Chapter 22 - Demonic Civilization

The students patiently waited for Tian Wen to announce the details of the challenge he had mentioned.

Tian Wen began, “First of all, I want to once again congratulate all of you for passing such a demanding exam. Although you have all proven that you’re elites, we will be having another test which will evaluate your strength relative to your classmates, subsequently influencing your college admission prospects.”

Han Wu raised an eyebrow upon hearing that. His grandfather’s dying wish had been for him to enroll into the Imperial College to find his missing parents in the Chaotic Starfield.

“This test will be held in a small base that our school is currently protecting,” Tian Wen continued. “While it’s not dangerous, you must understand that it's not entirely safe either. You will be sent out to base C-793826 on the Demonic Civilization. The details of the test will be sent to you upon your arrival. You have exactly one hour to prepare.”

The students, though initially caught off guard, quickly leaped into action upon hearing the one hour time limit, engaging in discussions about the impromptu exam.

“A base in the Demonic Civilization! I’ve heard that the place is perpetually saturated with demonic energy, and that if our races are affected by it, they would most likely turn into mindless demonic beasts! Only demonic beasts and undead can survive in such a place.”

“I even heard that the undead are relentless, endlessly chasing the living. I’m curious as to what kind of beings could possibly survive in that location.”

“Does anyone have a race related to demonic beasts? I need someone to protect me.”

Having heard that their test would be held in the Demonic Civilization, a triumphant grin slowly spread across Zhang Xiaolong’s lips. He held the advantage over his fellow students, since his core race was part of the demonic beasts.

Time was very precious in a test that involved invading other civilizations. Those adapted more quickly to the environment possessed a significant advantage over those who couldn’t.

Zhang Xiaolong was certain that his ranking would rise considerably after the exams. He visualized himself emerging victorious against Han Wu, Xu Sun, and the others. His golden age was imminent!

He wanted to impress Qin Shuang during the exam, so he decided to offer her a position on his team, but he suddenly received an notification alerting him about an incoming anonymous call. His curiosity piqued, Zhang Xiaolong answered, and to his surprise, he found himself speaking with his former teacher, Liu Letian.

“Zhang Xiaolong, it’s me.”

“Mr. Liu, is something wrong?”

Resentment evident in his voice, Liu Letian replied, “I need you to kill someone for me.”

“Are you referring to Han Wu? You don't need to worry—I was planning on killing him anyway.”

Zhang Xiaolong was already aware of the news concerning Liu Letian’s loss of five Divine Essence, the cause of which was Han Wu. Those were five Divine Essences—an amount more than enough to raise a lower ranking Demigod!

“Good. You are among the select students I’ve recognized as possessing great potential. If you help me, I'll make sure your properly compensated. Here, take this. Consider it an investment from a teacher. It will help you in your exam.”

Upon opening the gift, Zhang Xiaolong discovered it contained a card with a Unique life form sealed in it—a Demonic Drake!

“A Unique Demonic Drake is a strong unit that can fight on equal ground with Heroic life forms! Thank you for the gift, Mr. Liu,” he gratefully responded, immediately releasing the Drake into his divine realm.

The other students, doing their best to protect themselves, urgently reached out to their families, desperate to gather as many items as possible that could aid in resisting demonic energy.

Soon, the hour was up, and Tian Wen started the teleportation, transferring the students to base C-793826 and further separating them into different districts. Only when all their starting positions had been confirmed did they finally receive an email about the exam.

Han Wu opened the email, and his shock escalated with each passing sentence. The test this time would be particularly difficult, especially for students whose core races were inherently weak.

[1. The students will have to enter the Demonic Civilization with the physical body of one of the races they control. If their physical body dies, the student’s real body will be transported to the Demonic Civilization. If they die again, they will die permanently.]

[2. The students will have a chance to summon up to 100 units daily from their controlled race.]

[3. The exam will be rated based on accumulated points. Every mission will have their designated points and rewards.]

Just the first two requirements effectively made the exam impossible for students with weak core races to pass.

[List of missions:]

[Mission 1. Destroy the base of a skeleton army. There is a large army of about 8000 to 10000 skeletons based in the Undead Basin. Destroy at least 90% of their units and their flag. Weakest: Common skeleton. Strongest: Unique skeleton. Reward: 60 points and a random Rank 1 Sacred Object.]

[Mission 2. ...]

After scanning through the list, Han Wu found that there were over 500 missions, which included eradication of bases, collecting certain resources, and establishing a stronghold in specific regions. With so many missions available, students would be able to pursue tasks which aligned with their individual talents.

𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

The exam would only conclude once all missions were completed or every student had either surrendered or died.

The email also detailed a list of rewards for the exam to motivate the students.

[First place: 1 Divine Essence.]

[Second Place: 1000 Class Points.]

[Third Place: 500 Class Points.]

[Top 10: 200 Class Points.]

[Top 50: 100 Class Points.]

[Top 100: 50 Class Points.]

Han Wu grew excited after checking the rewards, noticing that the rewards had improved drastically—they were practically on par with the rewards given during the major exam.

He recognized, however, that an extraordinary reward indicated an equally high level of danger. The Demonic Civilization was very dangerous, and anyone could die without even knowing what killed them, so he had to be very careful.

He suddenly received a notification. “Please choose which race you wish to descend into the Demonic Civilization with.”

Four choices appeared in front of him, and he instantly knew what to choose.