Martial Master

A black figure stood silently in the sky, expressionless, without any indication of movement.

It was only after a stick of incense had burned out that Qin Chen finished his cultivation and opened his eyes, at which point a thunderous voice echoed throughout the ancient Southern Capital.

“The first round of the Martial Arts True Meaning assessment has concluded. A total of three hundred and ninety-eight participants have passed the first round. Now, we will immediately proceed to the second round of assessment.”

As the black figure appeared, the crowd erupted in an uproar, almost unable to believe their ears.

“That black stone chamber where Qin Chen was located clearly malfunctioned. How could that be considered passing the assessment?”

“What incredible luck!”

“This is simply unfair.”

The crowd was in an uproar, discussing among themselves, many people’s faces flushed with anger, especially those talented individuals who had been eliminated.

Why was it that they were eliminated while Qin Chen entered a malfunctioning black stone chamber and was still able to advance to the next round? Where was the fairness in such an assessment?

The black figure coldly glanced at the agitated geniuses in the square below, its icy gaze chilling many of them, causing them to hastily shut their mouths.

They could not forget the scene where someone defied the will of the ancient Southern Capital and was subsequently obliterated.

However, outside the ancient Southern Capital, those eliminated geniuses were still unwilling to accept their fate.

Especially several geniuses from the Great Wei Dynasty who had failed to pass the first round were naturally very dissatisfied and were cursing loudly, even spewing various insults.

Suddenly, the ancient Southern Capital shook violently, and an intangible light shot out, instantly obliterating those few individuals.

Silence!

A deathly silence.

The entire scene fell into a hushed stillness as everyone stared blankly at this moment, as quiet as a cicada in winter.

The top experts from the three major forces of the Great Wei Dynasty also trembled, their eyes filled with shock. The speed of that light was so fast that they could not react in time; even if it were them, they would probably be helpless, left to watch themselves being obliterated.

In an instant, everyone felt fear and no longer dared to utter a word.

The towering black figure did not spare a glance at this group of people, only coldly surveying them from above.

“The second round of assessment you face is the Array Assessment.”

The black figure raised a hand.

Buzz!

An invisible force descended, and the entire square was suddenly illuminated by a dazzling light, strange patterns rising beneath the feet of each participant. The three hundred and ninety-eight individuals who had passed the first round were all enveloped within it.

“What complex array patterns… This definitely surpasses the ninth level of array formations!”

Staring at the patterns below, Qin Chen's pupils constricted suddenly.

The entire array was a masterpiece of the Great Dao; with his vision, he could not discern any clues. This indicated that the level of this array had exceeded the limits of his understanding.

“In this array, you will face immense pressure. This pressure will gradually increase as time passes, and if you cannot endure it, your mind will be harmed, and you will spit out blood on the spot.”

“As long as you can hold on for more than an hour, you will pass the second round of assessment and can enter the third round of preliminaries.”

“The assessment will begin in five minutes. Please all prepare yourselves.”

“Now, does anyone have questions?”

The black figure looked down.

Everyone turned to Qin Chen. During the first round, Qin Chen had no knowledge of the true meaning of martial arts and had asked questions, which drew laughter from the crowd. They expected that he would certainly ask something during this round as well.

However, to their surprise, after hearing the assessment content, Qin Chen directly sat cross-legged, not appearing to have any questions at all.