Ji Xiuneng fell silent at once.
Han Qianshan continued.
"Win or lose, this challenge match will be a good opportunity for Lu Fang to show what he can do."
"If we leak word ahead of time and make those higher-ups bow their heads of their own accord, we might actually ruin his assessment."
Ji Xiuneng nodded slowly.
"That makes sense."
Han Qianshan leaned back in his chair, a complicated look in his eyes.
"Besides, I want to see it too."
"Just how far this kid can go."
Ji Xiuneng smiled wryly.
"The Fangfang Chamber of Commerce has four level-200 powerhouses."
"If they have no shame and really join forces against him when the time comes..."
He paused there.
Han Qianshan picked up where he left off.
"Lu Fang might not win."
It wasn't that he looked down on Lu Fang.
The gap between level-200 and level-100 class holders was simply too great.
Han Qianshan added.
"But we can't say that for certain, either."
"Of all the things this kid has done since his awakening, which one was normal?"
Ji Xiuneng smiled at that.
"True."
The next day.
Lu Fang continued grinding dungeons.
He was like a machine that never tired.
His level kept rising.
By the time he finished that evening, he had reached level 88!
Another day passed.
That evening, the sky had already gone dark.
Few people remained in the class center's dungeon area.
Only Liu Cheng still stood watch by the portal.
He was so sleepy that his eyelids kept drooping.
But he didn't dare sleep.
Because Lu Fang was still grinding.
Hum!
The portal lit up.
Lu Fang walked out.
A clear trace of fatigue showed on his face.
[Level: 99]
Just one level short.
Just that final level.
Liu Cheng immediately came forward.
"Sir, you've been grinding for a long time today."
"Would you like to rest first?"
Lu Fang looked at his panel without speaking.
He really was tired.
Waves of mental exhaustion washed over him, and his body felt somewhat heavy too.
But looking at that level 99, he ultimately raised his head.
"Open another dungeon."
Liu Cheng immediately brought up the dungeon list.
"This dungeon requires level 99 to enter."
"Hell difficulty?"
Lu Fang nodded.
"Yes."
[Blood Moon Altar · Hell difficulty] [Entry level: 99] [Recommended party size: 10]
Lu Fang stepped inside.
Forty minutes soon passed.
The instant the final boss, the Blood Moon Priest, fell, the entire altar collapsed with a thunderous crash.
[Blood Moon Priest slain] [Experience gained: +6,000,000] [Blood Moon Altar · Hell difficulty cleared] [Clear rating: SSS] [Level up!] [Current level: 100] [Notice: You have reached the level cap for your first class advancement] [Your current experience can no longer increase] [Please complete your first class advancement quest before continuing to level up]
At the sight of that notification, Lu Fang finally stopped walking.
He had reached level 100.
Since his awakening.
Six days.
He had finally pushed his way to level 100.
An indescribable rush of satisfaction burst from his chest.
Even though his body was exhausted and his mind was stretched to its limit, Lu Fang still couldn't help smiling at that moment.
Satisfying.
So damn satisfying.
The challenge match was the day after tomorrow.
In other words, he still had all of tomorrow.
"Tomorrow."
"I'll go advance my class."
He put Money Ghost away and stepped into the exit teleportation array.
What Lu Fang didn't know was this.
At the very moment he left the center.
High above Jiang City.
Above the clouds.
Two figures stood there quietly.
One was none other than the man in black who had previously appeared at the city lord's residence.
The other was a middle-aged man in a gray robe.
Neither had any flying equipment beneath his feet.
Nor had they spread any wings.
They simply stood above the clouds as though on invisible ground.
The lights of Jiang City lay beneath their feet like a sea of stars.
The glow from the class center's dungeon area was also clearly reflected in their eyes.
The middle-aged man in gray gazed down, undisguised amazement in his eyes.
"Six days."
"From awakening to level 100."
"This kid really is a little frightening."
The man in black remained composed.
But deep in his eyes, there was also a faint, barely perceptible flicker.
"He is fast indeed."
The middle-aged man in gray chuckled.
"In terms of breakthrough speed alone, he would absolutely rank among the very best in the Dragon Nation's entire history of over ten thousand years."
"Do you know who among Heavenly Dragon's current members reached level 100 the fastest after awakening?"
The man in black answered evenly.
"Qin Guanhai."
"Right."
The middle-aged man in gray nodded.
"Qin Guanhai."
"Back then, not only did that fellow awaken an ultra-rare special class, but he also had the Qin Family pouring all their resources into him."
"Top-tier teams carrying him through dungeons, experience potions maxed out, full access to every dungeon."
"Even then, it took him eight whole days to get from awakening to level 100."
The middle-aged man in gray looked down at the class center.
"But Lu Fang?"
"Six days."
"And he soloed Hell-difficulty dungeons the entire time."
"Good talent alone can no longer explain this."
The man in black didn't argue.
Heavenly Dragon had far too many geniuses.
The monsters in the eyes of the five great academies were merely candidates to them.
Yet even by Heavenly Dragon's standards, what Lu Fang had shown over these six days was still remarkable.
The middle-aged man in gray suddenly said with a smile.
"Let someone like him join my team after the training camp ends."
The man in black glanced at him.
"He hasn't passed my assessment yet."
The middle-aged man in gray waved a hand.
"I know."
"I'm just putting in a word ahead of time."
"Who wouldn't want such a promising prospect?"
"Besides, with his talent, isn't passing your assessment only a matter of time?"
The man in black said calmly.
"Heavenly Dragon doesn't judge talent alone."
The middle-aged man's smile faltered slightly.
Then he sighed.
"True."
"But if a genius like this ultimately failed to join Heavenly Dragon, it would be such a shame."
He looked at the man in black.
"How about relaxing your standards a little?"
The man in black's expression didn't change.
"No."
"The more talented someone is, the higher the standards they must be assessed by."
The middle-aged man in gray fell silent.
The man in black continued.
"When an ordinary genius takes the wrong path, the damage they cause is limited."
"But someone like Lu Fang is different."
"He grows far too quickly."
"If their morals and character are flawed, the threat they pose to this world in the future will also be greater than that of ordinary people."
Above the clouds, the wind howled.
The middle-aged man in gray robes remained silent for a long time before finally nodding.
"You're right."
"The more of a monster someone is, the less we can afford to go easy on their assessment."
"Otherwise, we may be recruiting not a guardian, but a future disaster."