This assessment is very simple. You just need to walk across the Bridge of Integrity in the academy.
This is why the third assessment is so close to the second assessment.
The thirty-six people who passed two tests in a row were brought to the Bridge of Inquiry, including Wang Qiubai who had been taken away earlier.
Originally, her behavior of attacking other candidates was extremely bad and she would be disqualified from the examination. She was so arrogant before she even entered the college. What would happen after she entered the college?
However, the third elder of the academy's elders happened to be from the Wang family. He dragged Xue Huan into the discussion, "While Wang Qiubai's attack on the other candidates was certainly wrong, Xue Huan's counterattack was excessive. If Wang Qiubai hadn't been wearing a defensive magical weapon, he would have died on the spot. The academy can't afford a student with such a vicious heart."
Elder Wang calculated that the dean valued Xue Huan and would not want to see Xue Huan disqualified from the assessment.
This made Wei Ziping furious. "So Wang Qiubai is the only one allowed to attack, but Xue Huan isn't allowed to fight back? So Xue Huan should just stand there and let Wang Qiubai attack her, so she wouldn't be considered cruel, right?"
Elder Wang did not answer, but the expression on his face clearly showed his acknowledgement.
Wei Ziping rolled up his sleeves and was about to go up and have a proper battle with him, but was stopped by the Second Elder, "Don't ruin the relationship over these two candidates. Let's discuss this properly."
Wei Ziping: "What's there to discuss? Old Xiao, as the dean, you're just going to watch your apprentice being bullied?"
Elder Wang: "Great Elder, what you said is wrong. What do you mean by being bullied? Who has ever bullied Xue Huan?"
Seeing that the two sides were about to quarrel again, Xiao Shengtian finally spoke up, "Let's have another test. Whoever passes can continue to participate in the assessment. If you fail, your qualification will be revoked and you will not be allowed to register for the assessment again for three years."
Wei Ziping and Elder Wang looked at each other, then turned away with a snort of anger.
Neither of them spoke, and the matter was settled.
As for the content of the additional test, several people present discussed it. Elder Wang proposed to test alchemy based on Wang Qiubai's own advantages. He thought that since Xue Huan was a commoner, she naturally had no access to such a costly skill as alchemy. Let alone alchemy, she probably had never even touched an alchemy furnace.
Compared to himself, Wang Qiubai has a greater chance of winning.
Although Xiao Shengtian was very optimistic about Xue Huan and even had the idea of taking her as his disciple, he could not openly stand on her side at this moment, so Wei Ziping, as an old friend, spoke up.
"Elder Wang, please don't be so selfish. You knew Wang Qiubai was better at alchemy, yet you still deliberately proposed this competition method. It's clearly intentional favoritism towards her. In my opinion, if you want to compete, let's compete in something neither of them is good at. That way, you can see how good each of them is."
The two parties quarreled again.
It seemed that the dispute was because of the content of the competition between Wang Qiubai and Xue Huan, but in fact it was a competition between the aristocratic family faction represented by the Wang family and the dean's faction.
Although Xiao Shengtian comes from a noble family, he does not belong to the noble family faction. Since he became the dean, he has adhered to the academy's long-standing philosophy of teaching without distinction and being open to everyone, and must be fair and just. However, the noble family faction wants to turn the academy into their own private academy, specifically to train their own children.
The two sides' ideas often clash.
Because most of the external resources are in the hands of aristocratic families, and aristocratic families marry each other, the probability of their offspring having spiritual roots and talents is much higher than that of ordinary people. Most of the qualified ordinary people are also recruited by aristocratic families, resulting in most of the students entering the academy coming from aristocratic families, or having defected to aristocratic families.
There are fewer and fewer senior members of the academy who come from commoner backgrounds, and the aristocratic factions have more and more say.
Elder Wang wanted to use this incident between Wang Qiubai and Xue Huan to once again strengthen the voice of the aristocratic faction. As for who was right or wrong, it was not important. In short, Wang Qiubai, who came from an aristocratic family, must not be defeated in a confrontation with Xue Huan, a commoner!
Xiao Shengtian didn't want to waste time arguing any further. "Let them try going to the second floor of the Tower of Babel. If they can reach level 100 or above, they'll be considered qualified."
The trial project on the second floor of the Tower of Babel is the Ladder to Heaven. The Ladder to Heaven is also a gravity field. The higher the steps, the higher the gravity coefficient, and the more difficult it is for people to step on it. In addition, there is a kind of phantom flower planted on both sides of the Ladder to Heaven. The fragrance, pollen and even color of this flower have a strong hallucinogenic effect.
Once you fall into the illusion, it becomes even more difficult to move forward.
Many people in the academy have come to this level for trials, but so far, no one has successfully reached the top, and the best result is only the 658th step.
Although the Tower of Babel is in the academy, it does not belong to the academy or any force in the spiritual world. It has simply existed there since time immemorial. All the trial fields in the tower have their own operating rules and cannot be controlled by outsiders.
As for the control room on the first floor, it is more like a small authority that countless predecessors of the academy have obtained from the Tower of Babel for their descendants rather than a control room. They can only watch from the side but cannot interfere.
No one can interfere, so the results of the competition can reflect fairness to the greatest extent.
Elder Wang thought of Xue Huan's reaction when she encountered the gravity field swamp in the Eternal Labyrinth. It was obviously her first time encountering it, but Wang Qiubai had seen it a long time ago and even often trained in the gravity field set up by the Wang family.
Therefore, this competition is obviously more advantageous to Wang Qiubai.
So he agreed.
While others were still searching for an exit in the maze, Xue Huan and Wang Qiubai once again entered the Tower of Babel for an additional test.
The Ladder to Heaven is worthy of its name. Standing on the bottom level, you can't see its end at all, as if it really connects to the sky.
Wang Qiubai glanced at Xue Huan with contempt and a sense of superiority, and stepped onto the ladder to heaven first.
Xue Huan didn't rush to step on it, but looked around.
The steps of the ladder to heaven seem to be carved from jade, transparent and flawless, pure and clean, able to clearly reflect people's shadows. On both sides of the ladder to heaven are planted small lavender flowers, which extend upwards along the steps, like a flower belt floating down from the sky.
The flower emits a faint fragrance that is refreshing.
Apart from this, there is nothing else to see here.
Xue Huan took out a spirit-clearing pill and put it in her mouth, then stepped onto the first step of the ladder to heaven.
As soon as she stepped on it, she felt a heavy pressure, as if a mountain was pressing down on her shoulders, and her body was pressed down a little.
This is only the first step, and the pressure is already so great. The higher you go, the greater the pressure will be. By then, let alone climbing the stairs, it will be difficult to even move.
In contrast, Wang Qiubai had already climbed more than ten steps.
While her body was under tremendous pressure, Xue Huan also had an illusion before her eyes. The illusion was of a soft bed that looked very comfortable to sleep on, with delicious fruits and snacks placed next to it.
The refreshing taste of the spirit-clearing pill in her mouth cleared her mind, and the illusion disappeared in an instant.
In fact, even without the Mind Clearing Pill, this simple illusion would not confuse her, but it would still take some concentration to struggle out of it.
It is better not to be distracted when climbing stairs.
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