The hundred-meter-tall city wall appeared on a plain. It was ancient, its bluestone mottled and covered with vines and green moist moss. It was like a group of giants guarding the earth, declaring that the continent behind the city wall was a forbidden zone in the Lower Realm.
The Mythological Beast stopped flying. The white light that shrouded the city wall was an obstacle that no living creature could overcome. Even if it was a small mosquito, it would be quickly bounced off if it hit the white light. Even the wind would stop flowing because of the existence of the white light.
"The total area of Hidden Demon City is ten million square kilometers." Armstrong looked at the huge wall that stretched as far as the Great Wall and sighed. "The sky and the earth are all separated by an invisible wall. Mortals can never get close.
"And the elevator that leads to the next floor is in the center of Hidden Demon City. It can only be activated with a special pass. Come, let's go see the guards. I hope you can pass their test."
Xia Fan nodded and followed Armstrong to a huge and dim ancient tower-like building. There were many flying beasts parked in the open space around the building. Because the Lower Realm was so vast, it was impossible for humans to travel long distances on foot. Therefore, the people of the Lower Realm rode flying beasts to travel between territories and cities.
The existence of the Demon Vanquishers was transcendent. They never asked if there was a war on the continent. In their view, war was actually a good thing. Every time there was a war, experts would be born, and these experts would become potential recruits for the Demon Vanquishers.
The meaning of the Lower Realm's existence was survival of the fittest. The people outside Hidden Demon City fought with all their might, and then the experts they produced would be sacrificed to Hidden Demon City in exchange for protective shields and battle materials.
Xia Fan saw many young people like him. They were led by experts from their respective countries or cities into the gray tower. If they were lucky enough to be accepted by Hidden Demon City, their countries would receive generous rewards.
The most valuable of the returns was the protective shield. The protective shield of Baishi City had a time limit, and if there were no experts contributing to Hidden Demon City for too long, the shield would automatically disappear, and the enemy would be able to break in.
Xia Fan was dressed in the most ordinary clothes of the locals. They were neither shabby nor exaggerated. After all, he was here on behalf of White Stone City. If he dressed like a beggar, the ruler of White Stone City would lose face.
At the bottom of the tower, people were lining up. A group of guards were handing out small transparent stones to the visitors. Han Tang also received one. It felt cold in his hand, like ice in the winter. Because Armstrong was a registered warrior, he only needed to show the metal nameplate hanging on his neck, and the guards would let him in.
Inside the tower was an arched hall. Sunlight shone through the long glass windows at the top, making it slightly dim. Here, sound would be amplified, so everyone would naturally lower their voices when they spoke.
"Name?"
"Xia Fan."
"Where did it come from?"
"Baishi City."
"Guarantor, come here and sign your name. Also, put the ice crystal in this box."
In front of a long counter, a warrior lowered his head and registered Xia Fan. A slip of paper with his name and identity was placed in a metal box. The ice crystal that Xia Fan had just held was also placed in the box. Then, the warrior in charge of registration sealed the metal box and threw it into a circular pipe. The box slid along the pipe and into the underground of the tower.
"Go over there and wait. The results will be announced in the afternoon," the guard said expressionlessly with a quill pen in his hand.
In the hall, there were hundreds of benches. People were sitting there, waiting quietly. Their expressions were slightly nervous. Xia Fan and Armstrong were among the crowd. They drank some water and ate two small pieces of bread baked with butter and honey. Xia Fan felt that the raisins in the bread were more delicious. As for the bread itself, it was a little too dry.
"The ice crystal is the first test. The Exorcist will use it to test your potential. I'm not sure how it works, but this is their unique technology. The results will be out soon. Only those who pass the ice crystal test will be able to participate in the second round of interviews," Armstrong whispered to Xia Fan.
As expected, around noon, the doors to the hall were closed. Those who were late could only set up tents outside for the night and wait for the selection to begin the next morning. Day after day, year after year, this scene was repeated. Countless young people with potential were sent here like goods, waiting for the Exorcist to pick and choose.
