Assessment Notice

"Your opponents are last year's Human Realm Class."

Last year's Human Realm Class?

A faint stir ran through the students.

Divine Martial Academy's classes were ranked by the five characters "Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, Yellow, Human." Within the same cohort, the Pivot Star Class stood at the pinnacle, while the Human Realm Class ranked at the bottom.

But even so, the Human Realm Class students were seasoned students who had truly cultivated for a full year and a half.

Whether in cultivation, experience, familiarity with the academy's rules, or coordination with one another, they were far beyond this group of freshmen who had not even enrolled for half a year.

"Though the Human Realm Class is a Human-tier class, they are still your senior brothers and sisters. Even the weakest among them has stabilized their Origin Drawing cultivation, and several have reached the middle stage—or even the late stage—of Origin Drawing."

"And they have undergone an annual assessment before. Whether in practical combat experience or mission coordination, they are far beyond you."

Liu Hongyan's voice was level, yet every word struck against their hearts. "In this battle, you are the challengers. If you win, the entire class will be awarded credits. If you lose..."

She did not continue, but everyone understood. If the Pivot Star Class lost to the bottom-ranked Human Realm Class, it would be an utter disgrace—and it would also affect the academy's allocation of resources to them.

In an instant, the pressure settled upon the Pivot Star Class.

Sure enough, over the following days, everyone moved as though they had been wound tight.

At the martial training grounds, the cultivation rooms, and even the open space outside Bamboo Listening Lodge, Pivot Star Class students could be seen training tirelessly.

They sparred diligently, exchanged techniques, and studied how to coordinate. Everyone held a fire in their chest, afraid of becoming the one who held the others back.

Even Chu Yunhe, who had always been the most carefree, became far more serious during training.

Shen Lian simply treated the cultivation room as his bedroom. Apart from necessary rest, his blade scarcely left his hand.

The day before the assessment.

That evening, Yu Ling'er quietly sought out Li Yuan, who had just finished cultivating, then pulled in Chu Yunhe, who was polishing his longsword.

The three avoided the others and held a hushed discussion deep within the bamboo grove for nearly half an hour.

When they emerged, Li Yuan looked composed, while a playful smile curled at Chu Yunhe's lips. Yu Ling'er's eyes gleamed brightly, as though she had already come up with a plan.

Soon afterward, Yu Ling'er summoned the whole class to a meeting in the open space beside Bamboo Listening Lodge in her capacity as class monitor.

Yu Ling'er cleared her throat, her little face utterly solemn.

"Everyone, tomorrow's battle concerns the honor of our Pivot Star Class—and even more, our future."

"Instructor Liu has completely washed her hands of this. It is both a test and an opportunity. We must come up with a proper plan. Li Yuan, Chu Yunhe, and I have discussed it and have a few ideas. Hear us out."

The meeting lasted nearly an hour.

In the end, a preliminary framework of action was settled.

Everyone had a clear understanding of their place. The confusion in their hearts eased considerably, and fighting spirit blazed anew in their eyes.

Liu Hongyan stood before a window in a distant pavilion, watching the young men and women by the bamboo grove discuss matters fervently. A faint smile appeared on her beautiful face before she turned and left.

Just as she had said, she had completely let go and allowed them to make a mess of it.

On the day of the assessment, the sky was clear and bright, yet it could not conceal the piercing chill.

The assessment site was set in a vast forest at the academy's back mountain.

This forest had been altered by the academy's formations. Its terrain was complex, its trees dense, and faint mist lingered there year-round, reducing visibility. It was an ideal location for assessments involving concealment, tracking, and confrontation.

In the clearing outside the forest, the two classes stood facing each other.

On one side were twenty students from last year's Human Realm Class. Most were dressed casually and looked relaxed, even somewhat excited, as they sized up the slightly immature genius junior brothers and sisters before them.

For students like them, whose talent was ordinary and who occupied the bottom rung of the academy, being able to openly teach this cohort's most celebrated genius class a lesson was undoubtedly a pleasant affair.

Quite a few were rubbing their fists and itching for action.

