You call this the way of the sword?

As the assessment officially began, a huge points leaderboard appeared in the examination room.

The leaderboard lists tens of thousands of names, which are being sorted in real time as their scores change.

In a side hall of the prefectural government, the teachers from various blessed places were restless, pacing back and forth, occasionally stopping to look up at the list, trying to find the names of their students.

However, with tens of thousands of newcomers on the list at the same time, it's not easy to find a name.

Moreover, the rules have changed this year, which has made the gentlemen a little anxious.

"Sigh... In previous years, at least the best was sifted out by the waves, but this year it's like finding gold right from the start. It's tough."

"It's not just difficult, it's downright inhuman!"

"Even back then, there was absolutely no way we could have won this battle."

"Who was the genius who came up with the idea of ​​having the kids challenge opponents of higher levels in the very first round?"

"Hehehe, with such an assessment, even the national education system will have a headache."

As witnesses to the annual major examinations, the gentlemen are actually the most qualified to speak on this matter.

In their view, this year's exam was exceptionally difficult.

Not only did the professors find it difficult, but the deans of several prestigious universities in Tiannan also found it challenging.

The difference was that the prefects were all beaming with joy.

At this time, they were all in the inner hall of the prefectural government, supervising the examination together with several officials from Tiannan.

In addition to the leaderboard, they also have real-time video feeds and relevant information about the test takers.

In previous years, the prefects were never in a hurry at this time.

Because in previous major exams, any promising students would eventually be snatched up by the national education system.

This year is different. Many promising talents will be eliminated, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t excellent. It’s just that the assessment this year is too difficult, exceeding the standard for newcomers.

For this reason, the mayors were more proactive than in previous years, their eyes scanning back and forth like scanners, afraid of missing any candidate's performance.

At this point, the leaderboard gradually stopped changing, and the rankings became fixed for the first time.

Looking around, all the points on the leaderboard are fixed at 100.

In the first half of the first round of assessment, the monsters were at the same level as the examinees, which was a basic assessment.

Of the tens of thousands of new recruits from Tiannan, only a very small number were eliminated.

"Look, look, look! The top spot is... hey? It's him again?"

"Yang Qingfeng, this child is very stable."

"How could it be unstable? It's the rare swordsmanship, the summoning style, that Huang Sanqiu reported."

"According to the data, he's already at level 17. If nothing unexpected happens, he should be the highest level this year."

"The highest level is already, so there's nothing for us to do."

The prefects chatted amongst themselves, then turned their attention to the second-place finisher, but Yang Qingfeng's image was singled out, clearly indicating that he was to be observed closely.

The officials were left speechless, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Only those who were in the same area knew that from this moment on, the prefects' observation of Yang Qingfeng was no longer based on how outstanding he was.

Instead, they secretly hoped he would underperform.

There's nothing we can do about it.

Although it is likely that many promising talents will remain this year, it will still be difficult for local organizations to retain talents like Yang Qingfeng, who reached his peak upon debut.

……

The first round of assessment is divided into two parts, with a break in between.

During this period, candidates will choose to pass the assessment or continue the challenge.

Apart from those who were eliminated early on, no other candidates appeared at the Tiannan examination center, indicating that the candidates, like in previous years, continued to challenge themselves and strive for high scores.

The officers breathed a sigh of relief, but what happened next really made them nervous.

As the challenge mode officially began, the 11th demon appeared in each assessment space, and all candidates began to take on the challenges one by one.

Most candidates can handle the initial level increase.

With two levels of difficulty ahead, some test takers are already struggling to keep up.

Just as they were about to advance three levels, a candidate suddenly let out a heart-wrenching scream.

The sound first travels through the visuals into the inner hall, then suddenly shifts to the open-air plaza.

Someone's coming out!

The officers rushed over and found that the candidate who had been reported was not actually injured, but he looked extremely panicked and was sweating profusely in an instant.

Then, more screams rang out.

More and more test takers are failing the challenge.

Without exception, they all "died tragically" in various attacks by the demons. The process varied in length, causing screams to echo throughout the inner hall, and the entire scene resembled a horror broadcast.

Tens of thousands of new recruits in Tiannan, and even hundreds of thousands across the country, are trapped in the assessment space at this moment.

No one can quit halfway.

If you choose the challenge, and you can't win, you'll just have to 'die' and get out!

"This...this is..."

Inside the main hall, the officials and the prefectural governor were all stunned.

As they watched the horrific scenes unfold up close, a chill ran down their spines.

Without a doubt, this is the biggest change in this major test.

The examiners had previously stated that the Empire would not be responsible for the safety of the candidates during this major examination.

At first, they didn't quite understand what it meant, but now, seeing the candidates "dying tragically" in various ways, they suddenly realized that the military had used military methods in this major exam!

"It's a trial on the battlefield!"

After a brief moment of shock, the expressions of the officers turned grim.

Most of the local officials in the Yu Xia Empire had undergone military training, and the candidates were now facing something they had all personally experienced.

This is a ruthless and brutal training regimen.

There's no stopping it, no escaping it.

No matter how badly injured they are, they can only endure the pain and continue to fight against powerful enemies, constantly transforming themselves in the face of death.

You won't actually die during the trial, but the feeling of death will be real.

Those with weak willpower will inevitably suffer severe psychological trauma after experiencing this even once.

"Is this what the examiner meant by 'not taking responsibility for safety'?"

"It's not physical damage, but psychological..."

"The military trials are integrated into the grand examination..."

The lords were all startled, realizing that there must be a deeper purpose behind this grand examination. But before they could think further, someone suddenly cried out, "What happened to him?!"

Who?

Everyone looked over and realized that Yang Qingfeng, who had been singled out, was nowhere to be seen!

"Killed?"

"Is he just a pretty face with no substance?"

"Look how many he killed."

Influenced by the startled reactions of the prefectural lords, several officials also looked at the points leaderboard. Then, everyone froze in place, their expressions gradually becoming more and more serious.

"How long has it been?"

"Less than two minutes."

"Then how did he get a perfect score?"

Yang Qingfeng's name remains at the top of the leaderboard.

The points marked after his name had secretly increased to 1100.

The lords had been hoping he would make a mistake, hoping he wouldn't be so outstanding, but before they knew it, he had made a perfect exit...

Meanwhile, the screams of the other candidates continued, growing increasingly agonizing.

But the strong have already gracefully withdrawn from the stage.

The stark contrast between the two gradually made the screams less heart-wrenching, and at the same time, it officially kicked off this year's major test.

In the open-air plaza, just as Yang Qingfeng teleported out, someone pounced on him, vomiting violently, tears and snot streaming down their face.

This wasn't just one case; all the candidates who were "killed" out of the competition reacted to varying degrees.

Moreover, the earlier it comes out, the stronger the reaction will be.

Yang Qingfeng looked around the room in surprise and found that he was the only one still standing.