Chapter 46: THE EXAMINATION (20)

Mo Lang sneered but did not push the matter any further, and after giving his clique a signal, they continued toward the summit.

There was no point in wasting more time arguing with Gu Jun when the examination was still underway.

During this period, almost all the examinees had finished their mental trials and were now racing toward the top, not wanting to waste the little time they had left.

The people who had been following Li Yan had also awakened and gathered around him, and seeing everyone back on the path, Li Yan figured it was time to give them the lightness pills.

According to Xiaoxiao, they barely had a few hours left before the examination ended.

Time was not on their side. "Everyone, huddle up."

The group immediately gathered around him, and Li Yan waited until their bodies blocked the view of the surrounding examinees before taking out the lightness pills and handing one to each person.

"Take it quickly and follow me. From here on out, I will not wait for anyone, so if you cannot keep up, I will leave you behind."

The group nodded and quickly swallowed the pills, and Li Yan did the same before turning toward the summit.

He immediately began climbing at a rapid pace, and after discovering the pattern behind the pressure, it no longer affected him as much as it had before.

The lightness pill also reduced the weight on their bodies, allowing Li Yan and the others to increase their speed considerably as they climbed.

Several hours later, they finally reached the summit with an hour to spare.

Li Yan looked around the enormous space before his brows furrowed, as there was nothing in sight that resembled an exit or anything else that could indicate they had completed the examination.

He walked around the summit while examining the surroundings, but the entire space was completely empty.

Was this another test?

They did not have the time to test every possibility or search every inch of the summit, and if they failed to leave before the examination ended, all the effort they had put into reaching this point would be wasted.

Gu Jun looked around the empty summit before turning toward Li Yan.

"This is bad. If we don’t leave, we will fail."

Li Yan bit his lips as he stared at the empty space, and he had come too far to fail now, so there had to be something he was missing.

They had been told the array’s exit was at the summit, yet nothing here could help them leave.

Li Yan frowned as he tried to recall the instructions they had received before entering the mountain, searching through every detail for something they might have overlooked.

Hu Biyan watched the scene inside the array with a calm expression, although there was not much time left before the examination ended, and if Li Yan failed to figure out how to leave the summit before then, all his effort would amount to nothing.

"He will not fail. Li Yan is smart; he will figure it out."

Hu Biyan turned toward the familiar voice and finally noticed that Hu Bai had returned, and the surprise on his face was impossible to hide.

"Master, when did you arrive?"

Hu Bai kept his attention on the array as he answered, "A few minutes ago. I do not think a certain someone would be happy if I missed it."

Hu Biyan’s lips twitched when he understood who his master was referring to, and he turned his attention back toward the formation, where Li Yan was still searching for a way to leave the summit.

"You are confident he will figure it out?"

Hu Bai smiled faintly as he watched Li Yan carefully examine the empty summit.

"He has already solved the pressure and the mental trial faster than most of the examinees. This final problem should not be enough to stop him."

Hu Biyan nodded, but his gaze remained fixed on the formation as the remaining time continued to disappear.

Inside the array, Li Yan was still trying to recall every instruction they had received before the examination, and when his eyes landed on the token at his waist, his expression suddenly changed.

"Gu Jun, break your token."

Gu Jun stared at him in confusion.

"Why?"

Li Yan looked toward the empty summit before answering, "The disciples told us the token has a beacon and that breaking it would summon help. If the summit is the exit, perhaps the token is what activates it."

Gu Jun immediately understood what he meant and reached for his token.

Li Yan watched him carefully as his fingers closed around it.

There was only one way to find out.

Gu Jun broke the token.

A flash of spiritual light immediately erupted from the broken token, and the empty summit suddenly began to tremble.

Li Yan’s eyes widened as a familiar spatial fluctuation spread across the mountain.

The exit had finally appeared. They all cheered when the exit opened, and Li Yan quickly turned toward them before pointing at the broken token in Gu Jun’s hand.

"Everyone, break your tokens. You can leave the array individually."

The group immediately took out their tokens, but none of them moved until Li Yan stepped toward the exit first, and only after he disappeared from the array did Zhou Yuan and the others follow suit.

The other examinees who had witnessed what happened quickly understood what they needed to do, and one after another, they broke their tokens and left the array before the remaining time ran out.

Outside the array, Hu Biyan finally released the breath he had been holding, while Hu Bai leaned back with a satisfied expression as he watched Li Yan appear among the successful examinees.

From everything he had been told about Li Yan’s performance throughout the examination, the young man had completed every stage beautifully, and there was little doubt that he would become the best examinee of this year’s entrance examination.

The crowd surrounding the examination grounds erupted into cheers when the successful examinees appeared on the stage, and the excitement continued for several minutes as the young men and women reunited with their families, friends, and fellow disciples.

Then a loud bell rang across the examination grounds.

Everyone gradually fell silent as the sound echoed through the sect.

A second ring followed.

Then a third.

With the final ring, the enormous array surrounding the mountain finally closed, and the remaining examinees who had failed to complete the examination were forcibly pulled out of the formation.

Among the examinees who had managed to leave the array in the nick of time were Mo Lang and his clique, and although they had made it through, their expressions showed little of the pride they had carried when they first entered the examination grounds.

Elder Mo stepped onto the stage and looked across the successful examinees before his expression softened.

"You children have done well! I am happy to announce that 500 of you out of the 7000 that applied have all made it into the sect and become bona fide outer disciples."