You call this the way of the sword?

Perhaps due to the influence of the rules, the projection of the Great Yu Heavenly Palace did not reappear.

The examiner's voice came through the city's protective formation, and at the same time, the teleportation array started operating again.

One by one, crystal-clear teleportation crystals were delivered and placed in the hands of each examinee.

"The third round of assessment is a gift I'm leaving for you."

"This round of assessment is entirely voluntary; there are no specific rules. As long as you survive, you pass."

"During this period, all equipment and props will be restored to use. There will be no restrictions on any methods or means. You can leave now without being eliminated, or you can try to kill them all. It doesn't matter how long it takes."

"In 30 minutes, the formation will absorb demonic energy and expand outwards. When the city wall collapses, the assessment will officially begin. Good luck."

After the examiner's voice faded away, the city wall fell silent for a moment.

By the third round, all the candidates present knew they were on a battlefield, and nothing could be more absurd than this, so no matter how strange the rules were, no one spoke up at this moment.

At this moment, the hazy array wall suddenly began to fade rapidly.

The sound of countless roars suddenly amplified, surging in like a tidal wave, and the scene in the city appeared, causing all the examinees' expressions to change drastically in an instant.

"This is... a Demon stronghold?"

"Are you kidding me!?"

"No, this is impossible, how could they possibly survive..."

Since the start of the major exam, the examiners have repeatedly emphasized that this year's assessment would be risky.

Many of the candidates who made it to the final round were mentally prepared, but when they saw the situation in the city, they suddenly realized that the first two rounds had really been a joke on them.

Within the formation, the city's interior is a post-war ruin.

There were no houses or streets as I had imagined, only a multitude of otherworldly demons swarming about.

They wandered aimlessly, howling and crashing into the array walls, until they were bleeding and collapsed, only to be trampled to death by those who came after them.

The city was reduced to ruins, and the earth was buried in blood and flesh.

Blood and black energy filled the entire inner space, surging and merging like a vast ocean to form a deathly demonic energy capable of corrupting living things, which then surged into the alien rift in the center of the city.

New demons keep appearing from the rift.

Looking around, all sorts of strange and exotic species, including monsters, magical beasts, and demons, are corrupted by the demonic energy of death, reborn, and transformed into their own kind of alien demons.

The predecessors of the demon branch were humans. Some of them came from other lands, and some still wore Yu Xia's armor, silently telling the story of how they once guarded this place and died here.

They not only died, their bodies torn to shreds, but they were also transformed into monsters by demons.

In the days to come, they continued to harm their own people, and perhaps even their own relatives.

At that moment, all the examinees looked at the scene before them and felt the most real terror.

"No, this is really going to kill me."

"We're all newcomers, only in the teens, how could we possibly handle an army of otherworldly demons!"

"This year's assessment is utterly absurd, outrageous!"

Even after the first two rounds of trials and the evaluation and selection through the thousand jade steps, some candidates still couldn't help but feel fear and, under some pretext, broke the crystal and fled on the spot.

But compared to those who fled, there were actually more who went forward.

Qiao Lie stood with one foot on the battlement, looking down at the alien demons crashing against the city wall. He looked cool but was actually annoyed, saying, "This is really going too far. Tens of thousands is one thing, but why do I see so many level 29 filthy things?"

Pingchuan is a low-level battlefield, with a maximum level of 29.

To put it another way, if these examinees can handle the city full of demons, they will be able to roam freely on the battlefield in the future.

However, while the idea is wonderful, one must first be alive to truly appreciate it.

Sha Yinzhen frowned and said, "I can kill anyone below level 20 with one strike, but there's a problem. They're so densely packed; if I show my face, I'll be trampled to death..."

Song Yuanshan tried his best to control the corners of his mouth and said while suppressing a laugh, "Don't worry, as long as you buy me some time, I can wipe them all out."

As he spoke, he glanced at Yang Qingfeng, his eyes flashing with a sharp light, thinking to himself that he could win!

This time it's a large-scale battle, it's my home turf, I'm sure I can win!

Jiang Yuan said softly, "No wonder Grandpa has been cursing the military lately. With an assessment like this, a lot of people will probably die... Senior Brother Qingfeng, this round of assessment doesn't restrict the method and we can form teams. The five of us are just right."

Unbeknownst to her, Jiang Yuan had already broken away from the capital and was now following Yang Qingfeng, naturally blending into the group of Tiannan and his companions.

Yang Qingfeng stared at the alien rift in the city without saying a word, his intuition telling him that something was wrong.

Upon hearing Jiang Yuan's words, Qiao Lie pondered and looked at the other examinees.

The final assessment had very vague rules.

By this time, most of the candidates had overcome their regional barriers and spontaneously gathered together to discuss countermeasures, but their expressions were grim, and none of them had any confidence.

"Kill all the otherworldly demons? That's easier said than done."

"Well, what else can we do? We've already been sent to the battlefield; we can't just desert, can we?"

"Then let's think of a way. There seem to be a lot of these demons in the city, but if we disperse them outside the city, we still have a chance."

"That's right, avoid those in the twenties and above, and kill the low-level ones first."

Listening to the other people's countermeasures, Yang Qingfeng became even more certain of his own ideas.

This is the gift the examiner mentioned.

Most of the candidates present actually possessed the ability to surpass their level.

Although there are many demons in the city, the majority of them are actually low-level demons.

As long as you manage to avoid those level 20 and above, you can gain a lot of experience.

Perhaps it was his own imagination, or perhaps there was something wrong with the assessment, but Yang Qingfeng felt that this year's big exam had gone through a lot of trouble, only to end up being such a simple hunt, which didn't make logical sense.

Suddenly, a burst of laughter rang out, and everyone turned to look.

Those young masters from the capital, along with the wealthy candidates surrounding them, had already armed themselves and formed several teams of high-spending students.

They were like peacocks, holding their heads high and showing off their special equipment.

In the first two rounds of assessment, special equipment and props could not be used. Now that the rules have been opened and the conditions have been lifted, the power of money has instantly returned to normal.

Those special equipment might not allow them to dominate the battlefield, but they certainly wouldn't have any problem protecting themselves.

The other candidates watched with envy mixed with disdain. One scoffed, "They're just enjoying the blessings of their parents, what's so great about that? If we all withdraw, let's see how smug they'll be."

This person, much like Yang Qingfeng, harbored resentment towards the rich. His voice was loud enough for everyone to hear.

The young masters from the capital did not express their opinions, but their henchmen did.

"Ha, if you want to run away, then run away. Nobody's stopping you. Why all the nonsense?"

"Ignore them. People who can't stand seeing others do well just because they don't have it themselves are the worst kind of people."

"It would be best if they all got out of here, leaving these otherworldly demons for us to kill slowly!"

"We'll get the top score in the country too, hahaha."

Even though only one person was laughing just now, this group of followers have included everyone in their insults.

The already disharmonious atmosphere suddenly turned into a polarized confrontation.

Seeing the other candidates frowning in displeasure, Qiao Lie turned to Yang Qingfeng and said, "I have another terrible idea, do you want to hear it?"