An Opportunity to Enter the Upper City

Before long, Bai Chen felt his aura surge, his strength increasing by more than a notch!

His initial form was indeed weak, but every ability he gained made him stronger.

Now he possessed three abilities at once. Having just advanced to the Second Tier, he had effectively gained a threefold boost!

Bai Chen felt the power surging through his body and let out a satisfied sigh.

"Ah, that's good!"

The feeling of being filled with power utterly captivated him.

He was even confident that if he faced that Black Fiend Tiger again, he could whip it to pieces with a single tentacle!

Lin Luoluo watched from the side, dumbstruck.

Now she was beginning to wonder whether Xiao Bai really was an Evil Contract Spirit...

Only after disposing of the corpses and spoils and successfully advancing did Bai Chen and Lin Luoluo breathe a sigh of relief. They found a relatively clean corner, sat down to rest, and waited for Kalina to wake up.

More than an hour later, Kalina, who had been knocked unconscious beneath the tree by the Illusion Dream Butterfly's hypnotic powder, finally woke up.

Her eyelids moved, and her long eyelashes trembled slightly.

"Mm... Luoluo, did I fall asleep?"

"Why does my head feel so dizzy?"

Kalina reached up and rubbed her sleepy eyes, sitting up in a daze.

Completely unaware that anything was wrong, she glanced around and couldn't help complaining.

"I knew this escaped S-Rank Contract Spirit wouldn't be so easy to catch, much less a space-type."

"Making us hunt it down for our Final Exam is a complete waste of time!"

Kalina complained with a displeased look on her face, utterly oblivious to Lin Luoluo's odd expression not far away.

Watching the extraordinarily carefree Kalina, Lin Luoluo exchanged a glance with Bai Chen, who had successfully advanced to the Second Tier and grown a size larger. The corners of both their mouths twitched.

This young lady was far too carefree.

For a genius from the Upper City like Kalina, any faction she approached here in the Lower City would likely treat her as an honored guest.

If she asked them for help with anything, those factions would spare no effort to carry it out, all to curry favor with a genius from the Upper City.

Bai Chen guessed

that Kalina's classmates had found the Jiang Family to help them.

And the Jiang Family, the largest faction in the Lower City, had lived up to expectations and actually found traces of the Space-Type Contract Spirit.

Only someone like Kalina, who had put all her points into strength and none into intelligence, would foolishly enter the mine tunnel alone to look for the Contract Spirit.

Just then, however, Kalina suddenly exclaimed, "Huh?" and stared fixedly at Bai Chen.

She had only just sat up, still groggy from her stupor, but she spotted something amiss at a glance.

"Luoluo, has your Xiao Bai... gotten a little bigger?"

Kalina tilted her head and leaned closer, curiosity written all over her face. She reached out to poke Bai Chen's body, which had grown more solid and a size larger.

Bai Chen flicked a tentacle nimbly and easily dodged her finger.

Seeing her look like a curious child,

Lin Luoluo could only nod and confirm it.

"That's right. Xiao Bai just ate the Netherworld Grass and three Second Tier Demon Crystals. He's already broken through to the Second Tier."

"Second Tier?!"

Hearing that, Kalina drew a sharp breath and immediately woke up completely.

She instinctively took half a step back, her eyes filled with shock as she looked at Bai Chen.

The scene of Lin Luoluo utterly thrashing her was still fresh in her mind.

Getting beaten up so one-sidedly had made her overlook something.

Her opponent's Contract Spirit had only been at the First Tier back then!

The First Tier!

A First Tier Contract Spirit, working with its master, had beaten her, a Second Tier genius Contract Spirit Master, so badly she couldn't fight back!

And now... he had broken through to the Second Tier. Wouldn't his strength be even more outrageous?!

Kalina looked at Bai Chen,

and a thought popped into her head unbidden.

Kalina couldn't help having another idea. She sidled up to Lin Luoluo and asked in a slightly ingratiating tone,

"Xiao Luoluo, do you... want to go to the Upper City?"

"Me... go to the Upper City?!"

Lin Luoluo's eyes widened. She had never expected Kalina to ask that out of the blue.

The Upper City.

