Chapter 191: A Dark Horse Emerges
On the viewing platform of the martial arts arena outside the dungeon, the atmosphere was no longer as composed as before.
The various bigwigs of Nanjiang City had their gazes locked in unison onto that name with the green border on the sky screen leaderboard, their faces filled with undisguisable shock as hushed conversations quietly broke out.
"Is that Jiang Yuan from Shanhai City?"
Vice City Lord of Nanjiang, Lin Zhenbang, asked with a hint of disbelief in his tone, his gaze repeatedly wandering between Jiang Yuan's name and his ranking.
Naturally, they knew of Shanhai City.
It was just a very ordinary, inconspicuous Base City within Nanjiang Prefecture.
In previous years, even students admitted to the Five Great Academies were extremely rare.
As his voice fell, staff members present immediately pulled up Jiang Yuan's identity records and placed them before the bigwigs.
As high-ranking figures holding significant power in Nanjiang Prefecture, it was far too simple to learn about a student's background.
"I didn't expect such a genius to come out of tiny Shanhai City, surpassing so many examinees with a Legendary Class; it's too abnormal."
Vice Minister of Education of Nanjiang Prefecture, Zhou Mingyuan, rubbed his fingertips, his brows slightly furrowed, yet he could not hide the surprise in his eyes.
"Judging from his file, he is indeed from Shanhai City, his current profession is an Instant Cast Mage, and his profession rank is Elite-grade. But how can a Second-RankElite-grade Mage manage to kill a Tier 2 Abyssal Demon Wolves in one second?"
At present, geniuses from all over the Southern Border were gathered within the assessment secret realm.
In the second round, the number of students capable of completing a kill within one second could be counted on one's fingers.
Even many talented students with a Legendary Class took more than one second to secure a kill.
Jiang Yuan was merely an Elite-grade student, so how could he achieve this?
Even the many knowledgeable bigwigs still couldn't see through the reason why Jiang Yuan was able to achieve this.
"I'm afraid this is not an ordinary Elite-grade Profession."
Chu Wenxuan, Vice Principal, Vice President of Nanjiang Academy, spoke slowly with a firm tone, "I suspect his Instant Cast Mage is either a mutated version or a Hidden Profession, just deliberately disguised as an Elite-grade to avoid unnecessary attention."
A Hidden Profession?
Hearing Chu Wenxuan, Vice Principal's statement, everyone was stunned, then they nodded in agreement.
Only this explanation was relatively reasonable.
A Hidden Profession is not within the general Class Holdersystem classification.
Its Class Advancement and promotion methods are more difficult than the vast majority of professions.
And the difficulty of obtaining it is also relatively high.
As for the combat strength of a Hidden Profession, it varies from strong to weak, good to bad.
Poor Hidden Professions are not even as good as a Common profession.
However, some powerful Hidden Professions are comparable to a Legendary-grade or even a Mythic-grade Profession.
Therefore, in everyone's view, Jiang Yuan must be some powerful 'Hidden Profession', which is why he possesses strength surpassing other Legendary Class.
"I have retrieved confidential federal intelligence; this Jiang Yuan's life history for the first eighteen years was very ordinary, but what's not simple is that he now has a master with the codename 'Flame God'."
"According to intelligence agency analysis, his Second-Rank profession is indeed related to the Instant Cast Mage, and his Class Advancement task must have been to clear the Lone City of the Eastern Palace Dungeon!"
"And his master, Flame God, not only helped him successfully clear the Lone City of the Eastern Palace Dungeon, which no predecessor had managed to clear, but also facilitated the permanent upgrade of the Lone City of the Eastern Palace Dungeon, becoming a 240-level super-large dungeon..."
Vice President of the Professional Guild, Zhao Tianlei, took over the conversation at this point and elaborated on many confidential pieces of information.
One-second clear!
Hidden Profession!
Master Flame God!
All these manifestations proved that not only was Jiang Yuan not simple, but his background was also extraordinary.
He was not the kind of ordinary genius without background or strength as he appeared on the surface.
"Flame God?"
Lin Zhenbang's eyes flashed with a hint of gravity, "I have also heard this name; his origin is extremely mysterious, and his combat power is even more outrageous!"
"According to an in-depth evaluation by Dongque Cityofficials, he is only at the Seventh Rank, yet his combat power has reached eight stars, and he possesses some powerful and special abilities..."
"Even according to the latest news, the Blazing Sun Battle Team encountered an ambush by the Demon God Hall, and it was precisely because of the appearance of Flame God that the crisis was successfully resolved."
"In the confrontation between Flame God and the Myriad Beast Soul Devouring Emperor and North Sea Spear Emperor, this strength was solidly verified."
"What's even more astonishing is that he also controls various types of power of rules; to have such attainments at the Seventh Rank is by no means an ordinary Class Holder."
Lin Zhenbang sighed, "This pair of master and disciple is truly not simple!"
"More than just not simple."
Zhou Mingyuan added, "The Federation's value assessment of Flame God has reached nine stars, higher than the value of the vast majority of us present. With such a master personally training him, even if Jiang Yuan only awakened a Common profession, his current state has likely long since broken through the shackles of the profession itself, reaching a level we can hardly imagine."
For a time, the curiosity of the bigwigs on the viewing platform toward Jiang Yuan and Flame God grew increasingly intense.
