On the flying boat, Zhang Hao had a general understanding of the details of this assessment location. To be precise, this was a cursed land.
Around ten thousand years ago, a world-shaking battle occurred between the Martial Gods of the True Martial Continent and the Extra-territorial Demons. That war was incredibly fierce, killing until the sky was dark and the sun and moon were lightless.
That cursed land was formed by the curse power cast by the Extra-territorial Demons.
From then on, the place where the curse was cast became a dangerous area, with various poisonous creatures and monsters appearing endlessly. However, many adventurers still came here to take risks. But nine out of ten adventurers who entered were buried here. Later, the Ten Great Sects also developed the cursed land into an assessment ground for their Disciples.
This time, the Three Great Academies could each send one hundred students for the assessment. And other smaller Colleges could each send fifty students. Therefore, at least 2000 students from various Colleges participated in this assessment.
Ten hours later.
The flying boat arrived above the cursed land.
"Ding dong! Congratulations Player Zhang Hao for triggering an A-level mission: Obtain first place in the assessment and join a Sect."
A mission was triggered? Zhang Hao was stunned. However, the flying boat had already arrived at the cursed land at this moment, so he did not immediately check the mission panel.
After the Tianwu Academy team arrived, it immediately drew the attention of the Martial Warriors from the various Colleges present. Even though Tianwu Academy had somewhat declined now, it was still one of the Three Great Academies in the Northern Region.
However, this time, the Ten Great Sects were the main hosts. Especially since Xiao Long, the number one Genius of the Northern Region, would also be one of the assessors this time. This made the assessment even more eye-catching.
The cursed plain was bustling with people at this moment, crowded with mentors and students from various Colleges.
"I wonder if Zi Qian will come?" A beautiful face suddenly appeared in Zhang Hao's mind.
However, Zhang Hao also knew that this possibility wasn't very high.
Leisurely, a little girl wearing a floral dress, about fourteen or fifteen years old, hopped and skipped to Zhang Hao's front. Her beautiful big eyes were full of slyness. She looked him up and down with her somewhat curious big eyes and said, "You look quite spirited. My Senior Sister asked me to tell you that she will cheer for you."
Zhang Hao looked at this pure and cute-looking girl with some confusion, confirming that he didn't know her. So, he looked at her curiously and asked, "Little sister, what's your name?"
The little girl giggled and smiled, "My name is Shi Xue."
"Shi Xue, what a nice name!" Zhang Hao nodded and smiled slightly.
Zhang Hao looked at Shi Xue curiously and asked, "Shi Xue, what is your Senior Sister's name?"
"My Senior Sister! There's a 'Qian' character in her name! Guess!"
Zhang Hao was both surprised and delighted upon hearing this. It went without saying that this must be Murong Ziqian. He murmured, "Zi Qian, is that you? I knew you must be here."
As soon as he thought that Murong Ziqian was here, his heart immediately surged with passion. Even if there were a mountain of swords and a sea of fire before him, he would cross them without hesitation.
"I'm leaving now, my Senior Sister is still waiting for me!"
Liu Jie walked up to Zhang Hao at some point, looked at Shi Xue's retreating figure, and said with a thoughtful smile to Zhang Hao, "Oh, when did you change your taste, kid? You even like this little girl who hasn't shed her baby hair."
"Get lost. You're the one who likes little girls!" Zhang Hao glared at Liu Jie, then turned and walked back.
Lan Haiping looked at Zhang Hao and said seriously, "Kid, I have something to remind you."
It was rare for Zhang Hao to see such a solemn expression on Lan Haiping's face. He nodded and said, "Yes, I'm listening."
"Presumably you also know that Xiao Long is one of the assessors this time. As someone from Tianba Academy, he will naturally suppress our Tianwu Academy. Moreover, you killed his clan brother, Xiao Fan. The hatred between you is too deep." Lan Haiping looked at Zhang Hao with a solemn expression and said.
