Chapter 151: The Machine Exploded
"With the An Family supporting her with all their might and having undergone a Class Advancement to an Epic Class, An Zhiyi barely reached rank 48."
"These children have no family background to support them, and their classes are only of elite-grade. Under normal circumstances, being able to reach above rank 35 would already show extraordinary talent, and rank 52 is simply a fairy tale."
Song Jingran, the Class Holder Guild President standing to the side, chimed in, but his eyes flickered as if he had guessed something.
"What's so strange about this!?"
"Aside from that Lord Flame God, no one else could achieve this."
"On the day the Zhou Family was destroyed, I saw with my own eyes these children following Jiang Yuan and standing beside the Saint Mage. I suppose the Saint Mage made a move to raise their rank."
Tang Qiyuan lightly tapped his fingertips on the armrest, his eyes deep.
As soon as these words were spoken, the other high-ranking officials nodded one after another. Only this single possibility could explain the abnormality before them.
"But why would the Flame God expend effort to raise the rank of a few ordinary elite Class Holders?"
"You must know that the Flame God is at least a Seventh-Turn Magic Saint level. Bringing a few Second-rank Class Holders to level up must be extremely difficult, after all, there is a huge experience penalty!"
"Although these children are close to Jiang Yuan, they are not individuals of peerless talent."
Someone asked doubtfully.
"This is the Flame God's attitude."
"Jiang Yuan is his Direct Disciple. By doing this, he is both backing Jiang Yuan up and sending a signal to the entire Shanhai City and even the Federation!"
"Not to mention touching Jiang Yuan, anyone who dares to touch the people around Jiang Yuan will become his enemy."
Tang Qiyuan sneered, "Is the Zhou Family's end not enough to warn the world?"
"That may be so, but will this have an impact on the fairness of the assessment?"
"With an epic-grade Genius like An Zhiyi coming out of Experimental Middle School, we originally thought this year would be their moment in the spotlight. Who would have thought that the people around Jiang Yuan would directly overshadow them."
City Lord pondered for a moment and slowly said.
"Fairness?"
"In the face of absolute strength and background, there is inherently no absolute fairness."
"Fortunately, these children indeed possess the qualification to enter the third stage. With their Second-rank strength at rank 52, they can secure a place even in the pan-Federal assessment of Nanjiang City."
"For Shanhai City, this is actually a good thing. With a few more top students, Shanhai City can have a bit more assistance in the future."
Tang Qiyuan shook his head and said.
"inspector is right."
"Whether it's An Zhiyi, these children, or even Jiang Yuan, as long as they can walk out of Shanhai City and grow into powerhouses, the ultimate beneficiary will be our Shanhai City."
"As for Jiang Yuan, he hasn't been tested yet. This child's strength is probably even more unfathomable than we imagined."
City Lord deeply agreed.
The high-ranking officials chimed in one after another, their gazes refocusing on the high platform, and all attention concentrated on Jiang Yuan, who was about to be tested.
They were curious about what kind of results this Direct Disciple of the Flame God could produce, and whether it would be even more shocking than those around him.
The discussions among the crowd below never stopped, with emotions of envy, jealousy, and awe intertwined.
Everyone was waiting for Jiang Yuan's test results, wanting to see if this prominent figure could create another miracle.
"Jiang Yuan, I'll leave the rest to you!"
While walking off the stage and entering the exclusive area that welcomed 'geniuses', Zhao Biao winked and made faces at Jiang Yuan.
As an ordinary person of eighteen years, at that very moment, he finally received the treatment of being watched by thousands and played the role of a Genius that people envied and adored.
No wonder so many people like to show off!
This feeling really is extremely exhilarating!
"Scram!"
Jiang Yuan said irritably, taking strides until he finally reached directly in front of the intelligent testing machine.
Almost the moment he stood still, the machine shot out a scarlet red light that precisely landed on his body.
Everyone held their breath, staring fixedly at the large screen, eagerly awaiting the rank and class information of this Direct Disciple of the Saint Mage.
One second, two seconds, three seconds... Just as the entire audience fell into doubt,
Beep, beep, beep!
The intelligent testing machine that had been operating normally suddenly emitted a rapid and abnormal alarm sound.
Bang!
Following closely was a loud crash; the machine suddenly exploded, billowing thick black smoke.
The anticipated synthesized electronic voice failed to sound for a long time, and the large screen was completely blank without any data displayed.
"What is going on? Is the machine broken?" "I told you there was something wrong with the machine just now! Zhao Biao's rank 52 earlier must have been a data error!"
"What is going on?"
"Is the machine broken?"
"I told you there was something wrong with the machine just now! The rank 52 detected for Zhao Biao and the others must have been a data error!"
The crushing scene students were expecting was not seen, but instead they witnessed the eerie scene of the machine exploding.
This was something that had never happened in the past Class Holder rank tests of Shanhai City.
Even within the Federation, it was extremely rare.
Yet, it just had to explode today.
"Calm yourselves!"
City Lord's voice was like thunder, suppressing the voices of more than ten thousand people on the playground.
Instantly, the entire scene quieted down.
"Classmate Jiang Yuan, do you have any treasures on your body that have abilities to shield against detection?"
City Lord looked at Jiang Yuan and asked very politely.
"... It seems there are!"
Jiang Yuan was equally surprised by the machine's explosion.
At first, just like the other students, he thought there was something wrong with the machine itself.
But after hearing City Lord's words, he remembered that it should be the passive effect triggered by the ten-thousand-fold special effect 'Heart Commands Myriad Spirits' of Soul Suppression Technique.
The intelligent testing machine, wanting to understand the students' rank information, didn't simply scan the students' bodies to obtain data, but needed to conduct a spiritual-level detection in order to know the students' rank and class information.
This was somewhat similar to the Class Holder's Detection skill.
And the problem lay right here.
"Heart Commands Myriad Spirits can immunize against and resist the vast majority of mental-type skills, regardless of whether that ability comes from a human or a machine."
Furthermore, after each defense, it would automatically trigger a counterattack, causing massive damage to the target.
Therefore, the testing machine was accidentally injured by the passive effect of 'Heart Commands Myriad Spirits'.
Regarding this, Jiang Yuan was also left speechless and extremely helpless.
Because he didn't expect this kind of thing to happen either.
However, judging by this, the special effect of Soul Suppression Technique was even more powerful than imagined, and its application range was broader.
Previously, Jiang Yuan was still worried whether someone like Zhuang Beiwang, a Myriad Spirit Saint, or people from the Hundred Knowledge Pavilion, would conduct remote tracking and detection on Jiang Yuan, thereby discovering his whereabouts and true identity!
Now it seemed that once someone cast a spell on him, not only would they fail to detect anything, but they would also suffer a soul shock from 'Heart Commands Myriad Spirits'.
"Then please take the treasure down first and put it into your spatial backpack!"
"Otherwise, the machine cannot detect your information!"
City Lord said, seeming to worry that Jiang Yuan would misunderstand, and added, "This machine is uniformly distributed by the Federation. The test data will be directly connected to the Federal Unified Examination System, and it will only register your rank and class information, and will not detect privacy contents such as your specific attributes and skills!"
Chapter 152: Shocks the Audience
"Alright!"
Jiang Yuan thought about it and felt there was no problem, temporarily turning off the passive special effect of the Soul Suppression Technique, "Heart Commands Myriad Spirits".
After all, the things that machines could detect were ultimately limited.
It was not as good as the detection skill of an AdvancedClass Holder.
Furthermore, Jiang Yuan's own attribute panel really did not have anything overly special.
As for the System!
Even with a Law-grade detection skill, it could not be discovered!
After handling it properly, Jiang Yuan strode toward another intact intelligent testing machine, his relaxed demeanor replaced by a bit of calm certainty.
Seeing this, the high-ranking officials in the viewing gallery sat up straight one after another. Tang Qiyuan paused his fingertips, his gaze locked tightly onto Jiang Yuan.
"It is starting. He is finally going to be tested."
City Lord also restrained his contemplation, his line of sight falling between Jiang Yuan and the machine, curious about what the true strength of this Flame God's Direct Discipleactually was.
The crowd below instantly became quiet to the extreme, even subconsciously lightening their breathing as all gazes glued themselves onto Jiang Yuan.
Jiang Yuan stood firmly in front of the machine. The machine's body operated smoothly, and a scarlet red light precisely swept across his body. There were no strange sounds and no abnormalities; everything was identical to the students tested previously.
The crowd's hanging hearts settled slightly, only to raise another anticipation.
Under normal testing, what kind of results could Jiang Yuan produce?
In just two seconds, the familiar synthesized electronic voice clearly spread across the entire square, and Jiang Yuan's information simultaneously appeared on the big screen, word for word clear.
"Jiang Yuan, rank: Level 60 (second transfer), Profession: Instant Cast Mage (Elite-grade Profession), Result: Excellent (Promoted, obtained qualification to enter the third-stage examination)"
Wow!
The crowd, who had already mentally prepared themselves, were still heavily shocked by the Level 60 number. The clamor in the square was even greater than when Zhao Biao was tested, with exclamations and sounds of intake of breath rising one after another.
"Level 60? Is that not the limit rank of the second transfer!"
Someone cried out involuntarily, their tone full of disbelief.
