These were four whole pieces of epic-grade equipment—a fortune pouring down from the heavens!
That was practically a full set.
As for spirit equipment, even ordinary pieces were hard to come by, let alone epic-grade ones.
So to everyone watching, Qin Zhixue had just casually produced two full sets of epic-grade equipment.
And her reason was actually...
A perk for joining the squad?!
"The Morning Light Squad still has a spot open, right? Could you consider me?"
"Let me join the Morning Light Squad too! I can do anything!"
"Ah, Chen Ming doesn't even want S-rank Class Changers. We've got even less of a chance."
Everyone stared at the eight pieces of epic-grade equipment, tears of envy trickling from the corners of their mouths.
Meanwhile.
Faced with this act from Qin Zhixue, which was no different from a slap in the face...
Even the normally unflappable Principals Wang and Wu looked rather grim.
What was more, it completely extinguished their hopes of recruiting Qin Zhixue.
They had originally thought that if Chen Ming refused to join, getting Qin Zhixue would do.
One SS-rank and three S-ranks—surely that would be enough to beat a single Chen Ming.
But now, that plan had gone straight down the drain.
Qin Zhixue and Chen Ming were firmly bound together.
After a brief silence, Principal Wang spoke again, still unwilling to give up.
"The Abyss Squad currently has two Dungeon Rune Stones. If you join, you can challenge the dungeons together."
"I don't need to explain how rewarding wilderness dungeons are, do I?"
He had barely finished speaking...
When Qin Zhixue replied.
"I have twelve tier-one Dungeon Rune Stones."
Her words plunged everyone into silence again.
What was that?
Twelve Dungeon Rune Stones?!
At that moment, it was not just the surrounding crowd that was struck speechless.
Even the two principals fell silent, their instinctive reaction being that it was impossible.
Across all of Cloud Sea City, only two Dungeon Rune Stones had been reported since the Grand Exam began.
There might have been some kept secret, but there certainly could not have been many.
Twelve Dungeon Rune Stones...
Was she running a wholesale business?
These were not things money could get you. Even if you wanted to buy one, you could not.
How could she possibly have obtained so many Dungeon Rune Stones?
Even Chen Ming paused when he heard Qin Zhixue speak beside him.
He was rather amazed by the depth of her "wealth."
He had killed so many mutated beasts and obtained only one Dungeon Rune Stone.
Where had Qin Zhixue gotten twelve?
Still, he did not ask.
Everyone had their little secrets.
Besides, Qin Zhixue's background seemed rather mysterious.
She had been a much-watched prodigy even before her class change, yet there had never been so much as a whisper about her origins.
"Principal Zhou, what do you think?"
Just then, Principal Wu suddenly turned toward Principal Zhou, who stood farther back.
They had discussed this a day ago.
They had agreed to have Chen Ming, Qin Zhixue, and Wang Yan form a squad together.
This time, Cloud Sea City's three schools would join forces!
They would take on the provincial selection with their strongest possible lineup and ultimately participate in the special assessment.
They were determined to make Cloud Sea City's name resound far and wide.
Now say something, damn it! What are you doing standing back there enjoying the show?
But Principal Zhou's reply nearly made Principal Wu cough up blood in anger.
"Hmm... since Chen Ming and Qin Zhixue have no wish to join the Abyss Squad, I don't think we should force them."
That finally shattered both principals' composure.
They glared at Principal Zhou as if they wanted to devour him.
Fine, fine, fine. A stab in the back at a time like this!
Principal Zhou seemed completely oblivious to their murderous looks. Instead, he smiled serenely.
A day ago, he had indeed agreed to the proposal that Chen Ming and Qin Zhixue join the Abyss Squad.
His condition had been that Chen Ming must be included.
At first, the other two principals had vehemently opposed it.
They had argued that however quickly Chen Ming leveled up, he was still only a C-rank and had no business teaming up with an SS-rank and three S-ranks.
But now...
After seeing Chen Ming's performance in the test...
Principal Zhou agreed that they were indeed a poor match.
Except it was the three S-rank Class Changers who were a poor match for Chen Ming.
Weren't you the ones who didn't want to bring Chen Ming along?
Well, this works out perfectly.
Everyone's happy now.
So... could this really be called going back on his word and stabbing them in the back?
"Enough. That will do."
Just then, a cold, mechanical voice sounded from behind them.
The Inspector had stood at the back without saying a word since his arrival. Now, the Mechanical Crow on his shoulder spoke.
"In that case, let them compete fairly."
The Mechanical Crow raised its voice a little, ensuring everyone present could hear clearly.
"Based on their performances in today's test, the Morning Light Squad and the Abyss Squad have qualified. The two squads will undergo selection tomorrow."
"Selection format: a team battle between the two sides. The winner will advance to the provincial selection in Jiangnan Province."
"A team battle?"
Upon hearing the selection format, Principals Wang and Wu both frowned.
"Inspector, sir, has there been some mistake? How can the two teams fight each other?"
That meant the Morning Light Squad and the Abyss Squad would be battling one another!
Ever since the age of mutated beasts began, regulations had explicitly prohibited unnecessary fighting between Class Changers.
Compared with mutated beasts, Class Changers had high attack power but low defense.
If they fought each other and failed to hold back, a few skills could inflict serious injuries.
The Alliance had also established this rule specifically to prevent infighting.
Even those with personal grudges only dared to strike secretly out in the wilderness.
Let alone have entire teams of Class Changers fight one another...
Surely the proper approach would have been to select them through killing mutated beasts or challenging dungeons?
In truth, that was not what worried Principals Wang and Wu.
It was that the Abyss Squad could not win under these selection rules.
Given Chen Ming's performance on the testing platform today...
Much as they hated to admit it, he could probably take on Wang Yan, Wu Qingyang, and Song Chuan all by himself without any trouble.
And that was before adding Qin Zhixue into the equation.
The Inspector offered no explanation in response to the two principals' questions and objections.
"All right. Both teams should manage their schedules carefully. Don't miss it because you're challenging a dungeon."
With that, he said no more and left.
"That settles it. They're actually going to compete in a battle. We'll have quite a show tomorrow."
"Ah, what a shame. I was hoping the Morning Light and Abyss squads would merge and dazzle all of Jiangnan Province."
"What's a shame about it? If you ask me, Chen Ming alone is enough."
Only after the Inspector left did everyone begin discussing it heatedly.
Principal Wang and Principal Wu exchanged a glance.
Their eyes were shadowed, their thoughts unreadable.
Behind the two principals...
Wang Yan, Wu Qingyang, and Song Chuan wore rather interesting expressions.
They wanted them to fight the Morning Light Squad?
At the thought of Chen Ming's earlier performance on the testing platform...
An inexplicable dread crept over all three of them...
Fight Chen Ming?
Me?
Song Chuan suddenly began to regret joining the Abyss Squad.
Before you continue