Xia Fan looked around and noticed that most of the people here had a coat of arms. Fire, Beast, Ice, Light — almost all the superpowers in the Middle Realm could be found here. However, they did not appear in the form of superpowers, but in the form of a Talent Coat of Arms.
The coat of arms made the power structure of the Lower Realm more obvious. Warriors were born with a coat of arms. It was impossible to play the role of a pig to eat a tiger. Once you showed your arm, everyone would know what ability and level you had. Xia Fan, a foreigner who had entered the Lower Realm, was not restricted by the rules. Although he did not have a coat of arms, his combat ability was not weak at all. Of course, there were pros and cons to everything. If Xia Fan was discovered to be a foreigner, he would be in big trouble.
There were also a few people who did not have a coat of arms. They were people with non-combat abilities, or support-type powers. They might be proficient in mathematics, or they might have strange abilities like clairvoyance or clairaudience. In short, these abilities had nothing to do with combat, so they would not have a coat of arms. According to Armstrong, non-combat abilities were of a lower status. In a place like the Lower Realm, those who were especially good at fighting were respected, while those with support abilities were considered to be small fries.
Time passed hour by hour. The people who were waiting took out the food they brought with them and had their lunch. Around two o 'clock in the afternoon, a tall warrior wearing silver armor appeared in the hall with a piece of paper filled with names in his hand.
"I will now announce the results. Those whose names are read, follow me. The rest, please leave!"
"Flash Light City's Collins!"
"Jia Dongdong of the Red Desert!"
When the tall Warrior read out the names, he would also include the address to avoid any misunderstandings.
There were a total of fifteen people on the list. The first thirteen were all Warriors, while Xia Fan and another young man named Fafnir were placed at the end. Neither of them was a combat type.
Disappointment was inevitable. Most of the people sighed and left the hall. They boarded flying beasts and returned to their hometowns. This process often took days and nights, sometimes even months.
Xia Fan, the other fourteen, and their guarantors were given the right to enter the small hall. The small hall was connected to the main hall by a semi-circular wooden door. After entering, there were two rows of benches. They took their seats and prepared for the interview.
The first to be called into the room was Collins. Five minutes later, the blond young man walked out. His eyes were dull, and his legs moved with difficulty like a rusty machine. He slowly made his way to his guarantor and sat down, as if he was still recalling the scene of the interview.
"Forget it. At least you passed the first round. The Exorcist interview has always been tricky. Don't take it to heart."
Collins' guarantor was a middle-aged woman. She had a thin chin and high cheekbones. She looked a little mean, but seeing that Collins was about to cry on the spot, the mean middle-aged woman could not help but comfort him.
Too bad …
After the first three interviewees came out, the rest of the people began to realize that the Exorcist interview was not as easy as they had imagined. The third interviewee was Amy, a beautiful young female Warrior. After standing there for a long time, she burst into tears. Her tears fell like rain. It was obvious that she was so pessimistic about the results of the interview that she lost control of her emotions.
The seventh interviewee, Ah Lai, had dark skin and deep brown eyes. He was one of the more emotionally stable of the first few. He stayed in the room for a full twenty minutes before returning to the corridor. When he came out, he was also confused, but at least he puffed out his chest.
"How did it go?" Ah Lai's agent asked excitedly.
Ah Lai looked out the window and shrugged. "Not sure, but I didn't think they would ask that kind of question."
During the brutal interview, almost every person who walked out of the room looked like a defeated rooster. They hung their heads low, cried loudly, pulled their hair out, and stared blankly like a block of wood. In short, they seemed to have been brutally ravaged by the interviewee.
"If I can't get in, Xia Fan will probably start a war at all costs," Xia Fan thought to himself.
Heaven's Wings would not accept being trapped in the first level of the Lower World. They would definitely think of all kinds of ways to kill their way into Hidden Demon City. If that happened, the situation would go out of control.
"Xia Fan from White Stone City, it's your turn!"
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