Only then did the crowd belatedly realize that Level 52 of Zhao Biao and the others was the upper limit that their own strength could reach.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yuan's Level 60 was the ceiling of the second transfer stage.
This gap, which seemed to be only 8 levels, was actually as different as heaven and earth.
If not for the shackles of the second transfer rank upper limit, Jiang Yuan's rank would probably have long broken through to the seventies or eighties, or even higher.
What was even more astonishing was that being able to reach the second transfer limit meant that Jiang Yuan was most likely already preparing for Third-Rank matters, leaving only a step away from breaking through to a higher Cultivation Realm.
Among the many students present, quite a few were still struggling stuck in their twenties, not even touching the threshold of the second transfer, and some were even running around everywhere to earn gold coins to buy second transfer vouchers.
But Jiang Yuan already stood at the second transfer Peakthat they could hardly reach, about to step into the door of Third-Rank Class Holders, and this gap left the crowd with nothing but full-hearted awe and looking up.
In the backstage, An Zhiyi's expression changed slightly, and her tightly clenched hands betrayed her unwillingness.
She had consumed countless resources of the An Family to class advance into an Epic Class and reached Level 48, originally thinking she could securely sit on the top spot of this year's Shanhai City examinees, yet she did not expect Jiang Yuan to crush her with an absolute rank advantage relying solely on an Elite-grade Profession.
Not only that, even bringing along Zhao Biao and a group of underlings, their ranks all surpassed hers.
In the viewing gallery, the various high-ranking officials were not too surprised by Jiang Yuan's Level 60, as if they had long anticipated that this disciple of the Saint Magepossessed extraordinary strength.
Their attention was more concentrated on the profession Instant Cast Mage, and they began to discuss in low voices.
"Instant Cast Mage?"
"This profession is quite rare. Although it is only an Elite-grade Profession, its potential and strength are not worse than some rare-grade professions."
Song Jingran stroked his beard, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes.
As the president of the Class Holders Guild, Song Jingranknew more about various professions.
The innate ability of the Instant Cast Mage could be described as very formidable.
And the reason it was only rated as an Elite-grade Profession was simply because the free attribute points obtained each time it leveled up were only 20 points, the same as other Elite-grade Professions.
"More than just not worse."
"Ordinary mages need to chant incantations and perform casting actions when casting spells. Even those with outstanding talent find it hard to escape these shackles."
"While the Instant Cast Mage can skip the casting pre-swing and instantly cast spell skills, the initiative seized in actual combat is no small amount. In terms of burst and mobility, it can even rival some epic-grade magic-type professions."
Tang Qiyuan said.
In fact, he had noticed this point long ago. Earlier, when he watched Flame God use spells, he could instantly cast spell skills with a wave of his hand without needing any redundant actions.
Even when releasing that Advanced Heaven Burning Meteor, it was the same.
"Awakening a Common profession yet being able to walk such a path either means having a heaven-defyingbackground or possessing extraordinary innate talent."
"With this Instant Cast Mage paired with the Level 60 second transfer limit, Jiang Yuan will likely be able to secure a foothold in the Genius Hegemony Tournament of Nanjiang City."
City Lord was in a very good mood.
In past years, although there were some students from Shanhai City who could participate in the third-stage examination,
basically they were just running alongside, and their rankings were not high.
With Jiang Yuan this year, they might be able to create the best results since the establishment of Shanhai City.
"Do not forget, he is the Flame God's Direct Disciple after all."
"This Instant Cast Mage might just be his appearance at the present stage; who knows, he might have already hidden trump cards."
"Furthermore, being able to reach the second transfer limit, Third-Rank is probably just a matter of time for him. Whether his profession will usher in another transformation then remains unknown."
The corners of Tang Qiyuan's mouth curved into a smile, his eyes sharp.
The high-ranking officials chimed in one after another, and the looks they directed at Jiang Yuan held a bit more solemnity.
They knew that Shanhai City had produced a truly top-tier Genius this time. As long as Jiang Yuan grew steadily, he would definitely become a powerhouse of a region in the future.
Perhaps one day, Shanhai City would instead have to look up to Jiang Yuan for assistance.
The discussions of the crowd below gradually subsided, replaced by unanimous awe.
Looking at the test results on the screen, Jiang Yuan's expression remained indifferent, as if this Level 60 second transfer limit was merely a trivial matter.
He turned around and walked off the stage, heading toward the exclusive area where Zhao Biao and the others were located. Students along the way instinctively gave way, their eyes filled with worship.
"Not bad, Jiang Yuan! Level 60 second transfer limit, could it be that in this session's Genius Hegemony Tournament, you are going to suppress all the major Prodigies?"
Zhao Biao stepped forward quickly, patting Jiang Yuan's shoulder, his tone full of pride.
Luo Hang and the others also gathered around, their gazes looking at Jiang Yuan filled with admiration.
Including everyone else, the looks they cast at Jiang Yuanwere filled with awe.
Right at this moment, a crisp and pleasant female voice broke the tranquility of the exclusive area, ringing in everyone's ears.
"Classmate Jiang Yuan, hello!"
"I like you, may I ask... can you date me?"
I saw a young girl's figure walking over quickly, looking at Jiang Yuan with burning eyes.
Chapter 153 An Zhiyi's Confession
Hearing this, everyone could not help but gasp in shock, their faces filled with disbelief.
Whose daughter was so bold and open as to dare openly declare her love for Jiang Yuan, this prominent figure, in full view of everyone?
This area exclusive to the Genius students was mostly populated by boys, with very few girls.
Following the voice, everyone looked over, and surprise crept onto their faces once again.
The person who came was unexpectedly the Genius of Experimental Middle School, An Zhiyi.
Before Jiang Yuan, Zhao Biao, and the others appeared, An Zhiyi had relied on her Level 48 Epic Class to suppress all the competitors and win widespread applause.
Based on previous years' results, An Zhiyi was definitely qualified to win the title of Shanhai City's top Genius.
But unfortunately, an unexpected event happened this year.
At this moment, An Zhiyi stood right in front of Jiang Yuan, her posture upright yet unable to hide her shyness, the emotions in the depths of her eyes direct and fervent.
She was dressed in a moon-white waist-cinched magic robe, the hem embroidered with light blue flowing cloud patterns, accentuating her tall and graceful figure, resembling a newly blooming ice lotus.
Her skin was as white and flawless as jade, her brows and eyes as exquisite as a painting, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, and her apricot eyes were clear and bright, filled with joy, awe, and an undisguised adoration.
This scene, where her pitch-black long hair was loosely tied up, pinned with only a sapphire hairpin, giving her a cold yet somewhat coy temperament, and the faint elemental aura lingering around her, added an even more unique charm as an epic-grade Mage Elemental Controller.
left everyone deeply shocked.
Even though Jiang Yuan was the Direct Disciple of the Saint Mage and possessed a noble status, An Zhiyi was by no means an ordinary woman!
With the An Family backing her up, she herself was an Epic Class Professional with extraordinary talent, and breaking through to the Seventh-Turn Magic Saint in the future was not an extravagant hope.
If Jiang Yuan had taken the initiative to pursue An Zhiyi, people might have found it within reason.
But now it was An Zhiyi who lowered her pride to proactively confess her love, which many found hard to accept.
Especially for the students from Experimental Middle School, their expressions were extremely colorful.
An Zhiyi was the undisputed goddess-level campus belle in their hearts.
Comparable to Lin Muxue from No. 1 High School, she was the dream lover that countless boys yearned for day and night.
In the past, there was no lack of Clan descendants and Genius top students confessing to her, but no one had ever been able to move her, let alone make her fall in love with them on her own initiative.
Zhao Biao and the others were also stunned, instinctively looking at Jiang Yuan with eyes full of envy, wanting to see how he would handle this sudden public confession of love.
The surrounding air seemed to freeze as all gazes focused on Jiang Yuan and An Zhiyi, awaiting Jiang Yuan's reply.
You must know that Lin Muxue was Jiang Yuan's publicly acknowledged girlfriend at No. 1 High School!
Unexpectedly, he had won the favor of another goddess-level campus belle.
Truly all the good things were obtained by Jiang Yuan!
Amidst the crowd, a voice suppressing anger sounded quietly, its tone full of unwillingness and resentment.
"Damn it, how could Zhiyi take a fancy to this brat Jiang Yuan?!"
The person speaking was none other than Zhang Chongshan. He clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force, veins twitching slightly on his face, and his eyes stared fixedly at the two people in the center of the field, filled with jealousy and unwillingness.
Among the fanatical suitors who adored An Zhiyi, Zhang Chongshan had always been the most prominent one.
This had long been common knowledge at Experimental Middle School.
He was not an ordinary student, but a prominent figure at Experimental Middle School, hailing from the Zhang Clan, one of the four major families of Shanhai City!
Aside from the Lin Clan, the An Family, and the destroyed Zhou Family, the Zhang Clan had the deepest Foundation.
What was even rarer was that he himself had awakened the rare-grade class Dragon Blood Knight. With formidable strength, he had thought he would be the knight who could always stay by An Zhiyi's side.
But now, watching his lofty dream goddess proactively confess her love to someone else, the anger and unwillingness in his heart were almost overflowing, making him wish he could tear Jiang Yuan apart alive.
"Chongshan, you must stay calm!"
