Chapter 1576: Dead End! Extreme Difficulty!

Xu Jingming and Lin Qianxue arrived shortly thereafter.

"Hum—"

The space above the square suddenly froze solid.

A towering figure materialized out of thin air, bearing nine swords, his face as cold and icy as ten-thousand-year-old glacial ice.

It was the Nine-Sword Dominator!

The instant he appeared, an invisible pressure engulfed the entire square, silencing all murmurs instantly.

Everyone involuntarily straightened their spines, gazing upward with reverent eyes.

The Nine-Sword Dominator's gaze swept calmly across the crowd, finally settling on Xu Jingming.

In those eyes that seemed to pierce through the stars, a faint flicker of surprise passed.

Achieved Cosmic Apex in three months?

So fast?

This breakthrough speed, even by the standards of the countless prodigies he had witnessed over his vast lifespan, was utterly astonishing.

'Such astonishing talent...'

The Nine-Sword Dominator suppressed his thoughts, his vast, chilling voice echoing across the square, drowning out all whispers:

"The three-month training has ended. The Starfall Nexus is about to open. Today is the final assessment."

Everyone perked up, holding their breath to listen.

"The assessment will take place within the Virtual Universe. The rules are simple."

The Nine-Sword Dominator's gaze swept calmly over the faces below—some tense, some solemn—

"Each of you must face three opponents of the same rank, from three different races: the Demon Race, the Beast Race, and the Insect Race.

Eight-Star Warlords will face three Eight-Star Warlord-level alien opponents.

Nine-Star Warlords will face three Nine-Star Warlord-level alien opponents.

Survive ten minutes without defeat under their assault, and you pass."

When he finished, many secretly exhaled in relief.

Though facing three opponents of equal rank was a heavy burden, holding out for ten minutes was not impossible—with defense, mobility, and maneuvering.

Especially for Nine-Star Warlords, with their vast experience and hidden cards, the odds were not negligible.

At this moment, the Nine-Sword Dominator's gaze turned toward the direction of Xu Jingming and Lin Qianxue.

"As for you two."

His voice remained steady, yet carried supreme authority:

"Per the agreement made three months ago, the assessment difficulty is doubled.

Therefore, your number of opponents is doubled: each of you must face six Nine-Star Warlord-level alien opponents."

"Six?!"

Lin Qianxue's frosty, exquisite face changed instantly.

This was not merely a simple numerical increase!

Adding one more equal-rank enemy doubled the complexity and danger of battle.

Six Nine-Star Warlord-level alien opponents attacking simultaneously? The difficulty was certainly not just doubled!

Not to mention holding out for ten minutes—most Nine-Star Warlords would likely be grievously wounded and crushed in the first combined assault!

The square erupted into chaos!

"Six Nine-Star Warlords? How is that even possible to fight?"

"So this is what 'doubled difficulty' means? That's brutal!"

"It's over—Xu Jingming's finally pushed too far. The Nine-Sword Lord never intended for them to pass!"

"Serves them right! Who gave them the nerve to bargain with the Dominator?"

"..."

A suppressed, excited chuckle rose among the Godslayer Martial Hall members—Jiao's face brimmed with malicious glee.

"This is the price of arrogance! Did they really think the Supreme Dominator was that easygoing?"

Many nearby Warlords heard this.

Though they未必 agreed with his attitude, similar thoughts inevitably stirred within them.

The Dominator's dignity must not be trifled with.

Xu Jingming's special treatment back then likely planted the seed for this very moment.

Yet the Nine-Sword Dominator had not finished speaking.

His gaze locked onto Xu Jingming, and he spoke:

"Moreover, the doubled-difficulty agreement was based on your rank at the time: Cosmic Eighth Stage.

Now that you have broken through to the Cosmic Apex, your assessment difficulty must be adjusted accordingly.

Your opponents will be nine Nine-Star Warlord-level alien opponents."

Boom—!

As if a silent thunderclap detonated in every heart!

"N- nine?!"

"My god! How is this possible!"

"Six was already a dead end—nine is outright denying any chance of survival!"

"He's dead! Xu Jingming has no chance of passing this!"

"..."

Shocked cries surged like a tidal wave; everyone was terrified by this horrifying difficulty.

What did it mean for nine top-tier fighters of the same rank to attack together?

