The grand and icy voice from the broadcast continued to echo.

“Students who are twenty years old or older, or whose Rank is below fifteen, or whose Rank exceeds twenty, please ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) leave the plaza immediately.”

The voice was devoid of emotion, like a mechanical judgment.

“This is a reiteration.”

“Students who are twenty years old or older, or whose Rank is below fifteen, or whose Rank exceeds twenty, please leave the plaza immediately.”

“Otherwise, you will bear the consequences.”

The nearly thousand examinees in the plaza exchanged glances, and a suppressed commotion rose from the crowd.

“What a joke? My brother took the National Examination when he was twenty last year, why isn’t it allowed this year?”

“Even those above Rank twenty aren’t allowed? What kind of ridiculous rule is this?”

“They’re definitely just trying to scare us, they say this every year.”

Amidst the whispers, no one voluntarily moved.

Everyone held a glimmer of hope, believing it was merely a routine pre-examination deterrent.

The next instant.

Boom—!

The ancient runes on the entire plaza ground suddenly erupted with dazzling bright light!

“Ah—!”

“My leg! My leg can’t move!”

“It hurts so much! Help me!”

Piercing screams rose and fell, dozens of students collapsed to the ground without warning, convulsing violently, their clothes instantly soaked with cold sweat.

The light was like an invisible shackle, pinning them firmly in place, inflicting unbearable pain.

The voice from the broadcast sounded again, carrying a hint of mocking coldness.

“Why do some people always refuse to listen to what I’ve said?”

“Here, do not harbor any lucky!”

Soon, several teams of uniformed staff rushed into the arena, expressionlessly carrying out the wailing students one by one, their movements efficient and devoid of any sympathy.

The uproar in the plaza instantly subsided, the remaining examinees were silent as cicadas in winter, no longer daring to hold any hope.

It wasn’t until the last rule-breaker was dragged away that the voice returned to its calm tone.

“Now, announcing the rules of the Grand Examination.”

“This year’s Grand Examination will be divided into two rounds.”

“The first round is the Provincial Examination, and the second round is the National Examination.”

“Only examinees who achieve a top five ranking in the Provincial Examination will be qualified to represent our Dongning Province and participate in the National Examination, competing for the title of National Champion.”

“Therefore, most of you should focus on the Provincial Examination.”

“Now, announcing the rules for the Provincial Examination.”

“Next, you will be teleported to the assessment location—the Tower of Revelation.”

“Each of you will enter an independent Trial Space.”

“The Tower of Revelation has a total of eighteen floors.”

“Only examinees who successfully reach the tenth floor will enter the sight of the assessors from various academies.”

“They will conduct a comprehensive evaluation based on your specific performance within the Tower.”

“A reminder here.”

“Only examinees who climb to the thirteenth floor will have a chance to enter the sight of assessors from top academies like the Imperial Capital and Magic Capital.”

“Of course, this does not mean you are guaranteed admission.”

“The ultimate criterion for judgment remains your performance in the instance.”

“Examinees with support-type professions need not worry; the Tower of Revelation’s assessment mechanism will tailor the assessment content according to your professional characteristics.”

Zhou Huai’s consciousness, within Gandalf’s body, listened to these words and felt a surge of speechlessness.

Another Tower.

From the Trial Tower to this Tower of Revelation.

This world’s assessment system seemed to have a certain obsessive fondness for buildings like Towers.

The voice from the broadcast continued.

“Rule Two: After examinees enter the instance, the maximum number of times recovery items can be used is five.”

“Whether it’s recovering Health Points or Mana Points, the total must not exceed five times.”

“Any amplification items are strictly prohibited.”

“Violators will be directly disqualified from the assessment.”

“Rule Three: Examinees who have reached Rank twenty are strictly prohibited from using ultimate skills learned at Rank twenty during the assessment.”

“Violators will also be disqualified from the assessment.”

“Additionally, the assessment difficulty for Rank twenty examinees will be increased by fifty percent accordingly.”

