300 points? Barely acceptable!

The scene Chen Ming displayed at this moment once again drew the eyes of countless people.

There was no helping it; it was simply too eye-catching.

Pale-colored flames roared to life around his body, while the long blade gripped in one hand surged with a bluish trailing flame.

As the blade swept through, it left behind wisps of embers in the air.

Although the flames appeared somewhat illusory as a whole, not like something truly physical, it did not hinder the visual impact; at this moment, Chen Ming looked like a warrior walking through fire.

Those who didn't know better would have thought this was some S-rank fire-element warrior unleashing a skill.

But...

Aren't you a Shield Guard, brother?

"A mental skill!"

On the high building in the rear.

The moment they saw the pale blue flames ignite on Chen Ming's body, several principals noticed it.

This elemental energy carried a very strong fluctuation of mental power!

It was clearly a mental skill without a doubt.

"He actually awakened a mental skill; no wonder..."

Although even awakening a mental skill could not reasonably explain Chen Ming's terrifying defensive power, at least there was a trail to follow.

It was no longer a case of an ordinary C-rank Shield Guard achieving a level that even they found incredible.

"That is... Azure Flame?!"

Principal Wang quickly noticed the flames on Chen Ming's body.

He immediately took out the wisp of Azure Flame he had obtained under the night sky of the valley from his mental space.

A spark the size of a thumb hovered in his palm.

Compared to the surging flames on Chen Ming below, the little flame in his hand seemed somewhat shabby.

Although the two could not be compared in this way—after all, what he held was a resource, while what was on Chen Ming was merely a skill effect—wasn't the Azure Flame on this kid a bit too vigorous?

Thinking of this, Principal Wang's expression turned strange.

In order to obtain this little spark in his hand, the wounds caused by the Pale Moon Wolf King had not yet healed even now.

"According to previous information, Chen Ming was leveling up in the Exotic Beast Forest a few days ago. Perhaps he was lucky and happened to obtain this Azure Flame resource."

Principal Zhou pondered for a moment and provided an explanation.

Thinking of it this way, everything was reasonable.

Azure Flame Flowing Fire was a rare mental-type resource to begin with.

After Chen Ming absorbed it, he naturally awakened a mental skill.

"Eighteen years old, awakening a mental skill just after changing classes..."

The more Principal Zhou spoke, the more excited he became, a smile appearing on his face.

"This should be the first instance in the entire Alliance."

He hadn't expected that his Cloud Sea No. 1 High School would produce a genius who broke the record for the entire Alliance this year.

"You two, do you still think there is anything inappropriate about Qin Zhixue teaming up with Chen Ming now?"

Principal Zhou looked at Principal Wang and Wu Qingyang, speaking bluntly.

Previously, these two old fogies had wanted to poach Qin Zhixue for the Abyss Squad.

As for Chen Ming, they hadn't considered him at all.

Now, they had been slapped in the face hard.

So what if Wang Yan and Wu Qingyang were S-rank class changers?

With just a mental skill alone, Chen Ming's potential could no longer be judged by conventional standards.

Others might not know what a mental awakening represented, but how could they, as principals, not know?

In the history of the Alliance, everyone who awakened a mental skill, regardless of their class rank, was without exception a famous figure.

At the same time, Principal Zhou felt a sense of gratification.

He hadn't expected Chen Ming to truly defy the heavens and change his fate by relying on his talent in the mental aspect.

On the attack power testing platform.

Chen Ming didn't waste any time; he drew his blade, imbued it with Pale Flame, and stepped forward to slash at the thick metal wall before him.

The attack power test was very simple.

Release your strongest attack ten times, and the highest value is recorded.

The moment Chen Ming's strike landed, information lit up on the thick metal wall—

[300 points!]

Upon seeing the score, a collective sigh of relief rippled through the crowd below.

Everyone felt significantly more at ease.

An attack score of 300...

Well, it was barely passable.

Most B-rank class-changers could reach that level.

This result was undoubtedly a placebo for them.

His defense was already heaven-defying; if his attack were also heaven-defying, how could anyone else live?

"Thank goodness, thank goodness."

"Looking at the way Chen Ming drew his blade just now, I thought he was about to display some terrifying divine power again."

"Phew... this score is acceptable."

"It's not bad, it's not bad. For a Shield Guard, attack power isn't the primary attribute."

Many people patted their chests and let out long breaths of relief.

The sight of Chen Ming with Pale Flame coating his body and his blade wreathed in fire had truly frightened them.

So, it was just for show.

At this moment, Chen Ming on the stage unleashed his second strike.

The blade edge swept across the heavy metal barrier, leaving pale blue flames lingering on the surface, which quickly faded into embers.

--[600 points!]

"Wait, that's not right!"

As Chen Ming's attack landed on the metal barrier, the score displayed on it jumped with an incredible increase.

600 points!

It had exactly doubled compared to the first attack!

This score was already enough to rank in the top ten of Cloud Sea City.

"Did he use an attack skill just now?"

"No, he just swung his blade for the second time."

The crowd below began to realize something was wrong.

Until Chen Ming swung his blade once more on the stage.

With a clang, the long blade struck the heavy barrier, emitting the harsh sound of clashing metal.

--[900 points!]

"Holy crap, it went up by another 300 points!"

People began to lose their composure.

900 points, second only to the top-ranked Qin Zhixue.

Another strike.

--[1200 points!]

"Come on, man..."

The crowd was starting to panic.

Clang!!

--[1500 points!]

"He's still going?!"

--[1800 points!]

The sixth attack landed.

The score reached 1800 points.

It was nearly double the score of the previous rank one, Qin Zhixue!

This time, not a single sound rose from the crowd below.

Because they were already numb.

Numbly watching the score jump time and time again.

The few hundred points they had to exhaust every ounce of their strength to achieve.

For Chen Ming, it was as if he were just playing around.

Are we even taking the same test?

However, some people noticed something amiss.

Every time Chen Ming's attack landed, the pale blue flames erupting around his body seemed to intensify.

Following that, the attack score would surge once more.

Clang—

On the stage, Chen Ming's tenth strike landed.

The long blade struck the metal barrier with a resonant ring, sparks flying everywhere and leaving behind a deep gash.

--[3000 points!]

[Test complete!]

[Score: 300, 600... 2700, 3000!]

[Final maximum attack score: 3000 points!]

On the illusory screen, new information appeared on the attack power leaderboard.

[1. Chen Ming - C-rank Shield Guard - 3000 points]

[2. Qin Zhixue - SS-rank Holy Radiance Angel - 998 points]

First in both attack and defense tests!

At the same time, Chen Ming's final results were refreshed on the overall ranking board for the comprehensive average score.

[1. Chen Ming - 6500 points!]

[2. Qin Zhixue - 949 points!]

A cliff-like lead.