Flame God's mysterious origin, eight-star combat power, nine-star value!
Jiang Yuan's true combat power, perfect Class Advancement task!
Every point revealed that they were not simple.
They were very clear that with a master like Flame God, Jiang Yuan's future would absolutely be limitless.
At this moment.
On the various monitoring screens in front of the viewing platform, in addition to the dungeon footage of top geniuses like Zhao Hao and Su Qingyuan, a separate screen had been newly added.
The footage clearly displayed Jiang Yuan's figure, focused and preparing for battle, inside the dungeon.
Lin Zhenbang specifically instructed the staff to pull up the real-time footage, wanting to monitor this dark horse from Shanhai City throughout the process.
The other bigwigs also cast their gazes toward this newly added screen, their eyes filled with inquiry and anticipation.
"Every year there are dark horses, and this year is no exception!"
"In the past, the highest achievement for a dark horse was only to challenge for the top three; I wonder if he has the strength to vie for the championship this year?"
"Our Nanjiang City truly has a succession of talents!"
"To be able to make people like us pay such close attention, this Jiang Yuan is the first."
Everyone looked at the calm and composed Jiang Yuan on the screen, their expressions gradually shifting from surprise to gratification and anticipation.
Originally, in this assessment, the one shining brightly was Zhao Hao, who possessed a Mythic-grade Profession.
But never did they expect that a dark horse like Jiang Yuanwould emerge.
Although judging from the results of the first two rounds, Jiang Yuan's performance still had a significant gap compared to Zhao Hao.
But Jiang Yuan, like his master Flame God, was too mysterious and too special.
Clearly appearing 'ordinary' on the surface, he yet possessed extraordinary and terrifying abilities!
Perhaps Jiang Yuan really had the strength to challenge, or even shake, Zhao Hao's position as Southern Border's number one!
This was also what many bigwigs present, apart from Zhao Tianlei, hoped to see.
Regardless, Jiang Yuan was from Shanhai City and was a native of the Southern Border.
The better Jiang Yuan performed, the better it was for the Southern Border.
They were very happy to see the rise of talented younger generations.
At this time, Jiang Yuan, who was inside the dungeon, still had not noticed the undercurrents surging outside.
He had just finished looking at the ranking on the sky screen, and faint crimson-gold flames were already flickering at his fingertips.
He could feel that the strength of the monsters in the subsequent levels would increase significantly.
Of course, for Jiang Yuan, the strength of the monsters didn't matter; it was just a matter of a'small fireball' anyway.
But if his reaction was just a little slow, the kill time might exceed one second, causing his results to fall behind.
Just then, the notification sound in the sky rang out once again.
"The third round of the assessment begins!"
Chapter 192: Third Round Assessment
Before the words faded, the space in the martial arts arena rippled with intense energy.
Black demonic energy, more violent and viscous than the previous two rounds, swept in like a tsunami. The pungent, bloody, and fierce aura was unbearable, and even the air was slightly distorted by the demonic energy, casting a dark purple halo.
Three massive shadows slowly emerged from the demonic energy—they were three Tier 2 Abyssal Demon Wolves.
Their level had soared to 35.
They occupied the east, west, and north positions of the martial arts arena, forming a triangular formation that vaguely surrounded Jiang Yuan.
Compared to the previous round, these Abyssal Demon Wolves had grown significantly in size. Their bodies were covered in pitch-black scales as hard as mysterious iron, with dark red, magma-like patterns flowing through the gaps in the scales.
Their aura was more condensed and violent; not only did the level increase bring a surge in basic attributes, but their defense and explosive power, bolstered by their rank, had also doubled.
For the examinees participating in the assessment, these third-round Abyssal Demon Wolves posed a significant threat.
The Unified Examination stages progressed layer by layer, with the number, level, and strength of the monsters soaring in sync.
For the vast majority of examinees, the pressure was constantly increasing.
Especially at the beginning, they only needed to face one, but with each round, the number gradually increased, and their strength continued to rise.
If they were team-based examinees, they could use their team advantage to deal with multiple Abyssal Demon Wolves.
However, for individual examinees, needing to face multiple opponents at once was undoubtedly extremely difficult.
Even some examinees with decent strength were gradually feeling the pressure.
However, for Jiang Yuan, this was not a big problem.
Jiang Yuan's expression remained unchanged, without even a moment's pause; he struck the instant the three Abyssal Demon Wolves stabilized their footing.
Light erupted from his fingertips, and three crimson-gold fireballs, larger and more dazzling than the previous round, condensed rapidly.
Violent flames swirled around the fireballs, glowing as intensely as three mini suns.
They illuminated the entire martial arts arena like daylight, causing the surrounding black demonic energy to rapidly retreat.
To successfully insta-kill the Level 35 Abyssal Demon Wolves, Jiang Yuan increased the amplification multiplier of his Fireball Spell.
After all, although the Abyssal Demon Wolves were not enough to threaten Jiang Yuan, as creatures of Demonization, their defense and HP far exceeded that of ordinary monsters.
If he couldn't achieve a one-hit kill, he would need to continue attacking to finish them off.
At that point, the kill time would definitely exceed one second.
"Go!"
