Hidden Stage

The once-rowdy spectator stands were now so silent that even the sound of breathing was distinct.

But this eerie silence lasted less than three seconds.

The next moment.

BOOM!!

The entire spectator area erupted into a roar like a mountain collapsing or a tsunami crashing!

Every spectator seemed to have erupted like a volcano, their faces flushed red as monkey bottoms in extreme excitement.

All the spectators couldn't help but applaud wildly at this moment.

Clap, clap, clap...

The entire plaza was filled with the thunderous sound of applause.

As for who this applause was dedicated to...

Did that even need to be asked?

"Senior Ling Zhan, you're the GOAT!"

"Senior Ling Zhan is a beast!"

"He cleared the boss in thirty seconds, even better than Bai Wushuang!"

"The city's number one spot is practically his!"

Crack!

Hearing this, Bai Wushuang felt as if a sword had been driven into his heart.

That stings, man.

"Look closely, Senior Ling Zhan was mostly using Berserker skills, only interspersing them with small skills from other classes, like the Shadow Priest's [Silencer] or the Archer's [Flash Step]... but this just goes to show that the Berserker class isn't just about sacrifice; it has the ability to clear stages head-on!"

"Yeah, it's the first time I've felt this cursed class is so cool!"

"Berserker: if I don't go mad, who will?"

In the eyes of many, the Berserker class had always been a cursed profession.

Because in many cases, this class was just a sacrificial role within a team.

There was even a saying passed down: when in doubt, sacrifice the Berserker.

But today, Ling Zhan showed them that a Berserker wasn't just for covering the retreat; they could also be used to clear stages head-on.

"I've decided, I'm going to pursue Senior Ling Zhan!"

"Give it a rest, with your looks?"

"What's wrong with my looks? I'm beautiful, have a sweet voice, and a great figure—I'm a perfect match for Senior Ling Zhan!"

"Keep dreaming."

"When Senior Ling Zhan comes out, I'm going to camp at his front door! I'm going to stalk him every day!"

"Damn, I didn't realize you were a stalker and a yandere..."

In the spectator stands.

The students' worship and admiration for Ling Zhan were as endless as a flowing river.

If Ling Zhan's previous performance had only surprised them, making them think he was merely a dark horse, this clean and decisive execution of the elite monster forced them to re-evaluate him entirely.

Ling Zhan was neither a dark horse nor a white horse; he was a monstrous genius!

"Ling Zhan, well done! City No. 1 High School is proud of you!"

On the podium.

Principal Zhong's chubby face was incredibly flushed, a result of his excitement.

He hadn't expected Ling Zhan to actually be able to take down this incredibly tricky elite monster within thirty seconds!

"This little guy... he's a monster!"

"I have a feeling that even if he hadn't used the Berserker's [Berserk], he would have had other ways, but he chose this reckless method just to speed up the run..."

"Reckless? It looks reckless, but look at the determined expression on Ling Zhan's face during those thirty seconds! He didn't think he was risking his life at all; he just thought it was a very logical way to clear the stage..."

"Does that mean Ling Zhan could have cleared it easily even with other methods?"

"Exactly. He just wanted to slay this elite monster a bit faster."

"..."

The teachers and department heads on the side also began to discuss this monstrous student.

Qi Mu was beaming, feeling incredibly glorious.

After all, Ling Zhan was a student in his class!

How could he not be happy that such an outstanding student had emerged from his class?

Moreover, if there were no surprises, the top spot on the Provincial Trial Ranking was likely secured.

"But why has Teacher Qi Mu never mentioned anything about this student?"

"Teacher Qi, you really haven't paid enough attention to the students in your class!"

Suddenly, two teachers stared at Qi Mu with resentment.

These two were the homeroom teachers of the elite classes.

Upon hearing this, Qi Mu immediately wore an awkward smile. This Ling Zhan had really kept him in the dark!

But then he thought: "If I had really unearthed this monster of a student, would he still be in my class? He would have definitely been snatched away by these elite class teachers!"

Thinking of this, Qi Mu breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he had been blind to Ling Zhan's excellence...

Hmm, why did that sound like he was insulting himself?

However, besides the crazed students and teachers, the person with the most complex feelings in the entire venue was the reporter, Li Qing.

She was a professional reporter who prided herself on having seen countless geniuses.

Yet, in the end, she found her own vision as narrow as a frog in a well, and she was being slapped in the face by Ling Zhan's performance.

Li Qing felt completely numb.

"So this is a Freelancer?"

"So a Freelancer can actually be this monstrous?" Li Qing stared blankly at the camera, which was replaying the footage of Ling Zhan slaying the Great Emperor Shanli.

Thinking of her previous snide remarks and her sense of superiority as a professional reporter, Li Qing felt even more dejected.

"Turns out the clown was me all along!"

If nothing went wrong, Ling Zhan's ranking as the city's number one was set in stone.

If he had the guts to enter the Endless Trial, his next step would be to compete for the top spot on the Provincial Trial Ranking!!!

Back on the podium.

Zhong Wenshan was still excited to the point of death.

"Who would have thought, who would have thought! The day has finally come when City No. 1 High School produces a city champion!"

"This is a joyous occasion!"

Principal Zhong Wenshan's face was full of excitement, his voice even turning hoarse.

The other principals on the side also offered congratulatory smiles.

They offered their blessings quite sincerely.

After all, City No. 1 High School had always been at the bottom when it came to trial results.

Now that a monster had suddenly popped up, with a high probability of taking the title of city champion, how could Zhong Wenshan not be excited?

Ever since the world changed hundreds of years ago, an accidental monster invasion had dealt a devastating blow to countries around the world.

But fortunately, the human race was naturally resilient; even when faced with setbacks, they could still rise to the challenge.

After surviving the most difficult period, countless powerhouses were born.

Today, various combat-oriented vocational high schools had been established across the world to cultivate core talent to resist monsters.

In Yundong City, Nanzhou Province, Dragon Kingdom, City No. 1 High School and other high schools had been founded less than twenty years ago.

Yet in these twenty years, City No. 1 High School's comprehensive trial ranking had always been at the bottom.

This led people to believe that City No. 1 High School was lagging in every aspect.

Its faculty, educational conditions, and more were all evaluated by the outside world as the "worst high school in Yundong City."

Precisely because of this, City No. 1 High School had the fewest students, and most of them were students who had no choice but to attend after failing to get into other high schools.

Under these conditions, the elite students of City No. 1 High School, like Sun Ze and Bai Wushuang, were naturally entrusted with high hopes.

Unfortunately, Bai Wushuang was eliminated in the elite monster stage.

But fortunately, this dark horse, Ling Zhan, had bloomed with an incredibly dazzling light!

This dark horse was highly likely to take the Yundong City trial championship in one fell swoop!

And perhaps even compete for the Provincial Trial Ranking!

The glory of being the city's number one alone was already impressive enough to let City No. 1 High School finally hold its head high!

Since the school's founding, the best result any student had achieved in previous years' trials was reaching the top thirty in the city.

As for the Yundong City trial champion, no one had ever managed to take that title.

Just as all the spectators were cheering excitedly for Ling Zhan's combat performance, inside the stage, Ling Zhan, having slain the boss, Great Emperor Shanli, slowly stood up from the ground...