Zhang Hao looked at Lan Haiping and gave a bitter smile, "Dean, are you saying this to discourage me? Are you telling me there's no hope?"
Lan Haiping looked at Zhang Hao, shook his head, and said with a smile, "That's not necessarily true. Since this Esteemed One encouraged you to participate in this Sect selection, he naturally has confidence. Although Ziyang Sect is the head of the Ten Great Sects, it's not without rivals. Hao Xian Sect and Ziyang Sect are enemies. Although Hao Xian Sect is not as good as Ziyang Sect, it can still rank among the top three in the Ten Great Sects. As long as you perform well in the assessment, entering Hao Xian Sect is also good." Lan Haiping looked at Zhang Hao and said solemnly.
"Hao Xian Sect?" Zhang Hao murmured.
Zhang Hao naturally had a good impression of Hao Xian Sect, which shared the character 'Hao' with his own name.
"Old man, do you know how the assessment will be conducted this time?"
Zhang Hao looked at Lan Haiping and asked.
Lan Haiping shook his head and said, "I only know a general idea about this. The first stage is Fierce Fiend Valley, which has ten valley paths. You will be divided into ten groups to enter. Because of the dense fiendish energy and poisonous gas inside, even Martial Kings cannot fly for long periods. There are also many poisonous creatures, such as Ferocious Beasts, and the most dangerous thing is that there are also Corpse Fiends inside."
"Corpse Fiends?"
Zhang Hao had never heard of Corpse Fiends before and couldn't help but look at Lan Haiping with some curiosity.
"This is a cursed land, filled with fiendish energy. Over the past ten thousand years, countless Martial Warriors have come here to explore and eventually were buried here. After ten thousand years of fiendish energy entering their bodies, they became Corpse Fiends. Corpse Fiends retain a trace of memory from their lives and still possess most of their strength. The most terrifying thing is that Corpse Fiends are almost invulnerable to swords and spears unless their weakness is found. So, if you encounter a Corpse Fiend, the best option is to run, otherwise the Corpse Fiend will tear you apart." Lan Haiping said solemnly.
"That powerful?" Liu Jie, who was standing nearby, was very shocked to hear this.
Lan Haiping glanced at Liu Jie and said solemnly, "Liu Jie, Zhang Hao, you don't need to worry too much either. In fact, out of the ten tunnels, only one has Corpse Fiends. You are all people with great Luck, so you won't be that unlucky."
"Alright, the first stage is just an elimination round, and you can team up. If you meet each other, it's best to work together to pass the stage." Lan Haiping looked at Zhang Hao and Liu Jie and said solemnly.
Zhang Hao and Liu Jie also knew this was Lan Haiping's kindness. Zhang Hao nodded and said, "Dean, I understand."
"Alright, after getting your number plates, start your first round of competition! This Esteemed One will wait outside for your good news." Lan Haiping said with a smile.
Although Lan Haiping spoke lightly, he was actually very worried. Ever since he learned that Xiao Long had appeared, he had a very bad premonition in his heart.
The relationship between Tianba Academy and Tianwu Academy had always been poor. Xiao Long's appearance this time was Tianba Academy's opportunity to fully suppress Tianwu Academy. Lan Haiping was very clear about Xiao Long's influence. Moreover, Xiao Long appeared as an assessor this time.
"Alas, this Old man has done everything he can. The rest is up to you." Lan Haiping sighed.
First Stage: Passing through Fierce Fiend Valley.
Pass the first stage and obtain a clearance token. There are only 100 tokens in each stage.
After obtaining their number plates, Zhang Hao and the others stepped into a small teleportation array under the guidance of an Academy Alliance Elder.
On a high platform, Xiao Long and Murong Ziqian were prominently seated. Xiao Long watched Zhang Hao enter the teleportation array and sneered in his heart: I will make sure you can't even pass the first stage, and let Zi Qian know how much of a waste you are.