The great uproar caused by Qin Feng slowly died down.
From this moment on, the name "Qin Feng" no longer just represented the "Dawn General Star." It had become completely synonymous with words like "monster," "demon," and "inhuman."
The way people looked at him also changed from initial scrutiny and surprise to a complex mix of awe and a hint of detachment.
Qin Feng paid it no mind.
He simply walked back to his group calmly, gave a slight nod to the stunned Tiemu, Lei Meng, and the others, and offered a gentle smile.
It was as if the "monster" who had just sent the entire crowd into a frenzy had nothing to do with him.
The more calm and collected he appeared, the more unfathomable he seemed to others.
After this great disturbance, the physical potential assessment quickly came to an end.
The final statistics were quickly displayed on the light screen in the center of the plaza.
[Third Assessment · Physical Potential Test, Final Results:]
[Total Participants: 417,322]
[Participants Passed: 417,322]
[Participants Eliminated: 0]
[Potential Grade Distribution:]
[Gold Standard Human I: 1,156]
[Gold Standard Human II: 128]
[Gold Standard Human III: 13]
[Beyond Gold Standard Human III: 1 (Data overflow, unable to be precisely graded)]
...
Looking at this data, the surviving geniuses had mixed feelings.
On one hand, the fact that no one was eliminated in this assessment allowed them to breathe a small sigh of relief.
On the other hand, the crystal-clear grade pyramid was like a mirror, laying bare the talent gap between them and causing many to feel immense pressure.
Over a thousand at Gold I, more than a hundred at Gold II, a dozen at Gold III... and that one unique, ungradable "monster."
These were the absolute top geniuses, sifted from billions of Educational Planets!
As everyone was lost in their own thoughts, the voice of a volunteer Martial Artist rang out again, devoid of any emotion, announcing the start of the next assessment.
"Now, we will proceed to the fourth assessment—climbing the Heaven-Reaching Ladder."
"This assessment is designed to test the strength of your Mental Power, not your aptitude for it. When you step onto the Celestial Ladder, you will be subjected to mental pressure that starts weak and steadily increases."
His gaze swept over the more than four hundred thousand focused faces in the crowd, his tone carrying a profound warning.
"There is no need for any of you to be overly concerned."
"All Advanced Martial Arts Middle Schools in the Canaan Star System have a clear regulation requiring students to diligently practice the *Emperor Meditation* technique, which was personally decreed by the Imperial Family. This Meditation technique is not just for increasing your cultivation speed. Its most crucial function is to temper and solidify your Mental Power, laying the strongest possible foundation for you to break through to higher realms in the future."
"Therefore, if you have never slacked in your practice of *Emperor Meditation* over the years, then this trial will be a walk in the park for you. On the other hand..."
He didn’t finish his sentence, but the warning it implied was self-evident.
"If, in your pursuit of rapid power gains, you were clever enough to abandon the practice of this most fundamental and crucial foundational technique, then you will, in all likelihood, fail this assessment."
These words caused the expressions of many students to change slightly.
Qin Feng, however, understood.
’This is just like those students back at the Martial Arts High School who only focused on martial training and completely disdained their academic studies. They always think that as long as their fists are hard enough and their strength is great enough, they can solve any problem.’
’But they never realize that on the true path of the Martial Dao, any weakness can one day become the last straw that breaks them.’
’And Mental Power is precisely that cornerstone—the one most easily overlooked, yet utterly crucial.’
Just then, atop the black, high platform, the ever-silent Master Yu Han finally made a move.
He slowly extended a hand, palm facing up.
In the center of his palm, space warped slightly, and a point of white light rapidly expanded.
The next second, a magnificent staircase—carved entirely from some unknown white jade and radiating a soft halo—materialized out of thin air in the center of the plaza.
This Celestial Ladder wasn’t particularly tall; you could see its top at a glance. Its cascading White Jade Steps numbered exactly one hundred—no more, no less.
It hovered there silently, yet it exuded a vast and majestic aura that seemed to originate from the deepest, most ancient reaches of the Cosmos.
This was the Heaven-Reaching Ladder.
"The fourth assessment now officially begins. All examinees, please ascend the Heaven-Reaching Ladder in an orderly fashion."
At the command, the more than four hundred thousand geniuses moved once more.
They formed lines and, one by one, stepped onto the first of the White Jade Steps.
Qin Feng followed the stream of people and stepped on as well.
The moment he set foot on the Celestial Ladder, an invisible, heavy pressure surged toward him from all directions like a tide, pouring directly into his Sea of Consciousness.
This pressure wasn’t physical, but a purely mental oppression.
It was like an invisible giant hand trying to crush your Will, disrupt your thoughts, and instill feelings of fear, confusion, and even the urge to give up.
"So that’s how it is."
Qin Feng understood. The pressure was immense, but to his Mental Power—which had already been forged to incredible resilience through the dual tempering of the *Emperor Meditation* and the *Great Sun Visualization*—it was nothing at all.