A small number of people didn't mean the competition was any less fierce.
Jiang Chen had just arrived and had no intention of drawing attention. He stationed himself at the back of the crowd. He understood that by convention, warriors who had been newly promoted to the Earth Spirit Area were classified as D-class — there was no other possibility.
Sure enough, before long, someone came to deliver the Earth Spirit Area assessment tokens.
Jiang Chen had ranked first in the Mystic Spirit Area examination, so his token number was 491. The others were numbered sequentially from 492 to 500.
The numbering was simple and straightforward enough, but carved on the back of the token were the words "D-class" — which proved that Jiang Chen's earlier guess had been entirely correct.
"So it's still D-class… Even after a hundred consecutive victories, the moment you step into new territory, you're still D-class." Jiang Chen tucked the token at his waist with a bitter smile.
When he had first entered the Mystic Spirit Area, the chief overseer Lord Fang had at least bothered to explain why they were classified as D-class warriors.
Here, Master Shuiyue clearly didn't even have the interest to make introductions.
Jiang Chen didn't mind. He stood among the crowd with his head lowered, not wanting to give anyone a handle to use against him, while secretly observing the warriors of the Earth Spirit Area.
"The Earth Spirit Area really is nothing like the Mystic Spirit Area. At least when we walked in, those mocking and dismissive glances were noticeably fewer. It seems the people who've made it here are far superior to those failures in the Mystic Spirit Area when it comes to mental fortitude and composure."
This was the first thing Jiang Chen noticed upon arriving.
Master Shuiyue's voice rang out once more: "You are all examination warriors for the Earth Spirit Area. Unlike the Mystic Spirit Area, your ambition should be to reach the Heavenly Spirit Area. Therefore, this cycle, your Hundred Battle examination will undergo a change in format. This time, your combat arenas will not simply be the kind with no external forces. Your combat arenas will be divided into the following types: Gravity Arena, Blaze Arena, Ice Arena, Thorn Arena, and Spirit-Devouring Arena."
Gravity Arena, Blaze Arena, Ice Arena, Thorn Arena, Spirit-Devouring Arena.
Jiang Chen committed the names of all five arenas to memory.
Master Shuiyue continued: "In other words, during this cycle, it will be impossible for you to fight on a standard arena. The arenas you face will be randomly drawn from among these five."
"What? No standard arenas?" A wave of dismay swept through the Earth Spirit Area warriors.
"You can't be serious? These five arenas sound terrifying just listening to their names. It looks like this time we won't just be fighting our opponents — we'll be fighting the arenas themselves."
"Exactly. Just hearing the names of these arenas gives me the creeps. I'm getting goosebumps already."
The Earth Spirit Area warriors were thoroughly demoralized.
For the past three months, their Hundred Battle examinations had all been conducted on standard arenas.
And now, just like that, Master Shuiyue had announced the arenas were changing. It was far too sudden. The warriors present could barely accept it.
"Silence!"
Master Shuiyue's voice turned commanding, and a cold shout cut through the air. Waves of icy energy surged from the void, as if they might freeze the very fabric of space.
Those complaining examination disciples turned ashen-faced, their voices choked off like cicadas in winter. Not one dared utter another word of complaint.
"This woman's got quite a temper — she loves throwing her weight around," Jiang Chen thought. He knew she was Long Juxue's master and naturally harbored not the slightest shred of respect for this Master Shuiyue.
However, circumstances demanded caution. The woman had become the chief overseer of the Earth Spirit Area, which meant Jiang Chen had no choice but to tread carefully.
From his experience with Lord Fang in the Mystic Spirit Area, Jiang Chen had deeply understood just how much power a chief overseer wielded.
If the chief overseer wanted to cheat, the other examiners would find it nearly impossible to intervene. If she wanted to suppress someone, she could do it so seamlessly that no one could find fault.
"My reputation from the Mystic Spirit Area has probably already reached this woman's ears. Given her personality, she's almost certainly going to give me some special 'attention.' Heh, these three months in the Earth Spirit Area probably won't be easy ones." At this point, Jiang Chen could only find humor in his hardship.
Five hundred people in total — not a large number. So the density of challenge matches would certainly be lower than in the Mystic Spirit Area.
However, the battles in the Earth Spirit Area would undoubtedly last longer.
Sure enough, Master Shuiyue said: "The challenge rules remain the same as the past three months. Everyone must complete one hundred challenges. Each battle has a time limit of half a shichen. If the opponent is not defeated within the allotted time, the winner will be decided based on the state of the match. If anyone still has questions, you may ask."
A disciple who had come from the Mystic Spirit Area immediately raised his hand: "Master, is the battle order still determined by random draw?"
"What a stupid question! I already told you the rules are the same as before. Other than the arenas and the match duration, nothing else changes." Master Shuiyue snapped.
Jiang Chen kept a low profile and couldn't be bothered to ask anything. Raising questions now would only attract hostility and invite suppression — there was absolutely no benefit.
In any case, the rules were straightforward enough. Having participated in the Mystic Spirit Area's Hundred Battle examination, Jiang Chen had long since mastered them inside and out. If the only changes were the combat arenas and the time limits, the substance remained the same as before.