A friend beside him quickly grabbed him, lowering his voice to remind him, his tone full of apprehension.
"This Jiang Yuan is no longer what he used to be. No matter what, he is the Direct Disciple of the Saint Mage; we simply cannot compare to him!"
Seeing that Zhang Chongshan's gaze was still fierce, the friend added another sentence, lowering his voice even further: "Furthermore, I heard through the grapevine that the reason the Zhou Family was destroyed was because Zhou Luochen of the Zhou Family and Jiang Yuan vied for Lin Muxue's affection, which led to that kind of end..."
These words were like a basin of cold water, instantly extinguishing more than half of Zhang Chongshan's anger.
His entire body stiffened, and his brain, which had been previously overwhelmed by anger, gradually cleared up, involuntarily bringing up the terrifying scenes of the day the Zhou Family was destroyed in his mind.
The entire Shanhai City was enveloped by cold Qi, in an Ice Seal Ten Thousand Miles. High up in the sky, that crimson-gold figure possessed matchless majesty, raising a hand to summon a massive flame meteorite hundreds of meters wide, which crashed down roaringly onto the Zhou Family's estate.
On that day, the Zhou Family, which had entrenched itself in Shanhai City for many years and had a history even longer than the Zhang Clan, was thus reduced to ashes.
That very night, the Zhang Clan held an emergency meeting overnight, with only one core content.
Absolutely must not offend Jiang Yuan!
Furthermore, the Clan head and Elders discussed in private, tallying up the women in the Clan of a similar age to Jiang Yuan with outstanding looks, wanting to use this to form a marriage alliance with Jiang Yuan and cling to this towering tree.
"...Fine."
Zhang Chongshan gritted his teeth, forcibly suppressing the jealousy and murderous intent in his heart, his tone full of unwillingness, yet carrying a trace of undisguised fear.
He knew clearly that with Jiang Yuan's current background and strength, he had no qualification to contend against him at all. No matter how much hatred he held in his heart, he could only endure it.
Several figures around who also adored An Zhiyi saw this and hurriedly reined in their expressions.
Although there was regret and jealousy, no one dared to say another half sentence.
The cautionary tale of the Zhou Family was right before their eyes; no one was willing to ruin their own future and that of their entire Clan for a moment of impetuosity.
An Zhiyi in the center of the field did not care about the undercurrents surging around her; she only looked at Jiang Yuan with a firm gaze, her adoration clear in the depths of her eyes without any concealment.
"I already have a girlfriend."
Jiang Yuan was slightly stunned by this sudden and direct confession, but his expression quickly returned to calmness as he slowly spoke.
There were not a few girls casting flirting glances at him on the playground, but An Zhiyi was the first who dared to openly confess like this in full view of everyone.
The surrounding discussions instantly ceased, and everyone held their breath, watching the tug-of-war between the two.
"I know, it's Lin Muxue, right."
"It doesn't matter, I don't mind."
An Zhiyi, however, did not panic at all; instead, her beautiful eyes flickered with an unusual brilliance, and her flawless face was stained with a shy blush.
She had long investigated the relationship between Jiang Yuan and Lin Muxue, and had prepared herself for rejection, but her admiration for Jiang Yuan made her unwilling to give up easily; even if it meant striving for it proactively, she had to give it a try.
"But I mind, and Lin Muxue minds even more."
Jiang Yuan shook his head lightly, his tone plain yet carrying an unquestionable firmness. As he spoke, he turned sideways to walk aside, avoiding this confession.
"I will not give up."
An Zhiyi quickly stepped forward, bravely blocking Jiang Yuan's path, her eyes full of stubbornness.
In the past, it was always various Genius students surrounding her to confess their love. Confessing proactively to a boy like this was still her very first time in life.
Chapter 154: Conversation with Song Jingran
"What on earth do you like about me?"
Jiang Yuan stopped in his tracks, looked at the resolute young girl in front of him, and couldn't help asking.
"You are young, handsome, and so outstanding. We are both peers, so we definitely have common topics, and we can grow and get stronger together in the future!"
An Zhiyi's tone carried a hint of jubilation, and the depths of her eyes were filled with anticipation for the future, straightforwardly expressing her feelings.
Being praised like this by a goddess-level school beauty, Jiang Yuan inevitably felt a trace of joy in his heart, but he was clear-headed like a mirror.
What An Zhiyi truly fancied was never Jiang Yuan himself, but rather him wearing the halo of the Flame God Direct Disciple.
The worship-the-strong attribute in her bones made her naturally attracted to him, the most outstanding student of this year in Shanhai City.
"Sorry."
Jiang Yuan's tone remained calm, without any superfluous emotions, only a clear rejection.
"Don't you like me at all? In what way am I inferior to Lin Muxue?"
An Zhiyi's eyes instantly dimmed a bit, yet she still refused to back down; instead, she approached Jiang Yuan and puffed out her proud peaks.
Speaking of family background, the An Family and the Lin Family were on par with each other.
Speaking of talent and strength, she was already an Epic Class Class Holder with a boundless future.
Speaking of figure and appearance, she and Lin Muxueeach had their own merits, both being goddess-level school beauties that countless people fell for.
She really couldn't figure out where she was inferior to Lin Muxue.
"You are not inferior to Lin Muxue, but..."
Jiang Yuan paused, his tone softening slightly, "Lin Muxueand I have a long-standing relationship, not just a whim."
"Feelings can be cultivated slowly!"
An Zhiyi was relentless, her eyes filled with stubbornness, "After all, there is a long way to go in the future."
"..."
Jiang Yuan fell silent.
He had never expected that An Zhiyi, who seemed aloof, would be so persistent. This attitude of refusing to stop until she achieved her goal made him somewhat helpless for a moment.
"Damn it!"
Zhang Chongshan in the crowd watched this scene, and the jealousy and unwillingness in his heart surged once again, but they were suppressed by deep fear.
His clenched fists slowly loosened, and he looked at the scene with complex eyes!
He both hoped that An Zhiyi would be thoroughly rejected and secretly rejoiced that Jiang Yuan did not accept immediately.
But thinking of Jiang Yuan's background, he didn't even have the courage to step forward and interrupt.
To some extent, he was even more 'cowardly' than Zhou Luochen.
Zhao Biao and the others also gathered around, looking at each other in dismay, not daring to interrupt easily.
They knew very well Jiang Yuan's feelings for Lin Muxue, and they didn't expect An Zhiyi to be this persistent, so they could only watch silently, preparing to step forward to smooth things over after Jiang Yuan extricated himself.
"This An Family girl is truly a bold and decisive young lady who loves and hates fiercely. I think they are quite a match!"
City Lord smiled and said.
However, his gaze looked towards the other side, the head of the An Family and the head of the Lin Family.
The head of the An Family showed a gratified smile.
On the other hand, Lin Muying, the head of the Lin Family, had a face as dark as charcoal and looked very displeased.
"Indeed, they are quite a match. It's a pity that this old man's granddaughter is several years older than Jiang Yuan; otherwise, I would also want to play matchmaker."
Song Jingran stroked his beard and joked.
...
After the test assessment ended.
In the exclusive area where Jiang Yuan was, the number of students abruptly increased to around one hundred and twenty.
These students were all qualified to participate in the third-stage Genius Tournament.
They could be said to be geniuses selected from a hundred.
After all, the combat-type students (including support-type Class Holders) in Shanhai City numbered around fifteen thousand.
But most of the students fell during the first and second stages.
In the end, only this small number of people could go to Nanjiang City to participate in the third-stage assessment.
Moreover, quite a few of them were only at level thirty and hadn't had time to undergo Class Advancement yet.
"Here, I first congratulate everyone on achieving good results in the assessment."
"As long as you perform normally in the third-stage assessment, you will at least be able to enter the top one hundred Class Holder universities in the Federation!"
At this moment, the one speaking in front of the group of students was unexpectedly City Lord.
Standing beside him was Song Jingran.
Behind them were the principals and directors of various schools, including Principal Xiao Heng of the First High School.
"Entering a Class Holder university allows you to enjoy many benefits, which I suppose you all know!"
"If you perform exceptionally well, you can even enter the top Five Great Academies!"
"Gain massive faculty resources, abundant resource allocation, rare dungeon Secret Realms, rare Class HolderLegacies, like-minded classmates, and a starting point far exceeding others..."
City Lord said solemnly.
Speaking of the top Five Great Academies, the breathing of the students present couldn't help but become heavier.
You must know that this was the dream of countless Class Holders.
"...Finally, and most importantly!"
"You will be led by President Song to take the exclusive mechanical train at 8:00 tonight to head to Nanjiang City!"
"Everyone must arrive in advance. After all, the special train waits for no one. Once missed, either you find a way to get to Nanjiang City yourselves, or it is equivalent to giving up your subsequent assessment qualifications!"
After City Lord finished speaking, his gaze swept across the faces of the students in front of him one by one.
Finally lingering on Jiang Yuan's face for a few seconds, he smiled slightly at him and then turned and left.
"Gather at the East City Gate at 8:00 tonight. No one is allowed to be late!"
Song Jingran exhorted once again.
"I'm so looking forward to it!"
"I heard that Nanjiang City is a super giant city, much larger than our Shanhai City, with a population approaching nearly two hundred million!"
