Chapter 48: Just a start
The fifteen-minute mark arrived, and a projection appeared above the field.
[First Assessment completed.]
[Qualified Participants: 64.]
Several of the remaining contestants expected the pressure to disappear, but Death Eye did not close his eyes.
Instead, his gaze moved across the sixty-four participants and stopped on those who were still standing with straight backs.
A faint smile appeared on his face and then the killing intent began rising again. The change was gradual at first, but the participants immediately realised that the test had not truly ended.
Those who had barely survived the previous pressure sat down without resistance, while others tried to remain standing despite already securing their qualification.
One contestant lasted only a few breaths before his knees struck the ground. Another staggered backward, managed to recover, then collapsed when the pressure increased again.
Death Eye said nothing, he simply watched as the number of standing participants continued falling.
The audience gradually became silent, and every gaze turned toward the contestants who refused to sit down.
Soon, only eight remained. They stood at different points across the field, breathing heavily while observing one another through the pressure.
Most of them already recognised the others, Only Xingluo appeared unfamiliar. Whispers spread through the spectator stands as people began identifying those still standing.
"Look, that is Young Master Qin."
"As expected of Qin Haoran, a tiger’s son could never be a dog."
"The Qin family has invested countless resources into him. There was no possibility of him falling during the first test."
Qin Haoran remained near the front of the field, his face pale but his posture steady. The faint light covering his eyes had disappeared, leaving him to endure the pressure through his own strength.
When his gaze moved toward Xingluo, surprise briefly appeared inside it. She was not only still standing, but her breathing appeared more stable than several heirs he had expected to outperform her.
The attention of the military spectators shifted toward another young man wearing a plain combat uniform.
"That is Commander Han’s son."
"Han Zhen?"
"I heard he has already completed several missions with the youth division."
Unlike the family heirs, Han Zhen did not examine the audience or the other participants. His gaze remained fixed ahead, while his breathing followed a slow and controlled rhythm.
He was not resisting the killing intent directly. He allowed it to pass through him while keeping his body under control, just like the other experienced military candidates had done.
The crowd soon noticed another contestant, a tall young man standing with his hands lowered beside him.
"Young Master Miao is also there."
"The heir of the Miao Corporation?"
"Miao Tianhe rarely appears at public events. I did not expect him to participate in a military competition."
The moment Wuxia heard the name, his attention shifted completely. He stared at Miao Tianhe with a complicated expression, while memories from his life began surfacing one after another.
Miao Tianhe had not merely been another member of his guild, he had been Wuxia’s best friend and the vice leader who helped him build it from nothing.
They had fought together, divided resources together, and trusted each other with decisions that could determine whether the entire guild survived.
Yet Wuxia had heard nothing about him during the events leading to his death, seeing him again brought neither relief nor anger, only uncertainty.
Wuxia continued watching him, trying to find any difference between the young man before him and the friend he remembered.
Miao Tianhe appeared younger and less burdened, but the way he controlled his breathing beneath the killing intent remained familiar.
Meanwhile, more voices began mentioning Xingluo.
"Who is that girl?"
"She is wearing the uniform of Beichen University."
"Beichen? Since when did they had someone like her?"
Several instructors searched through the participant records, while the remaining contestants also began looking toward her.
The other seven were known military talents or heirs from powerful families, and most had encountered one another before, only Xingluo alone had appeared without any reputation.
Death Eye also looked at her for several seconds.
He had expected Qin Haoran, Miao Tianhe, and his own son to survive this far, but the girl from South River University had entered the final eight without using any visible mental technique.
Her body was tense, yet her eyes remained clear, death Eye’s smile widened slightly and then the pressure increased again.
A heavy killing intent descended across the eight participants, immediately forcing two of them to the ground.
Another endured for several seconds before his breathing collapsed, while the fourth remained standing until blood ran from his nose and he finally fell backward.
Medical bots moved onto the field and carried them away, leaving only four figures beneath Death Eye’s gaze.
Qin Haoran.
Han Zhen.
Miao Tianhe.
Luo Xingluo.
The spectators had stopped speaking and even the officers seated near the platform leaned forward, watching the four contestants endure pressure far beyond what had been required to qualify.
Qin Haoran’s pleasant expression had vanished completely. His fists were clenched beside him, and every breath required visible effort, but pride prevented him from lowering his head while Xingluo remained standing nearby.
Han Zhen’s body had begun trembling, though his stance remained firm from years of military training.
Miao Tianhe stood with his shoulders lowered and eyes half closed, allowing no unnecessary tension to waste his remaining strength.
Xingluo continued breathing slowly, but the pressure had finally reached a level she could no longer dismiss.
Her chest tightened, and the air entering her lungs became thinner with every breath. Death Eye looked at the four of them, and something almost excited appeared inside his grey eyes.
The killing intent rose once more and this time, it no longer felt like pressure surrounding them.
Xingluo felt as if she had been thrown back into the Eternal Night Basin with death approaching from every direction, except her body had been reduced to Level 70 and most of her armor had been sealed.
Her vision darkened at the edges, while the suffocating sensation around her throat became strong enough to make every breath painful.
Qin Haoran bent slightly before forcing his back straight again, han Zhen’s boot cracked the ground as he shifted his weight to remain standing, while Miao Tianhe finally opened his eyes and looked directly toward Death Eye.
None of them sat down and seeing this Death Eye gave a low laugh and continued increasing the pressure.
Xingluo’s legs began losing strength, and for the first time since the test began, she felt as though she might truly suffocate.
Wuxia moved closer to her, but he did not interfere. "This has already gone beyond an endurance test," he said. "Control your breathing and stop resisting the sensation of death, fighting it will only exhaust you faster."
Xingluo followed his instruction, but the pressure continued growing, just as her knees began to bend, another figure appeared on the platform.
A bald old man in a senior military uniform caught Death Eye by the shoulder and forcefully pulled him half a step back. "Commander, that is enough."
Death Eye turned toward him, and the old man spoke again before he could object.
"They are contestants, not soldiers standing before an execution ground, you will damage their mentality if this continues."
Death Eye looked back toward the four participants and for several seconds, the killing intent remained unchanged.
His gaze passed over Han Zhen and Qin Haoran before stopping briefly on Miao Tianhe, then finally settling on Xingluo.
A strange interest appeared inside his eyes, but he eventually released a quiet sigh and closed them.
The pressure vanished and all four contestants dropped almost at the same time.
Xingluo caught herself with one hand before sitting on the ground and taking several deep breaths, while Qin Haoran lowered himself more slowly, unwilling to appear as exhausted as he felt.
Han Zhen sat with his legs crossed and immediately began controlling his breathing, while Miao Tianhe remained silent and looked toward the other three.
Death Eye turned away from the field. "The seeds this year are better than expected."
He walked down from the platform without another word, leaving the bald vice commander to face the arena.
The old man watched him leave before rubbing his forehead and looking toward the exhausted contestants.
"The first assessment is complete. All sixty-four qualified participants will receive a short rest before the second round."
The audience gradually began speaking again, but most of their attention remained on the final four.
Xingluo also looked across the field, meeting Qin Haoran’s cold gaze before turning toward Han Zhen and Miao Tianhe.
Wuxia remained beside her, but his attention was divided between only two people, Qin Haoran and Miao Tianhe