As the low shout fell, the three crimson-gold fireballs, carrying earth-shattering power, tore through the air and slammed toward the Tier 3 Abyssal Demon Wolves in the three positions.
The fireballs were extremely fast, reaching the targets in an instant. The Abyssal Demon Wolves didn't even have time to raise their claws to defend or let out a roar before the fireballs hit their heads squarely.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Three loud noises overlapped, shaking the bluestone floor of the martial arts arena. Three massive pillars of fire shot into the sky, the crimson-gold flames raging wildly, completely swallowing the bodies of the three Abyssal Demon Wolves.
The tough mysterious iron scales were fragile under the extreme heat and melted instantly. The bodies of the Abyssal Demon Wolves didn't even have time to struggle before they rapidly dissolved in the flames, eventually turning into wisps of black smoke and black energy light spots, dissipating into the air, leaving behind only a thick burnt smell and residual heat.
"Congratulations to examinee Jiang Yuan for successfully clearing the third round. Time taken: 1 second."
The cold prompt arrived on cue. Jiang Yuan retracted the flames from his fingertips and cast his gaze toward the sky leaderboard.
In the third round, he again gained 990 points. With the points from the three rounds added together, he instantly reached 2941 points, and his ranking experienced an explosive surge.
From 32nd place on the individual leaderboard and 40th on the overall leaderboard, he leaped into the top 10 of the overall leaderboard, becoming the biggest dark horse on the list.
The sky leaderboard refreshed. Everyone clearly saw that except for Jiang Yuan's ranking, which had undergone an earth-shaking change, the top nine remained as stable as Mount Tai, without much change.
Zhao Hao, who possessed a Mythic-grade Profession, still firmly occupied the first place on both the overall and individual leaderboards.
It was just that his kill time for the third round was no longer the previous 0.1 seconds, but had slowed down to 0.5 seconds.
The other examinees in the top nine also saw their third-round kill times exceed 1 second, all more or less affected by the surge in combat power of the third-round Abyssal Demon Wolves.
If judged solely by the third-round performance, Jiang Yuan, with a time of 1 second, was second only to Zhao Hao with his Mythic-grade Profession, crushing all other top examinees.
This achievement undoubtedly ignited a wave of attention inside and outside the dungeon.
Previously, Jiang Yuan's ranking hovered in the top hundred. Although he seemed special due to his Elite-grade Profession, he had not received too much attention.
But now that he had successfully counterattacked and rushed into the top ten of the overall leaderboard, whether it was the crowd watching the dungeon from the outside, the big shots on the viewing platform, or the examinees still fighting in the dungeon, everyone noticed this name from Shanhai City with a green border.
Meanwhile, in the martial arts arena of another dungeonspace, Zhao Hao, who firmly held the top spot, had just finished the third round assessment.
At this moment, the intense spear intent of his Mythic-grade Profession, "Dark Moon Spear God," still lingered in the air.
Zhao Hao, who originally carried a hint of careless arrogance between his brows, happened to catch a glimpse of the changes on the sky leaderboard.
As the heir to a top family in Nanjiang City, possessing a Mythic-grade Profession, having prior knowledge of all dungeon information, and having secretly conducted multiple assessment simulations in advance, he always believed that no one could shake his top spot, and the changes in the top nine had never caught his eye.
But when the words "Jiang Yuan" appeared with a green border in the tenth position on the overall leaderboard, the arrogance on Zhao Hao's face instantly froze, his brows slightly furrowed, and a trace of imperceptible surprise and displeasure flashed in his eyes.
His gaze swept repeatedly over Jiang Yuan's name, points, and time, his fingertips unconsciously clenching, and the spear intent around him became slightly agitated.
"Jiang Yuan? From Shanhai City? An Elite-grade Professional?"
Zhao Hao murmured in a low voice, his tone filled with a hint of disdain, yet unable to hide a trace of gravity, "An Elite-grade Profession can also rush into the top ten? And can achieve a 1-second kill of Tier 3 Abyssal Demon Wolves in a single round, second only to me?"
Since his awakening, he had been crowned with the title of "Southern Border's Number One Genius" and had never taken any examinee of the same level seriously.
Even people like Su Qingyuan and Xiao Jingchen could only follow behind him and could not pose a real threat to him.
But Jiang Yuan's appearance broke this composure.
A teenager from a small city with a seemingly ordinary profession level could actually counterattack all the way and use his strength to approach his record, which made the arrogant Zhao Hao feel a sense of crisis for the first time.
Even in the third round of the assessment, Jiang Yuan only took one second.
And Zhao Hao only spent half a second.
But don't forget, Zhao Hao was only able to achieve the half-second kill record after conducting similar simulation assessments multiple times, based on the professional characteristics and abilities of his Dark Moon Spear God.
In fact, it wasn't just Zhao Hao; many examinees in Nanjiang City had conducted similar simulation assessments.
As for Zhao Hao, during his first clearance of the third round in previous simulation assessments, it took him several seconds to solve the three Level 35 Abyssal Demon Wolves.
If Jiang Yuan hadn't conducted a 'mock exam' before, then his performance was even better than Zhao Hao's.
Therefore, Jiang Yuan was undoubtedly a well-deserved and extremely powerful dark horse this year!
Judging solely by the third-round results, he had already surpassed all examinees with a legendary-grade class.