It was said to have a real sun, clean air, and endless resources. It was the paradise every resident of the Lower City dreamed of.

Of course she longed to go.

But that goal had been far too distant for the youth she had been before. She hadn't even known of any way to enter the Upper City.

"Yeah, yeah!"

Seeing Lin Luoluo's reaction, Kalina knew there was hope and immediately nodded repeatedly.

"Xiao Luoluo, every so often, Dawnlight Academy holds a special admissions selection in the Lower City. Any young Contract Spirit Master under twenty can take part!"

"If you do well in the selection, you can gain exceptional admission directly into Dawnlight Academy and immediately obtain official Upper City residency!"

Kalina grew more excited as she spoke.

"As for when... I think it's only a few days away, at the end of this month!"

She counted on her fingers, then continued,

"You only recently formed a contract with your Contract Spirit, right?

Normally, a newcomer like you wouldn't have settled into your strength yet, so you'd have to miss this one and wait for the next."

"But your strength is downright monstrous! It makes no sense at all! You could thrash me at the First Tier, and now Xiao Bai's at the Second Tier too. If you enter the selection, you're sure to place near the top!

Maybe it won't be long before we're classmates at Dawnlight Academy!"

Kalina excitedly shook Lin Luoluo's arm.

During her few days in the Lower City, she really had been shocked by the environment.

Nothing else aside, just the sight of a sky forever covered by a steel dome, where even the sun had to be simulated by an artificial sphere of light, made her feel stifled beyond measure.

She genuinely hoped that this friend she had made in the Lower City could escape such an environment and find a better life in the Upper City.

That was one reason.

And the second...

Kalina had another little plan in mind.

According to inside information from her family, Dawnlight Academy's Final Exam for the current academic year would undergo a major change, switching from individual battles to team battles.

The academy's students would be free to form teams of four for the assessment.

The final rewards for this assessment were said to be far more generous than in any previous year, with even a legendary item as the top prize!

Actually, Kalina didn't care that much about the rewards. Her family had no shortage of resources.

The main thing was... Kalina was naturally warlike, a battle maniac.

Unfortunately, Dawnlight Academy's current class was overrun with freaks. Even if she gave it her all, her strength would only put her around the top ten at best.

The strength of the few people ranked above her was simply inhuman! Every time she faced them in an individual battle, they gave her a terrible beating.

But Lin Luoluo's appearance made her eyes light up!

This little freak's fighting power was simply ridiculous!

She couldn't beat those freaks in individual battles, but if it was a team battle... and she recruited Lin Luoluo, an even greater freak, to help her, wouldn't she have a chance to regain all the face she had lost before?!

At the thought of joining forces with Lin Luoluo and grinding those usually high-and-mighty fellows into the dirt, Kalina trembled all over with excitement!

Yes! That would feel so good!

When Lin Luoluo first heard Kalina's description, she was sorely tempted.

Go to the Upper City!

Become a student at Dawnlight Academy!

It was something she had never even dared dream of before.

But that burning impulse lasted only a few seconds before quickly cooling.

She soon remembered her younger sister's illness.

Chuchu was so frail that she couldn't do without her care.

And treating her sister's illness required a large sum of money, as well as finding a suitable Contract Spirit.

If Chuchu hadn't recovered, what meaning would there be in leaving the Lower City in glory and going alone to enjoy life in the Upper City?

At that thought, the light in Lin Luoluo's eyes dimmed a little.

"We'll see, we'll see."

She gave a somewhat noncommittal reply.

"Kalina, thank you for telling me about this. It's... very important to me.

If I get the chance, I'll give it a try."

She left the possibility open.

What if, just what if, Xiao Bai really had a way to cure Chuchu?

Although Kalina was a little carefree, she noticed the change in Lin Luoluo's mood. Assuming she was worried about not being strong enough, Kalina thumped her ample chest and promised boldly,

"Don't worry! You can definitely do it! If you decide to take part, make sure you let me know beforehand. I'll come cheer you on!"

"Mm." Lin Luoluo smiled and nodded.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Forest Grotto.

In a relatively spacious cavern, a well-equipped team was taking a short rest beneath a tree.

