There are three days left until the second round of interviews.
The candidates who qualified for the second round of interviews are all preparing intensively, adjusting their mindset, learning about their competitors, and striving to achieve good results in the second round.
Especially for the winners of the preliminary rounds, these contestants all have people behind them helping to gather relevant information.
Adam Dogus, the champion of the preliminary round in Heisenberg Province, an S-class potential candidate, Ability Energy is called "Annihilation Storm," a typical Energy Manipulation Ability Energy with extremely high lethality. He swept through all opponents in the preliminary round to win first place.
In the spacious, bright, and exquisitely decorated living room, Adam sat back on the sofa. Two meters away, a huge projector was displaying information about some people.
Photos, combat images, data analysis, introductions to Ability Energy...
Walmart and Lancelot are both prominently featured on the list.
"The top 200 contestants on the Southern Region leaderboard have all completed their modeling, and their data is very detailed. You need to pay special attention to the top 50; at the very least, they are at the same combat power level as you, and those at the very top are monsters that are difficult to defeat. If you encounter them in the second round, avoiding them immediately is the best option."
Beside Adam sat a young man with golden curly hair and an air of natural arrogance between his brows. On his chest was a platinum badge with a black circle engraved with dense diamond patterns, which at first glance looked like an ouroboros.
This is the logo of the Infinity Academy.
Adam frowned at the young man's words. The boy, full of youthful vigor and unwilling to admit his inferiority, retorted defiantly, "Rankings are just rankings. We haven't even fought, so who's stronger is still unknown!"
Haerxi smiled faintly upon hearing this, unsurprised by Adam's reaction.
Youth is wasted if you're not reckless. This is the age when you should be arrogant and domineering. No matter what others say, it's useless. Only when you stumble and fall will you wake up.
However, as the senior student specially sent by the Infinite School to assist Adam, Haerxi naturally has to fulfill his responsibilities; otherwise, not only will the credits he has earned be deducted for nothing, but he may even lose money.
"You can be a bit arrogant with the other contestants, but those monsters in the top six, listen to my advice: run away as soon as you see them from afar. Don't be reckless. They are either suspected to be SS-level potential ability Ability Energy or super geniuses in the professional field. Their combat strength is at least at the upper level of the Tier Four. They are not people you can handle."
To prevent assassination attempts by enemies, the Joint Entrance Examination only announces S-rank potential recruits at most; regardless of whether they are SS or SSS, they are only referred to as S in public.
Adam stubbornly retorted, "So what if Ability Energy? Aren't battles all about performance? The champion from the neighboring Kahn Province, with an A-level potential composite Ability Energy, single-handedly defeated an S-level potential Power of Disintegration. Isn't that enough to prove the point?"
"You mean that guy named Lancelot?" Haerxi raised an eyebrow.
"That's right!"
"Heh~" A hint of disdain flashed in Haerxi's eyes. He was a fanatical follower of the Sublimators, born with an S-class Ability Energy. He looked down on those who awakened their Ability Energy Angel gene-enhancing drugs. He held the Innovator School in high esteem, believing it to be a muddy path for the incompetent, a path only taken out of desperation. Only the Sublimators school was the broad road for Ability Energy.
This view is prevalent in the Infinity Academy. Not only students, but also teachers and even school leaders hold a deep-rooted contempt for the Innovation School, which is tinged with profound prejudice.
It was precisely because of this school atmosphere that Lancelot never considered entering the Infinite School. He didn't want to play the game of rising against all odds through suppression; sweeping aside all obstacles was the way to go. Wasn't the Holy Sword Academy just as appealing?
"What do you know? Lancelot only had the advantage of location. Can he really perform well on a stage that's only 20 or 30 meters wide? The qualifying arenas are tens or even hundreds of kilometers long and wide, with complex terrain. Anyone who only relies on physical strength would be a sitting duck if they went in."
"Just watch, 107th on the Southern List is too high a metric for him. Once the retests begin, his predicted ranking will definitely drop significantly, revealing his true colors," Haerxi retorted mercilessly.
Upon hearing this, Adam instinctively wanted to refute it, but Haerxi's words made a lot of sense, and Adam himself thought so too; he didn't consider Lancelot a threat at all.
Cell Liberation is not a regular method and cannot be used frequently. Absolute Control is quite threatening, but it is limited to close combat. As long as he can create distance, he can wear down Lancelot.
In Adam's mind, Mark, Devin, and others from the Kahn Province posed a greater threat than Lancelot, let alone Walmart.
So Adam didn't argue, remaining silent, but his eyes stubbornly fixed on the figures projected in front of him, thinking to himself, "I will definitely defeat you!"
