Observation

Meanwhile, in the sky above the instance plaza.

Deep within the clouds, a massive floating platform hovered silently.

The platform was paved with gray-white stone slabs, with a ring of stone pillars around the edge. The pillars were engraved with intricate runes and glowed with a faint blue light.

In the center of the platform, a giant light screen about ten meters wide is silently playing images.

The light screen was divided into hundreds of small screens, each corresponding to an independent Dungeon Space for a candidate.

The ten largest images in the very center display the top ten candidates based on their current scores.

Dozens of proctors stood beside the light screen.

These teachers wore uniform dark gray uniforms with the emblem of the Great Xia Dungeon Master Association embroidered on their chests.

Each of them exuded an extremely profound aura, indicating they were at least level 50 dungeon masters.

In any city, they would be among the top performers.

But at this moment, they were merely invigilators for this exam, standing quietly on the platform, their eyes constantly scanning the images on the screen.

At the very front of the platform, an elderly man with gray hair and a thin face stood with his hands behind his back.

He wore a dark blue robe with a dark gold belt around his waist, from which hung an antique jade pendant.

His aura was deeper than anyone else's, and the heavy sense of oppression was almost unbearable to look at.

Second Transcendence, level 75.

This is one of the top dungeon raiders in the entire Jiang Province.

The old man looked at the data on the screen and slowly said, "The quality of this year's candidates is quite good."

His voice wasn't loud, but every word was clearly audible to everyone present.

"Those who reached the sixth wave within the allotted time have exceeded one thousand." The old man paused, his gaze sweeping over the constantly changing statistics at the bottom of the screen. "In previous years, this number would have been around six or seven hundred."

A middle-aged teacher wearing glasses chimed in, "It's definitely a significant improvement over previous years. This year alone, seventeen people from the entire Jiang Province have achieved 3S-level core cards. There are 102 double-S-level individuals, and over a thousand S-level individuals. In the history of our Jiang Province, this is the best graduating class ever."

The old man nodded in satisfaction. "Jiang Province has been lukewarm for years, but this year it's finally starting to look promising."

He then First Transcendence: "However, compared to those key provinces, there is still a certain gap."

"Yes." The middle-aged teacher sighed, "In provinces like Jingbei, Magic City, and Lingnan, there are over twenty people achieving 3S level this year, and over two hundred achieving double S level. Although our Jiang Province is making progress, our foundation is weak, and our student base is small, so it will be difficult to catch up in the short term."

The old man didn't reply, his gaze remaining fixed on the light screen. After a while, he suddenly spoke up, "Speaking of which, it seems there are one or three special themes this year?"

The middle-aged teacher paused for a moment, then realized, "Yes, there are indeed three awakened individuals with special themes this year."

He flipped open the electronic tablet in his hand and quickly pulled up the data. "The first one is named Lin Zhao, whose core card is the C-level 'Invisible Eye,' with the theme of 'Cthulhu Mythos,' belonging to the Unknown System in the Special Category. Currently at level 13, ranked 367th in points. The second one Chen Fei, whose core card is the S-level 'Person in the Mirror,' with the theme of 'Strange Tales,' also in the Special Category. Currently at level 14, ranked 89th in points."

He paused, then added, "Both of these special-theme Awakeners are quite talented, but because there are no predecessors to refer to in the special dungeons, they have to figure everything out on their own, which affects their early-stage build-up and growth speed."

While Lin Zhao's "Invisible Eye" concept is unique, he hasn't found a suitable card combination yet, keeping his dungeon combat power low. Chen Fei's "Person in the Mirror" is better; he has a deep understanding of ghost stories, but the Person in the Mirror " card has limited potential. Unless he replaces his core cards, he probably won't go far.

After listening, the old man nodded. "That's how it is with special themes. Without predecessors paving the way, every step has to be taken by oneself. Getting to this point is already quite an achievement."

He paused, then asked, "And the last one?"

The middle-aged teacher paused for a moment, his expression becoming somewhat subtle.

"There's another one... named Su Mu."

"Su Mu?" The old man tilted his head slightly. "That name sounds familiar."

"You should remember," the middle-aged teacher reminded him, "He won first place in last year's provincial copy design competition. You were the one who presided over the award ceremony."

The old man thought for a moment, then suddenly realized. "Oh, that young man. I remember him. He had high Soul Power and a clear design concept. I thought he was a promising talent back then."

He then asked, "What are his core cards? What is his theme?"

The middle-aged teacher hesitated for a moment before speaking, "His theme is... Journey to the West. A special and unique category. As for the core cards..."

He glanced down at the electronic panel, a hint of regret in his voice. "Rank F, Stone."

The old man frowned.

"Grade F? Stone?"

"Yes." The middle-aged teacher nodded. "It's just an ordinary stone. It has no attributes, no skills, and its category is simply 'mineral/substance'."

The old man remained silent for a few seconds.

"An F-rank core card, and it's a special theme again." He spoke slowly. "Special dungeons are inherently difficult to judge in terms of strength. In past experience, the potential of a special dungeon is often assessed through its core card. If the core card is F-rank, the dungeon's ceiling is unlikely to be very high. Even if the dungeon level itself is high, if the core card is a building or support type, it won't be of much use."

He paused, then added, "The only relatively strong category is technology, but even with technology, a single stone won't make much of a difference."

"What a pity." The old man sighed softly. "That young man has truly remarkable design talent. If his core card were even slightly better, even just a C-rank, his future would be limitless."

He shook his head and turned his gaze back to the big screen.

At this moment, the names of the top ten candidates are prominently displayed in the ten images in the center of the screen.