Rody slept for a whole day and night without waking up.

Everyone either sat or lay around, reading, playing chess, meditating, or resting, with everything remaining as usual. The middle-aged man drew in the sand with a tree branch, sometimes watching ants crawling on the ground, sometimes observing clouds slowly drifting in the sky, seemingly finding great interest in these simple activities.

After an indefinite period, the tranquility of the forest was broken by a horse's neigh.

A rider, like a flame, shot across the sky. In an instant, the rider approached, and upon pulling the reins, the horse, ablaze with flames, neighed long and landed steadily on the ground.

The rider, clad in golden armor with a blood-red cape fluttering majestically, exuded an air of grandeur. A silver shield adorned his left arm, with a golden crescent emblem in the middle, while his golden sword at the waist was also decorated with a golden crescent, clearly indicating that the Golden Knight was a revered and respected Sword King in the world. He dismounted with a flourish and walked arrogantly towards the great doors of the hall, completely ignoring the linen-clad old men nearby.

"Oho..." The Golden Knight burst into golden fighting spirit, fiery like flames, pressing his palms against the massive doors of the hall, intending to force them open with sheer strength.

However, the doors didn't budge. Despite multiple attempts to enhance his strength, the Golden Knight achieved nothing.

Frustrated, he retreated, gathered a sun-like fiery energy, and fiercely bombarded the doors, creating a thunderous noise. Mud and stones flew, dust billowed, but when the dust settled, the great doors of the hall remained unscathed, unaffected by the Golden Knight's powerful strike.

"Where's the mechanism to open the door?" The Golden Knight suppressed his anger, realizing that brute force wouldn't open the door, and casually asked the old men lounging around.

No one paid attention to him, as if he didn't exist. They continued reading, playing chess, everything as before.

After several unanswered queries, the Golden Knight, infuriated and tempted to draw his sword, exclaimed, "Damn it, you invite me for assessment but refuse to open the door. What's the meaning of this? I am the revered Sword Emperor of the Lederlands Empire, I don't have time to waste with you old men. If you're not willing to open the door, then don't blame me for breaking in."

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"Are you talking to us?" asked a pale, sickly-looking handsome man with a cough, in a tone of surprise.

"Don't try to act in front of me. I am the Leaping Horse Sword Emperor of the Lederlands Empire, here only to honor the introduction of the Zephyr Sword Emperor. If you think you can exploit me, you're greatly mistaken. Forget about any door-opening fees. If you don't open the door for me, then I'll break in myself. And if my golden sword causes any damage, don't blame me for not warning you beforehand."

"You might want to keep your voice down. The weakest person here is a Grand Sword Emperor, and even I, a Sword Saint, don't dare to speak loudly. You, a mere Sword Emperor, are barking like a mad dog. I'm genuinely worried for you," said the pale, sickly man, coughing again, his face flushing with a sickly redness. He whispered, "Go back. This place is not for you. As for your so-called introducer, I've never heard of him. Have any of you?"

"No," many shook their heads.

"I seem to remember the name of the Lederlands Empire," someone tried to recall. "It was established about two hundred years ago, previously just a small country invisible on the map."

"The Lederlands Empire, right. There was a Lightning Saint called Bluetooth, a disciple of my nephew. That young fellow was quite polite. How come today we have such a fool? Just a Sword Emperor and he's so arrogantly notorious," the old man with an old face shook his head. "What should we do with this fool? Throw him into the Ghostly Abyss to feed the ghost worms?"

"I just welcomed an interesting kid, so I'm in a good mood. Let him leave," the middle-aged man chuckled.

"Let's do that," agreed the silver-haired wise elder.

"You dare to mock me?" The Golden Knight, having confirmed there were no experts here, unsheathed his sword, charged up his fighting spirit, and pointed at the middle-aged man who had guided Rody, shouting, "If you have the guts, come and make me leave. Aren't you all so bold and intimidating? Come out and let me see the strength of your so-called Sword Saints and Magic Saints!"

"I won't fight you," laughed the middle-aged man

. "Even slapping you to death would be beneath me."

"To the Saint of Storms, you're just a fly," the sickly handsome man coughed, slowly standing up, laughing at the Golden Knight while coughing, "Ignorance is not your fault, but persisting in ignorance is."

"You sick man, die!" The Golden Knight roared, his fighting spirit erupting, his golden sword like a rainbow, swiftly slashing at the handsome man.

"I also wish to die, but it's too early for that," the pale, handsome man, now standing behind the Golden Knight, handed him something, coughing, "I wanted to kill you, but I didn't want to dirty my hands. So, leave as fast as you can, and as far as you can. This place is not for people like you. Understand?"

"Ah..." The Golden Knight looked and realized he was handed his own arm, still clutching the golden sword, and fled in terror.

Mounting his horse, he escaped faster than he arrived.

Except for a bloody arm holding a golden sword on the ground, the forest seemed as if nothing had happened. Everyone continued their activities, undisturbed by the incident.

As dusk approached, Rody finally woke up, surprised to see the group of people sitting quietly, not speaking.

"What is this place?" Rody asked his guide, the middle-aged man who called himself Alecles or Storm.

"The Divine Ruins," the middle-aged man smiled, pointing to the great doors. "Inside is the assessment area. The servant of the gods will wait for you at the second door. Just pass through the first door, and you can meet him."

"Ah... How can such a big door be pushed open?" Rody wondered aloud.

"You can't push it open, maybe try pulling," replied the skinny man with a smile.

"Thank you," Rody understood. The skinny man's words were not about pushing or pulling, but about different approaches to a problem. Such a big door couldn't be opened by brute force; there must be another way, and the skinny man was suggesting that he find that method instead of using force.

"Go ahead, we're also curious about your assessment," said the silver-haired wise old man, finally speaking a relatively long sentence.