Chapter 74: Tower of Apocalypse

The grand yet icy voice in the broadcast continued to echo.

"Students who are twenty years of age, or whose Rank is below fifteen, or whose Rank exceeds twenty, please leave the square immediately."

The voice was devoid of any emotion, like a mechanical verdict.

"I reiterate."

"Students who are twenty years of age, or whose Rank is below fifteen, or whose Rank exceeds twenty, please leave the square immediately."

"Otherwise, bear the consequences at your own risk."

Nearly a thousand examinees in the square looked at each other in dismay, and a suppressed commotion arose among the crowd.

"What kind of joke is this? My older brother took the exam at twenty last year, why is it not allowed this year?"

"Exceeding Rank twenty is not allowed either? What kind of crappy rule is this?"

"It must be just to scare people; they say that every year."

Amidst the whispers, no one took the initiative to move their feet.

Everyone held a shred of wishful thinking, believing this was merely routine pre-exam deterrence.

The next instant.

Hum—!

The ancient runes on the ground of the entire square suddenly erupted with a dazzling, intense light!

"Ah—!"

"My legs! My legs can't move!"

"So painful! Help!"

Screams of agonizing terror rose one after another. Dozens of students collapsed to the ground without warning, their bodies twitching violently as cold sweat instantly soaked their clothes.

That light was like an invisible shackle, nailing them firmly in place and inflicting unbearable pain.

The voice in the broadcast sounded once more, carrying a hint of mocking chilliness.

"Why is it that whenever I speak, someone always refuses to listen?"

"Here, do not harbor any wishful thinking!"

Soon, several teams of uniformed staff rushed into the venue, expressionlessly carrying away the howling students one by one with practiced and efficient movements, devoid of the slightest sympathy.

The clamor in the square instantly subsided, and the remaining examinees were as silent as cicadas in winter, not daring to hold even half a shred of wishful thinking anymore.

Until the last rule-breaker was dragged away, that voice regained its calmness.

"Now, announcing the rules of the grand examination."

"This year's grand examination is divided into two rounds."

"The first round is the provincial examination, and the second round is the National Examination."

"Only examinees who achieve top five results in the provincial examination are qualified to represent our Dongning Province, participate in the National Examination, and vie for the title of national top scorer."

"Therefore, the vast majority of you should focus your attention on the provincial examination."

"Now, announcing the rules of the provincial examination."

"Next, you will be teleported to the assessment ground—the Tower of Apocalypse."

"Each and every one of you will enter an independent trial space."

"The Tower of Apocalypse has a total of eighteen floors."

"Only examinees who successfully step onto the tenth floor will enter the field of vision of the assessors from various major institutions."

"They will conduct a comprehensive evaluation based on your specific performance inside the tower."

"A reminder here."

"Only examinees who climb to the thirteenth floor will have the opportunity to enter the field of vision of assessors from top-tier institutions such as Imperial Capital and Demon Capital."

"Of course, this does not mean you will definitely be admitted."

"The ultimate evaluation standard remains your performance within the dungeon."

"Examinees with support-type classes need not worry; the assessment mechanism of the Tower of Apocalypse will tailor the assessment content according to your class characteristics."

Zhou Huai's consciousness was inside Gandalf, and hearing these words left him speechless.

A tower again.

From the Trial Tower to this Tower of Apocalypse.

The assessment system of this world seemed to have some paranoid fondness for structures like towers.

The voice in the broadcast continued.

"Rule Two: After examinees enter the dungeon, the upper limit for using recovery-type props is five times."

"Whether recovering Health Points or Mana Points, the total must not exceed five times."

"Any enhancement-type props are strictly prohibited from use."

"Violators will be directly stripped of their assessment qualifications."

"Rule Three: Examinees whose Rank has reached twenty are strictly prohibited from using ultimate skills comprehended at twenty during the assessment."

"Violators will likewise have their assessment qualifications stripped."

