Chapter 134: The Grand Teleportation Array

Li Jiansan walked back to his original position. Li Dabao glanced at him, his expression filled with concern.

"Brother Li, I’ve heard that he is notoriously ruthless. Anyone who offends him never meets a good end. Furthermore, he is an Elder, holding a status and position far above mine. Since you’ve crossed him, I’m afraid he will find all sorts of excuses to target you. Sigh, you were just too impulsive."

However, a moment later, Zhang Dabao added indignantly, "Though, I must say, there are some Elders in the Azure Dragon Academy that I can't stand either."

Li Jiansan cast a sidelong glance at him. *You hypocritical fatty...*

A moment later, the Chief Deacon’s eyes flashed with displeasure. "Quiet, all of you!"

His voice contained rolling power, exploding like a thunderclap and instantly silencing the crowd.

"The strong are respected; this is the law of survival we uphold at the Azure Dragon Academy! Therefore, you will now undergo the freshman assessment. We will rank your classes based on your results. The assessment will take place within the Labyrinth Forest. This test is known as the Labyrinth Forest Assessment, and all freshmen will participate."

"Now, I shall announce the rules of the Labyrinth Forest assessment."

"We are about to activate the Great Teleportation Array to send you directly into the Labyrinth Forest."

"A teleportation array? What is that?" Zhang Dabao asked, jumping up in alarm after the Chief Deacon finished speaking.

"It’s just a mobile formation. Don't worry, it's fine." Li Jiansan glanced at the flustered Zhang Dabao. As a dignified third-tier Spirit Array Master, he was naturally no stranger to such things.

Zhang Dabao grabbed Li Jiansan’s arm. "Brother Li, you must protect me."

"..." Li Jiansan remained silent.

The Chief Deacon continued, "You will spend the next seven days in the Labyrinth Forest. During these seven days, you may hunt spirit beasts and seize their essence cores." Essence cores served the same purpose for spirit beasts as internal elixirs did for humans.

"Of course, you may also plunder the essence cores of others. There are no restrictions on methods; life or death is immaterial. You are free to slaughter!"

After the Chief Deacon spoke those words, everyone gasped. No restrictions on life or death—was this going to be a battle to the death? Many freshmen began to look at one another. Although they were all exceptional talents, they had very little practical combat experience and had never faced true slaughter.

"After seven days, you will all be teleported back to the academy. We will tally the number of essence cores each of you has obtained. This will be your final score; in other words, whoever obtains the most essence cores will be the first-place winner."

Pausing, the Chief Deacon added, "If you encounter an insurmountable crisis in the Labyrinth Forest, you may drip your blood onto your identity token. An academy Elder will receive the signal and intervene immediately, but those who are rescued will be assigned to the lowest class."

"Lastly, remember: in the Labyrinth Forest, there are no limits on killing. Life and death are left to fate!"

The Chief Deacon reiterated the rule about unrestricted killing, and the entire venue was shocked. The academy had implicitly condoned life-or-death struggles within the forest. The thought of paying with one's life for a mere assessment made everyone tremble.

"No limits on killing? This is getting interesting." Unlike the horror on everyone else’s faces, Li Jiansan remained calm. As a supreme villain, he could finally start killing openly and rightfully.

"Finally, I will announce the rewards for this assessment. First place will be awarded three Golden Crow Pills; second place, two; and third place, one. Additionally, the top ten will be rewarded with ten thousand spirit stones."

"Furthermore, the top ten finishers will be permitted to enter the Spirit Treasure Pavilion to select a treasure!"

Upon hearing these rewards, everyone’s eyes burned with fervor. This so-called freshman assessment was likely to evolve into a bloodbath. As for Li Jiansan, his gaze sharpened upon hearing that the first-place prize included three Golden Crow Pills.

Golden Crow Pills were fourth-grade elixirs capable of increasing a martial artist’s physical strength several times over. Even in the Imperial Capital, fourth-grade elixirs were extremely precious—a cultivation resource possessed only by a very few major powers. Cultivation resources were exactly what Li Jiansan lacked most right now. With these pills, he would be able to make a breakthrough very soon.

At this moment, the surrounding disciples’ expressions changed drastically as they looked at one another with suspicion. They were all brilliant talents who had passed the academy’s entrance exam, but with so many geniuses competing, every person before them was a potential rival.