Each of them wore a matching black combat uniform embroidered with the character for Jiang on the chest.

Clearly, it was a team of Contract Spirit Master miners made up of elites from within the Jiang Family.

Jiang Ruoxue was among them.

But she was not the most conspicuous person on the team.

Everyone's gaze, whether intentionally or not, drifted toward a young man standing at the very front of the group.

He looked to be in his early twenties and wore a spotless, pure white combat uniform that seemed utterly out of place in the dim, filthy surroundings.

He had a striking head of short silver hair and a handsome face, but his expression was as cold as a glacier that had not melted in ten thousand years.

He merely stood there in silence, yet naturally became the center of attention.

An invisible pressure radiated from him, leaving the so-called elites and geniuses of the Jiang Family around him afraid to breathe too loudly.

Behind him floated a humanoid Contract Spirit three meters tall.

The Contract Spirit was made entirely of sacred light. It wore magnificent armor and held a sharp spear forged of light. A cold faceplate covered its face, leaving only a pair of eyes burning with golden flames exposed.

The man was named Jiang Chen, a genius from the Upper City Jiang Family.

His purpose in coming to the Lower City this time was the same as Kalina's: to capture the escaped S-Rank Space-Type Contract Spirit.

The air in the cavern was damp, and exploring an unfamiliar mine tunnel took far more energy than exploring a known one.

Although the Jiang Family's Mining Team members were well equipped, they inevitably showed signs of fatigue in the oppressive surroundings. They each found somewhere to sit and talked quietly.

Only Jiang Chen stood beneath the tree with his arms folded, motionless as a statue.

Seeing Jiang Chen standing there, Jiang Chutian, who was leading the Jiang Family's team this time and had already earned the title of Third Tier Contract Spirit Master, hurriedly got to his feet.

He carefully took a piece of food wrapped in oiled paper from his storage equipment and quickly approached Jiang Chen.

"Young Master Jiang Chen, would you like something to eat?" Jiang Chutian asked, his face wreathed in a humble smile as he offered the food. "This is the Lower City's most famous snack, a special version made with the finest spiritual ingredients from a First Tier demonic beast, the Ham Boar. It's delicious and can replenish spiritual power. Please, have a piece."

Jiang Chutian, a pillar of the Jiang Family whose word had always carried unquestioned authority in the team and who rarely showed anyone a pleasant expression, now held himself as humbly as a servant before Jiang Chen. He even bent slightly at the waist and offered the food with both hands.

The team members behind him saw this and tactfully turned their heads away.

At the sight, Jiang Ruoxue's eyes also lit up again and again.

In her view, a man like Jiang Chen was worthy of her admiration.

Powerful and confident, he only had to stand there for every gesture to radiate the bearing of a powerhouse and a genius! This was a true dragon among men!

Jiang Ruoxue also stepped forward, making her voice soft and gentle. "That's right, Brother Jiang. This is really delicious. I had it once before and have never forgotten it. Come on, have a taste."

Jiang Ruoxue's demure manner left the Jiang Family members behind her staring in a daze.

Was this really the spoiled, willful Jiang Family Heiress they remembered?

Still, they very much hoped that their heiress could get together with this Upper City genius.

In that case, their Lower City Jiang Family would truly have latched onto a powerful backer and ascended to heaven from then on. As members of the family, they would naturally reap enormous benefits as well.

But Jiang Chen remained unmoved by the Jiang Family's attempts to curry favor, not even raising an eyelid.

A trace of undisguised disgust appeared on his cold face.

"There's no need to put on this act for me."

"When you forced the ancestor of my Upper City Jiang Family out of the Jiang Family back then, how did you behave? Now you put on these faces. Don't you find it disgusting?"

Jiang Chen snorted coldly and mercilessly brought up the history between the two Jiang Families.

"If our ancestor hadn't risen again in the Upper City, would you still be acting like this?"

The ancestor of the Upper City Jiang Family had originally been a member of the Lower City Jiang Family. Because he was the child of a woman of ordinary birth, he had held a low position in the family, was deeply unwelcome, and was regarded as a disgrace with impure blood.

But this Upper City ancestor was practically cut from the mold of a chosen son of destiny.