As the authoritative voice echoed through the maze, whether it were disciples who forcibly stopped comprehending the King Martial Combat Skills or those still immersed in comprehension, all were shocked to their core.
They had not found the exit of the maze, so how could the assessment be over already? Crucially, only for those disciples who forcibly stopped comprehending the King Martial Combat Skills did a pathway appear before them, obviously earning them the qualifications to pass the assessment.
"What exactly is going on?"
All the disciples exclaimed in surprise, especially those who couldn’t resist the temptation of the King Martial Combat Skills; they became increasingly angry, glaring at the skinny figure that slowly appeared above the maze.
"Elder, I do not accept this!"
"Yes, we do not accept it!"
"They were just like us; none of us found the exit of the maze. On what grounds did they pass the assessment while we did not?"
Voices filled with unwillingness rose and fell, spreading like the tide.
The skinny elder snorted coldly, his gaze sharp as a blade sweeping across those present. Any disciple that his gaze fell upon immediately shut their mouths and lowered their heads.
The dignity of an Emperor Martial Realm expert was not something these disciples could bear.
Suddenly, the area became very quiet.
Xiao Ye stood among the crowd, looking at the path that appeared before him, his eyes flickering. He had already guessed the purpose of the first stage of the assessments.
"The true content of this assessment is not for you to find an exit of the maze, because there is no exit to this maze already. No matter which stone path you choose, it will lead to a dead end," continued the skinny elder.
"What? A maze with no exit?" The seven or eight hundred disciples in the maze all gasped in unison after hearing this, disbelief written all over their faces.
Many disciples showed expressions of sudden realization.
The disciples who could enter the Taiyi Palace were no fools; instead, each one of them was exceptionally clever. At this point, they had already begun to realize something.
"In our Earth Hall, we created this maze, and we inscribed arrays within it. The moment you sensed something was wrong with the maze and began to explore the stone walls, you would activate the array, releasing King Martial Crystals."
"Opportunities for you disciples to come into contact with King Martial Crystals are extremely rare, so seeing the King Martial Crystals, you would definitely rush to comprehend them eagerly."
"The true content of this assessment is actually about temperament! Only disciples who can still remain clear-headed in the face of the temptation brought by the King Martial Combat Skills have the qualifications to pass this stage and continue with the subsequent assessments!"
"Like you, the eliminated disciples, who were unable to resist the temptation brought by the King Martial Crystals and focused only on the present, have too poor temperament and truly have no qualifications to join our Earth Hall!" the skinny elder said coldly.
After hearing the elder’s explanation, all disciples finally understood, and those who were eliminated lowered their heads in shame.
Indeed, upon discovering the King Martial Crystals, they thought, since they couldn’t find an exit to the maze, they might as well comprehend the King Martial Combat Skills thoroughly, as it was better than leaving empty-handed. That’s why they continued to comprehend until now.
They had truly not anticipated that the content of this assessment would be this.
Thinking of this, the eliminated disciples were extremely regretful; they missed the opportunity to enter the Earth Hall because of their greed for the King Martial Combat Skills.
However, the content of the King Martial Combat Skills was too vast; they had not memorized all of it, let alone cultivate it to a certain realm. Now, they really had lost more than they could gain.
Compared to those disciples who could resist the temptation, they indeed were inferior in temperament, and they had no complaints about being eliminated.
"Hmph, now that you know how you were eliminated, then leave quickly!" The skinny elder waved his hand, and the doors of the maze loudly opened.
Instantly, the few hundred eliminated disciples walked out dejectedly, not daring to linger any longer.
"I really didn’t expect the content of the assessment to be this; even I almost got eliminated," Fan Li said among the crowd, his face filled with luck.
He was a recognized genius in the Xuanzi Hall; it would have been too embarrassing if he had been eliminated in the first stage.
Thinking of this, Fan Li glanced at Xiao Ye.
If it weren’t for the silent competition with Xiao Ye, he might not have awakened so quickly, and perhaps he would have been eliminated as well.
"Hehe, the first stage assessed temperament, so the subsequent assessments must definitely be related to strength. Junior Brother Xiao Ye, I really want to see what kind of strength you possess now," Fan Li thought, a cold smile appearing on his face.
After all the eliminated disciples had left the maze, the skinny elder’s gaze then turned to the seventy-eight disciples who had passed the first stage of the assessment, especially pausing on Xiao Ye for a moment.
Before the doors of the maze, the strength displayed by Xiao Ye had already stunned him once. Unexpectedly, in the first stage of the assessment, Xiao Ye was also the first to sober up from the temptation of the King Martial Combat Skills.
This new disciple, who they initially looked down on, had repeatedly brought him shock, changing his impression significantly, and he praised Tian Jiu’s insight highly.
Now, he was very much looking forward to seeing whether Xiao Ye could display astonishing performances in the later stages of the assessments. If Xiao Ye really could pass all the assessments and enter the Earth Hall, it would indeed create a record in the Holy Palace, even more astonishing than the genius Qiu Ze of the Yellow Hall years ago.
"Congratulations, you are qualified to participate in the subsequent assessments of our Earth Hall. Now, proceed on the path before you to the location of the next stage of assessment."
After the skinny elder finished speaking, his body flickered and he turned into a streak of light, disappearing within the maze.
"What will the next stage of assessment be?" Xiao Ye, filled with anticipation, walked forward along the path under his feet.
The seventy-eight disciples walked on seventy-eight paths, and as they advanced, all the paths gradually merged into one wide road.
They followed the road to its end, walked out of the boundaries of the maze, and suddenly the view before them brightened. At the end appeared a blazingly bright gate, seeming to lead to an Otherworldly Space.
"Where is this?" Xiao Ye stepped into the gate, only to feel his vision blur and his body rapidly falling.
Several moments later, as his feet touched the ground, he finally opened his eyes and looked around, his pupils constricting and his face filled with shock.
The other disciples also appeared one after another, and upon seeing the scene before them, couldn’t help but gasp in astonishment.