Chapter 6: Bigshot

In the command room, an oval-shaped long table was now fully occupied.

The principal of Qingteng Academy, Chen Guangpu, and the deputy captain of Deep Blue City's Guardians, Zhao Hu, were also present.

But their seats were at the very end.

Seated in positions higher than theirs were the heads of the various districts.

The annual Spirit Contract Master assessment was highly valued by the military zones, with the heads of each major district personally attending to ensure there were no errors in the process.

However, this year was particularly special.

Because at the very front of the oval table sat an elderly man.

With him seated there, the district heads all sat quietly like quails, not daring to make a sound.

On the massive broadcast screen, the footage showed Wang Lümao piercing through the Black Bull Bug with a single spear.

At this moment, the old man slowly opened his mouth and said, "Passable."

A middle-aged man sitting on his left snorted through his nose.

"An S-grade talent struggling so hard to kill a first-tier insectoid? Teacher, they're far worse than my batch back in the day."

The speaker was Wei Qing, the head of the First District.

The First District was primarily responsible for engaging the main forces of the Insectoid Beasts on the battlefield—a veritable meat grinder. Surviving such a battlefield and even becoming the person in charge gave Wei Qing's words a chillingly murderous air.

"Smack!" And then, Wei Qing's head was firmly slapped from behind.

Everyone in the room kept their eyes down, noses buried, and mouths shut.

The elderly man, addressed as "Teacher," slowly retracted his hand. "Damn it, how many times have I told you not to refer to yourself as my student? Are you claiming to my student?"

"No, no, I wouldn't dare..." Wei Qing, who wouldn't even flinch before an eighth-tier Insectoid Emperor on the battlefield, immediately bowed his head.

The old man shifted his gaze to the other side. "Lin Jingxuan, you share your opinion."

"Yes, sir!" A lean man wearing black-framed glasses habitually adjusted them before replying.

Lin Jingxuan, the head of the Second District.

The Second District primarily handled unified command, with the Bureau of Unified Strategy operating under his command. If Wei Qing was the quintessential brute, Lin Jingxuan was the ultimate tactician.

"As an S-grade Spirit Contract Master, his use of his talent is still in the preliminary stages and feels very inexperienced."

"As for his S-grade spirit contract, its power seems about twenty percent weaker than expected. Otherwise, without needing to trigger the special trait 'Like Dew At Dawn,' it should have directly penetrated the body of the first-tier Black Bovine Beetle and achieved a one-hit kill."

"Possibly due to indulgent lifestyle habits leading to spiritual energy leakage."

Lin Jingxuan's brief comments nearly stripped Wang Lümao and Xiao Mei of all their dignity.

"I've told you before, always leave half of what you know unsaid. You've spilled it all—do you want to die faster?"

Lin Jingxuan instinctively clasped his hands over his head, preparing to block the inevitable flick, only to retract them quickly. Nonetheless, he still took the hit.

After teaching both the First and Second District leaders a lesson, the old man sat back in his seat.

Those district heads who hadn't been questioned all breathed a sigh of relief, akin to the reprieve felt by students when not called upon in class.

———

[Combat Assessment Area]

Wang Lümao and Xiao Mei ultimately broke through to Difficulty Level 7 in the combat test, surpassing Qingteng Academy's previous record of Level 6, drawing cheers.

Next up were Han Zhan and Xia Youwei.

When they stepped into the combat space, from the opposite cage emerged one, two, three... a total of ten first-tier Black Bovine Beetle.

At the same time, the examiner's voice rang out: "Test Difficulty Level 1: First-tier exotic Black Bull Bug, ten in total."

"Ten?"

"Am I seeing things? Isn't Difficulty Level 1 supposed to have only one?"

"Just now, Wang Lümao and his partner faced only seven at Level 7."

"Is the administration targeting him? Haha, this is going to be fun."

"Serves him right. Who told him to slack off and contract an E-grade useless spirit? You want to give up, huh? Now pay for it."

Amid the confusion, the examiner provided an explanation: "Test difficulty varies by individual. It's designed to screen out elites. For an SSS-grade talent, the difficulty is raised tenfold to convince the public."

"Exactly!"

"Well said!"

"Agreed!"

A crowd of spectators cheered, and the broadcast camera focused on Han Zhan's face, zooming in.

However, Han Zhan's expression didn't reveal anger or dissatisfaction as expected.

"According to the assessment rules, this doesn't seem right," the elderly man in the command room spoke for the second time.

Sitting at the end of the table, Zhao Hu had no choice but to stand up and explain, "This was a temporary decision by us Guardians of Deep Blue City. We believe this young man wasted his talent and set a terrible example, so..."

"I see no problem. Back in our day, this was the norm. These years, we've let these kids grow too complacent."

"Do you know how many Spirit Contract Masters die on the frontlines every day to create this relatively peaceful environment for them? For someone who wastes their talent like this, they deserve to be exiled to the Lower City. They don't belong here."

Wei Qing stood up to defend Zhao Hu's decision.

This time, as he refrained from saying teacher, the old man merely hummed in response and didn't speak further.

In the command room, none of them believed Han Zhan, a mere first-tier Spirit Contract Master, could handle ten Black Bull Bugs at once.

On-screen, Xia Youwei beside Han Zhan had transformed into the form of an ancient Fuxi zither, a light pink glow radiating from her.

Han Zhan held it horizontally in front of him. As the wind blew, his clothes fluttered, giving him a touch of celestial elegance.

"Let's begin," Han Zhan said lightly, looking at the ten Black Bull Bugs ahead.

As if understanding his words, or perhaps enraged by his nonchalant attitude, the ten Black Bovine Beetles charged at him simultaneously.

Facing the oncoming swarm, Han Zhan didn't even glance at them. He gently placed his right hand on the Fuxi zither and plucked a string.

SHIIING!

The vibration of the zither string resonated, accompanied by a sound akin to tearing fabric. A vast, visible energy blade instantly formed before Han Zhan.

The energy blade, fully formed in the blink of an eye, shot out horizontally with unstoppable force as Han Zhan's fingers swept the strings.

The Black Bovine Beetles had no time to react before being cleaved through by the energy blade.

The sound of ten heads hitting the ground echoed.

Ten Black Bovine Beetles—dead.

The crowd fell into complete silence.

The once noisy assessment venue was now so quiet that it seemed everyone had their throats seized, unable to utter a sound.

An instant kill.

A genuine instant kill.

From the moment Han Zhan acted to when the Black Bull Bugs fell, the process was so fast it left everyone dumbfounded.

Is that really just an E-grade spirit?

Are you telling me this is an E-grade useless spirit?

Then what are the others? Less than useless?

At that moment, whether at the scene or watching the broadcast, everyone was stunned into silence.

In the midst of the silence, Han Zhan's calm yet undeniably arrogant voice echoed clearly.

"This melody breaks the formation."

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