An invasion from the Abyss? I, a demonic cultivator, laughed.

Chapter 61 Grand Ideals
"My awakened class is Dragon Knight (S)," Zhang Qingshan said without any concealment.

"As for talent, it's a bit lacking; it's Dragon Heart (A)."

"A dragon knight?" Chu Xiu stroked his chin.

He wasn't too surprised that Zhang Qingshan could awaken an S-level profession, because his level was very high, and awakening a high-level profession was a normal thing.

The Dragon Knight class is quite outstanding among the S-class classes, not because it is particularly strong, but because it is very well-rounded.

In the initial stage, you can have a dragon egg. Even if it hasn't hatched yet, the dragon egg can still mobilize magic to release magic for ranged attacks. Some special dragon eggs can even release healing and various buff spells. It can be said that you are born with a powerful support.

The dragon knight himself is also very strong and has a large number of close combat skills, so it can be said that he has almost no weaknesses.

After a dragon is hatched, it reaches a period of great power, and its strength increases rapidly!
The Dragon Heart talent is a versatile talent, increasing constitution, strength, and vitality, and can even increase adaptability to [traits] and reduce the rate of alienation deviation.

The combination of these two factors makes Qingshan's potential extremely high, at least in the early to mid-stages, and many major forces should be willing to invest in him.

"Congratulations," Chu Xiu said sincerely, "What level are you at?"

"Level 7, almost level 8."

Chu Xiu nodded; this outcome was within his expectations.

Qingshan's talent was already strong. Most importantly, schools and some forces would invest in and bet on people like him who had high initial energy levels. His initial conditions were much better than others, so it was not surprising that he could reach level 7.

"What are your plans next?" Chu Xiu asked with a smile.

"I plan to grind through dungeons during this time to max out my level, and then advance to the Warrior rank before entering the Abyss again," Zhang Qingshan said.

Upon hearing this, Chu Xiu was taken aback, then frowned: "You're advancing so quickly? With your talent, is it really necessary to rush this?"

After reaching level 9, you can unlock the advancement trial. Clearing the dungeon will allow you to advance to the Warrior rank.

According to statistics, the pass rate for the Warrior rank is 74.4%, which is much higher than that for the Awakening Trial.

However, this data is actually quite deceptive, because the vast majority of people who challenge the advancement trial have spent several years, or even more than ten years, developing at the mortal level! They max out the proficiency of all their skills and then go there with a set of high-level equipment.

Even though Zhang Qingshan is an S-class professional, the danger of recklessly challenging the advancement trial is still considerable!

Zhang Qingshan smiled faintly and said, "There's nothing we can do. There are too many geniuses in our class this year. Perhaps that's why such a high-level Corpse Demon World was created as a trial ground."

"You may not know this, but those forces invest in us in three parts. At first, they only give us a small amount of resources. After we pass the Awakening Trial, they will give us a second batch of resources. And we will only receive the third wave of resources if we reach the Warrior rank before entering the Abyss again!"

"These three waves of investment are getting larger and larger, especially the last one. That's when it means you're worth investing in! That's when unions, conglomerates, and the government will place heavy bets on you!"

"Geniuses like Ye Junlin are all preparing for the advancement trial. To put it bluntly, if you haven't reached the Warrior rank, you're not even qualified to sit at the table and eat meat!"

Zhang Qingshan's words made Chu Xiu frown; he hadn't expected the competition to be so fierce.

"Why eat meat? Isn't it better to develop slowly?" Chu Xiu advised.

He himself definitely needs to eat meat, but his good brother just needs to stay alive.

Faced with Chu Xiu's advice, Zhang Qingshan simply laughed heartily: "Ah Chu, have you forgotten the dreams we had when we were young?"

"How can we achieve this ideal without seizing every opportunity?"

Chu Xiu opened his mouth, and some memories flooded his mind.

When they were about seven or eight years old, their mother took them to play in the park.

The flowers in spring are beautiful, and koi carp swim in the artificial lake.

At that moment, a huge crack appeared in the sky, and countless abyssal creatures surged out from it.

Back then, there weren't such dense air defense systems as there are now. Security guards and guards could only smash open weapon cabinets and fight back with machine guns and shotguns. Childhood memories are always blurry. Chu Xiu only remembered that the adults' faces showed a rare look of panic. They pushed each other and ran in a panic. He could hear the hurried footsteps and screams in his ears, and he could vaguely hear his mother's anxious shouts.

The two were immediately swept up by the chaotic crowd. When they came to their senses, their mother was nowhere to be seen. They could only hold hands, like two small boats in the middle of a raging storm that could capsize at any moment.

