King Yama Zhou didn't give the young prodigies time to recover from their shock.
He continued announcing the rankings.
"Provincial Rank 9: Zhao Xiuzhen, class: Swordsman, completion time: 5 hours, 8 minutes, 52 seconds!"
"Provincial Rank 8: Liu Jing, class: Mage, completion time: 5 hours, 7 minutes, 32 seconds!"
"Provincial Rank 5: Zhou Tong, class: Shadow Priest, completion time: 5 hours, 5 minutes, 15 seconds!"
"Provincial Rank 4: Fang Haoran, class: Berserker, completion time: 5 hours, 3 minutes, 20 seconds!"
Every announcement from King Yama Zhou.
Sent shockwaves through the young prodigies and the audience watching from outside.
It was also clear that the completion times among the top ten provincial candidates weren't all that far apart.
That meant the top ten prodigies were probably evenly matched in terms of strength.
After all, the National Job Transfer Trial was only a test. If someone made a mistake on a particular detail and lost a minute, that was understandable.
After King Yama Zhou announced fourth place.
He paused briefly.
Deliberately giving the prodigies and the audience outside some time to discuss the rankings.
At the same time, his slightly meaningful gaze swept over Ling Zhan, who was hiding in a corner.
"Who'll take third place?"
"No idea, but first and second will definitely go to Zhu Yaoguang and Huang Bo!"
"Yeah, I think so too."
"Huang Bo is so devoted to Zhu Yaoguang. Those two taking first and second would be a perfect match!"
"So I'm even more curious about who came third."
The prodigies buzzed with discussion.
The young man named Huang Bo stood tall and proud, his hands clasped behind his back.
He had the smug air of someone who thought he was the most mature and handsome man around.
But to be fair, he had the credentials to show off.
His class was Sharpshooter.
Like the Archer, it was a class with limitless potential.
It was also one of the strongest classes for soloing.
Handsome, domineering, fierce.
Those were Huang Bo's defining traits.
Simply standing there, he drew everyone's gaze.
Even quite a few girls in the crowd watched Huang Bo with shining eyes.
Outside the trial.
The discussion was even more heated.
"Huang Bo is so handsome! I want to marry him!"
"Dream on. Huang Bo only likes Zhu Yaoguang, who goes to the same school as him."
"Who's in third place?"
"Exactly! Unless something unexpected happens, first and second will go to Zhu Yaoguang and Huang Bo, the perfect couple. So who's third?"
"I'm dying to know!"
City No. 1 High School.
The students were discussing it fervently.
"Could third place be Sun Ze?"
"I don't think so. Senior Sun Ze is impressive, but he can't have beaten so many prodigies."
"Yeah, that makes sense. But who is third, then?"
"Could it be Senior Ling Zhan?" one junior girl said softly.
The others heard her.
They immediately shook their heads.
"Impossible!"
"Senior Ling Zhan is impressive too, but he won't make the provincial top ten."
"Dreams are nice, but reality is harsh!"
Su Rou was also trying to guess who had come third.
But she knew Sun Ze couldn't be in third place.
So who was it?
The principals and directors on the stage were also discussing the rankings animatedly.
The top three were the real main event.
Everyone was already certain about who would take first and second.
That made third place the biggest mystery of all.
Inside the secret realm.
King Yama Zhou gave everyone time to discuss.
Once they'd had enough.
His stern face broke into an amused smile.
"I'm sure all of you candidates are curious about third place, aren't you?"
Everyone quickly nodded.
Of course they were curious.
Since they knew who would take first and second, third place was the biggest mystery of all.
"Heh! Then I'll announce it!"
King Yama Zhou smiled calmly, then spoke in a low voice that slowly spread through the area.
"Provincial Rank 3: Huang Bo, class: Sharpshooter, completion time: 4 hours, 59 minutes, 39 seconds!"
Before his words had even faded.
Boom!
King Yama Zhou could almost hear countless people's assumptions shattering.
All the prodigies present exchanged stunned looks. They could see the disbelief in one another's eyes.
Even Zhu Yaoguang, who usually looked utterly indifferent, froze in shock.
Her red eyes blinked, clearly betraying her confusion.
Although she couldn't stand Huang Bo constantly pestering her.
She had to admit that he was very strong, second only to her.
But now Huang Bo had only come third?
Then who was second?
At that moment, Zhu Yaoguang still believed she had come first.
Someone had taken second place away from Huang Bo.
The audience outside was even more stunned by the result.
Wasn't Huang Bo supposed to come second?
How had he ended up in third?
Then who was second?
Who had beaten Huang Bo?
Who was it?!
Everyone was itching to know.
The worst part was that after announcing third place, King Yama Zhou simply stood there with an amused smile, making no move to continue.
That wretched curiosity!
It scratched at everyone's heart like a cat's claws.
Actually, if you asked who was the most shocked and had the hardest time accepting the result.
It was Huang Bo.
Director, we had a deal. According to the script, I was supposed to come second.
Why had it suddenly changed?
Who had stolen his second place?
At the thought of that.
His sharp eyes swept over every prodigy present.
But he realized... there wasn't a single person who seemed capable of taking second place from him!
He wanted to raise his hand and say he refused to accept the ranking. Apart from Zhu Yaoguang, the stunning young genius, there was no one who could beat him.
Unfortunately, the man he was dealing with was King Yama Zhou.
He didn't dare say he refused to accept it.
Besides, this was the provincial ranking for the National Job Transfer Trial, not some game!
If King Yama Zhou dared to announce it like this, then someone really was stronger than him.
"Fine. Let's see who's stronger than me!"
Huang Bo narrowed his eyes and stared intently at King Yama Zhou.
Seeing that everyone present had accepted the ranking.
King Yama Zhou gave another strange smile.
It was the same smile as before.
It made everyone's heart skip a beat.
For some reason, Guo Tianjiu, who was usually so sweet and gentle, suddenly spoke in a timid voice.
"Could it be... that even Sister Yaoguang's first place was taken?"
They said a slip of the tongue could reveal the truth.
Usually, no matter how much you said something, it wouldn't come true.
But sometimes, a casual remark could hit the mark.
King Yama Zhou gave Guo Tianjiu an approving look.
Then he said slowly, "Guo Tianjiu is right. Zhu Yaoguang's first place was indeed taken!"
"Provincial Rank 2: Zhu Yaoguang, class: Assassin, completion time: 4 hours, 57 minutes, 17 seconds!"
Boom!
King Yama Zhou's words.
Were like a powerful depth charge, leaving everyone dumbfounded and at a loss.
If Huang Bo's third-place finish had hit them like a heavy blow.
Then Zhu Yaoguang's second-place finish was like a nuclear explosion.
It left everyone's scalp tingling and their bodies trembling.
Before you continue