Tendo's sudden passing of the test immediately silenced the group who were still following the Raccoon Admin and continuously climbing the spiraling staircase.
Several quick-witted students immediately rushed to the wall, trying to pass through it just as Tendo had.
But the wall was hard as iron, with no gap whatsoever, making 'passage' impossible.
Just because Tendo could do it didn't mean others could.
At that moment, a male student wearing a Profound-level uniform abruptly pushed through the crowd, took a few steps to gain momentum, and slammed into the wall.
Thud!
A dull impact sound rang out. He clutched his forehead and slumped to the ground, grimacing in pain. There wasn't even a mark left on the wall.
"Idiot."
Not far away, Mi Yao leaned against the railing, chewing gum and sneering. He said without reservation, "Think you can pass by casually imitating him? That guy Tendo's ability isn't something rookies like you can learn."
The Raccoon Admin above seemed not to have noticed, continuing its ascent towards the 'rooftop.'
Caroline, meanwhile, expressionless, stepped over the boy on the ground and quickly followed the Raccoon Admin.
Her silver-white long hair flickered under the dim light, and a massive amount of quantum data flashed across her emerald pupils.
When Tendo disappeared, she had acutely captured a faint Star Energy fluctuation across the wall.
She had already grasped the essence of this Ross Staircase.
And she understood the reason for Tendo's success.
With his Star Eclipse Eye, he was certainly able to see through the 'situation' here at a glance.
Ye Shenlin, behind her, looked thoughtful at this sight.
Those who made it this far were not fools.
They had also guessed the nature of this assessment.
First, maintain a certain distance from the Raccoon Admin at all times.
Second, find the staircase's 'exit' at the right moment and leave this place.
But where this 'exit' was, and what criteria made a place an 'exit,' they had no idea.
[Five Minutes Later]
"Vivian, did you figure out how Brother Tendo passed the test just now?"
After climbing the staircase for another 'five minutes' following the Raccoon Admin,
Chen Kong came up to Vivian and whispered his question.
Vivian frowned and replied, "I have a lead, but I'm still missing some crucial data."
"What crucial data?"
Vivian opened her mouth, but ultimately didn't speak, as if it was difficult for her to explain to Chen Kong.
Just then, a sudden exclamation erupted from the crowd above.
Immediately after, the Raccoon Admin's voice sounded again.
"Remaining assessment time: 20 minutes."
"Current number of candidates passed: 4."
Chen Kong and Vivian exchanged glances, then both quickly accelerated their pace.
When they reached the crowd, they found that Caroline and Ye Shenlin were gone, and even Huan Qianying, who had been following Ye Shenlin, had disappeared.
It was obvious that the three who had just passed were Caroline, Ye Shenlin, and Huan Qianying.
Seeing this, the naturally impatient Liu Ma couldn't help but complain, "Seriously, what's the meaning of this assessment? They don't tell us the passing rule or the elimination rule, they just let us waste time like this? What kind of test is this?!"
Shortly after Liu Ma finished speaking, Mi Yao suddenly put away his handheld game console and walked up to a wall.
He turned back to Liu Ma, crooked a finger, and spoke with full ridicule, "Idiot, how is this not an assessment? Isn't this perfectly designed to eliminate morons like you?"
Mi Yao's words were blunt and aggressive.
Liu Ma instantly bristled.
"If we're idiots, you're stuck here just like us, too! The pot calling the kettle black."
Mi Yao looked at Liu Ma as if he were an imbecile, his tone merciless.
"An idiot is an idiot. Don't think I'm the same as trash like you."
Saying this, Mi Yao took a step.
The seemingly solid wall, at this moment, rippled like a water surface.
After entering halfway, Mi Yao waved his hand at Liu Ma without looking back, then walked away with flair.
Right after he left, the Raccoon Admin's voice sounded again.
"Remaining assessment time: 18 minutes."
"Current number of candidates passed: 5."
Watching Mi Yao pass the test too, Liu Ma stood with his mouth open, speechless for a long time.
Not being good at thinking, he still didn't understand how Tendo and the others had passed the test.
Time ticked by, and the number of people on the staircase grew smaller and smaller.
Some students tried to 'hit the wall' like Tendo and the others had, but only resulted in bloodied foreheads.
Others tried to attack the wall with Star Energy, but the energy was like a stone sinking into the sea, not even producing a spark.
At the same time, they also unexpectedly discovered that their Star Source felt suppressed by some force within this staircase, its effectiveness much lower than before.
There was only one possible explanation for this situation.
That this infinitely looping spiral staircase was an existence similar to a Calamity-level Domain.
After wasting a significant amount of time with no solution, Liu Ma tugged at his hair, his expression growing increasingly anxious.
"What on earth is going on? Do we need luck to pass?"
"It's not luck."
Vivian suddenly stopped. The data terminal in her hand displayed information about 'Cognitive Barrier.'
Without much explanation, Vivian spoke directly, "Follow me in a moment. Remember, absolutely do not fall behind."
Although Chen Kong and the others weren't sure when Vivian had found the solution, hope immediately ignited in them. They focused intently and followed closely behind Vivian.
[Inside a bright lobby]
"Caroline, do you think Chen Kong and the others can pass the test?"
Tendo sat on a sofa, asking Caroline with interest.
The location they were in now was the initial rest lobby.
That's right, they had seemingly walked for a long time on the staircase, but they had actually returned to the starting point.
The only difference from before was that the lobby now contained far fewer people.
Facing Tendo's question, Caroline said calmly, "As long as they can find the overlap point between the two spaces, this assessment is not difficult."
"So you think Chen Kong and the others can also pass?"
Caroline analyzed calmly, "That Mechanist Star Emissary named Vivian seems to have outstanding perception for machinery. And this Ross Staircase, similar to the endless labyrinth of the base back then, is fundamentally just a mechanical device."
"As long as she can perceive the internal mechanical operation, finding the spatial overlap point should not be difficult."
Hearing this, Tendo smiled. "Indeed, but most people in this world simply cannot see things outside of their own perception."
Soon after Tendo finished speaking, information about the [Ross Staircase] appeared on the screen of the series.
This allowed the dimensional audience on Site 13 to completely understand the essence of this assessment.
And how Tendo and the others had passed so easily.