At Sun Yang's words, Chen Ming looked toward the platforms standing in the distance along the border.
They were made entirely of metal, and each one covered a vast area.
He instinctively thought of last night... no, the night before last.
The man who had descended in Valley Night Sky with several principals and controlled those mechanical creatures.
Now it seemed he was the Inspector.
No wonder he could stand against a giant beast over level 40.
"The tests cover attack power, defense, elemental mastery, speed and reaction..."
Sun Yang explained it to Chen Ming.
The tests themselves weren't complicated.
They simply measured each Class Changer's specialized abilities.
Each Class Changer could choose two abilities to be tested on.
For example, those with warrior-type classes would choose attack power and defense.
Mages, meanwhile, usually chose elemental mastery and attack power.
There were even special tests for support Class Changers, measuring their buff abilities.
"This test is divided into several rounds. Today's only the strength test. Later, there'll also be a team-coordination combat test."
At that, Sun Yang suddenly fell silent.
"Um, Brother Chen..."
After hesitating for a moment, he said quietly, "How about you kick me out of Morning Light Squad?"
"Hmm? Why?"
Chen Ming frowned and looked at Sun Yang in confusion.
Sun Yang gave an embarrassed smile, then explained his reasoning.
"I heard that only one team will make it through the selection in Cloud Sea City."
"And that won't even be the end. It'll just be the beginning. We'll still have to compete against the teams selected from every city in Jiangnan Province before the final slots are decided."
The selection was so strict, and the number of slots so small, that its importance was plain to see.
Those who ultimately stood out...
Would undoubtedly be the strongest generation of Class Changers in the Alliance!
That was exactly why Sun Yang had decided to ask Chen Ming to kick him out of the squad.
This was no longer a matter of getting a convenient boost to his level.
If they were challenging dungeons or trying to climb the Grand Exam rankings, Sun Yang would have been more than happy to tag along with Chen Ming's Morning Light Squad.
There was nothing embarrassing about letting a brother carry him through on the strength of his own abilities.
After all, the Grand Exam only lasted a month. A good ranking would give him a better starting point in the future.
But this "Special Assessment" selection was different.
"Brother Chen, this is about my actual future. I'm only a B-rank. If I insist on staying in Morning Light Squad, I'll just hold you back."
Sun Yang could imagine what Morning Light Squad would face if it successfully qualified out of Cloud Sea City...
The top-ranked squads from all twenty-four districts in Jiangnan Province!
They would likely be a formidable combination of almost entirely S-rank Class Changers.
What use could a B-rank like him be?
Taking him along might even make it harder for Morning Light Squad to qualify out of Cloud Sea City.
"So that's what you're thinking."
Once Chen Ming understood what Sun Yang meant, he chuckled.
"It's fine. I'm only C-rank myself. Having a B-rank join my squad is an upgrade."
Chen Ming made a joke of it.
Then he patted Sun Yang on the shoulder. "Don't worry. You don't need to think about this."
For Chen Ming now, the strength of his teammates didn't make a particularly big difference.
Before he awakened his mental skill, having someone on the team who could help him deal damage would have been nice.
But now, he wasn't lacking in attack power.
As for the team's defense?
Chen Ming didn't need to worry about that at all.
He could just step forward and lock in his health. No one could do a thing about it.
So for Chen Ming, powerful teammates were just the icing on the cake, not a necessity.
Still.
The Special Assessment selection did catch his interest.
Everyone who made it to the end of a selection like this would be an elite of their generation.
Since the Alliance had made this decision and arranged a selection in this manner, it was certain that some major plans lay behind it.
"Have you finished your tests?"
Chen Ming glanced toward the testing platforms and asked casually.
Sun Yang nodded. "I chose the speed and attack-power tests. I placed in the top hundred in both."
As he spoke, he pointed behind several of the platforms.
Chen Ming followed his gesture. There was a huge, illusory screen floating there.
Attack Power Test Rankings: [1. Qin Zhixue-SS-rank Holy Radiance Angel-998 points] [2. Wang Yan-S-rank Abyss Mage-706 points] [...] [96. Sun Yang-B-rank Shadow-Hiding Blade-226 points] Speed and Reaction Test Rankings: [...] [75. Sun Yang-B-rank Shadow-Hiding Blade-334 points] Overall Average Rankings: [85. Sun Yang-280 points!]
Thud, thud, thud—
Just then, several loud thumps rang out from one of the platforms.
They immediately drew the attention of many people.
That was the platform for the defense test.
At that moment, a massive rhinoceros was charging at a Class Changer onstage.
The rhinoceros's body was made of metal. It thundered as it ran, radiating raw power.
The Class Changer crossed his arms and planted himself in a bow stance. A blood-red shield formed in front of him.
The giant metal horn crashed into the blood-red shield with a muffled boom.
The Class Changer staggered back several steps from the impact, nearly falling off the platform.
But in the end, he managed to hold his ground.
He wasn't sent flying.
The next second, light flashed across the illusory screen.
A ranking appeared at the very top—
Defense Test Rankings: [1. Song Chuan-S-rank War Soul Vanguard-720 points]
The man onstage was Song Chuan, one of Cloud Sea City's three S-rank Class Changers.
As soon as his score appeared, the crowd around the platform erupted in heated discussion.
"Holy crap, 720 points in defense!"
"So this is what an S-rank Class Changer is worth?"
"My A-rank Stone Heart Guardian went all out and only got 580 points. Song Chuan's a warrior-class, and he still managed 720 points in defense. That's terrifying!"
"Of course. War Soul Vanguard is a famous S-rank class that's strong in both offense and defense. Its defense is incredible."
On the platform, Song Chuan listened to the discussion below, his expression complicated.
As an S-rank Class Changer, he'd still placed sixth in Cloud Sea City's level rankings for three days in a row.
He'd endured plenty of criticism during that time.
Thankfully, he'd now proved himself with his strength.
He was ranked first in all of Cloud Sea City for defense!
No one had scored higher.
Though that was because the SS-rank Qin Zhixue hadn't chosen to take the defense test...
At least on the face of this test, he was at the top of Cloud Sea City!
No one could understand how he felt at that moment.
The first three days had left him feeling terribly stifled.
Even if this was only a test ranking, it still made him feel a lot better.
At last, he could hold his head high.
"Ha ha..."
Looking at the admiring eyes turned his way from below, Song Chuan gradually broke into a smile.
That was right. He was an S-rank Class Changer.
This was the treatment he deserved.
To bask in the crowd's envious and worshipful gazes!
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