fight between two idiots.
This was a tragedy triggered by a snake.