Myriad Realms Gatekeeper

Yunshan Port.

The lights were brilliant, resembling a never-sleeping city in the heavens.

However, from the examinees' perspective, everything changed in an instant.

One second before.

Everyone was in the bustling banquet hall.

The next second.

Everyone was still in the banquet hall.

But the attendants, elders, musicians, and even the delicious food, drinks, and the bright lights that were like daylight, all vanished into thin air.

It was pitch-black all around, so dark that one couldn't see their own fingers if they stretched out their hands.

——The exam had already started!

Many people assumed a defensive stance on the spot, while more began to search for hidden corners.

As for Xiao Mengyu—

She had long been branded by Shen Ye in the palm of her hand with two words.

"Dead person."

Yes.

Dead person, Zhao Yibing.

She had been resurrected.

Perhaps The Skinner had been resurrected as well.

Zhao Yibing had also obtained the eligibility to take the exam, and although she hadn't been seen in the banquet hall, she must have been there!

So at that moment—

Xiao Mengyu immediately regained her composure.

In the instant the teleportation took place, when everything turned pitch black, she was well-prepared and actively and rapidly detached herself from the crowd.

She moved out of the crowd, leapt vigorously, and swiftly crossed a vast distance, landing outside the banquet hall, standing at the edge of this temple.

"Form a team, Shen Ye."

Before her words fell, the card trembled slightly.

A line of small text emerged:

"The other party has not responded yet."

No response?

Xiao Mengyu was startled.

She heard Shen Ye's voice coming from afar:

"Jump!"

Xiao Mengyu stood on the edge of the temple and looked down.

Yunshan Port had disappeared completely.

Below was a gigantic floating island shrouded in thick Night Shadow, drifting uncertainly amid endless winds and mists, like a silent behemoth.

——This was no longer Yunshan Port.

The position she stood on was hundreds of meters away from the floating island below!

Jump for real?

Xiao Mengyu gritted her teeth and dived down.

At the same time.

Shen Ye stood on the square outside the temple and shouted:

"Come out, Catastrophe Skull, and fight the enemy I failed to kill last time!"

He pressed his hand to the ground.

Boom——

A wave of malevolent Necromantic Energy spread out from his fingertips.

It seemed as though something was about to descend.

One breath.

Two breaths.

Three Breaths.

The voice of the giant Skeleton sounded beside his ear:

"Hey, this is all the Strength I have right now; there's not a drop more."

"That's enough to scare people." Shen Ye said.

The Skeleton nervously responded, "Others will soon discover—"

Suddenly.

Shen Ye trembled all over.

Something Sharp and slender had struck him.

But relying on the "flesh's" Strength, in this exam, he had to endure three hits before he would die.

Taking advantage of the moment, Shen Ye immediately shouted:

"Join the team."

Elsewhere.

Xiao Mengyu, who was plummeting, sensed something and pulled out her card to look.

She saw two lines of small text appear on the card:

"The other party has agreed to form a team."

"Your team is established; your Strength is doubled."

Whoosh——

Shen Ye appeared beside her.

The team had successfully formed!

Xiao Mengyu let out a sigh of relief.

If she hadn't formed a team, she could only exert thirty percent of her Strength!

"What now?"

She whispered.

"Run." Shen Ye grabbed her hand, had her hold onto his back, and then reached out to press on the void—

A Ghost Fire Motorcycle that roared to life suddenly appeared, unfolding its compact aerodynamic wings, catching the two of them, and plunging downward together.

The speed of the motorcycle was so fast that it streaked a bright red across the night sky.

It disappeared far into the vast Floating Island.

Above in the sky.

The exam cards of all the examinees vibrated together.

"The first part of the exam has been announced:"

"Find a way to reach the floating island below."

"If successful, you'll pass the first layer."

"Failure will result in immediate elimination."

The crowd was momentarily dumbfounded.

——Two people had already succeeded.

"That guy actually has a Flying Motorbike; I remember these kinds of personal flying machines are under strict control, and it's difficult to get a license." said the young man in white with a hint of jealousy in his eyes.

He sat down on the ground, slowly healing his bodily wounds.

A candle was placed beside him, lighting up the surroundings.

——Indeed, in such an environment, without this Candlelight Flame, nothing can be seen.

A few Clan Disciples gathered around and whispered, "Remember you had one too."

"Mine...can't fly..." the young man in white said.

"Didn't you say last time it could fly?"

"Damn Kunlun castrated the flying function."

"What should we do now?"

"Let's think of something else."

Suddenly.

All the discussions stopped.

A man casually stood up, holding a drink in his hand and yawning, he leisurely walked towards the outside.

Nangong Sirui!

The strongest newcomer in the Tower of Tarot new decks!

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he walked to the edge of the Temple as if he were taking a stroll.

