Seventy-eight disciples participating in the assessment rushed into the Haotian Tower under the watchful eyes of the Elder of the Earth Hall, followed by the thunderous closing of the tower’s grand doors.
"This..." As the disciples entered the First Level of the Haotian Tower, they were immediately stunned.
Incredibly, the First Level of the Haotian Tower was a vast space; many disciples looked up to see a myriad of stars dotting the sky, nothing like the interior of a pagoda.
"What’s happening? My cultivation is actually being suppressed!" At this moment, a panicked voice arose. Xiao Ye quickly turned his head to see a disciple with a pale face, desperately channeling his power as intense light flared up around him.
But in the next moment, the stars in the sky of the First Level of the Haotian Tower began to shimmer, showering down streaks of starlight onto the disciple, immediately forming a powerful Confinement Power, which dimmed the light around his body and extinguished it completely.
"How can this be? My cultivation seems to have disappeared!" The disciple was severely rattled, his face full of disbelief. No matter how he circulated his Cultivation Technique, the power within his body was like a stone sinking into the ocean, eliciting no response at all.
"My cultivation too, completely gone!"
"And me, heavens, what on earth is happening?"
"This Haotian Tower must have an Array inscribed in it!"
"I’ve tried many Combat Techniques, only the parts of King Martial Combat Skills understood from the maze can be used!"
More disciples cried out in alarm, feeling powerless, turning pale with shock. Deprived of their power and cultivation, how could they pass through the First Level of the Haotian Tower?
Could it be that they were to rely on the King Martial Combat Skills they had only just begun to comprehend? They had grasped so little, let alone being able to exert much power.
At this moment, the hearts of all disciples sank. Even Fan Li turned pale. As a genius disciple of the Xuanzi Hall, he should have stood out among these assessment disciples through his strong cultivation and capabilities.
However, due to the suppression by the Star Light, he could only use the King Martial Combat Skills he had barely mastered, leveling the playing field for all disciples. Even the possibility of being eliminated on the First Level was significantly high.
Upon seeing this, Xiao Ye immediately started channeling the Four Emperor Skills, only to find that indeed, once he activated his power, the stars in the sky would pour down intense Star Light, generating a tremendous Confinement Power, thoroughly suppressing his power and cultivation, rendering him unable to exhibit the slightest strength.
"The words of that gaunt elder outside were indeed true, it seems that on the First Level of the Haotian Tower, only the set of King Martial Combat Skills that were understood can be utilized." However, Xiao Ye showed no panic, he was the calmest of everyone present.
In terms of understanding the King Martial Combat Skills set, he was definitely the best among all the assessment disciples.
If even he couldn’t break through the First Level, wouldn’t that mean all the disciples in this assessment would be wiped out? Such a result was definitely not what the Elders of the Earth Hall were hoping for, so he was not worried.
He was certain he could break through the First Level of the Haotian Tower.
As the other disciples were anxious, Xiao Ye was already calmly surveying his surroundings with a composed expression, curious about what dangers the First Level of the Haotian Tower might hold.
Fan Li shot a glance at Xiao Ye and sneered inwardly: "This guy spent even less time comprehending the King Martial Combat Skills than I did. He must know his chances of getting through the First Level of the Haotian Tower are slim, that’s why he’s resigned himself to fate and is pretending to be calm!"
With this thought, a gloomy light flashed across Fan Li’s eyes. Suppressing the unease in his heart, he walked up to Xiao Ye and said with a smile, "Junior Brother Xiao Ye, we both made it through the first stage of the assessment together, let’s stick together now."
"Oh?" Xiao Ye’s face showed a smirk, looking at Fan Li and nodding slightly, "As you wish!"
After all, what mattered within the First Level of the Haotian Tower was the understanding of the set of King Martial Combat Skills. Xiao Ye was confident he could surpass anyone. If Fan Li dared to harbor ill intentions, he wouldn’t mind teaching the other a lesson on the First Level, to let Fan Li know he was not someone to be trifled with.
As time passed, the other assessment disciples started to calm down as well, surveying the First Level like Xiao Ye, seeking the entrance to the Second Layer, while remaining vigilant for any lurking dangers.
Time passed, and a whole stick of incense burned down without any danger appearing. All the assessment disciples had made their way to the center of the First Level—silent except for the echoing footsteps of many disciples. Yet, none dared to relax their guard.
From the first trial of the assessment, one could tell that the Earth Hall’s examination was certainly not that simple. How could such a meticulously crafted Haotian Tower be without danger?
At that moment, a shrill scream rang out. Suddenly, a metallic palm extended from the ground of the First Level of the Haotian Tower and firmly grasped the foot of a disciple, before dragging him down forcefully.
The disciple let out another scream as his figure sank into the ground and vanished without a trace.
"Everyone, be careful with the ground!"
"There are unidentified monsters attacking from below!"
The remaining assessment disciples exclaimed in horror, staring intently at the ground. However, the metallic palm did not reappear, and the ground showed no cracks. As for the unlucky disciple, it was as if he had vanished into thin air.
A profound sense of crisis swept through all the disciples. Now, due to the suppression of the Array, they couldn’t even activate a hint of power, let alone evade the monster attacks from below by flying.
No disciple dared to move any longer, their eyes fixated on the ground, fearing further attacks.
Time continued to pass and another two sticks of incense burned down without any signs of disturbance.
"What kind of monster is it!"
Xiao Ye furrowed his brows. With such stealthy attack methods, even if he cultivated King Martial Combat Skills to a certain extent, he had no chance to employ them. How could he break through the First Level?
At this moment, even he began to lose confidence.
All of a sudden, the ground of the Haotian Tower’s First Level shook violently, as if an exceptionally ferocious creature was about to emerge.
The next moment, two more screams were heard as two metallic palms stretched out from the ground and simultaneously dragged two disciples into the earth, disappearing without a trace.