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[Battle Roar] could now be stacked up to four times and also inflicted a slight mental attack.
[Earth Prison Technique] could hold enemies captive for longer, and inflicted a three-second slow after the effect ended.
[Sandstorm Technique] had grown thicker and more violent.
[Thunder Flash] now increased movement speed by 30% instead of 15%.
The duration of Shadow Priest's [Silencer] had also been extended.
All his other skills had received tremendous boosts from [Omnipotent].
The increased skill power meant that even when facing enemies who had already changed classes, Ling Zhan wouldn't be at a disadvantage in a head-to-head clash of skills.
Moreover, the [Mana Controller] talent let him keep casting spells like crazy on the battlefield, turning him into a spell-slinging machine gun!
Ling Zhan looked at the descriptions on his status panel.
Whew!
He let out a long breath.
Awesome!
Absolutely awesome!
As expected of the system!
All that effort he'd put into clearing the college entrance exam secret realm had paid off.
The improvement to his innate talent was actually the most important thing to Ling Zhan.
He had already decided to pursue the path of a Jobless Freelancer.
Only by following this path could he take on any secret realm with class restrictions in the future.
"As expected of a Legendary Treasure Chest! The rewards didn't disappoint!"
Ling Zhan sprawled contentedly on his bed, grinning from ear to ear, happier than he'd ever been.
The rewards for the achievement quest the system had issued this time were so generous that Ling Zhan was stunned.
But that was a good thing.
Now he'd be even more determined to walk the path of a Jobless Freelancer.
"I've been offline for so many days, and things have finally quieted down. It's time to deal with everything..."
As he thought this, Ling Zhan turned on his phone.
He'd been keeping a low profile these past few days to avoid being bothered. He'd even turned off his phone.
After switching it on, Ling Zhan felt that he'd made the right call.
There were countless missed calls from unfamiliar numbers.
Of course, there were also calls from his teacher and classmates.
Countless strangers had also sent him friend requests on social media.
His unread messages were over 99, too.
"Fame brings trouble," Ling Zhan murmured.
He explained in detail to his only close friend, Lei Feng, why he'd turned off his phone.
He also got back to his homeroom teacher, Qi Mu. The teacher was dedicated and conscientious, always looking out for every student. He was a good teacher.
After replying to the messages, he received a phone call.
It turned out to be the academic affairs director at First High School.
The director didn't say much, just told him to come to school in three days to discuss his choice of university.
He also reminded Ling Zhan that teachers from prestigious schools would be coming to interview outstanding graduates. Even though Ling Zhan had topped the Nanzhou Province Trial Ranking, he should still be humble and polite.
Ling Zhan agreed.
The director had given him that reminder because he was afraid Ling Zhan might clash with the recruiters.
Especially the teachers from prestigious combat schools.
They had high standards and arrogant personalities.
Their attitude toward ordinary students was: "Take it or leave it. If you want to come here, we'll still have to decide if you're qualified!"
Toward top students, their attitude changed a little: "Come study with us. We can teach you higher-tier skills, introduce you to stronger teammates, and help you improve your combat abilities."
And finally—
For the most outstanding prodigies, the top hundred at the provincial level, their attitude did a complete 180: "Young masters and young ladies, hurry up and come to our school!"
Although Ling Zhan had topped the Nanzhou Province Trial Ranking, others believed that a Jobless Freelancer had little potential.
So the teachers from those prestigious schools would probably have mixed feelings about him.
But it didn't matter.
Ling Zhan told the academic affairs director he'd be there in three days.
Three days later.
Eight in the morning.
Ling Zhan had finished washing up and was about to leave the residential compound.
Then he heard a commotion at the entrance.
He looked down through the window.
Holy crap.
A huge crowd was blocking the entrance!
Some people held up their phones, while others carried cameras. They were clearly a bunch of gossip-hungry reporters.
The residents were stunned when they saw the crowd.
After asking around, they learned from the reporters that Ling Zhan, who lived in their compound, had topped the Nanzhou Province Trial Ranking!
Good heavens!
How had they only just found out?
The residents were completely floored.
The reporters stopped every resident they saw to ask questions.
"Do you know Ling Zhan?"
"As the top scorer's neighbor, what do you think of him?"
"Does Ling Zhan have a girlfriend?"
"Does Ling Zhan have any dirty books hidden in his room?"
The residents: ???
Reporter, there's something very wrong with that question.
"I'll have to climb down and go over the wall."
Ling Zhan decided at once not to use the main entrance.
If he did, he'd be surrounded and treated like a zoo animal.
He hooked a grappling line to the window, then slid down the rope from the tenth floor.
Ordinary people wouldn't dare move around at that height, even with a rope.
But Ling Zhan was a combat-class professional, and his abilities were far beyond those of ordinary people. Even leaping from the tenth floor would've been easy for him.
He only chose to slide down the rope to keep the noise down.
After climbing over the wall and leaving the compound, he put on a baseball cap and a face mask, then hurried toward the school.
At that moment.
Yundong City No. 1 High School.
The spacious office was packed with people.
The school's leaders and teachers were there to host the guests. They looked nervous but excited.
No. 1 High School had finally made a name for itself.
Among the guests in the office were several teachers from the ten prestigious combat schools!
The teachers from each combat academy were smiling and exchanging pleasantries.
Only the recruiters from the ten prestigious schools looked down their noses at everyone, arrogant as could be.
The meeting room was packed because the teachers had brought students along to help.
Universities also used a "credit system."
Students whose grades weren't very consistent had to help their teachers more often to earn credits.
Some students could enter secret realms and gather materials for their teachers in exchange for credits.
Every year, these teachers went to the high schools attended by the province's top hundred prodigies to recruit students. They naturally needed students along to lend a hand.
As the homeroom teacher of Ling Zhan and Sun Ze, Qi Mu was there too.
Sun Ze had arrived early and was standing in the meeting room beside his homeroom teacher.
He looked extremely pleased with himself.
But then it occurred to him that if Ling Zhan showed up, he'd steal the spotlight.
The thought dampened his mood.
Originally...
He was supposed to be the center of attention.
But now Ling Zhan had stolen his thunder.
Before you continue