Assessment Rules

Soon, the old man nodded to the person beside him. A faculty member bowed respectfully to him before walking to the front of the formation.

The man appeared to be in his forties, just past his prime, wearing an exquisite black robe that was spotless, and his voice carried a mellow tone.

Unlike the humility he showed toward the old man, the black-robed teacher's gaze shone with a confident light as he looked at the newcomers present.

"Being able to come here does not mean you are outstanding; it only proves you have had an opportunity others did not, because... there is still a final, crucial assessment waiting for you."

The middle-aged teacher's voice echoed across the plaza, and aside from that, it was completely silent.

Those who could appear here were no fools; they had long known the enrollment rules, and no one would dare challenge the authority of Martial Soul Hall Academy at a time like this.

"My name is Matthew, and I am the Dean of Academic Affairs at Martial Soul Hall Academy. Today, I will introduce the rules of the assessment to you all."

As Matthew's voice fell, the atmosphere at the scene became even quieter.

The Dean of Academic Affairs at Martial Soul Hall Academy held a status equivalent to a White-Clothed Bishop, while the Deans and Vice Deans above him were equivalent to Martial Soul Hall Elders, possessing the strength of a Title Douluo.

Mu Qian and Zhu Zhuqing listened just as intently. Although the final assessment was held in Death Canyon every year, the content of the assessment was never the same and changed annually.

Regardless of one's strength, understanding the rules was the most fundamental part of passing the assessment.

Matthew's gaze swept across the surroundings, his entire being radiating intense majesty: "This year's freshman assessment will be conducted using a point system."

"There are a total of five thousand one hundred and three people who passed the preliminary and subsequent screenings this year."

"First, you will be divided according to your respective cultivation levels. Every five people will form a group, totaling one thousand and twenty-one groups. The person with the highest Soul Power Level in each group will be the team leader."

Mu Qian frowned inwardly; this was an assessment format that had never appeared in Martial Soul Hall Academy before.

Five thousand one hundred and three people, divided into one thousand and twenty-one groups...

This meant there would be three people left over, forming a group with an incomplete roster.

Although the Dean of Academic Affairs hadn't finished explaining the subsequent rules, almost everyone understood a common truth: groups with more people would have an advantage.

Of course, it wasn't absolute; once a group became too large, various problems would arise, and the distribution of effort versus the final rewards would certainly need to be considered.

However, Mu Qian and his companion didn't need to worry about these things; their strength was enough to pass the assessment even if they acted alone.

At the front of the plaza, Matthew continued to chatter on: "In the end, the five hundred people with the highest points will pass the assessment and become freshmen of this year's Martial Soul Hall Academy."

"Distribute the items."

Following his order, the group of senior students behind him sprang into action.

Their movements were extremely swift, flashing before everyone in an instant. Every time they passed someone, a silver bracelet was left in front of them, greatly increasing efficiency.

Mu Qian took the bracelet floating in mid-air and toyed with it. He released a sliver of his spiritual power and quickly understood the item's function.

This was a simple Soul Tool; it lacked storage capabilities, but it could scan a soul beast to determine its age and record it.

Even so, the value of such a Soul Tool was not low.

More importantly, the techniques for crafting such Soul Tools had been lost, making each one nearly unique.

From this, it was clear that Martial Soul Hall had spared no expense for this freshman assessment.

Seeing that the items had been distributed, Dean Matthew didn't waste any more time: "You all have the items now. Each of you holds a Soul Tool capable of recording the age of a soul beast."

"This relates to how you will earn points. Every time you kill a soul beast and use the Soul Tool to absorb the soul ring it produces, the corresponding points will be recorded within it."

"The points differ based on the age of the soul beast hunted; this is the content of our freshman assessment."

Without him needing to elaborate, everyone present already understood.

The so-called freshman assessment was to send them into Death Canyon to obtain the points required to pass from those terrifying soul beasts.

However, out of more than five thousand people, only five hundred would make the cut.

Everyone felt the cruelty of the competition in their hearts simultaneously.

Matthew paused, a meaningful smile on his face, and continued: "Additionally, I need to remind you of one thing."

"The points in each Soul Tool can be transferred between each other. In other words, you can trade, or you can obtain others' points through other means; the academy only cares about the final result."

"The assessment period is one month. The final day of the assessment is the settlement day. You must arrive at the designated location on time; those who fail to arrive will be considered eliminated."

Once these words were spoken, the scene could no longer remain quiet, and the newcomers gathered in twos and threes to whisper.

Some were filled with excitement, others with trepidation, all because of this rule that seemed simple but hid turbulent undercurrents.

Mu Qian's expression also shifted, and he murmured: "Taking only five hundred out of over five thousand, a pass rate of less than one-tenth... combined with the later rules, isn't this just a battle royale?"

"No wonder Martial Soul Hall Academy has been able to win the championship for so many consecutive years."

"Although their enrollment requirements are more lenient than Shrek's, this final freshman assessment raises the entry conditions to a terrifying degree."

Under these circumstances, anyone who could pass the assessment and enter the academy was undoubtedly a top-tier genius among their peers.

Mu Qian felt his hand being held tightly. He turned to look at Zhu Zhuqing and reminded her: "Zhuqing, it seems we won't just be busy hunting soul beasts; we'll also have to keep our guard up against the hostility of other newcomers."

"With five thousand people, everyone is a competitor, even if they are assigned to the same group."

Zhu Zhuqing nodded, her expression somewhat uneasy: "A-Qian, what if we aren't assigned to the same group?"

She wasn't worried about her own ability to pass the assessment, but simply didn't want to be separated from Mu Qian.

Mu Qian's expression relaxed, and he patted the back of her hand, comforting her: "Don't worry. Although we are divided into groups, it didn't say that members must act together with others in their group."

"Including our own group members, everyone is their own competitor. If we aren't assigned to the same group, it's not like we can't act alone."

Hearing Mu Qian's explanation, Zhu Zhuqing's anxious heart finally calmed down.

"Now, announcing the group lists!" Matthew didn't care what the newcomers were thinking; his task for the day was to clarify the preliminary rules.

These newcomers would only be of interest to him once they passed the assessment and entered the academy. As for now, others would handle the subsequent matters.