Azure Dragon Battle Monk

"Good grief, how long had it been? He'd already made it to the Inner Three Rings. This had to be the fastest, right?"

"As expected of the Heroic Profession, Azure Dragon Battle Monk. Even without skill boosts, his Physique Attributes and combat prowess alone were enough to crush others his age."

The big shots watched the surveillance footage and offered their assessments.

Onscreen, a lean, dark-skinned bald youth struck like the wind, attacking with both fists and feet as he sent a Beast-Type Robot flying into the air!

The dark-skinned bald youth unleashed a barrage of wild punches, striking the Beast-Type Robot's vulnerable joints. With a series of loud cracks, the Beast-Type Robot shattered into parts all over the floor.

The dark-skinned bald youth did not rest at all and immediately stepped into the next ring.

"The Xu Family kid's codename seemed to be Mad Zen. It really suited him. There were only wrongly given names, never wrongly given codenames." "I wonder whether this Mad Zen can win the top spot for our Jiangnan District."

"That'll be difficult." The military-uniformed big shot coughed. "He isn't the only Heroic Profession this time. I heard that the Zhou Family's Overlord from the West Capital District also has a Heroic Profession from a second class change."

A big shot beside him added, "Actually, some Reinforced Elite professions shouldn't be underestimated either. Take Old Wu's granddaughter from the East Sea Wu Family, for example. She has the Reinforced Elite specialty profession, Blood Curse Hunter. Although she hasn't undergone a second class change, she's willing to put in the hard work. I heard she already reached Level 5 some time ago. Compared to the vast majority of examinees below Level 3, her level alone gives her an overwhelming advantage."

The big shot sitting opposite analyzed it from another angle. "The Awakened Exam doesn't just test strength. It also tests intelligence and luck. There's still the Spirit Realm Exploration Subject, which accounts for sixty percent. It's impossible to say who'll take first place."

The middle-aged executive officer standing behind them wore an expression of utmost respect. He knew that every big shot present had once been a legendary hero. None of them lacked strength, insight, or experience.

In the Spirit Energy Era, the upper echelons of every district were filled by powerful, highly experienced Awakened ones. These influential Awakened ones formed the district committee and controlled the district's highest authority—the appointment and dismissal of Executive Officers.

Of course, the big shots were only responsible for decisions regarding the appointment and dismissal of Executive Officers. They generally did not interfere in specific administrative affairs, such as urban development and construction planning, leaving them all to the Executive Officers.

In the Spirit Energy Era, individual power reigned supreme. Though these Executive Officers held great authority, they could never sideline the influential Awakened ones behind them. Beyond their own formidable strength, those big shots often controlled massive Awakened organizations, wielding influence far beyond what ordinary people could imagine.

Suddenly, the military-uniformed big shot pressed the remote. The camera shifted, and the screen switched to a pale-faced youth.

The youth had a pale complexion and heavy dark circles beneath his eyes. Holding a short sword, he moved swiftly and nimbly, circling a humanoid robot nonstop. Whenever the robot turned, he seized the opportunity to land an effective hit.

"This youth should be a ranged profession skilled in archery. His method of exerting force is very similar," one big shot said. "It's just that in a one-on-one fight, archers can't comfortably deal damage from range, so he was forced into close combat."

Archers with Agility Specialization were indeed at a disadvantage in the virtual combat subject.

"Mm, this guy is a newcomer from the God Strategy Army's Genius Camp. His name is Li Yufeng." The military-uniformed big shot smiled. "His codename might not sound very nice. It's Mad Dog."

The big shots present all laughed. They had once been spirited young Awakened ones themselves, and having come from that era, they were quite accepting of bizarre nicknames like this.

"An archer's fighting specialization is still a little weak. This kind of one-on-one exam puts him at a serious disadvantage. Fortunately, he has Agility Specialization and can rely on speed to kite his opponent. Otherwise, he might not even have made it to the sixth ring... Mm, the seventh ring should be his limit." A big shot gave his casual assessment.

The Silicon Valley Base dungeon had ten ring checkpoints along every route.

Rings one through three were called the Outer Three Rings; rings four through six were called the Middle Three Rings; rings seven through nine were called the Inner Three Rings.

Beyond that was the tenth ring—the "Core Ring."

The closer one got to the inner rings, the stronger the Combat Robots became.

The Combat Robots in the Outer Three Rings only had attributes ranging from Level 1 Standard Templates to Elite Templates, and their fighting specialization was only Advanced Fighting Level 1.