Even Zhao Hao, who possessed a Mythic-grade Profession, felt immense pressure.
Chapter 193: Reactions of the Prodigies
"Interesting."
"Since you want to jump around, I'll play along with you."
Zhao Hao's lips curled into a cold arc, and his eyes ignited with intense fighting spirit. "For the fourth round, I'd like to see if you can maintain this kind of record and if you can surge forward once more!"
"However, the top spot on the leaderboard is not something an outsider can covet."
Zhao Hao's eyes were filled with fighting spirit, his blood boiling, and his spear intent surging. He was already prepared to welcome the fourth round of the assessment.
But this time, his thoughts were no longer just about securing first place.
There was now an added obsession to crush Jiang Yuan, defeat the dark horse, and defend his own position.
On the sky screen, his name still firmly occupied the first spot, but that absolute advantage seemed to have quietly developed a crack due to Jiang Yuan's counterattack.
The moment Jiang Yuan squeezed into the top ten of the overall leaderboard, it not only caused an uproar outside the dungeon, but all the candidates inside the dungeonalso noticed this abrupt green border on the sky screen leaderboard. Every person's face was filled with shock and surprise.
And those with the biggest reaction, even feeling a sense of crisis, were the prodigy candidates ranked in the top ten.
It was already an accepted fact that they trailed behind Zhao Hao, who possessed a Mythic-grade Profession.
After all, the foundation of a Mythic-grade Profession far exceeds that of ordinary professions.
But they never expected that they would be surpassed by a candidate from a small Base City, labeled with an Elite-grade Profession. This simply overturned their understanding of combat power in the Unified Examination.
If it weren't for the strict rules of the Federal Unified Examination, the constant monitoring by Federal Inspectors, and the fact that it was under the eyes of the public, they would have even suspected that there was foul play in this assessment.
In another dungeon space, Su Qingyuan had just put away the ice jade staff in her hand, the faint blue ice mist still lingering on her fingertips.
The fatigue from killing the third-tier Abyssal Demon Wolves in the third round had not yet faded, but her gaze was firmly locked onto the ranking changes on the sky screen.
She wore a moon-white robe, with delicate features and a cold, aloof temperament.
As the daughter of the Su family, a top clan in Nanjiang City, she possessed the Legendary-grade "Ice Spirit Heavenly Art" profession.
From the beginning to the end, she had steadily occupied the second place on the overall leaderboard.
And she had only one goal and opponent.
That was Zhao Hao.
But she knew deep down that there was a certain gap between herself and Zhao Hao.
After all, while an Epic Class Professional and a Mythic-grade Profession might seem to only differ by one level, the gap between them was like a chasm.
As for the others, like Zhao Hao, Su Qingyuan did not take them seriously at all.
Until the end of the third round, when the rankings came out.
A look of shock and suspicion appeared on Su Qingyuan's beautiful, cold face.
She had never imagined that she would be approached in rank by a nobody, let alone surpassed.
If only considering the results of the third round, Su Qingyuan's time exceeded one second, reaching a kill time of 1.1 seconds.
That was 0.1 seconds more than Jiang Yuan's one-second kill time.
And when Su Qingyuan saw Jiang Yuan's information.
From Shanhai City.
Elite-grade Professional.
Single-round 1-second clearance record.
Her cold brows suddenly furrowed, the calm in her eyes broken, flashing with a trace of incredulous astonishment. Her fingertips unconsciously tightened around her staff, and the ice mist at her fingertips agitated slightly.
"An Elite-grade Professional from Shanhai City?"
She murmured in a low voice, her tone carrying a hint of confusion and unwillingness. "Even a Legendary-gradeprofession struggles to consistently achieve a 1-second kill, how is it possible for an Elite-grade?"
Su Qingyuan had always been proud, considering her talent and effort to be no less than anyone else's.
Yet she never expected to be overtaken by a candidate from a small Base City, causing a trace of panic to arise in her heart for the first time.
She stared fixedly at Jiang Yuan's name, secretly making a resolution.
She must increase her speed in the fourth round; she absolutely could not be steadily outdone by such an "ordinary" candidate.
In another training ground, Xiao Jingchen, ranked third, had just finished wiping his long sword, the blood on the blade not yet dry. He came from a top martial arts family in the Southern Border Province and possessed the Legendary-grade "Sword Shadow Holy War" profession, always being steady and introverted.
Even when facing the onslaught of multiple Abyssal Demon Wolves, his expression remained calm.
But when the sky screen leaderboard refreshed and he saw Jiang Yuan's name appearing at the tenth position, surpassing a host of Legendary-grade profession candidates and even being only seven places away from himself, his action of wiping the long sword paused abruptly. His gaze, lifted towards the sky screen, was filled with disbelief.
His brows were tightly locked, and his sword intent burst forth inadvertently, a sharp aura sweeping all around.
Xiao Jingchen never believed in so-called "dark horse miracles," but Jiang Yuan's record was right before his eyes, and he couldn't help but believe it.
Beneath his usually steady character, a trace of vigilance quietly grew in his heart. His hand gripping the long sword tightened even more, and he was already prepared to deal with the stronger monsters in the fourth round, while simultaneously keeping a close watch on Jiang Yuan's record.
He could accept losing to Zhao Hao and temporarily trailing behind Su Qingyuan, but he absolutely could not accept being trampled underfoot by a nobody.
