First Round Rankings

The group looked at each other in bewilderment.

Would anyone believe that?

But no one dared to object. Elder Xiu had extremely high authority; he was Third Transcendence dungeon master and one of the top ten in the Great Xia Dynasty. If he said it was policy, then it was policy.

"Understood." The middle-aged teacher nodded. "I'll go arrange it right away."

"Wait," Elder Xiu called him again, "There's one more thing. All of Su Mu's combat recordings are sealed. No one may access them without authorization from the highest level of the association."

Everyone fell silent again.

This is to completely lock down Su Mu's information. From scores to battle details, everything is sealed. Only the highest levels of the association are qualified to view it.

"Furthermore," Elder Xiu's gaze swept over everyone present, "I remember some of you are responsible for retrieving candidate information. From today onwards, Su Mu's file will be under the direct jurisdiction of the association. Neither the province nor the city has the authority to access it."

"What about Rongcheng No. 1 High School and the Rongcheng Association...?" someone hesitated.

"Let them follow the normal procedures. Report what needs to be reported, and archive what needs to be archived. But the final data collection is handled by the association," Elder Xiu said.

Everyone nodded. They Taiqing what this meant.

Starting today, Su Mu is no longer a student of Rongcheng No. 1 High School and is no longer under the jurisdiction of Rongcheng.

His files, his data, and his combat records were all directly managed by the headquarters of the Great Xia Dungeon Master Association.

This is the highest level of protection.

Elder Xiu stopped speaking and looked back at the light screen.

In the scene, Su Mu has appeared in the square, standing calmly among the crowd.

The square was already packed with people.

More than five hours have passed.

Most of the test takers had already emerged from the dungeon and were densely packed in the square. Some were resting against stone pillars, some were gathered in twos and threes discussing in hushed tones, and some were simply sitting on the ground, impatiently waiting for the next level to begin.

"It's been over five hours, why haven't we started the second round yet?" A tall, thin boy frowned, his tone clearly impatient.

"Who knows? Shouldn't the first stage have ended long ago?" someone chimed in.

"Could something have gone wrong?" someone whispered. "The Gaokao Secret Realm has never had a problem like this before. If something really goes wrong, many people will lose their jobs."

"What could possibly go wrong? This secret realm is hundreds of years old; it's never had a malfunction before."

"What other reason could there be? Is someone still running a dungeon inside?"

Upon hearing this, the people around him laughed.

"How is that possible? Even if the monsters get stronger as you go on, there's a limit. The later waves can't be worn down by just waiting time. The number of monsters doubles. You can hold out for a while, but not forever. Who can stay in there for five more hours?"

"Exactly. A normal person would be out in three hours at most. Reaching wave 15 is already top-tier SSS-level. Still inside after five hours? How many waves would that be?"

"Unless the system is lagging," someone shrugged.

Discussions arose one after another, but no one could offer a reasonable explanation.

In the crowd, Ye Qingxue stood in her usual spot, leaning against a stone pillar.

Her brows were slightly furrowed, and her gaze occasionally swept towards one direction of the square.

That was where Su Mu had been standing.

Nearly two hours have passed since he came out of the instance. She went to find Su Mu immediately after leaving the instance, but the spot was empty.

She waited for half an hour, but no one returned. She waited another half hour, and still no one returned. Now, more than two hours have passed, and Su Mu's seat remains empty.

Ye Qingxue's heart sank.

She knew what this meant. Su Mu was still inside the instance. He hadn't come out yet.

More than five hours have passed since the first level began. And Su Mu has still not emerged from the instance.

Ye Qingxue bit her lower lip, her mind racing.

She knew Su Mu. He was a man who always acted with discretion and never delayed without a reason.

If he's still in the instance, then there's only one possibility... he's fighting a higher wave.

But five hours is a long time; by normal time estimates, they should have fought at least the seventeenth or eighteenth wave, right?

What is the concept of the eighteenth wave?

130,000 monsters.

Even at SSS level, it would take nearly an hour to clear 130,000 level 22 monsters. Adding the previous waves, it would barely take more than five hours.

Even if Su Mu's Little Drill Wind and White Bone Spirit were incredibly powerful, he couldn't possibly achieve a perfect defense against eighteen waves of monsters.

Ye Qingxue clenched her fists.

She found herself actually worried about Su Mu.

This feeling is unfamiliar.

Throughout her three years of high school, she never worried about Su Mu's performance in any exam. He was always better than her, always more stable, and never someone she needed to worry about.

But this time is different.

This time, it was in the Gaokao Secret Realm, facing hundreds of thousands of examinees and hundreds of thousands of monsters. She didn't know where Su Mu's limits were; she only knew that she had been in the instance for more than five hours, which was beyond her comprehension.

Just as she was debating whether to ask the proctor, Su Mu's spot shook slightly.

It didn't attract any attention.

Su Mu Ye Qingxue suddenly looked up.

Su Mu stood at the edge of the square. His face was calm, his breathing even, and there was no sign of dishevelment.

Ye Qingxue instinctively wanted to walk over, but stopped after taking just one step.

Because she saw Su Mu's expression.

That person's eyes were bright, brighter than ever before. It was as if they had just experienced a thrilling battle, and their whole being exuded an indescribable sharpness.

Ye Qingxue's heart skipped a beat.

She almost instinctively wanted to ask him how many waves he had fought, how many kills he had, and how many points he had. But the words caught in her throat.

Never mind.

Anyway, we'll see the list when it comes out soon.

Given Su Mu's personality, he wouldn't actively show off, but the data doesn't lie.

He played for more than five hours, and it's almost certain that he reached the eighteenth wave or even higher.

This achievement is enough to shock everyone.

Ye Qingxue withdrew her gaze, turned her head slightly, and pretended to look indifferently at the sky in the center of the square.

The leaderboard is being updated there.

On the enormous light screen, hundreds of thousands of names were densely packed together. But everyone's eyes were focused on the top one hundred names.

First place: Su Mu, Rongcheng No. 1 High School. First round score: Hidden. Total score: Hidden.

Second place: Zhao Wuji. Provincial Capital No. 1 High School. First round score: Hidden. Total score: Hidden.

Third place: Lin Qingyin. Provincial Capital No. 1 High School. First round score: Hidden. Total score: Hidden.

Fourth place: Zhou Zekai. Provincial Capital No. 1 High School. First round score: Hidden. Total score: Hidden.

13th Place: Ye Qingxue, Rongcheng No. 1 High School. First Round Score: Hidden. Total Score: Hidden.

51st: Wang Muyuan. Provincial Capital No. 1 High School. First round score: 24471. Total score: 24471.