The conversation between the three elders went unheard below. The cultivators in the valley had no attention to spare, pouring every shred of will and energy into resisting the crushing oppression.
Time slipped away. More and more participants collapsed until half of them had fallen. Out of more than one hundred thousand who came for the assessment, the unseen first trial eliminated nearly fifty thousand.
As the pressure mounted, the radiance around Liu Wuxie brightened. It wrapped He Yingwu in its glow, shielding him from the worst of the oppression.
At first, no one noticed, but those closest began to sense something strange. Step by step, they edged nearer and realized an invisible barrier had surrounded Liu Wuxie, lessening the weight of the suffocating aura.
The three elders exchanged glances, their eyes glinting with surprise.
Liu Wuxie stood still, even after four minutes.
"These two brats are interesting," the southern elder remarked with curiosity sparking in his eyes. Liu Wuxie and He Yingwu had already surpassed every record. Even cultivators at the fifth level of the Transcendent Realm were beginning to tremble under the burden, yet these two endured.
Elder Ding only smiled faintly. He never intended to reveal the truth. The truth was that the pressure inside the super teleportation array was ten times stronger than this.
Liu Wuxie and He Yingwu had already endured such torment once before. Even Primal Origin Realm experts relied on protective barriers to survive super teleportation, yet those two managed to withstand it.
As the five-minute mark neared, fewer people fell. Those still standing were all undeniable prodigies.
Just then, the oppression vanished, and it felt as if a mountain was lifted from everyone's shoulders. He Yingwu staggered, nearly collapsing, but Liu Wuxie steadied him.
Without Liu Wuxie's shield, He Yingwu could not have lasted even a breath longer.
"Welcome to the Heavenly Dragon Sect," the southern elder's voice boomed across the valley. "All those who collapsed were eliminated in the first trial. You may now leave the valley."
The announcement stunned the crowd. They never expected the assessment to begin without any warning. Those who had collapsed in the last few seconds broke down in despair. If only they had gritted their teeth for a few breaths more, they would have passed. Unfortunately, they surrendered too soon.
They thought the pressure was merely a pre-test before the real trials, but in truth, the oppression itself marked the first trial.
Rumors had long said that the Heavenly Dragon Sect never followed convention. Now, they realized firsthand that such rumors were the truth.
Those who endured to the end wept with joy. Many had nearly given up, but their determination carried them through.
The fallen tried to sneak back into the crowd, but an invisible wave of power swept through the valley and cast them all out.
This was the might of a Primal Origin Realm expert; they could move tens of thousands with a thought. In moments, half of the valley emptied, leaving far more space than before.
No one expected the trial to strike so suddenly, without even a chance to prepare. However, this was precisely the elders' intent. In life-and-death battles, no enemy ever gave warning before unleashing a killing strike.
"Elders, I protest! Why are cultivators at the Heaven Profound Realm here?!" A voice rang out, raw with indignation. It was Li Shan. He managed to last the five minutes, but his robes clung to him, soaked in sweat as if he had just climbed out of a river.
The trial had long since eliminated Ai Shan and his lackeys.
Liu Wuxie's gaze locked onto Li Shan, a cold smirk curling at his lips.
"State your reason," Elder Ding said with a smile, though his eyes gleamed sharply. He instantly guessed that something had to have transpired in the valley over the past days.
The other participants turned their eyes on Liu Wuxie. His cultivation was only at the Heaven Profound Realm, yet he withstood the oppression when even seventh-level Transcendent cultivators had failed to do so, which proved the terror of the first trial.
"Cultivators at the Heaven Profound Realm aren't allowed to take the assessment!" Li Shan declared righteously. He had never once heard of someone participating below the Transcendent Realm.
"Oh?" Elder Ding's eyes chilled. "Then tell me—which rule of the Heavenly Dragon Sect forbids Heaven Profound Realm cultivators from participating?"
Even Elder Ding himself didn't know of such a rule. How could an outsider like him claim it so firmly?
"This..." Li Shan faltered, his voice dying away. Doubt gnawed at him. Perhaps there was no such rule after all.
The crowd's expressions twisted into ridicule, mocking him as if he were a fool. Since no one from the Heaven Profound Realm had ever taken the trial, people assumed it was forbidden.
However, the truth was different. The Heavenly Dragon Sect's assessment was simply too harsh. Even ninth-level Heaven Profound Realm cultivators could fail, so most waited until they reached the Transcendent Realm before attempting it, as they were unwilling to risk humiliation.
