Chapter 98: Chapter 90: The Little Match Boy! (Extra chapter for monthly votes! Continue to ask for votes!)

Yunshan PortTemple.

The layout here had been changed; it was no longer that of a banquet hall, but instead had become a solemn venue resembling one used for grand ceremonies.

Experts from major powers and the three major schools were gathered in abundance.

Many were discussing the situation of the candidates in this examination.

"Everyone!"

The void flashed.

A white-haired elder suddenly appeared, his voice booming like a great bell.

Everyone turned to look at him.

"It turns out to be the Great Upholder of the Zhong Li Family, Mr. Sun of the Dragon-Tiger Cannon Hammer."

Someone greeted him with a smile, though their gaze remained fixed on the undead corpse he was carrying.

All eyes were drawn to the undead corpse.

"Do you know the situation inside the examination hall?" the white-haired elder asked.

"It's impossible to know—as soon as we conduct detection, it will stimulate the Dharma Realm, making the trials below even harder. So don't rush, just wait patiently," explained the Jia Lan Examiner.

"That's right, the area below has been sealed off," echoed the Gui Xu Proctor.

The gazes of the three interlocked for a moment.

The proctors' expressions grew more stern, but the white-haired elder had a look of disdain.

"What are you looking at? When I was studying at Azure Academy, you few brats had not even been born," he scoffed.

"Making such a fuss over an examination."

He snorted and was about to speak, the hand pointing at the undead corpse, when suddenly a wave of drowsiness swept over him.

This is bad!

What on earth was that thing just now?

He had fallen into a trap!

—Before treating the injury, hurry up and get things done!

The white-haired elder's thoughts raced as he shouted, "Shen Ye summoned a catastrophe, but my young master saw through it and sent me alone to break it. Everyone, quickly save me—"

His voice was urgent and lofty, and by the second half of his plea, it was thunderous, echoing throughout the entire hall.

All the people around him turned to look.

No one spoke.

The white-haired elder first let out a sigh of relief as if unburdened, then looked around at the others with a sense of pride, but slowly, his expression changed.

The people were just coldly watching him, seemingly indifferent to his speech.

The white-haired elder was furious, shouting loudly:

"A candidate was bewitched by a catastrophe and killed dozens of people in the examination field. Are you going to be so rigid as to wait until the exam is over to deal with it?"

Still no one spoke.

The whole hall was silent.

The white-haired elder, unable to contain his rage, flung the undead assassin's corpse to the ground and was about to say more when he suddenly realized something.

No.

Something was off...

The faces of these people seemed completely different from those in his memory.

The white-haired elder looked carefully, and a chill suddenly ran up his spine.

All of their faces were exactly the same!

Upon closer inspection, these people were not at all people, but rather a series of twisted patterns spreading across the broad, white porcelain floor.

The only real person there was himself!

…He was, in fact, standing on a plate.

As if sensing something, the white-haired elder looked up.

Above him was a giant face shrouded in shadow, looming over him.

This face was larger than the entire plaza.

It watched him silently, maintaining a strange quiet.

The white-haired elder was stunned for a moment, then came to a realization and could not help but sigh deeply.

"I didn't have the slightest resistance."

"This technique..."

"It's too profound for humans..."

He hung his head.

His body gradually dispersed into wisps of grey shadow, flying towards the giant face in the air.

At the same time.

Above Yunshan Port's Temple.

"Making such a fuss over an examination."

The words had barely left his mouth.

Thump!

The white-haired elder fell to the ground.

Several powerful figures immediately rushed over, trying to help him up.

But soon they realized something.

The Great Upholder of the Zhong Li Family was dead.

"Strange!"

Cang Nanyan suddenly rose to his feet and exclaimed loudly, "Could there be changes in the examination down below?"

"Stay calm, the newcomers who have been jointly vetted by Kunlun and the Three Major Organizations would never summon such a catastrophe!" said the Gui Xu Academy Proctor coldly.

"That's right, the Dharma Realm shrouds the examination field. If we intervene too much, unpredictable things will happen."

"Regardless of what the truth is, we must wait until the examination is over," added the Azure Academy Proctor.

...

Mountain.

Collapsed.

A door emerged atop the collapsed heap of boulders.

The door opened.

Shen Ye quietly appeared. seaʀᴄh thё Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"Wow, was the battle that intense?" he smacked his lips and remarked.

From a distance, a voice responded:

"Don't worry, both are dead."

Shen Ye followed the voice only to see a large skull floating up, coming towards him.

At the same time.

Lines of faint light emerged, coalescing into small characters:

The void silently revealed lines of tiny characters:

"Today, you solved a crisis with seamless, fluent, uninterrupted door-opening actions, so the entire crisis event is taken as the evaluation subject."

"——Incredible maneuvers saved your life."

