Hidden Trial

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The audience seats, which had been buzzing just moments before, fell so silent that even the sound of breathing stood out.

But the eerie silence lasted less than three seconds.

The next moment.

Boom!!

The entire audience erupted into an uproar like a raging sea!

The spectators were all like erupting volcanoes, their faces flushed with excitement.

They couldn't help bursting into applause.

Clap, clap, clap...

Thunderous applause filled the entire plaza.

And who was all that applause for...

Wasn't it obvious?

"Senior Ling Zhan is the GOAT!"

"Senior Ling Zhan is incredible!"

"He took down the BOSS in just thirty seconds—he's even better than Bai Wushuang!"

"He's practically guaranteed to be the city's top-ranked contender!"

Crack!

Hearing those words, Bai Wushuang felt as if a sword had pierced his heart.

That really stung, man.

"Look closely. Senior Ling Zhan used Berserker skills for almost the entire fight. He only mixed in a few minor skills from other classes, like the Shadow Priest's [Silencer] and the Archer's [Flash Step]... But this proves that Berserkers aren't only good for making sacrifices. They can also overcome challenges head-on!"

"Yeah! I've never thought this lousy class could look so cool!"

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

To many people, Berserker had always been an unlucky class.

Most of the time, Berserkers were the ones who sacrificed themselves for the team.

There was even a saying: "When in doubt, sell out the Berserker."

But today, Ling Zhan had shown them that Berserkers weren't just there to cover a retreat. They could also take on challenges head-on.

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

"Give me a break. Have you seen yourself?"

"What's wrong with how I look? I'm pretty, sweet-voiced, and well-built. I'm just right for Senior Ling Zhan!"

"Anything's possible in your dreams."

"When Senior Ling Zhan comes out, I'm going to camp outside his house! I'll follow him around every day!"

"Holy crap, I didn't know you were a stalker and a yandere..."

In the audience seats.

The students' admiration and reverence for Ling Zhan flowed like a mighty river.

Before, his performance had merely surprised them. At most, they had thought he was a dark horse.

But now, he had dispatched an elite monster with ruthless efficiency, making them see him in a whole new light.

Ling Zhan wasn't a dark horse or a white horse. He was a monstrous genius!

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

On the viewing platform.

Principal Zhong's plump face was flushed with excitement.

He hadn't expected Ling Zhan to actually take down that extremely difficult elite monster in thirty seconds!

"That kid... is a monster!"

"I have a feeling he could have done it without using the Berserker skill [Berserk]. He just chose this reckless approach to clear the trial faster..."

"Reckless? It looks reckless, but look at Ling Zhan's confident expression throughout those thirty seconds! He didn't think he was risking his life at all. He simply considered it a perfectly reasonable way to clear the trial..."

"So you're saying Ling Zhan could have cleared it easily by other means, too?"

"Exactly. He just wanted to kill the elite monster faster."

"..."

The teachers and department heads nearby also began discussing the monstrous student.

Qi Mu was beaming, feeling incredibly proud.

After all, Ling Zhan was one of his students!

How could he not be happy that such an outstanding student was in his class?

And barring any surprises, this score would likely secure him the top spot on the city's trial ranking.

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

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

Suddenly, two teachers glared resentfully at Qi Mu.

They were both homeroom teachers of the elite classes.

Qi Mu gave an awkward smile. Ling Zhan had really kept him in the dark!

But then he thought, "If I'd really discovered this monstrous student, would he still be in my class? Those elite-class teachers would've snatched him away for sure!"

Thinking of this.

Qi Mu let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness I was blind and couldn't see how talented Ling Zhan was...

Hm, why did that sound like I was insulting myself?

Yet, apart from the frenzied students and teachers.

The one with the most complicated feelings in the entire plaza was the reporter, Li Qing.

She was a professional journalist and had always thought she'd seen countless geniuses.

But now she realized how narrow her perspective had been. Ling Zhan had thoroughly humbled her.

Li Qing was completely numb.

"So this is what a Freelancer is?"

"Freelancers can be this monstrous?" Li Qing stared blankly at the camera, where clips of Ling Zhan killing Great Emperor Shanli were playing over and over.

Thinking of how caustic she'd been earlier, and how proud she'd felt of being a professional journalist,

Li Qing felt even more lost and dejected.

"So I was the real clown all along!"

Unless something unexpected happened, Ling Zhan's place as the city's top-ranked contender was all but guaranteed.

And if he dared to enter the Endless Trial, he would go on to compete for the top spot on the Provincial Trial Ranking!!!

Over on the viewing platform,

Zhong Wenshan was still overwhelmed with excitement.

"I never thought I'd see the day when City No. 1 High School produced the city's top-ranked contender!"

"This is wonderful news!"

Principal Zhong Wenshan was so excited that his voice had gone hoarse.

The other principals nearby smiled and congratulated him.

Their congratulations were heartfelt.

After all, City No. 1 High School had always ranked near the bottom in trial results.

Now, a monstrous talent had emerged, with a very real chance of claiming the top spot on the city's trial ranking.

How could Zhong Wenshan not be excited?

Several hundred years ago, the world had changed dramatically.

A sudden invasion by monsters had dealt a devastating blow to countries around the world.

But fortunately, humanity was naturally resilient. Even in the face of hardship, people could still press onward.

After surviving the most difficult period, countless powerful fighters emerged.

Now, combat-focused vocational schools had been established across the world to cultivate the key personnel needed to fight monsters.

And in Yundong City, Nanzhou Province, Dragon Kingdom,

City No. 1 High School and the other high schools had all been founded less than twenty years ago.

Yet in those twenty years, City No. 1 High School had consistently ranked near the bottom in overall trial results.

This had led people to assume that the school was lagging behind in every area.

Its teaching staff, educational resources, and more were all judged by outsiders to be "the worst high school in Yundong City."

As a result, City No. 1 High School had the fewest students, most of whom had enrolled there only because they hadn't gotten into any other high school.

Under these conditions,

Top students like Sun Ze and Bai Wushuang had carried the school's hopes.

Unfortunately, Bai Wushuang had been eliminated in the elite monster trial.

But fortunately, the dark horse Ling Zhan had burst forth with dazzling brilliance!

He had a very real chance of claiming the championship in Yundong City's trials!

He might even compete for the top spot on the provincial trial ranking!

The glory of being the city's top-ranked contender was already a tremendous achievement. At the very least, it would finally let City No. 1 High School hold its head high!

Since its founding, the school's best trial result had been a student ranked among the city's top thirty.

As for the champion of Yundong City's trials, no one from the school had ever managed to claim that title.

Just as all the spectators were cheering excitedly over Ling Zhan's battle results,

Inside the trial,

Ling Zhan, having killed BOSS Great Emperor Shanli, slowly rose to his feet...