On the platform.
The Level 2 Mechanical Beetle seemed to understand Chen Ming's words.
Its metallic wings unfolded, shuddering with a metallic buzz.
Then it launched another attack, even faster than before.
The clang of metal rang out repeatedly from the platform.
[-0!][-0!]...
Only after nine consecutive attacks did the Mechanical Beetle finally stop moving.
Throughout it all, Chen Ming hadn't moved an inch.
He'd maintained a perfectly casual stance.
With zero damage, he could stand there until the end of time and still be fine.
But the result left the crowd below completely unsettled.
"Wait, did those attacks really hit him?"
"Why does it feel like Chen Ming hasn't lost any status at all?"
He was already a Level 6 Class Changer, but surely he couldn't take ten consecutive hits without a scratch.
At the very least, he could've taken one step back.
Aside from the sounds that rang out when the attacks landed, they couldn't see any sign that Chen Ming had been hit.
It was as if...
They'd never reached him at all.
"Maybe the Level 2 Mechanical Beetle's too low-level. You can't tell what effect it had."
"Right. I bet Chen Ming has really high defense and constitution stats, so it doesn't look like he's lost much status."
At that moment, all the other testing platforms were empty except for the defense test.
The Class Changers still at the border were all watching Chen Ming on the platform.
"I've gotta say, Chen Ming looks a little showy standing there like that, but he really does have the air of someone invincible."
"What invincible air? No matter how high his defense is, there's a limit. He's just losing less constitution and stubbornly holding on."
"Hurry up and upgrade the test already. Bring out some high-level mechanical creatures and make Chen Ming suffer."
"Exactly! He's putting on such a show, it's making me inexplicably mad."
The crowd below was abuzz with discussion, their voices divided into two camps.
One camp thought Chen Ming really had the skill to back it up, so he could show off all he wanted.
The other just couldn't stand his ridiculous act and wanted to see Chen Ming get humbled...
At that moment.
In the high-rise behind them.
The principals and the Inspector had witnessed the whole scene.
"Something's off about Chen Ming."
Principal Wang furrowed his brow and spoke in a low voice.
Principal Wu nodded in agreement. "There wasn't a trace of attribute energy. He didn't use a single skill."
The two exchanged a glance.
"Can you tell if he has another class, or signs of a hidden class?"
"No."
Nearby, Principal Zhou kept his eyes on Chen Ming below, his gaze bright.
Unlike the other two principals, who couldn't make heads or tails of it, he didn't care how Chen Ming had pulled it off.
After all, Chen Ming had come from his school and represented Cloud Sea No. 1 High School.
One Chen Ming, one Qin Zhixue...
Cloud Sea No. 1 High School was going to take off this year!
The Alliance's special resource allocation would surely increase by a lot.
"Interesting. Chen Ming really didn't take any damage just now."
The Mechanical Crow perched on the Inspector's shoulder spoke.
The mechanical creatures had been made by the Inspector, so he knew better than anyone what had just happened.
Ten attacks, and not one had had any effect.
He hadn't expected to be wrong about someone, let alone a Level 6 Class Changer.
He'd thought Chen Ming was just being reckless, but judging by what he'd just seen...
Chen Ming wasn't being reckless...
He was absolutely confident!
"Then let's speed things up and raise the difficulty."
On the platform.
After the Mechanical Beetle had attacked ten times, it returned to the testing platform. Its metallic body broke apart piece by piece and merged into the machine.
[Level 2 Defense Test passed...]
The testing platform clanked.
[Level 6 Defense Test begins! Class Changer, prepare to defend!]
Before Chen Ming could react, bewildered voices rose from the crowd below.
"Level 6? Shouldn't it be Level 4 after Level 2?"
"I get it. Even the testing platform couldn't stand watching Chen Ming show off, so it jumped straight to a higher difficulty. Hahaha!"
"Chen Ming's been set up."
"A Level 6 mechanical creature? Let's see if Chen Ming can still stay so calm and handle it with ease!"
Up above, Chen Ming glanced at the testing platform's announcement, but instead of being worried, he grew interested.
It's skipping levels?
Just what I wanted.
The enormous testing platform began to shake.
Then a Mechanical Rhino, a full three meters tall, appeared on its surface.
It was the same mechanical creature Song Chuan had faced during his test.
[Mechanical Rhino] [Level: Lv.6]
The Mechanical Rhino landed, its four metal hooves striking the platform.
It scraped the surface lightly, sending sparks flying.
Then it charged, its hooves pounding with metallic booms!
The Mechanical Rhino lowered its head. The huge silver horn on its forehead gleamed with a piercing, icy light as it barreled forward, radiating a force that seemed capable of smashing anything to pieces!
BAM!!
The impact rang out, clearly louder than before.
The platform shuddered slightly.
But it wasn't the collision between Chen Ming and the Mechanical Rhino that had caused it.
It was the sound of the Rhino toppling over onto the platform...
[-0!]
The Mechanical Rhino's charge had been far too powerful, but it still hadn't hurt Chen Ming.
Instead, the force of its charge had thrown it off balance, and it toppled straight onto its side.
The crowd below fell into complete silence.
The scene they'd imagined never came.
They'd thought a Level 6 mechanical creature would force Chen Ming to reveal some of his abilities.
But now...
How was this any different from the Level 2 Mechanical Beetle?
Chen Ming still hadn't moved a muscle.
He stood there as if nothing on earth could budge him.
The crowd even began to wonder whether there was an invisible wall in front of Chen Ming.
In the utter quiet across the border, the only sound was the repeated impact of the charges on the platform.
Bam, bam, bam...
After nine hits, the noise stopped.
[Level 6 Defense Test passed.]
"Hiss..."
No one spoke. All that could be heard was a chorus of sharp inhales and swallowed gulps.
Everyone stared at the data on the platform, utterly speechless.
If the Level 2 difficulty couldn't budge Chen Ming, fine.
But this was a Level 6 Mechanical Rhino!
In terms of combat power, it was already stronger than the vast majority of Class Changers present.
Ten hits—ten whole attacks...
And it hadn't even left a scratch. Was that really possible?
Even Song Chuan, with his powerful S-rank War Soul Vanguard class, had only barely managed to take seven or eight hits before he was close to collapsing.
Bzz—
Just then, the entire testing platform began to shake violently, humming with a deep buzz.
[Level 10 Defense Test begins! Class Changer, prepare to defend!]
"I refuse to believe it! I can't even make you lose a single drop of blood!"
In the high-rise not far away, the Inspector seemed to be getting riled up.
Behind him, Principal Zhou's mouth twitched slightly.
A high-ranking Alliance Inspector was actually getting into a spat with a Level 6 Class Changer.
No one would believe it if they heard about this.
Before you continue