"Nanjiang Academy, one of the Federation's top Five Great Academies, is located within Nanjiang City!"
After all the leaders and higher-ups left, Zhao Biaonervously rubbed his hands.
Although he had always taken entering Nanjiang Academyas his goal, he had never imagined that one day it would be so close to him.
Of course, the reason he had today was entirely thanks to Jiang Yuan's help and support.
"Jiang Yuan, are you going to take the exam for Nanjiang Academy?"
An Zhiyi asked leisurely.
Although there were five top academies, getting into Nanjiang Academy was the primary choice for students of Shanhai City.
Of course, it was also An Zhiyi's first choice.
It was not only influenced by geographical factors.
Also because Nanjiang Academy's magic-system major ranked first in the entire Federation.
Therefore, entering Nanjiang Academy made it easier to obtain powerful magic-system Class Holder Legacies.
Whether it was Jiang Yuan's Instant Cast Mage or An Zhiyi's Element Controller, both were magic-system professions.
Come to think of it, Element Controller was still a higher-tier class to the Instant Cast Mage!
If Jiang Yuan wanted to increase the intensity of his elemental skills later on, he could take Element Controller as his Class Advancement target.
"Mm!"
Jiang Yuan raised an eyebrow and nodded slightly.
But just when An Zhiyi intended to continue asking, Jiang Yuan walked forward.
An Zhiyi looked over and saw Song Jingran smiling and waving at Jiang Yuan.
"Classmate Jiang Yuan, I am Song Jingran, the president of our Shanhai City Class Holder Guild."
Song Jingran wore a benevolent smile.
"Hello, President Song."
Jiang Yuan nodded slightly, waiting for Song Jingran's next words.
"I would like to ask, I wonder if your Master will go to Nanjiang City together with you?"
Song Jingran asked suddenly.
"Is there any problem?"
A trace of doubt appeared in Jiang Yuan's eyes.
Chapter 155: The Three Supreme Gods and Three Halls of the Abyss Realm!
"That is how it is!"
"Shanhai City is separated from Nanjiang City by over ten thousand miles."
"Not only is the journey far, but it also has to pass through the vast Wilderness Area, which is fraught with danger!"
"Moreover, every year at this time, it is when the Demon God Hall and Evil God Temple are most active and rampant, and every year they make trouble during this period!"
"Especially in previous years, they would come out to make trouble at the time nodes of local evaluations. Although they didn't attack the evaluation venue today, it's hard to guarantee they won't ambush and attack on the way..."
Song Jingran said with a worried look.
Within the Abyss Realm, there is not just the force of the Abyssal Demon God and Demon Race.
Rather, there are three major racial forces and three Supreme Gods, who are independent of each other.
They are respectively the Abyssal Demon God, the Evil God, and the Underworld God.
When the Abyss invaded the real world, it began to cultivate forces in the real world.
And the Human Race traitors who defected to the Abyss established the Three Halls based on this.
They are precisely the Demon God Hall, Evil God Temple, and Underworld God Hall!
The ones that frequently oppose the Human RaceRighteous Path forces led by the Federation are the Demon God Hall and Evil God Temple.
The Demon God Hall worships the Abyssal Demon God, mainly consisting of Class Holders with negative powers such as darkness, evil, and crime. They aim for Fusion with the Demon Race bloodline and control dark magic, expecting to become a true Abyssal Demon Race one day.
The Evil God Temple worships the Evil God, obtaining power from the Evil God through methods such as sacrificing living creatures, the descent of the Evil God, and causing slaughter. They even consider themselves to be one with the Evil God, acting as the Avatar of the Evil God walking in the human world.
No matter which one it is, they stand on the opposite side of the Human Race camp.
Naturally, various conflicts and wars will occur with the Human Race.
Previously, after Lin Muxue completed her Awakening for her epic-grade Epic Class, the Lin Clan hurriedly demanded she return to the Clan. It was not just as simple as breaking her and Jiang Yuan up; the main reason was the worry that she would suffer assassination by spies from the Demon God Hall.
Later, they even sent Lin Muxue overnight to Nanjiang City.
When in Dongque City, Jiang Yuan had also suffered kidnapping and blackmail from the Demon God Hall.
It can be said that the Demon God Hall is almost ubiquitous, just like rats hiding in ditches, truly making people unbearably annoyed.
And whenever the Abyssal Demon Race invades, they act together with the Abyssal Demon Race army, especially causing all kinds of trouble in the rear camp of the Human Race.
"Since the authorities know that the Demon God Hall and Evil God Temple are attacking the student special train, they should send people to protect it!"
Jiang Yuan said.
"Of course, the City Lord arranged for us to accompany them mainly to protect the students' safety along the way!"
"However, this is not foolproof!"
"After all, I am only at the Fifth-Tier strength!"
"Right, this time accompanying the special train is also inspector Lord Tang, but his strength is only Sixth-Turn..."
Song Jingran stopped talking halfway. "We are worried that once we are attacked, we won't be able to take care of the safety of all students."
Almost every year on the exclusive trains heading to Nanjiang City, various unexpected situations are frequently encountered.
Not only is there a possibility of suffering attacks from the Demon God Hall or Evil God Temple.
When passing through large areas of the Wilderness Areaoccupied by monsters, they will also suffer attacks from monster groups.
"When necessary, my Master will take action!"
Jiang Yuan thought about it and understood Song Jingran's meaning.
After all, his Master, the 'Flame God', is a Saint-level Saint Mage powerhouse.
If a Saint Mage accompanies and protects them, the safety will naturally be much higher.
"That is simply wonderful. On behalf of the Shanhai Cityauthorities and all the students, I thank your Master!"
Song Jingran's face showed a look of excitement.
"No need to be so polite!"
Jiang Yuan waved his hand.
Under the cover of night.
At the east gate of Shanhai City, it was brightly lit and figures were bustling.
Over a hundred Genius students including Jiang Yuan, Zhao Biao, and An Zhiyi gathered here.
Everyone's face carried anticipation for the unknown journey and a hint of solemnity.
On the outer fringe of the crowd, more than ten powerful Class Holders led by Song Jingran stood solemnly, their bodies surrounded by a steady aura, their eyes scanning the surroundings vigilantly.
The City Guards on the side wore uniform dark iron armor, held energy firearms, and had neat formations, fully displaying an elite posture.
They will escort this group of geniuses to Nanjiang Citytogether to ensure the safety of the journey.
When the time precisely reached eight o'clock, a low buzzing sound came from the depths of the darkness. Although the sound was soft, it carried a heavy sense that penetrated people's hearts.
Following closely, a silver-black figure galloped over like a ghost, so fast it only left a blurry afterimage.
In a flash, it steadily stopped in front of everyone without any turbulence, which fully demonstrated the formidable control precision and dynamic performance of it.
This is the exclusive mechanical train equipped by the Federation for talented students of base cities everywhere.
The entire train is forged from deep-sea dark iron, and the train body is covered with crisscrossing energy lines. When started, the lines will emit a light blue shimmer, forming a dense energy protective shield that can hard-resist the full-strength blow of a Seventh Rank Class Holder. Even if besieged by high-tier monster groups, it can hold its ground and remain undefeated.
The body design is minimalist and smooth, with no extra protrusions. When driving, it can maximize the avoidance of airflow resistance and monster perception. It has extremely strong concealment and can shuttle silently in the complex environment of the Wilderness Area.
The front of the train is equipped with an alloy ram, which can break through monster formations with ultimate speed when necessary, buying time for escape or counterattack.
"Everyone hurry up and get on the train!"
"After getting on the train, everyone must wear their equipment well, and must not leave the carriage without authorization during the entire journey."
"When the train is driving in the Wilderness Area, it may encounter attacks from monster groups or even unknown forces. Everyone must make combat preparations in advance to deal with various emergencies!"
Song Jingran stepped forward and instructed in a sonorous voice.
Everyone's heart skipped a beat.
The Wilderness Area is inherently a stronghold of monster groups, fraught with crisis. Even formed Class Holderteams need to proceed step by step and conceal their whereabouts when going deep into the Wilderness Areafar from the base cities, let alone a carrier with an obvious target like a mechanical train, which will inevitably become the object of monsters' covetousness.
Swish!
The students, who had long been fully prepared, no longer hesitated and quickly poured toward the train carriages.
Jiang Yuan also stepped forward together with Zhao Biao, Luo Hang, and others, drilling into the carriage along the stairs.
The interior of the carriage was much more spacious and comfortable than everyone expected. On both sides were soft leather seats, leaving enough active space in the middle. The top was embedded with soft cold-light lamps, illuminating the entire carriage.
Hidden inside the carriage walls were energy ejection ports and emergency escape passages. Supply boxes and medical equipment were also placed in the corners, balancing comfort and safety.
What was even more unexpected was that the front of the carriage was equipped with a huge holographic screen, which could display the train's driving route, surrounding environment warnings, and monster distribution in real-time.
However, when everyone stabilized their footing, they found that there were already many students of similar age sitting in the carriage, with several accompanying teachers wearing uniforms beside them.
These students came from different base cities. The styles of their clothing varied, and the auras emanating from their bodies were also different, clearly all top Geniuses selected from various places.
Chapter 156: Provocation from Wanghai City Students
Seeing the students from Shanhai City board the train, the original conversations inside the carriage gradually subsided.