Like Adam, none of the top-ranked contestants in the Southern Division prediction list considered Lancelot a major threat. Even Walmart, who had been defeated by him, was gearing up for a comeback in the rematch, completely unaware that Lancelot had quietly completed a second awakening of his Ability Energy.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Lancelot and Cole boarded the aircraft bound for Storm Bay in the southeast of the Alliance. Participants from the Kahn Province would all travel to the semi-final venue in this massive aircraft.
Burke and Rui failed to qualify for the second round of auditions and each accepted an invitation from a provincial Transcendent academy. However, they stated that they would continue to follow Lancelot's and Rui's matches and cheer them on.
"Iron Fist is coming!"
Someone said something, and the previously lively atmosphere in the spacious cabin fell silent as everyone's eyes turned to them.
Lancelot remained calm and composed, glancing around before casually finding an empty seat to sit down. Cole, however, seemed somewhat nervous, feeling considerable pressure being watched by thousands of Transcendent individuals.
"Hey Lancelot, if we run into each other in the interview, how about we team up? You defend, I'll attack." Walmart walked over and sat down next to Lancelot without any hesitation.
"If we can run into each other, that would be great." Lancelot nodded slightly. He didn't necessarily have to be a lone wolf; having a partner to share the burden would be even better.
"Haha, it's settled then. Don't worry, Walmart always keeps her word. So many people are witnessing this. She definitely won't attack you if we meet again." Walmart was very happy to receive this assurance, patting her chest to guarantee it. Then she ran to other places to greet Devin, Mark, and others as well.
In the second round of interviews, participants from the same province are usually natural allies unless they have a major feud.
The Joint Entrance Examination rules do not prohibit teaming up or attacking each other.
According to official data, the Southern Region had 285,362 participants in the second round of auditions, including at least C+ level potential Ability Energy. It was a gathering of elites and big shots.
Therefore, forming a team is a good choice in the early stages of the competition; otherwise, even Ability Energy with SS-level potential would quickly perish when surrounded by dozens or hundreds of competitors.
Later in the competition, when most players have been eliminated, individual battles and one-on-one duels in the wild will become more frequent.
Like the preliminary exam, the second-round exam also uses a points-based system.
There are various ways to earn points.
You can earn different amounts of points by "killing" other contestants, fighting monsters, and stealing "point packs".
The second round of interviews lasted the longest, a full 15 days, and was just as exciting as the first and final rounds.
The various new memes and laugh-out-loud moments that emerge in each year's Joint Entrance Examination are mostly concentrated in the re-examination stage.
With a slight tremor, the spaceship slowly took off and broke the sound barrier in a short time, like a silver-black streak of light cutting through the clear blue sky from north to south.
Four hours later, the spaceship's loudspeaker announced that passengers should prepare to disembark.
Lancelot turned his head and looked out through the clean, bright glass, where the beautiful scenery of the blue sea and sky came into view.
Storm Bay, we've arrived!
After disembarking from the spaceship, Lancelot and the others arrived at a special lounge belonging to the Kahn Province, where they learned about the rules and details of the re-examination.
The venue for this second round of interviews was different from the previous one. It was chosen in the border region, an archipelago in Storm Bay, next to the territory of the Sea Clan, the Alliance's arch-enemy. The provocation was extremely strong.
This also demonstrates the Alliance's domineering nature.
So many geniuses are right in front of you, so the question is, do you dare to make a move?
Lansiluo surmised that the organizers of this second round of interviews were probably not the military personnel.
If a politician were to orchestrate this, they would likely avoid such a sensitive area. If something were to go wrong, not only would their political career be over, but they might also spend the rest of their lives in prison.
The military is different. The Alliance military is notorious for its domineering and protective nature. Soldiers who make mistakes are tried by special military courts, and the Alliance courts cannot even intervene.
"Little ones, get a good night's rest. The retest will start promptly at eight o'clock tomorrow morning!" The leader of the Kahn Province was a well-dressed, kind-faced old man. After giving a brief call to action and a few words of encouragement, he dismissed everyone.
Lancelot returned to his room and brought up the information panel.
Although it was only a short three days, his new Ability Energy and energy attributes underwent tremendous changes.
[Electrified Cells Lv3], Energy Attribute: 8 (4+4).
The reason for such tremendous progress is partly due to the potions provided by Mona, but the biggest reason is Lancelot's rich experience in Energy Manipulation and training.
His status as a master of Qigong Style is not just for show, and the early stages of developing Ability Energy are relatively easy, which is why he was able to level up twice in three days.
