In throne form, Bai Chen was linked in mind and spirit with Lin Luoluo, surging Star Energy flowing ceaselessly between them.
At Lin Luoluo's command, several tentacles shot out from the base and armrests of the Pitch-Black Throne, each several times thicker than before!
They crossed the dozen or so meters between them in almost an instant.
The Crystal Scorpion King's compound eyes turned toward the incoming tentacles, but it paid them no mind.
As far as it was concerned, they were a nuisance at most, incapable of breaking through the crystal shell it was so proud of.
Before it could react, however, several thick tentacles once again wrapped around its body with lightning speed.
The next second, crackling erupted from the Crystal Scorpion King's body!
The tentacles, now several times thicker and boosted by Triple Strength, began to tighten furiously.
Before that absolute force, the hard crystal shell groaned under the unbearable pressure.
Cracks spread across its body like a spiderweb.
"Screech!"
The Crystal Scorpion King let out a shrill scream of pain.
It finally realized that the enemy before it had shed its old self and been reborn!
"Xiao Bai, now!" Atop the throne, Lin Luoluo's gaze was resolute!
"Leave it to me, Xiao Luoluo!"
Bai Chen exerted himself once more, instantly activating Hard Skin!
Solid Rock Patterns spread rapidly from the bases of the tentacles as if they were alive.
"Break—for—me!"
Bai Chen roared in his heart.
The next second, the sound of rock bursting apart rang out with a boom!
Under the crushing pressure, the Crystal Scorpion King's indestructible body was squeezed apart in midair!
Countless glittering crystal fragments, mixed with the Demon's bodily fluids, sprayed wildly in every direction like a brilliant, deadly downpour.
[Beep. Level 16 Demon, Crystal Scorpion King, successfully slain!]
[Current assessment progress: 71%.]
[Current evaluation: S-Rank.]
The watch on Lin Luoluo's wrist promptly chimed.
With the battle over, Bai Chen slowly released his throne form and turned back into a Slime, setting Lin Luoluo down on the ground.
Seeing this, the girl could no longer contain the joy in her heart. Tears filled her eyes as she gently stroked Bai Chen's body, her voice trembling slightly with excitement:
"Xiao Bai, we did it! We really did it!"
"The assessment isn't even over yet, and we've already gotten an S-Rank evaluation!"
"Really?!" Bai Chen was delighted to hear it.
"The assessment isn't over, and the evaluation's already reached S-Rank?!"
Bai Chen's voice was full of disbelief at such an abnormal turn of events.
They had killed so many Demons before, yet their evaluation had only been B-.
But now, after killing a single level 16 Crystal Scorpion King, their evaluation had shot straight up to S.
The next second, however, he suddenly seemed to figure something out.
Bai Chen recalled the off-the-charts difficulty of the battles along the way, from the number of Demons far exceeding that of an ordinary assessment to this level 16 Crystal Scorpion King, which had no business appearing in a First Tier Contract Spirit Master assessment.
And there was the meaningful sneer Jiang Ruoxue had given when she left not long ago.
No matter how slow Bai Chen was on the uptake, he realized it now: Jiang Ruoxue was definitely behind this!
Although Jiang Ruoxue had no way to attack them directly,
with her power in the Underground City, she was clearly more than capable of secretly altering the contents of their assessment!
And the reason they had already received an S-Rank evaluation when they were only 70% of the way through the assessment
was precisely because Jiang Ruoxue had secretly raised its difficulty. The system had therefore given them an exceptional evaluation in advance, based on their performance in killing difficult Demons above their level!
"Xiao Luoluo, let's keep going."
"I reckon some people are getting impatient waiting outside. If they see us come out safely, they should be quite surprised," Bai Chen said coldly.
"Huh?" Lin Luoluo didn't understand what Bai Chen meant at first and blinked in some confusion.
Some people? Who would be waiting for us?
But she didn't ask any more questions. Seeing that Xiao Bai had regained his fighting spirit, she immediately nodded her little head vigorously.
"Yeah, Xiao Bai, let's keep charging ahead!"
Lin Luoluo's fighting spirit was soaring, and the hot blood in her heart was boiling!
Who cares what's ahead? With Xiao Bai here, there's nothing to fear!
Meanwhile, in the hall of the Assessment Center, the atmosphere was particularly strange.
Lin Luoluo's portrait was still lit up on the big screen, but her progress bar had been stuck somewhere in the sixties for a long time.
Everyone had just watched the broadcast with their own eyes as Lin Luoluo's Contract Spirit was severely injured by the Crystal Scorpion King's attack.
After that terrifying blow, no one believed an F-Rank Contract Spirit could survive.
They had expected to see staff carry Lin Luoluo out on a stretcher soon, just like Chu Feng and Hu Yue'er before her, having failed the assessment.
Jiang Ruoxue sat elegantly in the VIP seats, the faintest hint of a smile on her lips.
But another seven or eight minutes had passed, and there was still no sign of the Assessment Room door opening.
Everyone was puzzled.
The smile gradually vanished from Jiang Ruoxue's face as well. She frowned and glanced at the expensive watch on her wrist, a flicker of impatience passing through her eyes.
Just then, a staff member who took orders from the Jiang Family hurried out of the Assessment Room corridor with his head lowered and came to a stop in front of Jiang Ruoxue.
His expression was strange, and fine beads of sweat covered his forehead as he said in a low voice:
"Miss Ruoxue, something... isn't quite right."
"Speak." Jiang Ruoxue's voice turned cold.
"According to the monitoring data stream from the wristband in the backend... Lin Luoluo's vital signs are all normal, her heart rate is steady, and her Star Energy fluctuations are active... The assessment is still underway."
Jiang Ruoxue was shocked by the news. She shot to her feet, her voice changing pitch:
"Th-this... how is that possible?! Are you sure there's no mistake? How could she still be alive?!"
She stared fixedly at the staff member:
"She took a direct hit from a level 16 Crystal Scorpion King, and you're telling me she's still alive? Could the wristband have malfunctioned?!"
The staff member said with a bitter expression:
"Miss Ruoxue, the wristband was made by Federation Military Industries. The probability of a malfunction is practically zero.
And with the assessment underway, we can't open the Assessment Room door to check what's happening inside.
That's how the Federation configured the machine's program. It's part of the underlying code, and we can't interfere with it either."
Jiang Ruoxue's expression grew even uglier.
Could she have been lucky enough to survive the Crystal Scorpion King?
Even if the Crystal Scorpion King didn't kill her, there's still a more powerful boss ahead that he prepared for Lin Luoluo. Nothing will go wrong with the plan...
Jiang Ruoxue secretly gritted her teeth.
Just then, Liu De, who was nearby, saw the two whispering in the corner and thought she was hatching another nasty scheme.
He clenched his fists and hesitated for a moment before deciding to go over. At the very least, he had to stop this woman from pulling any more tricks.
He took a deep breath and stepped forward.
But just as he was about to speak, a sudden crackle of static came from the loudspeaker overhead, drawing everyone's attention.
"Congratulations to assessment candidate Lin Luoluo on successfully passing the assessment..."
The broadcast paused there,
and everyone in the hall held their breath, eyes wide, wondering if the announcement had made a mistake.
She passed? That disabled little girl who contracted a Slime actually passed an assessment this difficult?
The next second, the announcement sounded again.
"Her evaluation is... SSS-Rank!"