Students from other base cities cast probing glances, their eyes mixed with curiosity, scrutiny, and a trace of subtle competitive desire.
After all, in the third-stage examination, they would eventually become each other's opponents, so naturally they wanted to figure out each other's background in advance at this moment.
An Zhiyi boarded the train closely behind Jiang Yuan. Even though she was rejected during the day, she still did not stay away, and found a seat close to Jiang Yuan to sit down.
Her gaze fell on Jiang Yuan from time to time, and the stubbornness in the depths of her eyes had not diminished in the slightest.
Zhang Chongshan in the crowd deliberately kept a distance from An Zhiyi, while secretly paying attention to Jiang Yuan's movements, with complex emotions intertwined in his heart.
"So many people!"
Zhao Biao looked around and lowered his voice to say to Jiang Yuan, "I didn't expect there to be people from other base cities, and looking at the number, it's much more than ours."
"Indeed, after all, Shanhai City is only a secondary base city."
Jiang Yuan nodded slightly, his gaze calmly sweeping across the crowd inside the carriage.
He could sense extraordinary auras from quite a few students, and obviously there were many prodigies among them.
Although Shanhai City had a population of three million, looking at the entire Federation, it was nothing.
At this moment, the train emitted a low hum again, the energy protective shield slowly activated, and the train body started steadily, speeding towards the Wilderness Area in the darkness.
"It's from Wanghai City!"
At this time, Zhao Biao's gaze swept across the huddled crowd ahead and to the side, his eyes suddenly sinking. He reached out and touched Jiang Yuan's arm beside him, lowering his voice extremely low with a hint of imperceptible vigilance.
Jiang Yuan raised his eyes to look. That group of students was fully armed just like them, but on their chests, they wore a badge inlaid with wave patterns.
These people had arrogant postures, chatting and laughing in twos and threes, and the auras around them were more extroverted than the students of Shanhai City.
He nodded slightly, understanding in his heart.
When Tianhai City was still standing, both Shanhai Cityand Wanghai City were just inconspicuous towns under its jurisdiction.
But after a catastrophe, Tianhai City turned into scorched earth, and a new city could never be built on the original site.
Most people moved inward with the obsession of their homeland, building Shanhai City at the junction of mountains and plains, gradually moving away from the coastline and shedding the imprints of coastal towns.
Wanghai City rose smoothly, replacing Tianhai City to become a new port city, obtaining rich fishery and developed maritime trade.
Relying on the convenient sea route for rapid development, it leaped from a small town to a tertiary base city, with its population breakthrough of five million, far exceeding Shanhai City, and even its foundation gradually becoming thicker.
To say they share the same origin, the relationship between the two cities had long been at daggers drawn, both considering themselves the "Tianhai Orthodoxy", and open and covert struggles never stopped.
At first, Shanhai City relied on the support of many Tianhai survivors and still held a bit of the upper hand.
But as Wanghai City's economy and population became increasingly prosperous, its right to speak also became heavier, gradually suppressing Shanhai City, and this contradiction became increasingly prominent.
"Pfft!"
A sneer abruptly broke the peace of the carriage, carrying undisguised mockery.
The Wanghai City students diagonally ahead had already noticed them. The leading Yellow-haired Youth stood up with his arms crossed, a mocking arc hooking the corner of his mouth. His gaze swept across the Shanhai Citystudents, his tone arrogant and mean.
"I was wondering who it was; turns out it's a bunch of punks from Shanhai City!"
As soon as these words came out, the Shanhai Citystudents instantly bristled.
Zhao Biao had the most fiery temper and immediately patted the seat armrest to stand up, but was held down by Jiang Yuan's outstretched hand.
"This brat is courting death!"
He turned his head to glare at Jiang Yuan, lowering his voice and saying angrily.
Jiang Yuan shook his head slightly, looking at the Yellow-haired Youth with a cold gaze. He didn't speak, but carried an aura that could not be provoked.
"What? Too scared to speak?"
"That's right, besides holding onto the title of'survivors' to live off past achievements, what else can you Shanhai Citypeople pull out?"
"In terms of city rank, our Wanghai City is a tertiary base city, and you? A mere secondary one, not to mention our economy has always been developing at high speed, what does Shanhai City have to compare with us!"
Seeing this, the Yellow-haired Youth became even more smug, stepping into the middle of the two groups and sneering.
The other Wangyue City students around him each revealed mocking expressions.
On the contrary, the students on Shanhai City's side, although extremely angry, were unable to refute.
Because what the other party said was indeed the truth.
Shanhai City's development in recent years was indeed inferior to Wangyue City.
"What, not talking anymore?"
"Not to mention, there are a full three hundred people here with us, while you only have a little over a hundred people."
"In past years, our Wanghai City had at least five quotas to enter the five top academies!"
"As for last year, I remember Shanhai City only had one?"
"Could it be that this year there won't even be one?"
The Wanghai City students continued to provoke.
"You're talking nonsense!"
A tall and thin student from Shanhai City couldn't help refuting.
"The facts are just like this!"
"I think you guys had better go back early and stop making a fool of yourselves in Nanjiang City!"
The Yellow-haired Youth said coldly.
"Watch your fucking mouth! The real Unified Examinationhasn't started yet, who is strong and who is weak is not yet certain!"
"Don't think that just because your Wanghai City develops fast and has good results in past years, you can be so arrogant!"
Zhao Biao could no longer hold back. He broke free from Jiang Yuan's hand and stood up. His bulky figure was a head taller than the Yellow-haired Youth, glaring down at the other party from a condescending height.
The Yellow-haired Youth was not afraid at all. Instead, he puffed out his chest, and a halo representing the Class Holder rank flickered above his head.
"Strong or not isn't something that can be decided just by talking."
The corner of his mouth twitched into a smirk, his tone carrying a show-off attitude, "I am a rank 43 Class Holderafter all, much stronger than you bunch of trash from Shanhai City, right?"
As soon as his voice fell, the Wanghai City students around him successively released their own rank halos, and lights of various colors intertwined together, covering a small half of the carriage.
rank 40!
rank 42!
rank 47!
rank 50!
As each rank was lit up, the contempt in the eyes of the Wanghai City students almost overflowed.
Even some students from other base cities watching the show wore expressions of surprise.
They didn't expect that among this group of Wanghai Citystudents, there were actually so many Second Class Advancement Class Holders, and their ranks were not low either.
Fortunately, before this, they had always been at peace with each other.
Although the Wanghai City students had always been arrogant, they had no grievances with them.
On the contrary, as soon as the Shanhai City students came up, both sides acted as if they had eaten gunpowder.
To be honest, their ranks were already very high.
Especially since one of them had reached rank 50.
Placed in the past, whether it was Shanhai City or Wangyue City, or even several surrounding base cities, such a high rank had never appeared before.
But amidst this full-house exclamation and the arrogant momentum of Wanghai City, the expressions of the originally furious Shanhai City students gradually turned strange.
Gone was the expected embarrassment and unwillingness, instead mixed with a bit of a hard-to-suppress weirdness.
There was also a trace of indescribable anticipation, exchanging glances with each other, with faint smiles lingering at the corners of their mouths.
This abnormal appearance stunned the smug Yellow-haired Youth for a moment. The sense of superiority in his heart was instantly diluted by confusion, and his tone also sank a bit.
"What are you laughing at? Could it be that you're scared stupid?"
Chapter 157: Suppression in rank
"Why aren't you talking anymore?"
Seeing that the crowd from Shanhai City had strange expressions but remained silent, the Yellow-haired Youthgrew even more arrogant, stepping forward as the banter and contempt in his tone almost spilled over.
"You don't even have the courage to resist? It seems I still overestimated you bunch of trash from Shanhai City!"
Before his voice faded, he raised his hand and pushed toward the chest of Zhao Biao in front of him.
Relying on his side's suppression in rank and the rule forbidding private fights as a fallback, he figured Zhao Biaowould either dodge or have to swallow his anger in silence.
But the next instant, the expression of the Yellow-haired Youth suddenly froze.
His palm pushed solidly against the chest of Zhao Biao, yet it was like crashing into a cast-formed alloy steel plate, the force instantly dissipated, and Zhao Biao still stood firmly in place, not even the corner of his clothes shaking.
Looking at himself instead, he was forced to stagger backward half a step by the rebound force before barely stabilizing his stance.
"I thought you were how amazing? Just this?"
Zhao Biao lowered his eyes to glance at his hand, the corners of his mouth curving into a thick sneer, his tone icy and disdainful.
"You..."
"This is strength, didn't you see our rank?"
"In the world of the Class Holder, strength is the only truth."
"Your Shanhai City can't even cultivate a decent Genius, what are you still fighting for regarding the orthodox of Tianhai? Simply a joke!"
The Yellow-haired Youth swept across the expressions of the students from Shanhai City, triumphantly lifting his chin.
The mechanical train was the exclusive transportation tool for the student Unified Examination, the space inside the carriage was limited, and high-level officials had long explicitly forbidden private fights, otherwise it would directly cancel the qualification for the Unified Examination.
It was precisely because the students of Wanghai Citycalculated this point that they dared to so ostentatiously display their rank, using the disparity in words and strength to crush, comprehensively suppressing the crowd from Shanhai City from aura to mentality.
