My career has infinite upgrades.

Chapter 84 School Clubs, Rules of the Freshman Competition

When Gu Qing arrived at the North Playground, many new students had already arrived.

"Look, it's Gu Qing."

"We haven't heard from him for a month, and we don't know where he went."

"That's right, he's not even on the list, while Zhu Xingtong and the others have already started appearing on various lists."

"There's no other way. He relies on that level 30 Desert Undead Dragon for the college entrance exam, so naturally he doesn't dare to come out easily, lest he embarrass himself."

"What about Zhao Tian's defeat to Gu Qing?"

"What do you mean, 'how so'? Who knows if the two of them are acting? Besides, everyone's levels have increased now, and the gap in rank has widened. Even if Gu Qing used the Bloodthirsty Demon Bead, could his class rank really skyrocket to SS rank?"

"That's right. These freshman competitions are based on individual strength. Without that level 30 Desert Undead Dragon as an aid, I estimate that Gu Qing's ranking in this freshman competition would drop to outside the top ten."

The surrounding freshmen were talking amongst themselves, all of them pessimistic about Gu Qing's performance in this freshman competition.

Gu Qing remained calm, quietly waiting for the freshman competition to begin.

"Gu Qing."

Just then, Irina came over from not far away and walked towards Gu Qing.

"When did you get back?"

The night before last.

Gu Qing glanced at her.

Irina's expression was a little off; her gaze kept lingering on his face before quickly looking away.

"Is your mother's condition stable?"

"It's stable—it's stable now."

Irina's face flushed red, and even her pointed ears turned a little red.

The night before last, when she received a call from her mother, Gu Qing had already left.

Violet only said that the treatment went smoothly and the curse had been partially suppressed, refusing to mention anything else.

But when she got home, she still noticed something was wrong.

The fruit bowl in the living room was crooked at the corner of the table, and a grape lay on the carpet.

My mother's long dress was full of wrinkles, her hair was a bit messy, and she didn't even dare to look at me when she spoke.

Irina asked about the treatment process, and Violet immediately turned around and went back to her bedroom.

How exactly was Gu Qing treated?

The image from last time uncontrollably flashed through her mind, and her face flushed even more.

Gu Qing frowned.

"The curse has returned again?"

"No!"

Irina answered so quickly that several freshmen nearby looked over.

She coughed lightly and lowered her voice.

"My mother said the treatment was very effective, and the curse within her body has subsided considerably, except for that night you all—"

She stopped halfway through her sentence.

Gu Qing remained calm.

"The treatment took some time, and afterwards your mother invited me to stay for a meal."

"Just a meal?"

"What else do you think there is?"

Irina was momentarily stunned by the question.

Looking at Gu Qing's calm expression, she began to doubt whether she was overthinking things.

The mother had been tormented by the curse for over a decade, and it was only natural that she would invite Gu Qing to a meal after finally finding someone who could cure her.

"It's nothing."

Irina turned her head, but the heart-shaped tail wrapped around her twice.

Gu Qing did not press the matter further.

More and more new students are arriving at the playground. People from different professions are scattered around, some carrying staffs, some with swords at their waists, and some with summoned beasts by their side.

Even before the freshman competition began, the atmosphere among the students was already tense.

Just then, a commotion arose at the entrance to the playground.

"An elf?"

"Not a half-blood, but a pure-blooded elf!"

"Are there any Elven freshmen at Jinling Academy this year?"

Gu Qing looked in the direction of the sound.

A girl walked from outside the playground.

She was tall and slender, with long, soft light green hair, long, pointed ears, and fair skin.

He was wearing light armor common among elves, with a narrow-bladed longsword hanging at his waist and a longbow made of vines on his back.

Pure-blooded elves are not common in human cities.

After enrolling, Gu Qing had reviewed the freshman rankings and related information. If this girl was also a freshman, given her status as a pure-blooded elf, she shouldn't have no recollection of her.

Irina, who was standing next to her, was also taken aback.

"Wind chimes?"

The elven girl paused upon hearing the sound and then looked in their direction.

A smile appeared on her face as she quickly walked up to Irina.

"Irina, it's been a long time."

"Why did you come to Jinling Academy?"

Irina stepped forward and hugged her, her tail wagging behind her.

"Didn't Mother say before that you would stay with the elves to cultivate for a while longer?"

"The plan has been changed."

The wind chimes loosened their grip on her, and she raised her hand to tidy her long hair, which had been ruffled.

