Don't mess with that necromancer; his summoned creatures level up on their own!

Shen Jing strode over and pulled Lu Zaoxie away.

She stood in front of Lu Zhixing and reached out to straighten his collar, which had been ruffled by Lu Zaoxie.

"Zhixing, you must be exhausted. I saw your two summoned creatures working for a whole hour, and you didn't move much while sitting in the chair, but you must have used up a lot of mental energy, right?"

"If the third stage is too tiring, let's find somewhere to hide. Our results in the first two stages were already good enough; it's okay if we don't compete for first place. Mom doesn't want to see you work too hard..."

"...Mom, I haven't even started fighting yet. You're telling me to hide before the third phase has even begun."

Shen Jing patted his collar again.

"Mom is just worried you'll get tired. Remember, grades aren't important; what's important is not getting hurt."

"Your summoned creatures are pretty powerful, but what if you get surrounded? What if someone uses dirty tricks? You'd better be careful..."

Lu Zhixing smiled helplessly.

"Okay, okay."

During the break, the crowd in the square gradually thinned out.

With nothing to do, Lu Zhixing strolled around the square with his hands in his pockets.

Enemy road is narrow.

They ran right into Su Youran and her group.

She had clearly just come back from the restroom; her hair was still a little messy.

However, her demeanor had recovered to about 70-80% of its former state, and her skirt swayed gently with her steps as she walked.

However, the flush on her face had not completely subsided, and a faint pink tinge still lingered from her cheekbones to the tips of her ears.

The moment she saw Lu Zhixing, she stopped in her tracks.

Their eyes met, and the air seemed to freeze for half a second.

Lu Zhixing spoke first.

"Oh, Miss Su, has the medicine worn off?"

Su Youran's face turned even redder, more noticeably than before.

She bit her lower lip, suppressing the anger that almost burst out.

Lu Zhixing waved his hand dismissively.

"Alright, alright, stop shaking. See you later, Miss Su. Good luck! Don't get eliminated too early, don't embarrass an S-class genius!"

After he finished speaking, he swaggered past Su Youran.

Su Youran stood there, watching his figure walk further and further away, her eyes blazing with anger.

One of his lackeys came up and spat on the ground in the direction Lu Zhixing had left.

"Pah! What a piece of trash! A petty smug fool! He just won a pill-refining competition, and look at him, swaying his back like he's about to break!"

"Miss Su, please calm down. Don't lower yourself to the level of this trash! The third stage is the real battlefield; his fancy alchemy skills will be completely useless there."

Su Youran took a deep breath and raised her hand to tuck a stray strand of hair that was clinging to her face behind her ear.

"With dozens of people and a complete mix of professions, I refuse to believe we can't beat Lu Zhixing."

"As long as we eliminate him in the third stage, we'll still win in the end. No matter how many points he gets in the alchemy competition, once he's gone, the points are gone too."

The assistant quickly chimed in.

"Of course! Miss Su, your arrangements are flawless. No matter how strong Lu Zhixing is, he's only one person. We outnumber him and will surround him; he won't be able to escape!"

"No matter how powerful his summoned creatures are, they can't withstand dozens of people attacking from all directions at the same time."

"Our division of labor is clear: earth-based units block the way, ranged units suppress, and melee units flank. He has no way out."

Su Youran did not respond.

She straightened her collar and smoothed out the wrinkles on her skirt that had been blown askew by the wind.

He glanced one last time in the direction where Lu Zhixing had disappeared.

Lu Zhixing, so what if you're strong?

Ultimately, this world is about using your brain.

No matter how skilled you are, you can't withstand a well-prepared net.

The broadcast suddenly rang out over the square.

"Time's up! All candidates who have advanced, assemble immediately!"

The two-hour break passed in the blink of an eye.

The two hundred candidates who were originally scattered in various places quickly gathered in the center of the square.

All eyes were on the high platform.

On the high platform, the chief examiner stood ramrod straight.

An elderly man in a blue robe had appeared beside him without his noticing.

A low gasp of surprise came from among the test takers.

"That's Feng Changkong, the vice president of the Demon Hunter Guild!"