"Interesting, someone beat me to it."

"It looks like I have to actually put some serious effort into securing my position as first place."

As he spoke, phantoms gradually emerged from the void.

The phantoms converged into four graceful maidservants who briskly walked ahead of him, waving their hands and summoning a sedan chair.

"Young Master, please get in the sedan, we will take you down."

One of the maidservants bowed and said.

Nangong Sirui sat in the sedan chair.

The four maidservants lifted the sedan together and silently rose into the air, their figures strolling through the void, flying towards the Floating Island below.

"This is way too extravagant."

Guo Yunye, who had been watching on the side, couldn't help but say.

Zhang Xiaoyi was also amazed.

Everyone knew the first place was strong.

But no one expected him to be this strong.

——The exam does not allow outsiders to enter, nor does it allow candidates to rely on the strength of others outside the exam venue.

Those who violate this will be considered cheating.

In other words——

Those four maidservants were manifestations of his own powers!

"What should we do?" Zhang Xiaoyi asked.

"Look, there are so many tablecloths and curtains in the banquet hall; we can make parachutes," Guo Yunye said.

"Good idea!" Zhang Xiaoyi's eyes lit up, "Let's each make one."

"I don't need one," Guo Yunye said.

"Huh?"

"...I'll help you make it, but you have to take me down with you."

"Isn't it better to make two?"

"I...am unsure if such parachutes will work, after I use my Talent Abilities, you take me down."

"Talent?"

"A very average Talent, nowhere near Nangong Sirui's level—You have to help me out, A Yi!" Guo Yunye said earnestly.

"Don't worry, we're brothers, I'll definitely help you!" Zhang Xiaoyi said, patting his chest.

"A Yi, you're really something. I'll start now—" As Guo Yunye shouted, he suddenly "pop" vanished right in front of Zhang Xiaoyi.

Zhang Xiaoyi was stunned for a moment, then slowly looked down to see the being wagging its tail on the ground.

"What!" He opened his mouth wide, letting out a shout of surprise.

In another corner of the banquet hall.

Two ordinary-looking boys leaned against the wall.

"He didn't summon the Undead from last time," the boy with a mature appearance said.

"Yeah, even after getting hit, the Undead didn't show up," the handsome boy said.

They looked at the playing cards in their hands.

The cards revealed the same message:

"Admission Ticket."

"Mediocre performance, not added to the 'newcomers' deck, no additional rewards."

"As a candidate, you have been given the necessary survival goods for the exam:"

"Candlelight Flame."

"Description: It is undying, and with it, you can see everything clearly within the exam venue."

"——Please attend this year's Tri-School Joint Exam."

The handsome boy sneered disdainfully.

Suddenly, a blood-stained silk thread appeared in the void.

The handsome boy extended his tender tongue, gently licking the silk thread.

"Ah..." His eyes filled with swirling light, he murmured softly,

"Millions of years' worth of evil ghostly strength has awakened within him... it's him... there's no mistake."

With those words, the handsome boy's physique shivered slightly, transforming into a beautiful young girl.

——Zhao Yibing.

"Master, shall we begin the hunt?" The ordinary-looking boy asked.

"Let's start," said the girl.

They left the banquet hall and walked to the edge of the Floating Temple, stepping down.

If one were to look closely, they would find countless fine silk threads strewn around them in the void.

Their bodies floated through the wind as if they were kites, slowly descending to the Floating Island below.

On the Floating Island.

Shen Ye and Xiao Mengyu sped along on the Ghost Fire Motorcycle without pause.

"Shen Ye, have you awakened the Dharma Eye?" Xiao Mengyu asked.

"I can see some hidden things, but is that what you call the Dharma Eye? What exactly is it?" Shen Ye asked.

"It's said—just said, mind you—that those great forces which affect the existence, persistence, decay, and emptiness of the world dwell in an unknowable realm beyond the perception of living beings, composing a separate world of their own, which is the Dharma Realm."

"The Dharma Realm is the domain of the most fundamental forces of the universe."

"Even gods need to call upon the strength from the Dharma Realm to exercise their abilities."

"The Dharma Realm is divided into several layers."

"The Strength of the First Layer of the Law Domain is the weakest, the Second Layer is much stronger—the higher the layer, the deeper the secrets and more powerful the energy."

"In fact, being able to use the power of the Dharma Realm is akin to doing what only gods can do."

"Once one enters the Dharma Realm, there is a heaven-and-earth difference in strength."

"Moreover, within the Dharma Realm, there are some rare and special existences, invisible to living beings."

"——Unless one has awakened the Dharma Eye."

"To awaken the Dharma Eye means to receive acknowledgment from the higher levels of the Dharma Realm, to see some special existences, and if cultivated properly, there's a chance to inherit that great power and become an incredibly strong Professional."