At this time, among the top ten on the overall leaderboard, Ye Li, who was originally the only one and now one of two candidates not from Nanjiang City, was surrounded by a faint dark aura, possessing the powerful Legendary-grade"Shadow Demon Sting" profession.
He had a solitary and cold personality, always acting alone, and had never cared much about the competition for rankings.
Yet he had never imagined that he would be surpassed by an Elite-grade candidate from a small Base City.
He had just finished the third round of the assessment and his figure was hidden in the shadows, preparing to rest for a moment, but the change on the sky screen leaderboard forcibly attracted his attention.
When he saw Jiang Yuan's information and record clearly, his eyes hidden in the shadows suddenly contracted, and the dark aura around him instantly became violent. His fingertips condensed sharp shadow blade lights, and his tone carried a hint of cold surprise and disdain.
"Shanhai City? Elite-grade? You want to be above me too?"
In his view, no matter how good the talent of a candidate from a small Base City was, it was impossible to surpass a Legendary-grade Professional like himself who had been raised with top-tier resources since childhood.
He even suspected that Jiang Yuan had used prohibited means, but the dungeon rules were strict, and he couldn't find any flaws.
However, facing the trend of being about to be surpassed, it caused him, who was solitary and cold, to develop a strong desire to win for the first time, and the shadow blade lights became even sharper.
Liu Qingyan, ranked fifth, was dressed in pink, with a beautiful appearance and a gentle temperament.
Her profession, however, had a huge contrast with her appearance; it was the high-burst Legendary-grade"Cinder Flame Sky-Splitting Archer" profession, and she was recognized as a "genius girl" in Nanjiang City.
She had just put away the flame longbow in her hand, with some ashes from the flames still clinging to her hair.
When Jiang Yuan's name on the sky screen struck her eyes, the usual gentleness on her beautiful face instantly vanished, filled with shock and confusion, and she subconsciously covered her mouth.
"Ho-how is this possible?"
Her gaze wandered repeatedly between Jiang Yuan's profession, background, and record, and the doubt in her eyes grew even heavier.
"An Elite-grade Professional actually managed to achieve a 1-second kill of a third-tier Abyssal Demon Wolf in a single round and rushed into the top ten?"
"Is there something wrong with the leaderboard, or is there a problem with the profession level information?"
She had been sought after by everyone since childhood, possessed outstanding talent, and had sufficient resources. She had always believed that the gap between herself and the top ten lay only in Zhao Hao's Mythic-grade Profession, but she had never thought that she would be surpassed by an Elite-grade candidate from a small Base City like Shanhai City.
Beneath that shock, there was a trace of grievance and unwillingness. She raised her hand to smooth out her slightly wrinkled skirt, picked up the flame longbow again, and a stubborn light ignited in her eyes.
"I will never be surpassed by you. In the fourth round, I must be faster!"
Chapter 194: Still a One-Hit Kill!
Meanwhile, inside the dungeon, Jiang Yuan remained immersed in his battle preparations, completely unaware that he, this dark horse from Shanhai City, had already become a "thorn in the side" for all the top candidates.
He was also unaware that a contest centered on rankings and glory was quietly escalating.
In another training ground within the dungeon, Jiang Yuan's good brother, Zhao Biao, and his five-man team had just struggled to complete the third round of the assessment.
All five were drenched in sweat, their bodies bearing more or less scars from the fight, and the energy auras around them were somewhat chaotic.
They were participating as a five-person team.
At this moment, their position on the overall leaderboard was fixed at 1250th.
It might not seem outstanding, but in the fiercely competitive team leaderboard, they firmly occupied the 160th position.
For a team composed entirely of Elite-grade ProfessionProfessionals, this achievement was already a miraculous existence.
Their ability to achieve such a record was by no means accidental.
Firstly, they had undergone a full month of collaborative training; their team coordination was impeccable, and their transitions between offense and defense were flawless.
Even when facing the formidable level 35 three-headed Abyssal Demon Wolves, they could steadily advance by relying on their tacit cooperation.
Secondly, all five of them had reached level 52.
This level far exceeded many candidates in the same period and was even a cut above the levels of quite a few Epic Class Professionals.
This solid foundation in levels added significantly to their combat power.
"Phew... finally cleared it. These Abyssal Demon Wolvesare just too formidable. Even with the five of us coordinating, it took a full thirty-seven seconds."
A teammate wiped the sweat from his face; his tone was full of exhaustion but also carried a hint of relief.
The others nodded in agreement; the battle just now could be called perilous, and if not for their tacit cooperation, they probably would have had a hard time escaping unscathed.
Just then, the sky leaderboard refreshed.
Zhao Biao subconsciously looked up, intending to see if their team ranking had improved.
However, when his gaze swept over the top ten positions on the overall leaderboard.
He suddenly froze, his eyes widening into saucers, his mouth open wide enough to fit a fist, and immediately after, he couldn't help but burst out an exclamation.
"Holy crap! Jiang Yuan?!"
His voice was too excited, instantly attracting the attention of his other four teammates.
"Did I see that right? Is, is that really Jiang Yuan? Tenth on the overall leaderboard?!"
"My god! A single round took 1 second to kill three Tier 3 Abyssal Demon Wolves?"