"In addition, the assessment difficulty for Rank twenty examinees will correspondingly increase by fifty percent."

As soon as this rule was announced, a few suppressed wails instantly erupted from the crowd.

"What? Not allowed to use ultimate skills?"

"I worked so hard to train to Rank twenty just to make a stunning debut in the grand examination!"

"And the difficulty is increased by fifty percent? If I had known earlier, I would have stuck my Rank at nineteen! This is unfair!"

A sturdy male student was so angry his face turned flushed red, his fists cracking as he clenched them.

The voice in the broadcast ignored these complaints.

"The rules have been announced."

"I wish all examinees success in the grand examination."

Just as the voice fell.

High up in the sky, a barely visible black dot abruptly appeared.

That black dot magnified rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye, resembling a star falling from beyond the heavens.

In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a massive shadow blocking the sky and sun, enveloping the entire square and even a little over half of Jiangning City within it.

The sunlight was completely devoured.

Everyone subconsciously looked up, their pupils reflecting that Soul-stirring scene.

A giant tower, whose magnificence could not be described with words, quietly hovered above the firmament.

The body of the tower was forged from an unknown material, presenting an entire body of profound ink-black color as if it could absorb all light.

Ancient and mysterious blue runes slowly flowed across the tower's body like living creatures, outlining profound and esoteric trajectories while emitting a heart-palpitating coercion.

It was too huge.

So huge that it seemed to connect heaven and earth, its spire already plunged deep into the clouds, its summit out of sight.

"My goodness…"

"That… that is… the Tower of Apocalypse?"

"This… this must be an illusion, right? This is definitely an illusion!"

Bursts of exclamations erupted from the crowd, and everyone was shocked numb by this miraculous scene.

Zhou Huai, controlling Gandalf, looked up at that giant tower, and a ripple could not help but rise in his heart.

As expected of the grand examination.

Truly a lavish display.

The next moment, a huge blue pillar of light suddenly lit up at the bottom of the giant tower.

The pillar of light descended from the sky, precisely enveloping all examinees in the entire square within it.

Zhou Huai only felt his vision blur, and a gentle yet irresistible force wrapped around his entire body.

By the time he recovered his senses, he was no longer on the noisy square.

There were no longer bustling students around him.

He was already inside a huge and empty tower.

The surroundings were pitch dark, and only the flowing runes on the tower walls emitted a faint light, barely illuminating the environment.

His current location was the bottom layer of the tower.

Looking up, the center of the tower was a huge annular hollow structure, where one could vaguely see the antique stone railings of the floors above.

Carved on the railings were twisted and eerie mysterious patterns, exuding an ominous aura.

And at the extremely high top of the tower hung a huge ancient bronze bell.

Having weathered countless years, the bronze bell was covered with mottled green rust, and a heavy, desolate aura rushed toward his face.

Zhou Huai controlled Gandalf, sizing up the environment at the bottom of the tower.

It was very spacious, large enough to hold two soccer fields.

Gandalf's solitary figure appeared exceptionally tiny here.

Zhou Huai scanned around, finding no stairs leading to the upper floor.

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

That icy broadcast voice rang out again in the empty tower.

"After the bronze bell rings, the assessment officially begins."

"Assessment time: ten hours."

"During the assessment, those who encounter fatal damage will be directly teleported out of the tower."

As the voice fell.

Clang—!

The huge ancient bronze bell at the top of the tower let out a long, dull bell chime without any warning.

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

At the same time.

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

Streams of white light flashed out of thin air!

As the light dispersed, dozens of ferocious-looking exotic beasts unexpectedly appeared at the bottom of the tower.

Their entire bodies were pitch-black, shaped like fierce wolves, yet they had no physical form. Their bodies were composed of clusters of twisted shadows, and pairs of scarlet eyes locked onto Gandalf dead in the dimness.

Shadow Swamp Hunting Lizards!

A full fifty of them!

Moreover, the Rank of every single one had reached LV20!