113: Chapter 113 is currently hacking into the assessment mechanism...

Gu Changming stepped into the pillar of light, and his vision was swallowed by a blinding white.

A few seconds later, the intense light faded.

He appeared in a pure white space. There were no boundaries, no shadows, only a soft and even light permeating from all directions, just like the third Assessment space.

[Assessment participant detected.]

A cold, mechanical voice echoed in the space.

Simultaneously, translucent blue subtitles appeared in the air before Gu Changming.

[Current Assessment Site: Individual Strength Verification (Standard Type)]

[Verifying number of participants...]

The subtitles flickered.

[Verification complete.]

[Number of valid participants in the current site: 1.]

Gu Changming watched quietly.

[Number of participants meets the minimum standard. The Assessment continues.]

[Conducting basic strength verification on the sole participant...]

A brief pause, about two or three seconds.

[Verification passed.]

[Strength threshold meets Assessment requirements.]

The subtitles disappeared for a moment, followed immediately by new content.

[Assessment ended.]

Gu Changming: "..."

Just as he had thought. Driving those people away hadn't been a waste of effort.

At least he didn't have to participate in those Assessments that constantly eliminated people anymore, saving him a lot of energy and time.

[Congratulations, you have become the sole winner of this Assessment site.]

[Please proceed to the Final Assessment Site to complete the last stage and receive the corresponding rewards.]

As the subtitles vanished, a new blue light wall appeared out of thin air about ten meters in front of Gu Changming.

Gu Changming looked over. Was that another Assessment world over there?

Actually, other Assessment worlds weren't anything special; the mystic realms they had visited were also other Assessment worlds.

It was just that humans hadn't realized it before. Only during this Assessment, when they acted as "Examiners" or "NPCs" giving rewards to participants, did they belatedly realize it.

Gu Changming shrugged and started walking toward the light wall.

However, as he walked forward, his vision suddenly flickered.

It wasn't the light wall flickering, but his entire field of vision. Like an old screen with a bad signal, the colors distorted and the image tore for less than half a second.

Just like before he saw that pale blue figure while watching the "fireworks" three days ago...

Then, a new line of text, in a style completely different from what he had seen before, abruptly appeared in the center of his vision.

[Invading the Assessment mechanism...]

Gu Changming's pupils constricted slightly.

Invading?

Gu Changming quickly suppressed the shock in his heart, not letting much expression show on his face. He didn't stop, continuing toward the light wall as if he hadn't seen anything.

He couldn't stop; he couldn't show any abnormality.

He had always thought that the ability he gained after his rebirth to see some Hidden Rules was just a loophole in the "Civilization Advancement Assessment" system caused by something unknowable.

But now...

The words "Invading the Assessment mechanism" had actually appeared?

This couldn't be explained by a mere loophole; it implied active, external interference.

As he walked, he watched the line of text out of the corner of his eye.

The gray text was slowly changing, as if something was loading.

[Invasion Progress: 1%...]

The speed was very slow. Gu Changming stared for a long time before he saw the progress bar jump.

Gu Changming had already reached the light wall. He could feel a faint suction radiating from it.

Gu Changming's eyes shifted, his expression a bit strange.

Then, suppressing his thoughts, he took a deep breath, turned, and stepped into the blue light wall.

The moment his body passed through the light wall, it felt like passing through a layer of cool water film.

A slight sense of weightlessness came over him, and the pure white surroundings were replaced by flowing colored light and shadows.

...

When his vision cleared again, both the pure white and the light wall had disappeared.

Gu Changming found himself standing inside a spacious hall.

Beneath his feet were neat, heavy, bluish-gray stone bricks. The air was slightly cool, carrying the faint, damp scent characteristic of stone.

The light came from luminous bodies of unknown material embedded in the high walls on both sides, casting a steady but not bright light, enveloping the entire space in a solemn and ancient atmosphere.

He quickly scanned his surroundings.

He wasn't the only one.

Including him, there were ten figures in total, standing scattered within this hall.

They were spaced several to over ten meters apart, all located within a relatively open area in the center of the hall.

Gu Changming's gaze swept rapidly over the other nine people.

None of them were human.

To his front left was a slender "person" with pale silver skin. The person's eyes had no pupils; the entire eye was silver-white, as if containing a nebula. At the same time, "its" ears were pointed and extended backward.

To his front right was a smooth, streamlined "humanoid" figure that seemed to be made of some milky-white gelatinous substance, like a faceless man, standing there quietly.

Further away, there was a "person" covered in scales, as well as a creature shrouded in a faint mist whose specific form couldn't be clearly seen...

Nine people, nine completely different forms, from different worlds and different civilizations.

In Gu Changming's words: none of them looked human.

With one glance at their reactions, Gu Changming had a general idea of their "identities."

They were probably "winners" who, like himself, had passed their own world's Assessments and were sent here to complete the so-called "final stage."

As for the content of that final stage Assessment, that wasn't necessarily certain.

They might be asked to cooperate to complete a task, or they might be made to kill each other until only one winner remained.

However, it probably wouldn't be the latter; after all, according to the information Gu Changming had previously learned, this final stage wasn't very dangerous.

Those nine people were also very clever. After glancing at each other, they all roughly understood their respective situations.

Immediately after, a certain tacit understanding was reached in silence.

The pale silver, pointed-eared creature was the first to give a slight nod in all directions.

Soon, the others also nodded to one another.

It was a way of greeting each other, expressing something like "acknowledging each other's existence."

Of course, not everyone nodded; a few either twitched their whiskers or restrained their auras, which was likely their races' way of signaling each other.

Gu Changming didn't nod either; instead, he stretched.

After the brief silent exchange, the ten figures each slightly adjusted their positions.

They moved closer to each other but maintained a certain safe distance.

No one spoke, or rather, speaking might not have been useful since they probably couldn't understand each other's languages.

A few seconds after everyone had settled, almost simultaneously, translucent prompt boxes appeared in front of all ten figures.

Gu Changming looked at the blue subtitles in front of him:

【Assessment Stage One: Examiner Trial】

【Assessment Content: Hunt Trial Takers.】

【Assessment Description: ...】