"This is just too outrageous! The five of us coordinated and it took thirty-seven seconds, but he only needed 1 second by himself?"
Several people looked up at the sky, and when they saw the name "Jiang Yuan" appearing prominently in the tenth position on the overall leaderboard with a green border, everyone was stunned, their faces full of incredulous shock, and then they all burst into exclamations of praise.
"As expected of Jiang Yuan!"
"He really didn't disappoint us!"
"We knew he was strong, but we didn't expect him to be this strong. An Elite-grade Profession breaking into the top ten of the overall leaderboard, and crushing so many geniuses with Legendary Class, this is simply unprecedented!"
Zhao Biao slowly came back to his senses, slapped his thigh hard, his face full of pride and emotion, his tone filled with undisguised admiration.
The others nodded repeatedly, their eyes full of admiration, without a shred of jealousy.
Especially Zhao Biao, who grew up with Jiang Yuan, knew Jiang Yuan's hard work and talent deeply, and understood even better how much of a price, unimaginable to ordinary people, Jiang Yuan had paid to have his current strength.
They had also reached the third round, but their kill time was far longer than Jiang Yuan's.
The five of them worked together and took over thirty seconds to barely clear it; compared to Jiang Yuan's 1-second instant kill, the gap was clear at a glance.
"Honestly, we are so lucky to know a brother like Jiang Yuan."
Captain Luo Hang sighed with emotion, "Back in Shanhai City, we were just unremarkable Elite-grade ProfessionProfessionals, but it was because of Jiang Yuan's help that we have today's strength and could achieve such results in the Federal Unified Examination."
"That's right!"
Zhao Biao nodded heavily, his gaze fixed tightly on Jiang Yuan's name on the sky leaderboard, his eyes full of determination, "Jiang Yuan has already rushed to the top ten of the overall leaderboard, we can't hold him back either. We need to perform well in the fourth round, strive to improve our ranking by a few places, and not lose face for Jiang Yuan!"
The other four responded one after another; the fatigue around them seemed to dissipate instantly, and fighting spirit ignited in their eyes.
To them, Jiang Yuan was not a rival to be jealous of, but a role model leading them forward, a brother worth treating with sincerity; every one of Jiang Yuan's breakthroughs made them feel incomparably proud and excited.
In another exclusive training ground within the dungeon, the five-person team where Lin Muxue was located had just calmly finished the third round of the assessment.
Unlike the disheveled state of Zhao Biao and his team, although they had faint energy fluctuations around them, they had almost no obvious scars, and their expressions remained calm and composed.
This was a battle team composed entirely of Epic ClassProfessionals, with formidable strength.
They had performed extremely brilliantly in this Unified Examination, stably remaining in the top hundred of the overall leaderboard, and in the fiercely competitive team leaderboard, they had even charged all the way into the top five, second only to a few top teams like the Tianlong Battle Team.
Since the start of the assessment, all the team's attention had been focused on striving for a higher ranking.
Their gaze was always locked on opponents ranked above them on the team leaderboard; in private, they repeatedly deduced tactics and polished their cooperation, their hearts full of how to improve their combat power, and they were even secretly holding back, wanting to charge for the top two positions on the team leaderboard.
As for why they didn't covet the first place, the answer was already well-known.
The Tianlong Battle Team, which headed the team leaderboard, was the only team in this Nanjiang Citydivision composed entirely of Legendary ClassProfessionals.
Their combat power was leading by a vast margin, which was absolutely not something their Epic Class team could contend with; competing for the top two was already the limit of the goals they could reach.
But when the sky leaderboard refreshed and Lin Muxueunintentionally looked up to sweep over the top ten positions on the overall leaderboard, a familiar name struck her heart like a thunderbolt.
"Jiang Yuan?"
She subconsciously exclaimed, her tone full of disbelief; her fingertips curled slightly, her gaze locked tightly onto that name with the green border, and even her breathing subconsciously slowed down.
The other four in the team, hearing Lin Muxue's exclamation, also looked up at the sky; when the two characters "Jiang Yuan" came into view, everyone's expressions froze instantly, their faces full of astonishment.
"Jiang Yuan? A common name, right?"
A male student in the team spoke first, his tone carrying a hint of wishful thinking, "With so many candidates in our Nanjiang City division, isn't it normal to have the same name? An Elite-grade from a small city, how could he possibly charge into the top ten of the overall leaderboard?"
As soon as the words fell, another female student in the team, Su Yutong, pointed to the suffix after Jiang Yuan's name on the sky leaderboard and spoke with a grave tone.
"It's not a common name... look, his suffix is Shanhai City, exactly the same as that Jiang Yuan who had a conflict before the match."
This sentence completely shattered everyone's wishful thinking.
The atmosphere within the team instantly became subtle; the five people's expressions were different, and their thoughts were also different.
After a brief moment of surprise, the astonishment in Lin Muxue's eyes was instantly replaced by ecstasy; brilliant light welled up in her originally calm eyes, the corners of her mouth lifted involuntarily, and even the aura around her became light and cheerful.
She gazed at Jiang Yuan's name on the sky leaderboard, her eyes full of pride and gratification.
Jiang Yuan was her boyfriend; the stronger his strength and the higher he could stand, the more it was the appearance she wanted to see.