As soon as this rule was announced, several suppressed wails immediately erupted from the crowd.

“What? Not allowed to use ultimate skills?”

“I worked so hard to train to Rank twenty precisely to make a splash in the Grand Examination!”

“And the difficulty is increased by fifty percent? If I had known, I would have kept my Rank at nineteen! This isn’t fair!”

A burly boy’s face turned crimson with anger, his fists clenching with a cracking sound.

The voice from the broadcast ignored these complaints.

“Rules announced.”

“I wish all examinees a successful Grand Examination.”

As soon as the words fell.

Above the sky, an almost imperceptible black dot suddenly appeared.

The black dot rapidly expanded at a visible speed, like a star falling from outer space.

In a blink of an eye, it transformed into a gigantic, sky-obscuring shadow, enveloping the entire plaza, and even half of Jiangning City.

The sunlight was completely swallowed.

Everyone subconsciously looked up, their pupils reflecting the breathtaking scene.

A colossal Tower, indescribably majestic, floated silently in the sky.

The Tower body, forged from an unknown material, was a deep, inky black, as if it could absorb all light.

Ancient and mysterious blue runes, like living things, slowly flowed across the Tower body, outlining profound trajectories and emanating a heart-pounding pressure.

It was too big.

So large that it seemed to connect heaven and earth, its spire already disappearing deep into the clouds, its top unseen.

“My God...”

“That... that is... the Tower of Revelation?”

“This... this must be an illusion, right? This is definitely an illusion!”

Gasps of astonishment erupted from the crowd, everyone’s scalps tingling from the shock of this miraculous sight.

Zhou Huai, controlling Gandalf, looked up at the giant Tower, and a ripple stirred in his heart.

As expected of the Grand Examination.

It was indeed a grand undertaking.

The next moment, the base of the giant Tower suddenly lit up with a massive blue beam of light.

The light beam descended from the sky, precisely enveloping all the examinees in the entire plaza.

Zhou Huai only felt a blur before his eyes, and a gentle yet irresistible force enveloped his entire body.

When he regained his senses, he was no longer in the bustling plaza.

There were no longer any bustling students around him either.

He was already inside a huge, empty Tower.

It was dim all around, with only the flowing runes on the Tower walls emitting a faint light, barely illuminating the surroundings.

His current position was the bottom floor of the Tower.

Looking up, the center of the Tower was a massive circular hollow structure, and he could vaguely see the ancient stone railings of the upper floors.

On the railings, twisted and bizarre mysterious patterns were carved, exuding an ominous aura.

And at the extremely high Tower top, a colossal ancient bronze bell hung.

The ancient bell had endured an unknown number of years, its body covered in mottled green rust, and a heavy, desolate aura assailed him.

Zhou Huai, controlling Gandalf, surveyed the environment at the bottom of the Tower.

It was very spacious, the size of two football fields.

Gandalf’s lone figure appeared exceptionally small here.

Zhou Huai scanned the area but found no stairs leading to the next floor.

Just as he was wondering how to proceed to the second floor.

The cold broadcast voice sounded again within the empty Tower.

“The assessment officially begins after the bronze bell rings.”

“Assessment time: ten hours.”

“During the assessment, those who suffer fatal injuries will be directly teleported out of the Tower.”

As his words fell.

Clang—!

The colossal ancient bronze bell at the top of the Tower unexpectedly let out a long, muffled chime.

The bell sound seemed to possess some kind of magic, exploding directly in the depths of the Soul, shaking one’s mind.

At the same time.

In front of Gandalf, on the open ground dozens of meters away.

Beams of white light flashed out of thin air!

As the light dissipated, dozens of ferocious-looking Strange Beast appeared at the bottom of the Tower.

They were entirely black, shaped like evil wolves, yet had no physical form, their bodies composed of twisted masses of shadows, and their pairs of crimson eyes were fixed on Gandalf in the dimness.

Shadow Swamp Hunter Lizard!

A full fifty of them!

Moreover, each one’s Rank had reached LV20!