Lin Xuan strolled into the pavilion as if walking through a garden, and walked towards the eleven dazed Sky Guards. Then he clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, saying, "Gentlemen, I wonder if this counts as passing the second test..."

"Yes, of course it counts!"

The two-striped Sky Guard was the first to react. He immediately took a deep breath before nodding hastily and saying, "Brother, you truly have remarkable skills. If I'm not mistaken, you are an array master! Moreover, your array mastery is extraordinary; you've probably already reached the level of a Spirit Array Master..."

Although this second test assesses one's character and willpower, Lin Xuan's use of array formations to break array formations could be considered somewhat opportunistic, or even cheating.

The problem is that the assessment rules only require passing through formations; there's no rule against using formation-breaking methods to pass. Furthermore, Lin Xuan's mastery of formations is undeniable. A spirit formation master is a guest of honor in countless forces, and even within the Sky Patrol Guard, he would be a figure of extraordinary status, destined for a bright future.

He wouldn't be foolish enough to make things difficult for Lin Xuan and offend a formation master; that would be extremely stupid.

"hehe!"

Lin Xuan smiled slightly, neither denying nor admitting it.

He is indeed a formation master, but he is not a spirit formation master, but a celestial formation master. His current formation mastery is no less than that of the formation master who set up these thirty-six great formations.

Even stronger.

Because Lin Xuan could easily break these thirty-six great formations, but this formation master might not be able to break the great formation set up by Lin Xuan.

Of course, this assumes the array master's skill level was at the time of setting up the array, not now. After all, so many years have passed; their array skills couldn't have remained unchanged.

"Brother, you've already passed the second test. You can wait a bit until the other test takers have passed before proceeding to the third test together," the two-patterned Sky Guard hurriedly said.

"good!"

Lin Xuan nodded, said no more, and then casually found a place to sit down and waited patiently for the second test to end.

He was the first to pass the test, and at an incredibly fast speed. No one else could keep up with that pace, a fact Lin Xuan was well aware of. So, once the second test was over, it would be quite a wait.

After nodding slightly to the eleven Sky Guards, Lin Xuan had no intention of communicating with them. He then found a place to sit down, cross-legged, and entered a meditative state.

Upon seeing this, the others couldn't help but sigh in dismay.

No wonder he became a spirit array master at such a young age; there's a reason for it. He doesn't even let a single second go by.

Lin Xuan was naturally unaware of what the others were thinking. He quickly entered a meditative state, carefully comprehending his own Ten Directions Martial Dao. He hoped to seize every moment to further improve his strength.

Time flies!

Several hours after Lin Xuan successfully completed the challenge, a second person finally succeeded. This then triggered a chain reaction, followed by a third, a fourth, and so on.

And just like that, a day passed by in the blink of an eye.

thump thump...

As the heavy bell tolled, the time for the second test finally arrived. Surprisingly, fewer than three hundred people had successfully passed; the rest were eliminated. The courtyard erupted in chaos after the two-patterned Sky Guard announced the results.

"Damn it, damn it, it was so close, so close!"

"Why...why can't I pass the second level even with my strength, while some people who are much weaker than me have actually passed it?"

"I'm not convinced. I worked so hard and went to great lengths to obtain the Sky Patrol Iron Token and get a chance to be tested. Why is this the result?"

"Hahaha, we lost, we lost after all, a complete defeat."

...

At that moment, a variety of sounds rang out in the courtyard, including wails, angry roars, and shouts of defiance. Some were wailing, some couldn't believe they had been eliminated, and others were laughing with excitement at having passed the test at the last minute.

The myriad aspects of human life are too numerous to mention.

However, regardless of their final reaction, they are destined to be eliminated, and that outcome will not change.

The remaining less than three hundred people finally entered the third stage.

The next day!

The Sky Patrol Division, on a training ground.

Less than three hundred examinees formed a square formation and gathered below a high platform in the training ground. At this moment, the eleven Sky Guards stood on the platform, looking down at everyone.

The leader of the two-patterned Sky Guards swept his gaze over everyone, lingering on Lin Xuan for a few seconds before saying in a deep voice, "First of all, congratulations to everyone for successfully passing the second test. Next is the third test."

This test assesses your combat strength. The assessment is very simple. You will be teleported to a small world occupied by demons. All you have to do is kill. Slay every demon and beast you see. Each kill will earn you points, which will be displayed on your Sky Patrol Iron Token.

The timeframe is three days.

Three days later, the top thirty scorers will pass the assessment, and the rest will be eliminated…

hiss!

As soon as these words were spoken, all the examinees' expressions changed instantly. Many of them couldn't help but gasp, cursing inwardly that the Sky Patrol Guard's elimination rate was too high. Out of three hundred people, only thirty were selected, a nearly 90% elimination rate. What kind of game was this?

However, things have come to this point, and even if you're unhappy, you can only grit your teeth and move forward; there's no other way.

Boom... Rumble...

Suddenly, just as everyone was discussing, the two-patterned Sky Guardian began to move. He raised his hand, and an array plate flew out, hovering in mid-air. It then emitted a dazzling light, condensing into a divine radiance that descended from the sky and landed on the high platform.

Buzz!

A flash of light pierced through space and time, and a black hole vortex formed in an instant.

"The passage is open. Everyone, go in immediately."

On the high platform, the two-striped Sky Guard gave a command, his voice booming like a great bell, which immediately exploded in mid-air.

Whoosh whoosh...

No sooner had he finished speaking than the others moved immediately. Without the slightest hesitation, they transformed into streaks of light and rushed straight toward the black hole vortex at the center of the pillar of light. Since it was a ranking competition, no one wanted to fall behind.

Of course, there are exceptions.

Take Lin Xuan for example. Compared to everyone else rushing to get ahead, he was the least in a hurry and took his time, queuing up at the very end.

He was confident that he could still come in first even if he was last. After all, killing demons and monsters wasn't just about speed; it was a contest of combat strength. Being a minute faster or slower made no difference.