The previous slight worries had now all turned into pure joy; she even couldn't help but silently chant in her heart: 'Jiang Yuan, you really didn't disappoint me; I have always believed that you are the best!'
In stark contrast to Lin Muxue's ecstasy were the few boys in the team.
Among them, Si Muyuan's expression was the ugliest, as if he had been slapped hard in the face; his face was pale as paper, and the aura around him also became chaotic and gloomy.
He froze in place, his gaze locked tightly onto that glaring green border on the sky leaderboard.
His eyes were complex to the extreme: shock, resentment, helplessness, worry, and fear!
Like countless vines, they tightly entwined his heart, almost making him unable to catch his breath.
Si Muyuan came from a prominent family in Nanjiang Cityand was himself an Epic Class Blade and Shield Warrior.
He could be said to have outstanding talent and a superior family background, and had always been arrogant.
He had always regarded Lin Muxue as his woman; even if the two sides hadn't confirmed their relationship, he was very confident that Lin Muxue was just something in his pocket.
And ever since Jiang Yuan appeared, it made him feel a crisis, and he even regarded Jiang Yuan as a thorn in the side, a thorn in the flesh.
Especially the conflict before the competition, the reason he took the initiative to provoke Jiang Yuan was not only because he couldn't stand Jiang Yuan's "earthiness," but also because he wanted to suppress Jiang Yuan in front of Lin Muxue to manifest his sense of superiority.
At that time, he looked down on Jiang Yuan from the bottom of his heart, thinking that Jiang Yuan was just a country bumpkin from that small place called Shanhai City, and with the foundation of an Elite-grade Profession, no matter how much he struggled, he wouldn't be able to make any big waves.
He was simply not worthy of standing beside Lin Muxue, let alone being his love rival.
AI Model: gemini-3.0-flash
But now, the rankings on the sky screen were like a resounding slap, ruthlessly shattering all of his pride and disdain.
Jiang Yuan had not only charged into the top ten of the overall rankings, but as an Elite-grade Profession, he had also trampled over countless Epic Class and even Legendary Class examinees. His record of killing the Rank 3 Demon Wolves in a single round in just 1 second utterly crushed their team's clear time.
At this moment, he truly realized how laughable and stupid his previous provocations and contempt had been.
Furthermore, Jiang Yuan was no ordinary student at all, but a hidden monstrous genius.
His strength had long since far exceeded his imagination.
Beyond the shock, endless anger and resentment welled up in his heart.
He resented Jiang Yuan for hiding his strength, he resented Jiang Yuan for stealing Lin Muxue's admiration, and he especially resented Jiang Yuan for using his strength to ruthlessly trample upon his pride.
But beneath that resentment lay an even deeper sense of helplessness and worry.
He knew clearly that with the strength Jiang Yuan was currently displaying, he was simply no match for him.
Forget about suppressing Jiang Yuan; he probably didn't even have the qualification to stand before him.
Winning Lin Muxue's favor had become even more unattainable.
That sense of powerlessness submerged him like a tide, leaving his entire body cold.
What terrified him even more was that he had humiliated Jiang Yuan so much before the match, and now Jiang Yuan's strength was so formidable.
If Jiang Yuan held a grudge, it would be as easy as flipping a hand for him to take revenge if they happened to meet in the future.
He couldn't even stop himself from overthinking. Countless chaotic thoughts swirled in his mind, making his face look increasingly unsightly. His fingertips unconsciously clenched, his nails digging deep into his palms. The sharp pain that followed did nothing to alleviate the panic and fear in his heart.
The other two boys in the team also had quite complex expressions, filled with shock, embarrassment, and a trace of subtle apprehension.
They had previously followed Si Muyuan in looking down on Jiang Yuan. Seeing Jiang Yuan's results now, their hearts were full of shame and secret dread.
If such a hidden monster were to become an enemy, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Someone couldn't help but murmur in a low voice, "He... how can he be so strong? How can an Elite-grade Profession reach this level? Could he be cheating?"
"Cheating is impossible."
As soon as those words were spoken, they were coldly dismissed by Lin Muxue, her tone carrying an unquestionable firmness.
She understood the rules of the Federal Unified Examination all too well.
"The examination dungeon was jointly created by many powerful figures from various federal factions. Over the years, its flaws have been continuously patched; there are simply no loopholes."
"Furthermore, the entire examination is watched by countless high-level officials and experts. If someone were cheating or exploiting a loophole, they would have been discovered long ago. It's impossible for them to wait until now, and even more impossible for them to break into the top ten of the overall rankings."
Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent. They also knew that what Lin Muxue said was the truth. Jiang Yuan's results were built on solid strength, without any possibility of trickery.
For a time, the atmosphere within the team became increasingly heavy. Only Lin Muxue continued to gaze at Jiang Yuan's name on the sky screen, her eyes filled with pride and anticipation, hoping that Jiang Yuan would create even more stunning results in the subsequent assessments.
Just then, the notification for the fourth round of the assessment slowly rang out from above the sky screen, breaking the brief clamor within the dungeon.
Whether it was top examinees like Jiang Yuan and Zhao Hao, or the five-person team of Zhao Biao and the Epic-grade team where Lin Muxue was, they all quickly focused their minds and prepared for the new and even greater challenge.