Over time, people created the illusion of a rule that never existed. No sect would ever impose such a restriction. To set rigid limits would be to risk overlooking true prodigies.
Blinded by hatred, Li Shan had tried to use the "rules" to expel Liu Wuxie. Instead, he had only humiliated himself, a classic case of lifting a stone only to smash one's foot.
"Any other problems?" Elder Ding asked, his tone colder now. He would not erupt in anger before the crowd, but his displeasure was clear.
"N-None!" Li Shan stammered, and a bead of sweat slid down his face as he lowered his head, no longer daring to speak.
Most people in the valley were unfamiliar with Liu Wuxie and He Yingwu, but at this moment, everyone made them the center of attention. The crowd momentarily forgot even prodigies like Mu Heng and Shen Yue.
Although both Mu Heng and Shen Yue withstood the five minutes with ease, their brilliance paled before the contrast of Liu Wuxie and He Yingwu, who stood tall at only the Heaven Profound Realm.
The imbalance sparked dissatisfaction in them. Weren't they supposed to be the shining stars of this assessment?
Shen Yue fumed inwardly. Admired and adored since childhood, she suddenly found herself overshadowed by two unknowns. Resentment sprouted within her.
However, she dared not act rashly. Her father was a planet lord, but only figures like Emperor Haoyuan commanded true respect. Lesser planet lords could not even compare to second-tier sect masters on Indigo Bamboo Star.
"Time is limited," Elder Ding said, his voice cutting across the valley. "This year's assessment will be more direct. To save time, we will accelerate the process. We added another thousand slots this year, and those who place in the top ten will also receive rewards. We will reveal the details in the next segment."
The announcement set the valley ablaze with excitement. In past years, the sect admitted only two thousand. This year, the sect would admit three thousand. Those doubting their chances felt hope rekindling within them.
Most importantly, the top ten would receive additional rewards. From a sect as vast as the Heavenly Dragon Sect, those rewards would not be ordinary. A single treasure could probably raise one's cultivation by several levels.
"Wuxie, does this mean we're eligible to participate?" He Yingwu asked, his voice trembling. Li Shan’s earlier protest had shaken him deeply, and he feared the elders might expel them.
"That's right," Liu Wuxie said with a nod.
Relief spread through the crowd, and anticipation burned brighter than ever.
"The second trial will be simple," Elder Ding continued as array flags flew from his hands. "A battlefield will be set. You will fight in a free-for-all. Those still standing when the time ends will advance to the third trial."
In an instant, a massive arena materialized in the valley, woven from laws themselves instead of stone, strong enough to endure even the strikes of Primal Origin experts.
"All of you, enter," Elder Ding commanded. "I don't care what methods you use. Only thirty thousand will remain when this trial ends. Whether you stay depends solely on your strength."
The rules were cruel in their simplicity. From fifty thousand, only thirty thousand would remain. The trial would hurl the rest from the arena.
Why waste time on elaborate tests when strength was all that mattered?
The crowd surged upward. Fifty thousand cultivators claimed their places on the vast battlefield, spreading out to avoid ambushes.
"Let's team up!" many shouted, forming temporary alliances to increase their chances.
Strangely enough, no one approached Liu Wuxie. The arena fractured into countless small groups, yet the others left him, and he and He Yingwu were isolated.
The battlefield sprawled across half the valley, leaving plenty of room for combat.
"Wuxie, they didn't say whether killing is allowed," He Yingwu whispered nervously. Was it an oversight or deliberate?
After all, a deathmatch was entirely different from sparring.
"What do you think?" Liu Wuxie asked with a faint smile.
The Heavenly Dragon Sect had been standing for millions of years. Its elders were no fools. They had deliberately left it unsaid, intending to sharpen the cruelty of the trial. Only through blood and peril could false prodigies be stripped away.
"You mean killing is allowed?" He Yingwu's face turned grim. If so, their odds of survival plummeted. Already, many eyes burned toward them, waiting to strike down the two anomalies first.
"Begin!" Elder Ding declared with a wave of his hand. "This trial will end once only thirty thousand remain!"
Silence followed; no one dared move first. They waited, circling, eyes sharp with suspicion.
Liu Wuxie and He Yingwu stood at the arena's edge, exposed and vulnerable, a position where one wrong step could send them tumbling out.
The center was more crowded, but there, everyone only watched and waited.
Just then, a voice rang out like a sharp knife. "Brat, you can die now!"
Li Shan sneered as he strode toward Liu Wuxie with several allies behind him. He had formed a team of his own, and their first target was clear—the weaker candidates.