189: Chapter 189 Carrying a Heavy Burden (Part 1)

Horn withdrew his gaze.

He watched the human race that had transitioned to the second Assessment and remained silent, but his ears couldn't help but twitch backward, betraying his concern.

First Assessment: Herbal Healing.

They had been stuck there for quite a while back then.

Because of their large numbers, there were many heavily injured magic beasts, each with different symptoms.

Aside from supports or Apothecaries, the others knew essentially nothing about this field, and the herbs they gathered were all incorrect.

Healing skills were useless, and with so many people, they were in a state of chaotic bustle for a time.

In the end, it was Gray who came up with a solution: he had some people buy inheritances related to herbal knowledge from the mall, which allowed them to successfully pass that round of the Assessment.

Yet the other party's progress seemed much faster than theirs?

When the other party entered the Assessment, he had caught a glimpse; it hadn't even been half an hour, and they had already passed?

Was it because their numbers were small? Or had they found another, faster method?

Seeing Horn's apparent concern, Gray spoke up:

"Your Majesty."

Horn turned his head.

"Your Majesty, there is no need to be too concerned. One step ahead means staying ahead. We have already completed the fifth Assessment, while they have only just reached the second. Even if they are a bit faster, so what? They won't be able to catch up to us."

After hearing this, Horn nodded and gave a soft grunt of affirmation.

"Mm."

Then he raised his head and looked toward the passage leading to the next Assessment, his gaze darkening.

No matter what, they were determined to obtain this plane.

They couldn't let another race take it!

...

Meanwhile, on the other side.

After completing the rescue, new white text popped up before Gu Changming and the others.

[First Assessment: Passed]

The moment the subtitles appeared, the air directly in front of the clearing began to warp.

A gate of light emerged from the void, its outline gradually becoming clear.

Seeing the words "Assessment Passed," a hint of surprise and joy flashed in Cui Jingming's eyes.

He had originally thought it would take a lot of effort, but he didn't expect that using herbs purchased from the mall would greatly speed things up.

After the light gate appeared, he immediately turned and signaled to the squad leaders behind him.

"Check the head count, get ready to go in."

A moment later, voices confirming they were ready came from behind.

He nodded and took the first step, walking toward the gate of light.

Gu Changming took a look and followed.

They stepped into the light gate.

Just like before, their vision blurred.

The sensation of weightlessness lasted for nearly half a second.

When their vision cleared again, they were standing in a pure white space. Like the previous inheritance Assessment, the surroundings were pure white, making it impossible to distinguish any boundaries.

Before everyone could steady themselves, the sound of fighting came from both sides, drawing their attention.

They looked to both sides; at a distance of no more than two hundred meters, they could see two other areas enclosed by pure white, similar to their own.

In the area on the left stood nearly a hundred slender individuals.

Their skin had a faint silver-gray tint, and two pairs of translucent membrane wings extended from their backs, folded against their shoulder blades, making them look somewhat like bats turned into humans.

On the right, in that area, was something else. They were a size larger than humans, with rugged outlines and crystalline protrusions at their joints, looking somewhat like silicon-based organisms.

Although Gu Changming noticed them, the arrival of Gu Changming's group did not attract the attention of those two parties.

They were busy at the moment.

Busy engaged in a frantic slaughter with a group of a race that was roughly equal to them in number, with black-red skin, slender builds, and short, curved Horns on their foreheads, resembling demons.

Seeing this scene, Cui Jingming and the others roughly understood the Assessment they were about to undergo.

Afterward, they withdrew their gaze and looked toward where the white subtitles appeared, waiting for the projection of the Assessment rules.

The white text hadn't appeared yet, but a light screen hung in mid-air, listing eight progress bars.

It showed the progress of each race.

At the very top: Beast-Eared Clan, Sixth Assessment.

And at the very bottom, in the second Assessment, it showed them and these two other races.

Seeing the lagging progress, Cui Jingming's eyes flickered.

He had thought he might not be in the lead, but he hadn't expected them to be the furthest behind, while the top group, the Beast-Eared Clan, had already reached the sixth Assessment.

Gu Changming, however, was not surprised by this.

Other races might have been lucky, with the Assessment appearing right at their doorstep, or they might have been prepared, finding and entering the plane entrance to start the Assessment as soon as it began.

As for them, gathering people had taken quite a bit of time, and then they had wasted more time waiting for everyone to arrive, so their progress naturally lagged behind the others.

What?

Why not wait until everyone was there before starting the Assessment?

Other races had gained their time advantage by racing against the clock; why should they wait for you to be ready before starting the Assessment?

Seeing the lagging progress, not only Cui Jingming but also the various squads below began to whisper among themselves.

But soon, the voices died down.

Because white subtitles emerged in mid-air.

[Second Assessment: Lesser Demon Trial]

[Rules: Based on your team's total number, average level, and comprehensive combat power, an equal number of Lesser Demon enemies with equivalent combat power will be generated.]

[The Lesser Demons will possess an overall strength distribution similar to your team.]

[Wiping out all Lesser Demons will be considered passing.]

[Those who are killed will be eliminated and exit the Assessment; survivors will proceed to the next round.]

After reading the Assessment rules, Gu Changming glanced at his own panel.

It was just a more detailed introduction; there were no hidden rules.

So this Assessment didn't have any traps; it was simply a test of their combat power.

The rules finished displaying.

The clearing in front of them began to warp.

Immediately after, Lesser Demons with the same black-red skin they had seen before stepped out from the warped spatial ripples.

One.

Fifty.

Over a hundred.

Finally, nearly three hundred Lesser Demons appeared opposite them, basically matching their team's current headcount.

...

After the Lesser Demons appeared, the atmosphere became stagnant.

The squad members behind Cui Jingming couldn't help but tighten their grip on their weapons, staring tensely at the group of Lesser Demons a hundred meters away, knowing a brutal battle was about to take place.

Cui Jingming also gripped his greatsword and licked his lips, his gaze sweeping across the opposing side.

Soon, his gaze fixed on the Lesser Demon at the very front.

That fellow was a full head taller than his peers, with broad shoulders and a thick back, holding a heavy black hammer with a head larger than a human's.

That was it; this guy was likely the strongest boss on the other side.

After staring at the opponent for half a second, Cui Jingming immediately shouted, "The one with the hammer is mine!"

As a leader, he naturally had to take responsibility and face the strongest opponent to ease the pressure on those below him.

Sure enough, after these words were spoken, the tense atmosphere eased considerably.

However, as he spoke, Gu Changming also followed his gaze and glanced at the large Lesser Demon.

After just one glance, he looked away and continued scanning the crowd of Lesser Demons.

That hammer-wielding Lesser Demon just now... C-rank.

Its aura was between three hundred and four hundred; at most, it was mid-tier combat power.

Gu Changming continued his scan.

According to the rules of matching numbers and combat power, it meant there was definitely someone on the other side whose strength far exceeded that guy's.

After all, he was considered a high-combat-power B-rank; there had to be someone on the other side who could match him.

On his second sweep, Gu Changming's gaze stopped, landing on the edge of the Lesser Demon group, near the left side...