As for this relatively benign competition, the Federation would not prohibit it.
After all, the moment students became a Class Holder, they were no longer flowers in a greenhouse, but needed to experience a cruel world and reality.
If they couldn't even endure this bit of verbal blow, they simply didn't deserve to become talents focused for cultivation and would sooner or later be eliminated.
"Saw it."
Zhao Biao slowly straightened up, the Qi around his body gradually becoming restless, his sneering expression constantly unchanged, and his tone full of disapproval.
"A bunch of rookies in the forty-some ranks, at most not exceeding the fiftieth rank, also worthy of brandishing power here?"
As his voice fell, he leaned his body slightly backward and raised his hand to wave toward behind him.
In the crowd, the four of Luo Hang immediately stepped forward, standing straight behind Zhao Biao, their Qi steady and their gazes sharp, vastly different from their previous introverted appearance.
"You say wh..."
The Yellow-haired Youth wanted to open his mouth to refute, but the words reached his lips, his pupils abruptly contracted, the arrogance on his face was instantly replaced by ultimate horror, his mouth wide open, but not a single word could be spit out.
I saw that above the head of Zhao Biao, a dazzling halo suddenly appeared, and a clear number slowly emerged.
52nd rank!
That light was as blazing as the midday sun, stinging people until they couldn't open their eyes, the majestic fluctuation of rank spread like a tide, instantly covering the Qi of the students of Wanghai City, suppressing the surrounding air to slightly stagnate.
This scene caused the entire carriage to instantly fall into dead silence.
The students from other base cities who were originally discussing animatedly all froze in place, their eyes staring round, their faces filled with disbelief, even their breathing slowing down subconsciously.
The smiles of the students of Wanghai City behind the Yellow-haired Youth instantly froze on their faces.
Their previous sense of superiority was completely shattered, replaced by deep panic and bewilderment.
Someone even couldn't help retreating half a step, their eyes full of awe.
And what made their soul scattered and spirit dissipatedeven more was that above the heads of the four of Luo Hang behind Zhao Biao, dazzling halos also lit up successively, four equally dazzling 52nd rank numbers echoed and shone with the rank of Zhao Biao, the five rays of light intertwining into a net, with a majestic aura, shaking the seats inside the carriage to slightly tremble.
A uniform set of 52nd rank Second Class Advancement Class Holders!
A full five people! This kind of lineup, not to mention having never appeared in the history of Shanhai City and Wanghai City, even among the Unified Examination students of the entire Federation, was definitely a Phoenix-like existence!
The Yellow-haired Youth was ice-cold all over, his legs trembling slightly out of control, that hand that pushed Zhao Biao earlier was now stiffly hanging by his side, his palms full of cold sweat.
The 43rd rank he was so proud of was as insignificant as an ant in front of the 52nd rank.
The rank lineup they relied on to show off appeared so vulnerable in front of these five dazzling halos.
He finally understood that the strange expressions of the students from Shanhai City earlier were not being frightened silly, but watching a group of buffoons self-direct and self-act.
"You just said that our Shanhai City can't cultivate a decent Genius?"
Zhao Biao stepped forward one step, and with his burly figure bringing its own powerful sense of oppression, he looked down condescendingly at the Yellow-haired Youth, the sneer in his tone becoming even more intense.
"Just you lot of goods who haven't even reached the fiftieth rank, also worthy of judging us?"
The four of Luo Hang also stepped forward one step, the five 52nd rank Qi stacked together, enveloping the crowd from Wanghai City like Mount Tai pressing down, making them almost unable to breathe.
The students of Wanghai City were all crestfallen, their complexions as pale as paper, no longer having their previous arrogant aura.
Someone subconsciously put away the rank halo, as if that dazzling light had now become a slap to the face.
Others supported each other, their eyes full of panic, not even having the courage to look up at the crowd from Shanhai City.
"How is this possible?"
The throat of the Yellow-haired Youth tightened, his mouth open enough to stuff a fist, the fear in his eyes almost spilling over, his body unable to control shrinking back a bit.
In the world of the Class Holder, rank was the most direct symbol of strength, the gap between the 52nd rank and the 43rd rank being as impassable as a natural chasm.
As for the class rarity, both sides tacitly did not reveal it.
Class attributes were often associated with some of one's own core information, easily exposing them would only plant hidden dangers for oneself, and this rank showdown right now was already enough to decide the outcome.
The discussions in the corner of the carriage rose one after another, students from other base cities lowered their voices and whispered to each other, their eyes full of shock and curiosity.
"Did I read it right? The five of them are actually all 52nd rank?"
"Wanghai City over there tried their utmost and only produced one 50th rank, this Shanhai City is hiding its brilliance too much!"
"Clearly just a secondary base city, how can they cultivate so many top Geniuses?"
"Who knows, previously thought Wanghai City would surely win, now there is a good show to watch!"
The students from other base cities in the carriage also exploded into an uproar at this moment, exclamation and discussion rising one after another, the gazes looking toward the five people of Shanhai City were full of awe and worship.
The complexions of the students of Wanghai City grew increasingly ugly, their previously sure-to-win arrogant aura completely extinguished, replaced by embarrassment and unwillingness.
They originally wanted to suppress Shanhai City by taking advantage of rank, winning enough face for Wanghai City, but they didn't expect that trying to steal a chicken would end up losing the rice used as bait, and instead got slapped hard in the face by the opponent's absolute strength.
"Tch, just the 52nd rank, what is there to be arrogant about!"
The Yellow-haired Youth desperately wanted face, stubbornly putting up a hard front, but his eyes dodged and drifted, completely not daring to look directly into the icy gaze of Zhao Biao.
He subconsciously stepped back a few steps, avoiding the suppression of the five 52nd rank Qi, suddenly turned his head to look toward the corner on the other side of the carriage, his voice carrying a bit of eager hope, calling out toward that direction.
"Ding Luoling! Show your rank! Let this group of bumpkins from Shanhai City see the true strength of our Wanghai City!"
Chapter 158 Getting Back at You
As soon as those words were spoken, the previously dejected students of Wanghai City instantly raised their heads, lights reigniting in their eyes.
That is right!
They still had Ding Luoling!
She was the top Genius of this cohort in Wanghai City, usually proud and aloof, rarely mingling with others, and having spent the whole time sitting alone in the corner resting her eyes, she had actually been forgotten by them.
Even though Zhao Biao and the other four were all rank52, Ding Luoling's strength was far beyond what they could compare to!
Everyone's gazes turned uniformly toward the corner, and even students from other base cities grew curious, wanting to see what kind of strength this Genius, whom Wanghai City held high hopes for, truly possessed.
"How childish!"
In the shadows of the corner, a slender figure slowly raised her gaze.
The young girl wore a sharp dark purple combat outfit, with the hem and cuffs tightly tailored, adorned with fine silver thread dark patterns. It was neither flashy nor lacking in hidden sharpness, perfectly fitting an archer's agility and swiftness.
Her black hair was tied high into a ponytail, secured with a silver feather-shaped hair clasp, and two strands of hair hung down beside her temples, making her cleanly outlined jawline look even colder.
The most eye-catching thing was the purple spirit wood bow slung diagonally across her back. The bow body emitted a warm yet piercing deep purple light, carved with intricate intertwined branch patterns on the limbs, while her quiver was close to her waist, filled with several feathered arrows whose tips faintly gleamed with cold light. Although they were not unsheathed, they naturally carried a palpable sense of oppressive readiness.
Her gaze was indifferent and aloof, like an icy cold pool, without the slightest ripple as she swept across the scene, as if the rank rivalry and face-saving disputes before her had nothing to do with her.
"What do you mean childish!"
"The reason we did this... was all instructed by City Lord Ding!"
The Yellow-haired Youth said anxiously.
City Lord Ding was also the current City Lord of Wanghai City.
At the same time, he was also Ding Luoling's biological father.
Hearing this, Ding Luoling hesitated for a moment before slowly standing up.
Her slender figure carried its own cold sense of oppression, and she walked toward the crowd at a leisurely pace.
With every step she took, the air in the carriage seemed to grow a bit colder, dyed increasingly piercing by this cold archery aura, with only the purple spirit wood bow on her back swaying slightly with her movements.
Zhao Biao raised his eyebrows slightly, putting away his banter as his gaze turned solemn.
He could sense that the aura on this young girl was extremely restrained, yet it faintly emitted a fluctuation even stronger than the five of them combined.
Luo Hang and the other four also subconsciously tightened their nerves; the five rank 52 halos were still glowing, but they didn't dare to relax in the slightest.
Jiang Yuan remained seated in his original spot, his gaze falling on Ding Luoling as his eyes deepened slightly.
Could this be the hidden trump card of Wanghai City?
It is indeed a bit more interesting than expected.
"Did you see that? This is Ding Luoling from our Wanghai City! Her rank can definitely crush you all!"
Seeing Ding Luoling finally move, the Yellow-haired Youthinstantly regained his confidence, straightened his back again, and shouted loudly toward Zhao Biao and the others.
Ding Luoling walked to the side of the Yellow-haired Youth and gave him a faint glance, the impatience and disgust in that gaze undisguised, causing the smile on the Yellow-haired Youth's face to freeze instantly as he shut his mouth sheepishly.