Moreover, this rapid upgrade speed will continue for some time to come.
"Eight points of energy, nearly double the endurance, and the combat power level has also increased by 7 points... Now, we just wait for the retest to begin!" Lancelot lay back on the bed and gradually drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Lancelot, who had gotten up at 5:30, stood by the window looking at the bustling crowd outside and muttered to himself, "Goodness, are they all so eager?"
After washing up, Lancelot and Cole from next door went outside together.
"Lancelot, have you decided which weapons you'll choose?" Cole asked as they walked.
"What else can we choose? They're all melee weapons, nothing more than gauntlets, combat suits, and maybe a few throwing knives," Lancelot said with a shrug.
"Sigh, I really envy those mechanical Transcendent who can compete with firearms, even electromagnetic guns," Cole said with a look of envy.
Lancelot glanced at him and Earth Dao, "Well, they were at a huge disadvantage on the preliminary rounds and couldn't really unleash their full potential. I remember you were having a lot of fun beating up a gunman before."
Cole scratched his head and gave an awkward smile. "You're right, the Mechanical Engineering department should get some compensation."
The two chatted as they walked to the equipment area and joined a long queue.
It wasn't long before it was their turn.
"Hello, esteemed participant. Based on your profession, you will have 100 weapon points. Please select a weapon within your allotted points."
The floating assistant, suspended in mid-air, emitted a clear female voice. Below it was a projection screen displaying a dazzling array of melee weapons, including swords, spears, and halberds, each labeled with a number.
Choosing a longsword will cost approximately 15 weapon credits, while a nanofiber combat suit will cost 45 weapon credits...
Lancelot thought for a moment and chose a combat suit, a pair of gauntlets, and six wide-spread alloy throwing knives, which used up 85 weapon points.
There are 15 weapon slots remaining.
He also took a parachute, which cost him 10 credits.
With 5 slots remaining, Lancelot looked around and chose a multi-functional flare, thus using up all his weapon slots.
A camouflage backpack slowly descended from above, containing various equipment chosen by Lancelot.
Pick up the backpack, and then the Floating Assistant reminds you again. "Please go to the counter on the left to collect the third-generation sensor, communication terminal, and number plate."
A few minutes later, after completing all the preparations for the competition, Lancelot, dressed in his combat suit, randomly found a spot in starting zone 19 and sat there quietly waiting for the second round to begin.
Cole wasn't here; his assigned number belonged to a different departure zone.
Time passed slowly, and soon it was 8:00.
"Contestants are requested to proceed to the rematch venue independently. For any questions regarding the rules, please consult your communication terminal. The first three kilometers are a no-weapon zone; any form of attack is prohibited and will result in disqualification."
Participants who choose to land via air should board the spaceship and choose a suitable landing location.
The hall's loudspeaker announced that Lancelot had stood up, his eyes growing brighter and brighter like the rising sun.
Upon boarding the spaceship, the contestants appeared solemn. When they saw Lancelot, some recognized him, and their expressions changed slightly.
Perhaps Lancelot poses little threat to the top-ranked talents in the Southern Division, but to the vast majority of other contestants, he is a formidable opponent.
"Damn it, why am I sitting on the same spaceship as Iron Fist?"
"It's okay, we'll jump after he jumps."
"That's right, it's best to stay away from him. It would be such a shame to be eliminated right away; I can't afford to lose face like that."
The whispers reached Lancelot's ears, but he paid them no mind, leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes to rest.
Soon after the entire cabin was full, the spaceship took off.
The plasma thrusters unleashed jets of blue flame, and the massive spaceship roared as it pierced the sky.
The spaceship wasn't moving fast, and the scenery below gradually receded.
No one chose to parachute; they were all waiting for Lancelot. If he didn't jump, no one dared to, lest they be eliminated by following him.
Lancelot took out his terminal and used satellite positioning to pinpoint his location directly below him.
"Hmm... it's still a bit close. Let's fly a little further in and land on Holy Wing Island."
The archipelago chosen for this year's re-examination includes hundreds of islands of varying sizes, spanning 500 kilometers from east to west and 230 kilometers from north to south, covering a total area of over 100,000 square kilometers. Such a vast area ranks among the top five in all previous Joint Entrance Examination.
Holy Wing Island is located in the southwest of the archipelago, not far from the central area. It is of medium to large size and covered with tropical rainforest.
A few minutes later, the spaceship arrived Holy Wing Island, and Lancelot went to the jump gate and jumped out.
The remaining contestants breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this; they had finally outlasted this guy.