Ye Qingchen nodded thoughtfully and asked Zi Xing, "Senior Sister Zi Xing, is there any news regarding the format of this assessment?"

Zi Xing shook her head and replied, "This assessment was decided on rather abruptly, and there’s no final word on how it will be conducted. However, I heard from our dean that there are only a hundred slots to enter the Demon Clan battlefield. The academy that ranks first gets forty slots, second place gets thirty, and third gets twenty. The academy in last place will only receive ten."

Ye Qingchen frowned slightly. This information was of little use to him. After all, this was about the overall ranking of the four academies and had little to do with his own chances of entering the Demon Clan battlefield.

However, Zi Xing continued to explain, "Our Central Celestial Academy intends to distribute its allotted slots evenly among its various internal academies, regardless of our overall ranking. So, Junior Brother Ye, your qualification to enter the Demon Clan battlefield is already secured. As for us at the Ferocious Fire Academy, with so many exceptional senior brothers and sisters, I need our main academy to not rank too low if I want to secure a spot."

Upon hearing this, Ye Qingchen breathed a sigh of relief. All he needed was to enter the Demon Clan battlefield. However, seeing Zi Xing’s downcast expression, he decided that during the assessment, he would try to secure a better position for the Central Celestial Academy if it was within his power.

After chatting idly for a bit longer, they agreed on a time to meet the following day, and Zi Xing took her leave.

No sooner had Zi Xing left than Elder Yang’s figure appeared before Ye Qingchen, smiling at him in a teasing manner. "That young lady isn’t half bad. You’re quite the lucky fellow."

Ye Qingchen looked at Elder Yang’s disrespectful demeanor and retorted, "You see how other deans brief their disciples ahead of time, yet you just wash your hands of the whole affair."

Elder Yang tapped Ye Qingchen on the head, laughing as he scolded, "Quit your complaining, lad. If it weren’t for me taking you in back then, you wouldn’t have even made it into Central Celestial Academy."

After saying this, Elder Yang walked over to a reclining chair in the courtyard, sat down, and continued, "Since you brought it up, I’ll tell you my requirement for you this time. If Central Celestial Academy doesn’t win the championship, I won’t give you Divine Wood Academy’s slot for the Demon Clan battlefield."

Ye Qingchen, who had just calmed down, felt his heart rise to his throat again. He walked over to Elder Yang, fuming, and said, "Are you deliberately making things difficult for me? I’ve heard that although Central Celestial Academy has always been the strongest overall, it has consistently ranked last in the student competitions among the four academies for the past few years. How could we possibly win the championship this time?"

Elder Yang gazed at Ye Qingchen and stated gravely, "Because of you! Because you are my disciple. It’s true that Central Celestial Academy has consistently been at the bottom, but every time my disciples participated, Central Celestial Academy was the champion. I don’t want you to tarnish my reputation."

Ye Qingchen shot Elder Yang an annoyed look and argued, "I heard from Senior Sister Zi Xing that the other three academies are ruthless in enhancing their disciples’ strength. The competitors this time will likely all be in the Martial Emperor Realm, while I’m just a Seventh-Layer Martial King. How can I possibly determine the outcome of the battle?"

Elder Yang stood up, patted his dusty trousers, and started walking toward his room. "That’s your problem," he said over his shoulder. "In any case, I’ve made myself clear. If you don’t win the championship, I won’t give you the slot."

This old geezer is deliberately making things difficult for me!

Ye Qingchen was so angry he ground his teeth, but he was powerless. All he could do was pray that the disciples Central Celestial Academy sent to the four-academy joint assessment would be strong.

Early the next morning, Ye Qingchen arrived at the appointed place and quickly ran over when he saw Zi Xing was already waiting.

As they walked towards Central Celestial Academy’s Teleportation Array, Zi Xing said, "Junior Brother Ye, I still feel somewhat uneasy."

Even Zi Xing didn’t realize when the decisiveness and swiftness that usually characterized her had given way to such hesitation in front of Ye Qingchen.

Ye Qingchen smiled and said, "Senior Sister Zi Xing, no matter how strong our opponents are, we must hold one belief in our hearts: this time, we will be the champions!"

Zi Xing looked deeply into Ye Qingchen’s eyes. Although he was only a Seventh-Layer Martial King, she believed him without a doubt. After all, ever since she’d known Ye Qingchen, he was always creating miracles.

And maybe... he’s saying he’ll win the championship... for me?

At the thought, a blush crept across Zi Xing’s cheeks, and a sweet feeling bloomed in her heart.

Ye Qingchen, however, was inwardly scorning Elder Yang. That old geezer... telling me I can’t go to the Demon Clan battlefield unless we win? He might as well just tell me to give up now. But no matter how difficult it is, I’ll keep pushing forward. I have to save Qin Yue from the Saint Heir of the Ten Great Ancient Clans!

The two soon arrived at Central Celestial Academy’s Teleportation Array, where many Inner Sect Disciples had already gathered. Even the Headmaster of Central Celestial Academy, Mu Changfeng, was personally present. This excited the Inner Sect Disciples immensely. Just meeting the Headmaster was enough for them to brag about for a long time.

When Mu Changfeng saw Ye Qingchen and Zi Xing arrive, he nodded at Ye Qingchen with a smile as a greeting. Ye Qingchen and Zi Xing quickly returned the gesture and then took their places in the line.

After a moment, Mu Changfeng checked the headcount and then began to speak. "Fellow students, a total of four hundred disciples are participating in this joint assessment of the four major academies, meaning each academy is sending one hundred disciples. Now, I will explain the assessment process."

All eyes were fixed on Mu Changfeng, afraid of missing any useful information.

"The assessment is divided into two parts," Mu Changfeng continued. "In the first part, your hundred disciples will be divided into ten-person teams. You will engage in a free-for-all battle in a specific Secret Realm. The last surviving team from each academy will advance to the second stage.

"The second stage will be a final showdown between these remaining four teams to determine the final rankings.

"However, you must be aware that during the first phase, anyone who sustains a fatal injury will be teleported out of the Secret Realm, losing their qualification to continue fighting. In other words, during the first phase, you must not only ensure your team advances but also keep as many members alive as possible."

Mu Changfeng’s words caused an uproar among the disciples; they hadn’t expected the assessment to be so harsh. If a team worked hard to advance from the first phase but lost too many members, they would face the disadvantage of being outnumbered in the second phase. This would make achieving final victory all the more difficult.

Therefore, the key to the first round was cooperation among the members of each team.