114: Chapter 114 The Eclipse Clan and the Underworld Clan

[Assessment Instructions:]

[1. Hundreds of 'Eclipse Clan' Trial Takers will be teleported to a designated Assessment site. Your task is to hunt them down.]

Gu Changming blinked.

Just like the Shadow Devourers that descended upon their human world to hunt them during the second Assessment?

[2. This round of Assessment will end when the total number of Trial Takers is reduced to half.]

[3. To ensure the fairness of the "Assessment," the comprehensive strength of all participants (Examiners) will be temporarily suppressed to C-rank (based on the standard grading of your respective civilizations).]

When this rule appeared...

Gu Changming heard the mutterings of the other nine participants.

"C-rank? You've got to be kidding."

"Suppressed by a whole rank."

"Hmm?" Gu Changming grunted. He could actually understand what they were saying now.

It seemed that because they were in a cooperative relationship for this Assessment, the mechanism had allowed them to understand each other's languages.

Actually, it wasn't that difficult. After encountering other civilizations in later Assessments, there would be Language Pack items available for use. Even without the mall's Language Packs, some powerful races had their own translation methods and tools.

As for being suppressed to C-rank... Gu Changming didn't care about that at all.

He was C-rank to begin with.

[4. To fit the theme of this Assessment, all participants will be temporarily transformed into the "Nether Soul Clan" form.]

[In this form, your original racial talents, some special skills, and equipment bonus effects will be temporarily blocked or replaced. Please fight based on the basic "Nether Soul Clan" abilities obtained after transformation.]

This rule caused various reactions among the participants.

[5. Within the Assessment world, death is real death.]

The group didn't react much to this.

They were confident in their own strength. Moreover, as Examiners, even though they were suppressed to C-rank, they were certainly stronger than those Trial Takers.

Otherwise, why would they be called Examiners?

Since they were stronger, there was nothing more to say; it would definitely be a one-sided slaughter.

If someone got killed, they deserved it. Who told them to be so weak?

[6. Assessment Time: 72 hours. If the time runs out and the number of surviving Trial Takers is still higher than 50, all participants will fail the Assessment and receive no rewards.]

The text instructions floated in front of everyone, clear and concise.

The group didn't respond immediately, still carefully reading the rules.

Gu Changming was slightly distracted and glanced at the intrusion progress.

[intrusion progress: 1.7%...]

The speed was very slow.

Originally, Gu Changming wanted to see if there were any Hidden Rules for this Assessment, but now only that intrusion progress chart remained.

He didn't know what the effect would be once the intrusion was complete...

Gu Changming withdrew his gaze and quickly scanned the other nine "temporary companions."

They had all finished reading carefully by now, raising their heads to look at each other once more.

Now... they were comrades-in-arms.

They looked at each other; though they could understand one another, they had no intention of forming deep connections.

After this Assessment, everyone would go their separate ways; there was no need to build rapport.

The atmosphere was quiet, with only a few people standing close to each other exchanging polite nods.

"Siel."

Beside him, a member of a race with pale silver skin and pointed ears nodded slightly to Gu Changming and gave a short name.

"Hello, I'm Zhou Qilin." Gu Changming stretched.

Well, he hadn't forgotten his persona.

The other party nodded and said no more.

Soon, a fist-sized, gray translucent diamond-shaped crystal floated in front of the ten of them.

Almost simultaneously, everyone received a clear system prompt: Touch this crystal to temporarily transform into the "Nether Soul Clan" form.

After a glance, Gu Changming reached out and touched the crystal with his fingertips.

The moment he made contact, a cold, slightly viscous sensation spread from his fingertips, quickly enveloping his entire body.

His vision suddenly changed; colors seemed to fade away, and the world in his "eyes" became outlines composed of different shades of gray.

Then, Gu Changming "scanned" himself.

His body had turned into a translucent spectral form with a flickering outline. His legs gradually faded away below the knees, turning into a hazy mist. His hands had become somewhat more solid, turning into grayish-white claws with sharp curves.

Soon, Gu Changming withdrew from that "state" and turned back into a human.

The state just now made him feel very "uncomfortable"—not an discomfort brought by the change in power, but a fundamental shift in perspective.

It was as if human senses had been forcibly stuffed into a completely different container; all cognitive feedback became strange and awkward.

But after only a few seconds, Gu Changming reached out again and touched it once more.

He had to actively adapt to this strange way of perception; otherwise, it wouldn't be fun if something went wrong during the Assessment later.

After re-entering the state, Gu Changming summoned the basic information panel for this form.

[Nether Soul Clan · Basic Form Information]

[Form Characteristics: Semi-energy spectral body. Can penetrate non-energy physical obstacles (such as ordinary walls and soil layers) to a certain extent. Speed is reduced while penetrating, and physical damage cannot be completely neutralized.]

[Damage Resistance and Weaknesses: Significant damage reduction against shadow and spectral attribute spells, as well as some physical attacks. Damage taken from healing or holy light energy attacks is significantly increased.]

[Perception Method: No conventional vision.]

[Passive Spiritual Perception Range: Twenty meters in diameter. Within this range, terrain, obstacles, energy fluctuations, and life outlines can be clearly perceived, ignoring conventional visual obstructions.]

[Basic Abilities: Spectral Traverse (Passive), Spiritual Perception (Passive), Claw Attack.]

The information was concise. Gu Changming scanned it quickly and had a general idea.

Not just him, the other nine participants were also adapting to their new forms.

After about ten minutes, everyone's adaptation to the new form was barely "usable."

The awkwardness in their movements decreased, and Spiritual Perception gradually replaced vision as the primary means of observation.

Just then, a ripple silently spread across the surface of a nearby bluish-gray stone wall, and a pale blue wall of light appeared out of thin air.

The wall of light was like an invisible window; through it, one could see the scenery of another world.

It was a sizable city. The silhouettes of the buildings were staggered, most of them made of stone or some kind of dark metal structure, appearing somewhat old and dilapidated in the image.

Above the city was a thick, pitch-black night without stars or a moon.

Then, hundreds of bright yellow halos lit up in the sky above the city, like fireworks blooming out of nowhere, illuminating some of the building roofs and streets.

Within the halos, figures appeared and then fell downward.

Those figures were similar in size to humans, with hair like self-luminous golden threads. In the eye area, there were four neatly arranged eyes, which weren't jarring but rather possessed a unique beauty.

Eclipse Clan, Trial Takers.

After landing in the city, they had clearly also received the Assessment prompts. After a brief moment of daze, they quickly scattered and blended into the city.

Almost at the same time, a countdown lit up in the sky on their side.

[Trial Taker deployment complete.]

[Examiner entry countdown: 10:00]

[09:59]

Ten minutes.

In ten minutes, they would enter that Assessment ground and begin hunting those poor little fellows.