"Evaluation: Faced with death traps from two worlds, as well as two beings capable of instantly killing you, you survived by a miraculous performance."

"For this door-opening, you've earned the right to choose."

"You can opt to upgrade the blue (Outstanding) evaluation entry 'The Boy Who Survived Great Adversities' by one level; or activate the reserved purple (One in Ten Thousand) entry 'The Little Match Boy'."

"Moreover, today you have escaped from a fatal danger."

"Evaluation Entry: The Boy Who Survived Great Adversities has been activated."

"Your basic attributes have all increased by two points."

"Current attributes are:"

"Strength: 6.3+2=8.3;"

"Agility: 8.1+2=10.1;"

"Spirit: 6+2=8;"

"Comprehension: 6+2=8;"

"Resonance: 11+2=13; Legacy Resonance under the moon +20;"

"Available Attribute Points: 10."

"Note: This entry is no longer available for use today."

Shen Ye took a glance at the improved attributes and then paid them no mind.

——These were hard-won through risking his own life.

He had nearly died!

He carefully read the previous explanation.

Upgrading "The Boy Who Survived Great Adversities" by one rank would reach purple (One in Ten Thousand).

"The Little Match Boy" was already purple (One in Ten Thousand).

Which to choose?

After a brief consideration, Shen Ye made his decision.

——Of course, he chose "The Little Match Boy."

That way, he would have one blue entry and one purple entry in hand.

If he chose to upgrade "The Boy Who Survived Great Adversities," then he would only have one purple entry.

Who wouldn't want an extra entry!

"I choose 'The Little Match Boy,'" Shen Ye silently asserted.

All the glimmers melded together, reforming into lines of tiny characters:

"For this door-opening, you have obtained the evaluation entry:"

"The Little Match Boy."

"Purple Entry (One in Ten Thousand)."

"Description: Whenever you spend 'an entire day' without entering the world beyond the door, the chance of obtaining 'better' entries increases by ten percent, up to a maximum of ninety percent."

"——Human longing and love are unstoppable; they accumulate and will one day burst forth like a deluge!"

"You may keep this evaluation entry and upgrade it in the future, or devour it to gain Basic Attribute Points."

This is good!

From now on, even if he was too busy to cross over, there was no need to worry!

If he stayed away for nine consecutive days and then crossed over once again, maybe he'd obtain an extremely powerful entry!

Suddenly, applause broke out.

Shen Ye quickly turned his head.

He saw a pretty girl standing on a nearby tree.

Behind the girl, a wooden-faced boy clung to the branch like a lizard or gecko, bowing respectfully to the girl before looking down at Shen Ye with a predator's gaze.

Zhao Yibing and The Skinner!

"I didn't sense her either—she's the shadow from before, but she's gotten stronger!"

The voice of the large skeleton immediately rang out.

Shen Ye's heart skipped a beat.

Although the great skeleton had lost its body, it still retained its strength.

But this time was entirely different from at the hotel.

It hadn't sensed the other's presence either!

"Hey! My old classmate, you're also taking the exam, huh?" Shen Ye greeted with a smile.

——There was no hiding this time.

The door had opened behind him, and this creature had seen it.

However——

Zhao Yibing hadn't made her move either.

She folded her arms, observing Shen Ye carefully, her eyes full of appreciation.

"That fight just now was absolutely thrilling, Shen Ye. Is that door your ability?"

"——It's an ability that emerged after devouring the King of the Fallen Wicked Ghouls' Cursed Sculpture."

"Ha ha, I have no clue what you're talking about," Shen Ye said.

"You're afraid of me," Zhao Yibing smiled casually, "No matter how much strength you accumulate, it's nothing but static power. You've transformed it into an amazing ability and used it so well."

"Don't worry, I'm not willing to—"

Before she could finish, a figure dropped from the sky, instantly positioning itself in front of Shen Ye.

——It was a little girl with twin ponytails, about five or six years old.

"Have you forgotten what I told you? Or do you really have a death wish?"

The little girl glared at Zhao Yibing fiercely.

Zhao Yibing remained indifferent, still folding her arms, and said teasingly:

"How much longer can you protect him?"

"Hmmph, killing you would still be easy!" the little girl retorted, while quickly forming a spell seal with one hand.

In an instant——

A roaring wind gusted.

Zhao Yibing sighed, seemingly upset by the disturbance, and said lightly:

"Do you think you can protect him forever?"

The little girl's eyes widened, and she suddenly shouted in a high-pitched voice:

"Get lost!"

The wind——

Transformed into a terrifying tide, uprooting the entire dense forest, lifting it into the air, and dropping it outside of the Floating Island.

Zhao Yibing stood at the tree's top, letting the fierce wind uproot the entire tree, carrying her and her subordinate through the sky at will.

She just looked at Shen Ye from a distance and then withdrew her gaze.