"Holy crap! It really is Feng Changkong? My idol! I saw his picture when I was a kid, and I've watched that battle where he single-handedly took on thousands of high-level wind-type monsters countless times!"

"I heard he's the only top-tier mage in our Dachang City who has mastered a forbidden wind spell! He's one of the strongest in the entire Dragon Kingdom!"

Lu Zhixing also glanced at the old man a couple more times.

Is it a forbidden wind-type spell?

That sounds pretty impressive.

The little zombie's voice echoed in his mind.

"He's just relying on his higher rank. His rank is indeed high, but in my opinion, his approach is rather conservative."

"When it really comes down to fighting tooth and nail, I might not be able to go all out. Once I reach his level, I can unleash wind-based forbidden spells with a flick of my wrist."

Lu Zhixing did not respond.

This little zombie has a really big mouth.

However, he was too lazy to argue. Anyway, most of the boasts the little zombie made eventually came true, so let him boast.

The examiner raised his hand in a gesture, his palm pointing upwards in mid-air.

The entire room fell silent instantly. He pointed to the old man in the green robe beside him.

"Let me introduce you. This is Master Feng Changkong, the 'King of Wind'."

"The second phase of the assessment will take place in the 'Misty Wasteland,' where the storm rings surrounding it will be maintained by the Wind Master himself through spellcasting."

Feng Changkong nodded slightly, his hands still tucked into his sleeves.

He didn't speak, but the invisible aura emanating from him made many candidates subconsciously hold their breath.

That aura was like an invisible pressure, spreading out in circles from the high platform, pressing down on the shoulders and hearts of every candidate.

Some people unconsciously swallowed, some gripped their weapons tightly and then loosened them, and some quietly took a half step back.

Zhang Tiejun continued.

"I've already explained the rules before, but I'll emphasize them one last time! The storm circle will continuously shrink towards the center over time! That's true high-level wind magic; touching it will result in instant elimination!"

His gaze swept from the left end of the crowd to the right end.

"While the protection of your soul may keep you from dying, the pain of near-death is real."

"You two hundred people are the best talents in Dachang City this year, but you can't grow towering trees in a greenhouse."

"The third stage allows for fierce fighting and any underhanded tactics! If you want that one and only top scholar spot, if you want that heart reward, then show your mettle! Fight! Grab!"

Many candidates' eyes lit up with fighting spirit, and the previously scattered ranks became tense again.

Everyone was adjusting their aura, switching from a resting state to a fighting state.

The examiner waved his hand dismissively.

"All troops, proceed! Charge!"

"Boom—!"

The massive teleportation array in the center of the square suddenly activated.

The violent spatial energy surged and swirled within the array.

The examiner's final words came from the high platform.

"Good luck to you all!"

"Whoosh—!"

All the figures standing in the formation were swept away by that suddenly contracting beam of light.

The figures of the two hundred candidates vanished from the square in an instant.

The moment the white light dissipated, Lu Zhixing opened his eyes.

All that could be seen was a hazy, gray fog, with visibility not exceeding twenty meters.

The grass beneath my feet was wet.

"You're in already?"

He looked around and couldn't help but frown.

"The environment is really bad."

He opened the map and looked at it. The entire Misty Wasteland was enormous, and two hundred examinees were randomly scattered in various corners.

His location appears as just a small dot on the map.

It does take a bit of luck to run into each other.

Lu Zhixing put the map away, stretched, and

"Never mind, I'll just wander around for a bit, find some monsters to grind, and it would be even better if I ran into Xiao He."

"Shhh—"

A strange noise came from the bushes ahead, and then two hyenas covered in pustules rushed out.

Lv.10. They were a size larger than ordinary hyenas, with festering fur that exposed the bones beneath.

Lu Zhixing took a step back in disdain: "She has a really unique appearance."

The little zombie left a trail of afterimages in mid-air and punched the first hyena on the head.

The second punch landed on the second hyena's head, and the corpse fell to the ground, splashing up a few drops of mud and water.

[Killed 2 Corpse Hyenas, +40 points. Current points: 6060]