Without any extra words, a purple halo suddenly emerged around Ding Luoling. This halo was different in color from that of Zhao Biao and the others, instead exuding a crisp chill.
A clear rank number slowly emerged, and the moment it lit up inside the carriage, even the air seemed to freeze!
rank 55!
"Hiss..."
Gasps of shock echoed throughout the entire carriage, and all the students were completely dumbfounded, their eyes filled with extreme horror.
rank 55!
This already far exceeded the rank of Class Holders of the same age, and even among students who possessed an Awakening of epic-grade or Legendary-grade Professions, very few had reached this rank!
Previously amazed by the lineup of Zhao Biao and the other four at rank 52, it now seemed a bit dim in front of Ding Luoling's rank 55.
The students of Wanghai City instantly boiled over, their previous embarrassment swept away, and every single one of them revealed wild joy, their cheers echoing through a small half of the carriage.
"rank 55! Did you see that? This is a true Genius!"
"Great! Now it's Shanhai City's turn to be dumbfounded!"
"Hmph, compared to Goddess Luoling, they are still far behind!"
"Did you see that? This is the strength of our Wanghai City! rank 55, and a Legendary-grade Profession as well. Do you dare to compare?"
The Yellow-haired Youth and the others became even more carried away, mocking Zhao Biao and the others.
The expressions of Zhao Biao and the five others changed slightly, the oppressive feeling of rank 55 shrouding down like substance, making their breathing somewhat restricted.
Moreover, unlike the few of them who only had an Elite-grade Profession,
Ding Luoling's Profession rank was definitely extremely high.
After all, they were able to reach rank 52 entirely because Jiang Yuan brought them along to level up.
As for Ding Luoling, she most likely raised her rank relying on her own strength.
The two were completely not on the same level.
They looked at each other, seeing solemnity in each other's eyes.
They didn't expect Wanghai City to actually hide such a top-tier Genius.
Even placed within the entire Federation, it was an extremely rare existence.
"Jiang Yuan, we can only rely on you now!"
"Quickly help us, help Shanhai City save face!"
Zhao Biao and the others retracted their displayed ranks and retreated.
The other students of Shanhai City also instantly grew nervous. Their previously high morale was splashed with a basin of cold water, and they all cast their gazes toward Jiang Yuan.
Feeling the gazes of the Shanhai City students, Ding Luoling likewise looked toward Jiang Yuan.
This was her first time looking squarely at someone from Shanhai City, and a trace of inquiry finally appeared in her indifferent eyes.
Could it be that Shanhai City still hid a Genius with a higher rank than hers?
"Really now..."
Jiang Yuan slowly stood up, a look of extreme helplessness floating on his face, his tone hiding a trace of imperceptible fatigue.
To be honest, he couldn't raise half an interest in this rankcomparison before him, which felt like children playing house.
Others only regarded him as an ordinary Genius student of Shanhai City, not knowing what kind of terrifying existence was hidden within this young body.
He was the Flame God who had personally slain a Avatarof the Abyss Demon Emperor!
If word got out, wouldn't the dignified Flame God be a laughingstock to everyone by accompanying a group of green students to compare ranks and argue over mere words?
But matters had reached this point, and even if he wanted to stay out of it, he couldn't.
This confrontation was long no longer just a dispute over personal or small group face.
Instead, it was a concentrated outburst of years of accumulated grievances between Shanhai City and Wanghai City, with every step concerning the honor and disgrace of the two cities.
Furthermore, he saw it clearly: the students of Wanghai City provoking and suppressing them with such unbridled confidence must have been secretly instructed by the higher-ups of Wanghai City, wanting nothing more than to completely suppress Shanhai City by taking the opportunity of the Unified Examination.
Jiang Yuan let out a light sigh, neither wanting to disappoint the companions around him nor failing to ruthlessly crush the arrogant aura of Wanghai City, making them understand that Shanhai City was never a soft persimmon that could be casually manipulated.
Swish!
A crimson-gold halo, radiant to the extreme, suddenly burst forth from around Jiang Yuan. Different from Ding Luoling's purple, this light was like a burning flame, carrying a majestic, suffocating Qi that instantly swept through the entire carriage.
In the center of that dazzling crimson halo, a crystal-clear number slowly emerged, branded like a seal into the depths of everyone's eyes.
Chapter 159 I Will Definitely Surpass You
rank 60!
This was Jiang Yuan's first time proactively revealing his rank.
Previously, during the rank testing in Shanhai City, the testing machine only coldly reported the numbers, never showing such an intuitive and shocking display.
Wherever the crimson-gold halo passed, Ding Luoling's purple aura was also firmly suppressed, and even the lighting on the ceiling of the carriage seemed to flicker slightly, scorched by this blazing aura.
All the students present, including the onlookers from other base cities, were frozen in place as if struck by lightning, the solemnity on their faces instantly replaced by extreme horror, their eyes wide open, their mouths wide open, and they even forgot to breathe.
The shock in their eyes was several times more intense than when they saw Ding Luoling at rank 55 earlier, and many people subconsciously rubbed their eyes, thinking they were hallucinating.
"rank 60? Did I read that right?"
"How is this possible! What kind of monstrous talent is he, no, what kind of sacred being?"
"In previous years, Shanhai City's Unified Examinationresults were mediocre, so why did so many prodigies suddenly pop up this year? Five rank 52s are one thing, but there is even one rank 60!"
The sound of discussion instantly exploded, but no one dared to raise their voice, all of their hearts tightened by that flame-like aura.
The indifference on Ding Luoling's face finally completely shattered, her pupils suddenly shrinking to the size of pinpoints, and the purple halo around her body vibrated violently, obviously deeply shaken by this rank 60 aura.
Her pride-inspiring rank 55 was like fireflies compared to the sun and moon in front of rank 60.
And only after reaching her rank would one know how massive the upgrades for the following ranks were, requiring a huge amount of experience points.
"Oh my god!"
The Yellow-haired Youth's legs went weak, and if not for his companions supporting him in time, he almost collapsed directly to the ground; the smugness and resentment on his face had long since vanished, leaving only bone-deep fear and bewilderment.
He didn't dare to imagine what kind of monsters he had provoked earlier.
Each one was more powerful than the last.
Even Ding Luoling, who possessed a Legendary-gradeclass, was actually suppressed by the other party!
"What is going on? Is this a turn-based rank comparison?"
Students from other base cities on the side couldn't help muttering in low voices, their tones full of breakdown and disbelief.
At the very beginning, a group of students from Wanghai City revealed their ranks, all exceeding level 40, and the highest even reaching level 50.
Closely following were Zhao Biao and four others from Shanhai City, revealing an array of uniform rank 52s, stunning the audience.
But following that was Wanghai City City Lord's daughter, Ding Luoling, whose rank 55 was already the ceiling of the audience, enough to shock everyone.
Never did they expect that Jiang Yuan would make a move and instantly hit rank 60, directly pushing this rankcompetition to a jaw-dropping height.
At the junction of the carriage, several strong individuals responsible for escorting the students were watching from afar, their faces no longer holding their usual composure, their eyes filled with surging astonishment.
"President Song, Shanhai City has truly hidden itself far too deeply this time!"
"It seems Shanhai City is going to shine brilliantly in the Unified Examination this year!"
One person looked at Song Jingran, their eyes full of envy.
For so many years, they had seen countless talented students participate in the Unified Examination, but never had a single person reached rank 60 at this age!
This kind of talent already exceeded the category of "Genius", and could be called a heaven-defying monstrous talent.
Several strong individuals looked at each other, seeing solemnity in each other's eyes.
"Of course!"
Song Jingran wasn't polite at all, casting his gaze toward a middle-aged man with an extremely unsightly expression in the crowd, "What do you think, President Li?"
"Hmph!"
The named President Li came from Wanghai City.
The active provocation by the Yellow-haired Youth and his group was naturally tacitly approved by him.
But unexpectedly, they brought humiliation upon themselves, losing all of Wanghai City's face.
At this moment, the crimson halo around Jiang Yuan slowly converged, and the suffocating sense of oppression weakened accordingly, but the dead silence inside the carriage still continued.
There were no fierce words, no deliberate showing off.
But that rank 60 strength was placed before them, and every word was like a heavy hammer, fiercely smashing into the hearts of Wanghai City's students.
"Hahaha!"
"Why aren't you speaking anymore!"
"Could it be that you have nothing to say!"
Zhao Biao wore an excited expression, returning the mockery without any concealment.
But the next moment, he saw Ding Luoling walking towards him.
No, to be precise, she was coming for Jiang Yuan.
Regarding this, Zhao Biao thought about it and still took a step back.
There was no help for it; the aloof and cold aura exuded by Ding Luoling, as well as the sense of oppression, were simply too strong!
Those students from Wanghai City had also mentioned before that Ding Luoling was a Legendary-grade class!
Although there were Epic Classes in Shanhai City, there were only one or two a year at most; as for Legendary-grade classes, who knew how many years it had been since one appeared!
A Legendary-grade Class Holder, their future achievements would at least be at the Seventh-Turn Magic Saint level!
"How did you rise to rank 60?"
Ding Luoling's eyes flashed with brilliant colors and curiosity.
She never expected that on this special train, there would actually be someone with a higher rank than hers.
She did not think she was invincible among her peers.
But someone capable of surpassing her should be a Geniuscoming from a big city like Nanjiang City.
