Qin Kan and Huang Bo

Following established tradition, every provincial trial champion receives generous rewards personally bestowed by King Yama Zhou.

King Yama Zhou gifted Ling Zhan an A-grade skill book with no job restrictions.

As for his alma mater, First High School, Principal Zhong Wenshan announced a reward of one million in cash for Ling Zhan, plus a set of Level 15 purple-grade defensive equipment.

It couldn't be helped; as his alma mater, First High School was simply too poor.

The Dragon Kingdom has always heavily supported combat classes.

Especially for talents who clinch the title of top scholar, they must be treated with high regard.

Therefore, these rewards could certainly be considered extremely generous.

However, the most absurd part of it all was...

Several well-known wealthy individuals threatened to recruit Ling Zhan as their son-in-law.

These wealthy figures simply wanted to use their own daughters to curry favor with this provincial trial champion.

Yet, Ling Zhan rejected them all quite directly.

This included all funding and rewards offered by any other strangers or unfamiliar institutions.

He refused them all.

The reason was simple.

He who takes from others is soft-spoken, and he who accepts gifts is soft-handed.

Ling Zhan did not want to owe anyone any favors.

Nanzhou Province.

Xiangyun City.

The Zhu family villa.

Night fell, and the lights began to twinkle.

Several young men and women gathered in the villa's courtyard for a barbecue.

These youths still carried a sense of childishness, being about eighteen or nineteen years old, all of them students who had just finished their entrance examinations.

Among these young men and women, two men and two women were exceptionally striking in appearance.

One was Guo Tianjiu, who had a cute, playful look and a lively personality.

Another was named Guo Fuliu, whose temperament was gentle and virtuous; with a smile always lingering in her eyes, she gave off the impression of being an extremely mild-mannered girl.

As for the two handsome men, one was Huang Bo. Today, Huang Bo wore a white shirt paired with black trousers, his handsome face carrying an air of arrogance, making him look like a prince on a white horse.

The other was named Qin Kan, refined and elegant, dressed appropriately, with eyes as deep as a pool; it was easy for others to get lost in them when making eye contact.

The remaining boys and girls all revolved around these four, opening up topics of conversation, offering flattery and sweet words.

"Huang Bo, is that Ling Zhan really a Jobless Freelancer?" Guo Fuliu asked softly while taking a small sip of red wine.

"Hmm, that guy is indeed a Jobless Freelancer."

Huang Bo nodded, but his eyes were clearly unconvinced. "He will definitely choose to change jobs in the future, and this time, he completely relied on the low-level advantages afforded to Jobless Freelancers."

Guo Tianjiu hugged her sister Guo Fuliu's arm and said with a giggle, "Sister, don't listen to Huang Bo. That Ling Zhan is very impressive; even Sister Yaoguang looks at him with newfound respect!"

As soon as this little green tea finished her sentence, Qin Kan, who had been looking down at the barbecue, slightly raised his head.

Huang Bo snorted coldly, "Yaoguang just thinks that Ling Zhan is a bit of an oddity. You all know Yaoguang's personality; she is always curious about things she hasn't seen before. Once she gets to know this Ling Zhan, she won't have any interest in him anymore."

Qin Kan continued to look down, grilling for these classmates and playmates.

"I don't think so. What if Sister Yaoguang really gets infatuated with that Ling Zhan? Then you, Huang Bo, will be heartbroken," Guo Tianjiu continued to stir the pot with a giggle, eager to see the chaos unfold.

"Tianjiu, you don't need to provoke me. Do you really think the dignified eldest daughter of the Zhu family would fall for that Ling Zhan who only got first place by luck? Don't be ridiculous!" Huang Bo didn't take the bait and rolled his eyes.

The other boys and girls chimed in at this moment.

"Exactly. I think among so many geniuses, only Huang Bo and Qin Kan are worthy of the eldest daughter of the Zhu family."

"I heard Young Master Qin has been visiting key combat academies during this time and even went into Level 20 secret realms to train with university seniors. What does that Ling Zhan even count for?"

"Indeed, if Young Master Qin had participated in this Job Transfer Trial Entrance Examination, I'm afraid that Ling Zhan wouldn't have had a chance."

"A Jobless Freelancer? Heh! He's just someone who only knows how to exploit low-level bonuses and take shortcuts."

Qin Kan was also a prominent figure among these boys and girls...

No, it should be said that he was a prominent figure among all the graduates in Nanzhou Province.

In terms of fame, he was already on par with Zhu Yaoguang.

Like Zhu Yaoguang, Qin Kan had long since received an offer for guaranteed admission to a key university. It was said that even Tianyan Academy, one of the top 10 key institutions in the Dragon Kingdom, had extended an olive branch to him.

Qin Kan had said he would take this time to experience the teaching at various key combat academies before making a choice.

This was also the reason why Qin Kan did not participate in this trial entrance examination.

Huang Bo listened to these praises for Qin Kan and snorted in dissatisfaction, but he didn't speak.

He admitted that Qin Kan was somewhat more outstanding than him.

But he felt that he still had a very good chance of pursuing Zhu Yaoguang.

"What are you all chatting about?"

Suddenly.

A crisp, melodious voice like a silver bell drifted over.

Everyone turned to look.

In an instant.

Their expressions all went blank.

They saw Zhu Yaoguang standing there, dressed in a white princess dress and wearing a princess tiara.

Her eyebrows were like distant mountains, her eyes like stars.

Her peerless, stunning features made everyone present unable to help but sigh inwardly: such a girl belongs only in the heavens.

She merely stood there, becoming the most dazzling existence.

Even the intense lights became mere background.

"Wow! Sister Yaoguang, why are you wearing a princess dress? You really look like a princess!"

Guo Tianjiu's eyes lit up as she hopped over, hugging Zhu Yaoguang's arm intimately.

Qin Kan and Huang Bo felt in their hearts right now: if only they could be as intimate with Zhu Yaoguang as Guo Tianjiu, how wonderful would that be?

"My mother forced me to wear it," Zhu Yaoguang said helplessly.

Her mother had a very lively personality, like a child, which left her quite helpless.

Hearing Zhu Yaoguang say this, the boys and girls present couldn't help but laugh.

Everyone knew that the usually aloof and cold Zhu Yaoguang had an eccentric mother with a lively personality.

In many people's eyes, a fairy-like figure who was the center of attention like Zhu Yaoguang should have had a graceful and noble queen for a mother.

Who would have thought their personalities would be such a contrast.

"Yaoguang, I grilled your favorite potatoes. Come and taste my cooking," Qin Kan said with a smile, handing a skewer of freshly grilled potatoes to Zhu Yaoguang.

"Thank you," Zhu Yaoguang said politely.

"Yaoguang, have a glass of juice first," Huang Bo also offered a glass of juice.

Zhu Yaoguang still thanked him politely.

Qin Kan and Huang Bo exchanged a glance.

Both could see the hostility in each other's eyes.

Guo Tianjiu rolled her eyes and suddenly asked, "Sister Yaoguang, the stressful entrance examination is over, and the rest is summer vacation. Where are you planning to go for your holiday?"