The Middle Three Rings were much tougher. Their attributes rose to the range of Level 2 Standard Templates to Elite Templates, while their fighting specialization reached Advanced Fighting Level 2.

The Inner Three Rings were the most difficult. Their attributes ranged from Level 3 Standard Templates to Reinforced Elites, and their fighting specialization reached Advanced Fighting Level 3!

As for the Core Ring, its opponents already possessed the attributes of Level 4 Reinforced Elites and Advanced Fighting Level 4. It was the toughest "major question" in the fighting subject.

Just as that big shot had predicted, Mad Dog reached the seventh ring and faced a Combat Robot equivalent to a Level 3 Standard Template with Advanced Fighting Level 3. Despite exhausting every effort, he failed to defeat it. The Combat Robot depleted all his health, forcing him out of the Virtual Dungeon.

Out of two hundred points for the fighting subject, Mad Dog scored one hundred and twenty, which was just a passing grade. Still, the Awakened Exam was this difficult, so his result was considered quite good. Most Awakened examinees were forced out before even clearing the fourth ring.

Though archers were at a disadvantage, examinees with Mental Specialization and caster professions had it even worse. What they trained most in normally was their meditation specialization.

The methods of controlling Spirit Energy derived from meditation specialization could penetrate alloy shielding, manipulate the power control buttons beside the hibernation pods, and affect the Combat Robots' power supply, weakening them.

This was the only advantage of examinees with Mental Specialization.

But even if the Combat Robots were weakened, they still had to face them in real combat. Caster-profession examinees not only had poor close-combat specialization, but also weak Physique Attributes. Just imagine it: how much combat power could a silenced caster possibly have? "Mad Zen has cleared it. He should be the first examinee from the Jiangnan District to receive full marks in the fighting subject, right?"

Everyone nodded.

Many examinees with Reinforced Elite professions cleared the ninth ring, but once they reached the Core Ring and faced enemies at the Level 4 Reinforced Elite tier with Advanced Fighting Level 4, they were eliminated one after another.

Only examinees with outstanding talent who had reached Level 4 or above before the college entrance exam, stepping into the ranks of intermediate Awakened ones, had any hope of clearing it and earning all the points.

As more and more examinees with Reinforced Elite professions either cleared the challenge or were eliminated, fewer and fewer scenes remained on the large screen.

"Oh? This examinee is quite interesting. He seems to be a tank profession. That's rare." One big shot switched the footage.

"I know this examinee. His name seems to be Bai Pu... He's the one involved in that lawsuit with the Superpower Corporation." The military-uniformed big shot smiled. "Director Wu, do you know him?"

Sitting diagonally across from the military-uniformed big shot, a thin, bald elderly man with glasses wore a stern expression. He shook his head and said, "I'm the director of the Superstar Alliance and only handle alliance affairs. As for the Superpower Corporation, it's managed by my disappointing younger clansman. I've never involved myself in its affairs."

"Forget it. Leave administrative matters to the people below... Let's see which ring this rising star can reach."

Onscreen, Bai Pu had already reached the sixth ring. Facing him was a land-based Raptor Robot with enormous metal wings.

The Raptor Robot's metal wings could sweep across a huge area with a single strike. It was practically unfair. Bai Pu's agility was too low to dodge them at all, and he was repeatedly struck by the wings, suffering blunt damage.

As the metal wing swept toward him, it carried overwhelming force. Bai Pu was left dizzy and disoriented from the impact.

Fortunately, his Self-Adaptive Evolution had a form designed for blunt damage, and he also carried a one-handed arm shield. Otherwise, he would have been unable to endure it long ago.

"Not bad. For a low-level Awakened one who just awakened, his ability to absorb damage is quite impressive."

"Unfortunately, his Physique Attributes are a little too low. Otherwise, he should have been able to clear the sixth ring."

While the big shots were commenting, Bai Pu suddenly accelerated onscreen, moving several points faster than before! The instant the Raptor Robot flapped its wings to attack, Bai Pu dodged aside and closed in on the base of its wing! His combat presence completely changed as well, and his one-handed hammer smashed into the joint at the wing root.

A burst of tremendous force erupted. With several sharp cracks, the Raptor Robot's wing-root components were damaged and locked in place, leaving half its wing unsupported.

Bai Pu immediately followed with a sweeping kick, knocking the Raptor Robot to the ground. He pressed one knee against its neck and hammered down again and again, forcibly dismantling it into a plucked wild bird.