How could a secondary base city like Shanhai City cultivate such a monstrous talent and Genius as Jiang Yuan?
"Is this difficult?"
Jiang Yuan's tone was calm, and he met her gaze with a serene expression.
He had never felt that leveling up was a very difficult matter.
On the contrary, it was because of the limitation of the class rank upper limit that he felt quite troubled.
If a Class Holder didn't need Class Advancement, I'm afraid Jiang Yuan's current rank would be at least level 100 or higher.
However, Class Advancement also had its benefits, which was being able to acquire formidable class characteristics and talents.
Moreover, although Jiang Yuan's rank was not high, his strength was not weak at all.
Judging by the strength displayed by the Flame God, it was at least at the Saint of Law level!
"You... hmph"
"rank cannot represent true strength!"
"As long as you haven't completed the Third-Rank, I might not necessarily be your opponent!"
Ding Luoling said with full confidence.
The atmosphere in the arena tightened once more; on one side was the aloof youth at rank 55, possessing a Legendary-grade archer class.
On the other side was a handsome youth whose rank was impressively rank 60.
As for his class rank, it was unknown.
But without exception, everyone outside of Shanhai Citydefaulted to assuming Jiang Yuan possessed a Legendary-grade class.
In their understanding, only a Legendary-grade Class Holder could rise to rank 60 in a mere month, even higher than Ding Luoling's rank.
As for the Shanhai City students who knew the truth, naturally they wouldn't expose Jiang Yuan's true class rank.
After all, in front of outsiders, all the Shanhai City students were their own people, a whole, a community of shared honor!
"On the Federation-wide Unified Examination arena, my score will definitely surpass you."
Ding Luoling said in a cold tone.
"Is that so? Then I will wait and see."
Jiang Yuan nodded slightly, the corners of his mouth curling into a faint arc.
Chapter 160: Number of Contestants in Southern Border Province
The sparring match inside the carriage came to an end, and Ding Luoling turned back, her expression remaining aloof and cold. The gap in rank did not truly strike a blow to this Genius girl with a Legendary-grade class.
Leaving behind a group of Wanghai City students who had lost all face, they retreated embarrassedly back to their positions amidst the bantering gazes of the people in the carriage.
The train journey was not short.
Even though the mechanical train's speed was extremely fast, its top speed could exceed one thousand kilometers per hour.
However, wanting to arrive at Nanjiang City still required a very long time.
Firstly, Shanhai City was extremely far from Nanjiang City, with the straight-line distance alone exceeding ten thousand kilometers.
Generally speaking, for such a long journey, one would either take a fixed-point teleportation array, or take an airplane or flying mount.
But every time the teleportation array was activated, it consumed an immense amount of energy.
One or two people would be fine, but if it were thousands of students, it would definitely be extremely uneconomical.
Airplanes and flying mounts were the same; they could not carry so many students at the same time.
A single mechanical train carrying thousands of students, including the accompanying guards added together, was enough to exceed ten thousand people!
Furthermore, high-altitude flight was much more dangerous than traveling on the ground; once encountering a powerful enemy, there wouldn't even be a chance to run for one's life.
Secondly, the mechanical train traveled across the Wilderness Area and needed to constantly avoid those dangerous zones, making detours inevitable.
The final reason was the need to head to base cities along the surrounding route, just like picking up Jiang Yuan and his party, to pick up students from other base cities.
"Jiang Yuan, look, just the students from Southern Border Province participating in the third stage number over five hundred thousand!"
"I didn't expect the competition to be so fierce!"
"If it's the entire Federation, just how many people would there be!"
When the time reached late night, the holographic screen inside the carriage announced the number of students heading to Nanjiang City for the examination this year.
This was just the students from Southern Border Province.
And the entire Federation had as many as thirty-six provinces!
Of course, not every province was as populous as Southern Border Province, but the total number was still a staggering figure.
This competition was fiercely intense.
"This is not strange at all!"
"Southern Border Province spans a vast territory and has a population of over two billion. Nanjiang City alone had a population of two hundred million according to public data from ten years ago."
"The students Awakening across the entire province every year number at least twenty million!"
"Coupled with the fact that some powerful or economically developed base cities have students whose strength is relatively stronger, the proportion of them obtaining quotas for the third stage is much higher than secondary base cities like Shanhai City!"
Jiang Yuan calculated for a moment; their exclusive train alone had several thousand students!
Not to mention, Nanjiang City, as one of the most populous super mega-cities in Southern Border Province and even the entire Federation, had an even greater number of students qualified to participate in the third stage.
"According to the newly announced evaluation rules, only by achieving a score in the top fifty thousand of the Federation can one enter the top Five Great Academies!"
Zhao Biao lacked some confidence when he spoke.
Previously, he thought that rank 52 was already far ahead of other students.
But after boarding the train, he discovered that although students reaching rank 50 were few, they did exist.
And these were just students from various base cities; he heard that the student Class Holders over in Nanjiang Citywere a tier stronger in strength than those from base cities everywhere.
Furthermore, they were only Elite-grade Professions.
Those above level 50 on the train were at least Epic Class.
If it were a one-on-one fight, they might not necessarily beat those rare-grade or epic-grade Class Holders in their forties!
If he had known earlier, back at Silver Mountain Ridge, he shouldn't have refused Jiang Yuan's help in leveling them up.
At least they could have reached level 60, making their strength a bit stronger.
"Regretting it now, huh!"
Jiang Yuan glanced at Zhao Biao.
"Rest assured, the top fifty thousand refers to individual scores!"
"If it's a team, just the top ten thousand is enough!"
"Speaking of which, teams are easier to produce results in than individuals."
"Like those formidable epic-grade and Legendary-gradeclasses, most of them participate in individual evaluations rather than team evaluations!"
Jiang Yuan analyzed it for Zhao Biao.
This Federal Unified Examination was divided into individual and team categories.
Teams were limited to a maximum of five people, evaluating the comprehensive strength level of the team.
Generally, those willing to team up needed to be at least like Zhao Biao and Luo Hang, where their strength levels and class ranks were roughly similar.
Like Ding Luoling who had such a Legendary-grade class, there was only one in the entire Wanghai City; she would definitely choose the individual evaluation and couldn't possibly team up with students whose strength was much lower.
Even if Ding Luoling were willing to form a Class Holderteam or guild with others in the future, her teammates' strength would definitely be comparable to hers—if not a Legendary-class, at least a top-tier Epic Class.
Not only Ding Luoling, but An Zhiyi, who had always clung to Jiang Yuan's side, also participated in the individual evaluation.
As for those conducting team evaluations, they were basically mostly Elite-grade Professions and rare-grade classes.
Perhaps only in super mega-cities like Nanjiang City was the number of awakened epic-grade and Legendary-gradeclasses relatively large, allowing them to scrape together a fully equipped team.
"What you say makes sense!"
Zhao Biao nodded in agreement, a hint of confidence returning to his face.
When they originally chose the team evaluation, they had actually thought of this point.
Individual evaluation pitted individual strength against each other.
Team evaluation pitted team chemistry and comprehensive levels against each other.
Excluding top Geniuses like Jiang Yuan and Ding Luoling, their competitors were basically teams composed of Elite-grade or rare-grade Class Holders.
As a result, their rank 52 was undoubtedly standing out like a crane among chickens.
"However, during the evaluation, it's best to raise your score ranking a bit higher; it will be beneficial for you!"
Jiang Yuan offered another reminder.
He recalled his conversation with Ji Qinghan, the Geniusgirl of the Ji Family, when he was previously at Dong Que Academy.
After the Genius tournament, there was another evaluation, or rather a trial with welfare-like properties.
That was to let the most outstanding batch of Geniusstudents with high rankings in the Federation enter the trial Secret Realm.
But in the newly announced evaluation rules, there was no text mentioning the trial Secret Realm at all.
Presumably, only when one's score reached a certain degree would they be qualified to know.
Jiang Yuan didn't know before either, and there was no related information online.
He had also learned about it from Ji Qinghan's mouth.
"Mm!"
Zhao Biao didn't ask much more.
He felt that since Jiang Yuan said so, it definitely made sense.
In reality, Jiang Yuan also didn't know what rank in the entire Federation one needed to reach to be qualified to enter the trial Secret Realm.
But guessing from it, the quotas shouldn't be too many.
"When you have time, you should rest a bit more and adjust your own state!"
"According to the normal driving route of the mechanical train, it is expected to arrive at Nanjiang City in one day and eight hours."
"And two days later will be the starting point of the third stage."
"If there's a delay halfway, I'm afraid by then there won't even be time to rest, and we'll have to go straight into the evaluation."
After finishing, Jiang Yuan closed his eyes, and a burst of mental fluctuations faintly emanated from around his body.
Speaking of which, students like them who were far away from Nanjiang City had to spend a day or two on the journey.
Meanwhile, students residing in Nanjiang City or surrounding cities had one or two days more leveling time than them.
No wonder Lin Muxue didn't return to Shanhai City for the evaluation, but instead chose an out-of-town evaluation.
With this back and forth, the time wasted was certainly not a small amount.
If Jiang Yuan had known earlier, he wouldn't have taken the mechanical train and would have directly let the Spirit Ruins Azure Phoenix carry him flying to Nanjiang City.