They were lucky and didn't encounter any abyssal creatures, but the feeling of being enveloped in helplessness and fear for nearly an hour remained vivid in Chu Xiu's memory, something he would probably never forget for the rest of his life.

Since then, every year when given an essay on the theme "My Dream," Aoyama would always write firmly that his dream was to unite all mankind, permanently drive out the abyss, and free everyone from fear.

Such essays have become rare since junior high school, and Chu Xiu always thought they were just naive jokes from his childhood. He never expected that Qingshan would keep them in his heart all this time.

Chu Xiu fell silent for a moment.

He admired the Virgin Mary, but didn't want his friend to be one. Aoyama wasn't the Virgin Mary, but he would do the same things, which was equally terrible, because it meant he would eventually die in the abyss.

For Chu Xiu, a talented friend whom he could trust unconditionally was no less valuable than legendary-quality equipment or items.

After a long silence, Chu Xiu sighed softly, "With your talent, as you develop slowly, you'll eventually be able to join the upper class, live in a big house, and enjoy the best of life. Wouldn't that be great? I know you don't care about these things, but you should at least think about Chu Qin."

He wanted to play the emotional card and use women to move Qingshan.

To everyone's surprise, Zhang Qingshan smiled proudly upon hearing this: "Xiaoqin is very supportive of me. This is also her dream. We have already agreed that even if one of us encounters an accident in the abyss, the other will firmly continue to walk towards this ideal."

Chu Xiu: "."

Does that mean I'm the only bad guy?

He couldn't help but rub his forehead and sigh heavily.

Seeing Chu Xiu sighing, Zhang Qingshan couldn't help but laugh and said, "Why do you look like I'm doomed? Can't you wish me well for once?"

“With me here, you won’t die so easily,” Chu Xiu rolled his eyes. “I’m just annoyed by having another thing to worry about.”

Zhang Qingshan laughed: "Then I'll have to rely on you for help from now on."

Then, he changed the subject and said jokingly, "Hey boss, wanna run a dungeon together?"

"No." Chu Xiu refused without even thinking.

"Huh? Such a clean rejection?" Zhang Qingshan looked surprised. "Won't you reconsider?"

"Not consider."

Chu Xiu glanced at Zhang Qingshan with a hint of helplessness.

His friend is very loyal, sometimes even a little too loyal.

Even before Zhang Qingshan stepped through the door, Chu Xiu knew what he was there to do.

He wanted to take me down the dungeon.

However, Chu Xiu naturally wouldn't waste his time with them.

The profits were already low, and now they had to be split among four people.

From Zhang Qingshan's perspective, he would definitely think that Chu Xiu refused because he didn't want to hold him back. Judging from the way his thick eyebrows and big eyes were furrowed together, he knew that this guy was racking his brains to figure out how to persuade Chu Xiu to go with him without hurting Chu Xiu's self-esteem.

Sure enough, it wasn't long before he spoke with a smile: "Ah Chu, didn't we agree to explore the abyss together? Why did you change your mind now?"

His words made Chu Xiu laugh as well.

You, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, can also play the emotional card?
However, Chu Xiu immediately shook his head, his expression turning serious.

“Qingshan, I think you’re very hypocritical,” he said.

"Huh?" Zhang Qingshan was stunned. The next second, his face turned bright red, and he said urgently, "Achu, I didn't mean it."

Before he could finish speaking, Chu Xiu raised his hand to stop him.

I'm not blaming you; I know you're doing this for my own good.

"But I want to ask you a question: Is your so-called ideal something that can be achieved like in those chuunibyou (adolescent delusions of grandeur) manga, where everyone laughs and jokes around, and then says a few nice words at the end?"

"Since the invasion of the Abyss, how many people have shared the same ideals as you? But have any of them succeeded?"

"Or do you think your talent is greater than theirs?"

Zhang Qingshan was stunned.

Chu Xiu continued mercilessly, "To be honest, compared to true powerhouses, you're nothing! In this situation, instead of doing your utmost to improve yourself, you're thinking of helping me? Do you even have the right? An S-rank profession makes you arrogant?"

Zhang Qingshan's Adam's apple bobbed, unsure of what to say.

Chu Xiu looked at him and said seriously, "Qingshan, I don't want your so-called ideal to be just a grand fantasy, but a well-thought-out plan with theoretical basis. Otherwise, it would be too irresponsible to both yourself and Sister Qin who is wholeheartedly following you."

(End of this chapter)