It would be a devastating saturation strike!

Ten minutes? Surviving thirty seconds would already be a miracle!

On the side of the Eternal Star Alliance, Lei Lie, Zhao Mingxue, and others grew grim, their eyes unable to hide their worry.

If Xu Jingming and Lin Qianxue failed to qualify, the Eternal Star Alliance would lose two of its greatest combatants in this Starfall Secret Realm.

"Alas! Brother Xu was still too arrogant!"

If he had simply followed the training regimen, clearing it wouldn't have been hard."

In the Mercenary Alliance crowd, Duncan opened his mouth, then sighed silently.

He decided to send Xu Jingming his latest updated "Harem Rankings" once Xu fell.

"Ah, this..."

Yin Hongyu's alluring peach-blossom eyes widened in disbelief.

Could it be that Xu Jingming would fall here before even entering the secret realm?

Yet Xu Jingming himself, at the center of the murmurs, spoke calmly:

"Yes, Nine Sword Lord."

His composure, in the eyes of the crowd, seemed like either desperate arrogance or numb resignation.

But only Xu Jingming knew—he truly didn't care.

'Perfect. Good chance to test how much power the Perfect-Level Killing Battle Art's Killing Domain can unleash in the Virtual Universe.'

After breaking through the Cosmic Apex, he had repeatedly tested his strength in a private training chamber within the Virtual Universe.

Without using the Purple Nightmare Demon Body or the Life-Core Secret Arts, his baseline combat power had firmly reached the Eternal Third Stage, enough to sweep aside peers!

If he unleashed his full power, though still short of Eternal Fourth Stage, he had few equals within Eternal Third Stage.

With such power, even nine Nine-Star War Generals wouldn't daunt him—nor would nine ordinary Eternal First Stage fighters!

"Xu Jingming, I look forward to your performance.

If you clear it, I'll reward you with a grand gift!"

Nine Sword Dominator glanced at Xu Jingming with keen anticipation.

Then he said no more, his majestic voice echoing across the square:

"Next, the evaluation begins in order! First: Shak!"

A five-meter-tall beastman with a thick, dragging animal tail rose in response.

His muscles bulged, radiating a fierce, brutal aura.

Under all eyes, he strode to the front of the square, linked his mental energy to the neural helmet, and entered the Virtual Universe.

"That's Shak, a Nine-Star War General—he's fairly well-known in the Mercenary Alliance."

"Even if he can't win, a Nine-Star War General's foundation is solid; surely he can last ten minutes?"

Low murmurs rose around them; most felt it was difficult, yet not impossible.

Xu Jingming also gazed at the holographic projection unfolding ahead.

In the scene, Shak stood in a desolate asteroid field, as three figures radiating ferocious energy slowly materialized before him.

To the left was a demon with bat-like wings and curved horns; in the center, a monstrous妖 beast covered in gleaming scales; to the right, a queen insect with compound eyes glowing with幽light.

All three were at the Nine-Star War General level; the moment they appeared, their auras merged into one, shaking the very void.

"Roar—!"

The battle erupted instantly!

To everyone's surprise, the three alien foes made no试探—upon sight, they unleashed their strongest killing techniques simultaneously!

The demon spread his wings wide; demonic flames coalesced into a hundred-zhang-long axe-shaped shadow, slashing downward.

The妖 beast roared to the heavens, its scales standing upright, transforming into a torrent of metallic flow that swept forward.

The insect queen's compound eyes blazed with幽light; her mental energy condensed into countless spikes, piercing from all directions toward Shak's soul!

All were Life-Core Secret Arts! They struck with lethal intent from the very first moment!

"What?!" Shak's pupils shrank; he roared and forced every ounce of his Yuan energy.

His tail swept sideways, forming a thick, earth-yellow energy shield before him.

Boom! Boom-boom—!

The three attacks struck nearly simultaneously; the shield shattered in under two seconds.

Shak was violently thrown back by the explosion, spewing blood from his mouth.

Before he could land, the妖 beast had torn through space and appeared behind him, its claws piercing straight through his chest!

"Puch!"

His virtual body instantly dissolved—Shak—eliminated.

The entire process took less than half a minute.

The square fell utterly silent; everyone was plunged into profound shock.

This evaluation was really this insane?