122: Chapter 122 I'm a kind-hearted person, I can't bring myself to do it.

"Hill?" Gu Changming greeted in return.

Back in the palace, this was the silver-white, pointed-eared race standing next to him.

The other party nodded, the silhouette of their misty body fluctuating slightly.

"It's me," Hill said, also walking toward Gu Changming.

"I was on the other side just now and felt the fluctuations of battle here, so I came to take a look..." he continued to explain. "Two Examiners have already been surrounded and killed by these Eclipse Clan Trial Takers. So, I thought we should pair up in twos to avoid being alone and giving them another opportunity."

Gu Changming gave an "oh" of understanding.

"A team of two?" Gu Changming asked casually. He didn't actually mind; if they clustered together, the speed at which these Examiners hunted would actually be slower.

"Do you want to?"

"Of course."

After receiving Gu Changming's confirmation, Hill felt slightly more at ease. With his strength restricted and being inside a body of a race with such trashy traits as the Nether Soul Clan...

He was truly worried that he might accidentally be killed by these Trial Takers.

Then, he turned his head, looking in the direction where Aila had just fled, and asked with quite a bit of curiosity and confusion:

"Just now... why did you let that Trial Taker go?"

"Oh," Gu Changming nodded, then replied, "Sigh, in my hometown, the very first Assessment we encountered was a 'Hunting Trial' similar to this."

"At that time, we were the ones being hunted. In that Assessment, many of our people died. So, coming across a mission like this, it's inevitable that the scene triggers memories. I'm kind-hearted; I can't bring myself to do it."

"Hmm?" Hill was somewhat surprised.

Seeing his reaction, Gu Changming also took a few steps forward, naturally leading the other party a few meters further ahead.

He couldn't let him get close. If he walked a few more meters toward Gu Changming, the corpses of those seven or eight Eclipse Clan members he had just killed would enter his twenty-meter field of vision.

Hill naturally didn't notice Gu Changming's thoughts, and the gaze he directed at Gu Changming softened a bit.

Their civilization was highly advanced. Although they were currently facing an Assessment and needed to do some cruel things, in their hearts, they strongly identified with Gu Changming's approach and behavior.

At the very least, if it were him, he wouldn't be able to do that. He would still have some selfishness, thinking about hunting more Trial Takers to increase the final reward he would obtain.

"I see..." Hill said with emotion, "You really are a good person."

"I think so too," Gu Changming said, continuing to lead him forward.

Hill also quickly made a decision. "In that case, if we encounter Trial Takers that need to be dealt with next, I'll be the one to do it. You just stand by and provide support to prevent any accidents."

"You're a good person too," Gu Changming praised.

Hill felt a bit embarrassed.

The two of them continued to chat and converse.

"You mentioned your hometown just now. What kind of place is it?"

"Well... the lake surfaces there are always clear, the air is full of tranquility, and the snowy white moon shines upon the earth..."

"It sounds beautiful."

"I think so too."

"Oh right, when I called out to you just now, why did you freeze for a moment?"

"Uh... I'm sorry, I lied to you."

"Hmm?"

"My name isn't actually Zhou Qilin. That was to hide my identity, so when I introduced myself before, I used the name of a person who has done all sorts of evil things."

"Oh, that's understandable. I occasionally do that too."

"But Hill, you're a good person, and I can trust you now, so let me tell you my name."

"Is that really okay?"

"Of course, we're friends."

"Yes, friends! So what is your name?"

"Jiang Chen."

"Oh, Jiang Chen, I'll remember it. Hey, is it true that in your place, everyone with a three-character name is a bad person?"

"Huh?"

"Uh... no, the civilization on our side is like that. The fewer characters a person's name has, the more noble their character is. I saw you say that 'Zhou Qilin' was a bad person just now, so I thought your culture might be somewhat similar to ours... You have two characters and are a good person, so people with three-character names must have slightly worse character."

"..." Gu Changming nodded, "You guessed right, that's exactly how it is."

...

It wasn't just Hill who had the same idea.

The other Examiners had also put away all their arrogance. They no longer fought alone, but actively made noise and then gathered together.

And the change they brought by gathering together was by no means just doubling their perception range.

Rather, it was an all-around crush in every aspect. This wasn't a simple 10+10 addition of strength, but more like adding a zero directly behind the 10.

For the Eclipse Clan Trial Takers, who were already at a disadvantage and barely holding on by relying on vision and numbers, this was a nearly devastating blow.

The sparks of resistance they had just raised were instantly extinguished again.

It was another one-sided slaughter. As long as they were targeted, there was almost no possibility of escape.

In less than another half-day's time...

The familiar translucent prompt box popped up in front of all the Examiners again.

[Prompt: The number of surviving Trial Takers has fallen below 50% of the initial total.]

[Assessment Phase One (Examiner Trial) has ended.]

After the prompt box appeared, a force of attraction wrapped around them.

A slight sensation of levitation came over them, and their vision was filled with flowing colored light.

In the next second, the feeling of solid ground returned. They were back in that vast palace paved with blue-gray stone bricks.

Almost at the same instant they landed, the layer of grayish-white translucent phantom on everyone dissipated rapidly like a receding tide, and they all returned to their original physical forms.

"Whew..."

"Haa!"

"Finally..."

Almost simultaneously, several sighs of relief echoed within the hall.

Being trapped in the shell of a completely foreign race, especially with the narrow and awkward perception of the Nether Soul Clan, was not only frustrating but also a continuous mental drain for them.

Returning to their original bodies now, with familiar senses and power restored, the sense of comfort was almost beyond words.

Gu Changming also lightly moved his fingers, feeling the flexibility and reality of his human body, then glanced at the panel and muttered to himself.

"No reward for finishing?"

"The rewards should be distributed uniformly after all Assessment phases are completed," Hill replied from the side.

After spending half a day together inside, he felt that Gu Changming was a decent person.

"Oh," Gu Changming nodded, not actually caring much about it.

His gaze was currently locked onto the progress bar on the panel.

[intrusion progress: 67%]

Still a bit short.

He wondered if the next trial Assessment would be long or short. He hoped it wouldn't be some simple task that could be completed in an instant; otherwise, the time would be too short, and the progress bar really wouldn't finish running.

Just as he thought this, as if in response to his thoughts, a new translucent prompt box popped up simultaneously in front of them.

[Assessment Phase Two: ...]