"Look, that's Li Yuan, the Level Nine one. He doesn't look like much."

"Tsk, tsk, there are even two pretty junior sisters. We'll have to take good care of them later."

"Shen Lian? I heard he can fight. I wonder how many moves of mine he can take?"

"Chu Yunhe... Commander Chu's son. Heh, it should feel great to beat him up."

Unconcealed teasing drifted over from the Human Realm Class.

Their instructor was surnamed Yang, a stern-faced middle-aged man. He stood with his hands behind his back and an expressionless face, making no move to stop his students' unrestrained words and behavior.

On the other side stood the Pivot Star Class's thirteen students.

Today, they had changed into neat azure training outfits with narrow sleeves, leather belts at their waists, and their hair tightly bound with azure ribbons of the same color. They looked exceptionally spirited.

The thirteen stood in a line. Though they varied in height, every one of them held their back straight and their gaze sharp, carrying the bold vigor of newborn calves unafraid of tigers.

Faced with their senior brothers' teasing, most of them remained composed, though flames of refusal to yield burned in their eyes.

Shen Lian held his blade in his arms, his gaze cold as ice.

Chu Yunhe yawned as though he had not woken up yet.

Li Yuan stood in the middle of the formation, calmly sweeping his gaze across the opposing side and silently committing certain details to memory.

"Silence!"

A booming shout rang out.

A burly instructor strode over. He was Instructor Lu, the referee in charge of this assessment.

Liu Hongyan and the Human Realm Class's Instructor Yang followed behind him.

"I will only explain the rules once."

Instructor Lu's eyes flashed like lightning. "The assessment area is the forest behind you. The goal of the assessment: all Pivot Star Class students must successfully reach the marked safe zone at the center of the forest within one hour."

"The Human Realm Class students will act as hunters. Their task is to do everything in their power within that hour to prevent, intercept, and defeat the Pivot Star Class students, stopping them from reaching the safe zone."

"Defeat is defined as losing consciousness, voluntarily admitting defeat, or being judged to have lost the ability to fight."

"You may not deliberately inflict serious injury or permanent disability, nor may you use lethal methods. Weapons are limited to blunted training equipment."

"Do you all understand?"

"Understood!" both sides answered in unison.

Instructor Lu nodded and continued, "To ensure fairness, the Human Realm Class, as the defending side, may enter the forest half an incense stick early to familiarize themselves with the environment and set up their interception."

"Half an incense stick later, the Pivot Star Class may enter. Instructor Liu, Instructor Yang, and I will patrol separately throughout the forest to ensure safety and determine victory or defeat."

"Now—"

He abruptly swept out his hand. "Human Realm Class, enter the forest!"

"Yes!"

The twenty Human Realm Class students answered in unison. Excited smiles spread across their faces as they rushed into the dense forest like a pack of wolves that had caught the scent of blood.

Only the thirteen members of the Pivot Star Class remained in the clearing.

Instructor Lu lit a thin stick of incense and placed it in a censer beside him. Wisps of blue smoke curled upward.

Waiting always felt especially long.

The cold wind passed through the treetops with a mournful howl, adding several more layers of tension.

The Pivot Star Class students held their breath, their eyes fixed tightly upon the slowly burning incense stick.

Li Yuan's gaze quietly met those of Yu Ling'er, Chu Yunhe, Shen Lian, and the others. They nodded faintly to one another.

At last, the incense stick burned out.

Instructor Lu's booming voice rang out again. "Pivot Star Class—enter the forest!"

"Move!"

At Yu Ling'er's sharp cry, thirteen azure figures shot forward like arrows loosed from the bow, charging without hesitation into the unknown and dangerous forest ahead.

The assessment had officially begun.

The instant they rushed into the forest, the light abruptly dimmed.

The towering ancient trees were thick with branches and leaves, blocking out most of the daylight. A faint grayish-white mist filled the woods, and visibility was less than twenty zhang.

The air was damp and cold, and the surroundings were unnaturally quiet. Faint rustling sounds drifted from afar, lending the place an even more eerie air.