"The Fourth Round of the Assessment begins! Monsters about to refresh: Abyssal Demon Wolves (Mutated Version). Quantity: 4. Level: 40 (Rank 2)."
As soon as the cold notification ended, the space around the Martial Arts Arena distorted once again. Four bursts of black demonic energy, even more violent than those in the third round, soared into the sky. The bloodthirsty aura was almost thick enough to solidify.
Jiang Yuan's eyes narrowed as his gaze quickly swept across the east, south, west, and north positions of the arena.
Four blinding white lights lit up simultaneously. Within the white light were wolf howls that were deeper and more violent than those of the Rank 2 Demon Wolves. Each howl made the air tremble slightly, and even the bluestone slabs beneath his feet developed fine cracks.
The Level 40 Rank 2 Abyssal Demon Wolves were a full size bulkier than before.
Moreover, as mutated versions, all their attributes had surged once again.
Yet, in Jiang Yuan's eyes, all of this was still at the level of an 'instant kill'.
Swish!
Jiang Yuan focused his mind, and fierce red-gold firelight instantly flared at his fingertips. Without the slightest hesitation, four Fireball Spells—larger and more dazzling than those in the previous round—quickly condensed.
The fireballs were several meters in diameter, surrounded by violent currents of flame. The red-gold light almost swallowed the surrounding black demonic energy, and even the air sizzled from the heat as the temperature soared to the extreme.
At this moment, the four white lights had not yet completely dissipated. The forms of the four Level 40 Abyssal Demon Wolves had only just mostly revealed themselves. They hadn't even had time to adjust their stances or lock onto their prey before the Fireball Spells arrived one after another.
Swish!
The four red-gold fireballs, carrying the power to destroy heaven and earth, turned into four streaks of red lightning, hurtling toward the wolves in the four directions.
The fireballs were incredibly fast, piercing through the lingering white light in an instant and accurately smashing onto the heads of the four demon wolves.
Jiang Yuan had already predicted their spawn locations. His strike was a fatal blow, without any hesitation.
Boom!
Four massive explosions overlapped, making the bluestone slabs of the arena rustle and sending stone fragments flying. Four huge pillars of fire soared into the sky as the red-gold flames raged wildly, completely swallowing the bodies of the four demon wolves.
Their scales, as hard as black iron, were vulnerable before the extreme high temperature, instantly melting and exploding. The demon wolves didn't even have time to scream before their bodies rapidly dissolved in the flames, leaving behind only wisps of black smoke and black energy points that dissipated into the air. Only a thick burnt smell and the residual heat of the flames remained to prove they had ever existed.
"Congratulations to examinee Jiang Yuan for successfully clearing the fourth round. Time taken: 1 second."
The familiar notification sounded as expected, without any delay.
An instant kill!
It was still an instant kill!
Jiang Yuan's expression remained unmoved. He looked up slightly, his gaze falling upon the sky screen rankings, a hint of subtle surprise in his eyes.
He had thought that with a 1-second instant kill record in the fourth round, it would be enough to break into the top three of the overall rankings.
However, the updated rankings on the sky screen made him raise an eyebrow slightly.
On the sky screen rankings, the green border representing Jiang Yuan had leaped from its top ten position and firmly stopped at the fifth spot!
In the points column, the 990 points from the fourth round were successfully credited. His cumulative points for the four rounds reached 3,931, with a difference of only 12 points from fourth place and only 28 points from third place.
"Still a bit short."
Jiang Yuan murmured in a low voice. There was no disappointment in his eyes, only a sense of understanding.
He knew that the top four examinees were all top geniuses of the Southern Border, possessing Legendary Class or even near-Mythical Class professions. The point advantages they accumulated in the first two rounds were extremely substantial. Even if their kill times in the subsequent rounds weren't as good as his, they could rely on their early advantage to barely maintain their rankings.
Furthermore, they had certainly sensed the threat he posed and were going all out, desperately compressing their clear times to protect their rankings.
Jiang Yuan's gaze slowly swept across the top four on the list; the rankings had not changed from before.
First place: Zhao Hao, fourth round time: 0.5 seconds.
Second place: Su Qingyuan, fourth round time: 1.5 seconds.
Third place: Xiao Jingchen, fourth round time: 2.5 seconds.
Fourth place: Ye Li, fourth round time: 3.8 seconds.
On the list, Zhao Hao was still firmly at the top, unmatched by anyone. However, his kill time had climbed from the initial 0.1 seconds all the way to 0.5 seconds, and the trend of slowing down was becoming increasingly obvious.
Clearly, as the level and number of monsters increased, even with a Mythical Class profession and prior knowledge of the dungeon's information, it was difficult to maintain that initial extreme instant-kill speed.
Moreover, the gap between the examinees was gradually widening.
In contrast, there was Jiang Yuan.
Aside from the first round, where it took him over 4 seconds to test the dungeon rules and adapt to the environment...
His kill times for the subsequent three rounds had remained consistently stable at 1 second, without any fluctuation.
This stability was even more shocking than Zhao Hao's extreme speed.
One had to realize that the monsters in each round were getting stronger, and their attributes were increasing.
Yet Jiang Yuan was able to maintain the same kill efficiency throughout. This control over power and prediction of timing had already far exceeded that of other examinees of the same rank.
He was not even inferior to a Mythical Class genius like Zhao Hao.