Dong Yan Cuo, Yun Qingqing, and Ye Wan Jun all had white light spheres above their heads.

  "So, I have to be separated from sister?" The little girl was a bit reluctant.

  "I want to be with Huan Huan," Dong Yan Cuo said disappointedly.

  "Be careful on your own. They’ll team up and target lone wolves first," Ye Wan Jun added a reminder.

  Forming alliances had started from the first stage. He had seen many groups working together.

  "Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. As for you three, it’s best to stick together. Hold back a bit, just focus on protecting yourselves. Don’t provoke others," Nan Gong Huan said, especially looking at Dong Yan Cuo. She wasn’t entirely sure about his strength, and there was a chance he might throw everyone out of the arena in a fit of anger...

  Of course, the incredibly strong little girl wasn’t to be trifled with either. With the three of them together, Ye Wan Jun would also have some extra protection.

  Everyone gradually split into groups, and the three watched as Nan Gong Huan headed to the second training ground.

  At the edges of both training grounds, semi-transparent white barriers rose, enclosing all the disciples. Anyone who stepped out of the circle would be eliminated.

  People formed their own groups, while those without companions tried to form alliances on the spot or moved toward the center of the training ground to avoid being on the edge and more easily eliminated.

  Nan Gong Huan stood tall and straight at the edge. She glanced around and saw that most of the disciples were at the First Spirit Life, with only a few at the Second Spirit Life.

  She didn’t need to provoke anyone unless someone foolishly tried to eliminate her.

  The training ground with a thousand people was slightly crowded. Once everyone had positioned themselves, they began looking for easy targets. Many people’s first target was Nan Gong Huan.

  She was alone, standing at the edge, and seemed like an easy elimination.

  In contrast, the trio on the other side had taken the very center. Dong Yan Cuo exuded a chilling aura, and anyone who came within ten meters of him felt suffocated.

  "The assessment has no time limit. Summoning spirit beasts and using mechanical devices are allowed until only a hundred people remain. Of course, if someone is on the verge of death, the elders will step in to save them, but that person will lose their qualification for the assessment. Now, I declare the assessment begins!" The mentor in charge of the assessment announced loudly.

  As soon as the mentor’s voice fell, everyone immediately became restless. Summoners called out their spirit beasts, while mechanists took out their defensive or offensive devices to attack others.

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  Some groups directly started ganging up on the nearest people, with various flying blades and energy waves appearing in the arena, accompanied by constant danger.

  Others targeted lone wolves, and four of them charged at Nan Gong Huan.

  Two were mages, casting wind blades and fireballs from a distance, while the other two were spirit martial artists, drawing their swords to get close to her.

  Nan Gong Huan remained calm. In her eyes, they were moving in slow motion at 0.1x speed. She simply released the spiritual energy pressure of her Third Spirit Life, and all the wind blades and fireballs naturally dissipated in the air. The two spirit martial artists were also suppressed, stumbling and rolling to the ground.

  They looked at Nan Gong Huan with fear, scrambling away from her without caring about their dignity.

  Their hearts screamed in shock—what kind of genius was this, already at the Third Spirit Life at sixteen! Why would the academy keep such a genius here to fight with us First Spirit Life nobodies?!

  In fact, with the Moon Sovereign’s token, Nan Gong Huan could have entered the academy without taking the assessment, but she wanted to stay to accompany Dong Yan Cuo and Ye Wan Jun and also experience the intensity of the assessment.

  For First Spirit Life disciples, this assessment might be a bit challenging, but for her, it was nothing.

  Instantly, a vacuum zone formed around Nan Gong Huan. No one dared to come within ten meters of her.

  Of course, occasionally some stray magical skills landed near her, or some disciples were sent flying her way, but Nan Gong Huan easily sidestepped them.

  Due to the crowded arena, eliminations happened quickly. In just one minute, over three hundred people had been eliminated.

  A few who were nearly beaten to death were immediately rescued by the elders, losing their qualification for the assessment.

  Nan Gong Huan silently observed the chaotic arena. What intrigued her the most were the small attack devices floating in the air. They were made by mechanists, embedded with elemental crystals, and could autonomously use magical skills.

  For example, the one closest to her looked like a flying saucer, embedded with a large earth crystal. Every second, it would condense a rock ball and hurl it at someone’s head.

  There was also a device shaped like a small bird, embedded with a wind crystal, continuously spitting out wind blades from its mouth.

  Don’t underestimate mechanists. Although they don’t have powerful martial skills to protect themselves and are quite fragile, the devices they create allow them to be fearless in the arena.

  High Spirit Life mechanists can create devices that are even more powerful than cultivators of the same Spirit Life!

  Is this the charm of mechanists? Nan Gong Huan curiously watched the various oddly shaped devices flying in the sky, and some ideas began to form in her mind.

  Another minute passed, and half of the people in the arena had been eliminated, making it much more spacious. The tension quickly spread.

  The eliminated disciples looked dejected. They only had this one chance, and failure meant they could never enter the academy. But they were still willing to stay and watch which geniuses would ultimately make it into the academy.

  At that moment, a white metal ball device suddenly fell from the sky, rolling to Nan Gong Huan’s feet and gently bumping into her shoe before stopping.

  "Sorry, sorry, the crystal’s energy ran out. Did it hurt you?" A thin, scruffy-looking boy hurried over to Nan Gong Huan. His clothes were patched and worn, and even his shoes were falling apart.

  He nervously looked at her while picking up the metal ball, then silently took two steps back and quickly replaced the crystal inside with a new fire crystal.

  Seeing Nan Gong Huan silent and staring at the metal ball in his hand, the boy grew even more anxious. He noticed the clear space around her and knew her cultivation level was high, and no one dared to mess with her.

  "How does this work? Teach me?" Nan Gong Huan used the word "play." She had noticed this metal ball earlier—it was undoubtedly the most outstanding among all the devices, its power at least double that of the others.

  The boy looked horrified, his hands sweating as he held the metal ball.

  But his mind worked quickly, and he noticed others trying to attack him. He quickly formed an alliance, saying, "I’ll let you play with it, but you have to make sure I don’t get eliminated."

  "Deal," Nan Gong Huan agreed readily.