Li Jiansan now understood the rules: within seven days, whoever gathered the most essence cores in the Labyrinth Forest would be the ultimate winner. To hunt spirit beasts and seize cores required formidable strength; ultimately, this was nothing more than a process of survival of the fittest. The Azure Dragon Academy never lacked talent, but they sought the *best* talent. This assessment was designed to identify and prioritize those top-tier individuals.

The Chief Deacon scanned the surroundings and nodded slightly. "Now, we will activate the formation."

A moment later—*Hum!*

A violent tremor rippled through the void, and a sound that shook the heavens echoed across the sky, nearly knocking the nearby disciples to the ground. As the sound rang out, the earth shook violently. In the distance, the winds and clouds shifted as if a hurricane had suddenly descended, rolling outward. It was like a volcanic eruption, with waves of air rippling continuously and creating a vacuum in the vicinity.

Following the loud crash and the tremors, thunder rumbled as black clouds gathered, crisscrossed by constant flashes of lightning. The scene was truly thunderous, with endless peals and flashes of light.

These celestial phenomena were confined to the martial arts arena; the outside world remained completely unaffected. Inside the arena, thunder roared and shook incessantly, yet outside, it was perfectly still.

*Boom!*

The first bolt of lightning struck the ground with such brilliant radiance that it outshone the sun. This was only the beginning; countless bolts of lightning followed, seemingly tearing the surrounding space apart. Everyone’s hearts skipped a beat. When had they ever seen such a spectacle? It felt like a purgatory of lightning, as if they had been cast into an apocalyptic world.

Black clouds loomed, blotting out the sky!

The lightning continued for half a quarter of an hour. Suddenly, a pillar of light erupted from the ground, erupting like a volcano, piercing through the dark clouds and standing tall in the sky. This was not the end; one after another, pillars of light erupted until the black clouds dissipated, leaving nine pillars of light in the sky. Even from afar, Li Jiansan could feel the immense power of these pillars. Anyone close would surely feel insignificant, as each pillar was tens of thousands of feet thick.

Moreover, peculiar patterns shimmered upon them, glowing like scarlet, white-hot iron. These pillars were interconnected, forming a massive astral light array. The patterns on the pillars grew brighter, weaving together in the void until they condensed into a colossal formation.

The scene persisted for a long time before finally stabilizing. Then, a massive, heaven-covering gate manifested in the void, opening like a pair of eyes, its merciless gaze tearing through the firmament. A terrifying pressure accompanied it.

Then, a majestic voice resonated. Though deep, it carried a terrifying weight that made the void itself strain, causing the disciples in the distance to tremble.

"The teleportation array is open. Disciples entering the Labyrinth Forest have seven days!"

At this moment, everyone’s hearts began to palpitate uncontrollably. Their faces turned grim as they gazed at the light array with burning intensity. As they stepped onto the dark red platform, the entire void shook violently, as if the world itself were about to be obliterated. The massive light array in the sky hummed and trembled, with countless cracks appearing upon it.

Suddenly, the great array burst into dazzling light, connecting with the heavens, and a massive passageway instantly appeared in the void. However, the path was extremely unstable, appearing as if it might shatter at any moment. Under the influence of the great formation, countless figures were drawn toward the pitch-black passage. The channel trembled, forming numerous shocking fissures—a terrifying sight, as if the crushing power of space were engulfing them, leaving no room to escape.

Then, Li Jiansan stepped into the teleportation array...

Li Jiansan found himself in an open area, but there was no one else around.

"Having entered the Labyrinth Forest, everyone is wary of their surroundings, unsure of the situation. They must all be hiding in the shadows, waiting for the right moment."

Li Jiansan quickly analyzed the situation. *The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.* Anyone capable of entering the Azure Dragon Academy was no fool; they all understood this principle well.

"Survival of the fittest. Let’s see who gets the last laugh."

The Jiang Kingdom had a population of over ten billion, and the ten thousand martial artists gathered here were the cream of the crop from all across the nation. Everyone present undoubtedly had their own methods. These geniuses were about to engage in a slaughter within this forest. Without a doubt, only the strongest would emerge victorious. This would be an incredibly fierce competition.