"I got a special admission spot and just finished the enrollment procedures today. It just so happens to be the freshman competition, so the school told me to come directly here."

Irina looked her up and down.

"You hid it well enough that even I didn't receive the news."

"If I told you in advance, how would I see your current expression?"

Feng Ling smiled, her gaze quickly falling on Gu Qing.

Gu Qing was also looking at her, his brows slightly furrowed.

A sense of familiarity washed over me.

It wasn't her appearance, but rather her equipment and habits.

Some time ago, when he and Yang Mingyuan and others entered the abandoned mining area, they encountered a small elf team on the edge of the mining area.

The elves did not engage in conflict with them and quickly retreated into the Black Mist Forest.

The narrow-bladed longsword at Fengling's waist, the vine bow on her back, and the patterns on her light armor all bear some resemblance to that of the elven squad.

Gu Qing frowned slightly, but quickly regained her composure.

It's normal for elven equipment to be similar; based on these items alone, it's impossible to determine which team the wind chime is associated with.

Irina noticed their gazes and began to introduce them.

"Gu Qing, this is a wind chime. She's my childhood friend. She's a pure-blooded elf and used to live among the elves."

She then turned to the wind chimes.

"This is Gu Qing, this year's top scorer in the national exam. He's the one who saved my mother."

The curiosity in Fengling's eyes was no longer concealed.

"So you're Gu Qing."

"Hello there."

Gu Qing nodded.

Instead of looking away, Feng Ling circled around him for a while.

"It doesn't look like there's anything special about it."

Irina reached out and grabbed her.

"Don't look around too much since it's our first meeting."

Wind Chime stuck out her tongue: "I was just curious, I didn't expect he could actually save Aunt Violet."

"Even my mother couldn't break the curse on Aunt Violet. Isn't she a freshman? How did she manage that?"

Gu Qing didn't say anything. He couldn't very well say that he had made a contract with his Aunt Violet before treating her, could he?

Irina looked somewhat embarrassed, gave a forced laugh, and didn't continue the conversation.

Seeing this, Fengling didn't ask any more questions, but the curiosity in her eyes as she looked at Gu Qing grew stronger.

More and more freshmen entered the venue, and everyone was discussing the upcoming freshman competition.

"Hey, who do you think will win first place in the freshman competition this time?"

"Zhu Xingtong, he's an SS-rank Light-type class, an exchange student of the Holy See of Light, he must have a lot of trump cards up his sleeve."

"I think it's Lin Qinghan, the SS-rank Ice Soul Sword Saint. I heard she's already reached level 19."

"Zhu Xingtong is already level 20, and I heard she's already preparing for her second-tier advancement. Judging from that, Zhu Xingtong is still a step ahead."

The surrounding freshmen were all discussing who would win first place in this freshman competition, and many of them were arguing so fiercely that their faces turned red.

Feng Ling glanced at Gu Qing and noticed that his expression had not changed at all, which stirred something within her.

Everyone ignored him, even though he was number 1 among the new students. He wasn't angry at all. I really don't know if he was indifferent or if he had something to be proud of.

As the freshman competition drew near, more and more freshmen gathered around, and people began to take their seats on the surrounding viewing platforms.

Most of the people in the stands were second- or third-year students.

Some of them were just there to watch the excitement, while others were members of Jinling University's student associations who came to observe the new students.

The freshmen below also realized this and started discussing it amongst themselves.

"Why are there so many upperclassmen here?"

"They're definitely here to see my performance. Maybe a senior will take a liking to me and I'll find a girlfriend right away."

"I guess they're here to see which freshman has the best eyesight, to get to know them or something. They're all in college now, they need to know how to navigate social situations."

"You're all wrong. See? Some of them have various symbols on them. Those are the emblems of their respective clubs. They're here to select members for their clubs."

Upon hearing about the clubs, many freshmen immediately raised their heads, eager for the upperclassmen on the viewing platform to notice them.

At Jinling College, student clubs are a rather unique entity.

A club is like a small organization that can solve many problems, and its members help each other.

Good clubs can play a significant role even after students graduate.

Therefore, joining a good club is something many freshmen at Jinling University look forward to.

On the viewing platform, people from various clubs were also watching the freshmen below.

"The quality of this year's new students is quite good; there are two SS-rank students, so we need to keep a close eye on them."

"Indeed, we should also pay more attention to some people of different races, mixed races, and hidden professionals; they are all powerful new blood."

"By the way, we should also keep an eye on Gu Qing, after all, he is the top scorer in the country."

The club members were whispering among themselves, discussing the new students below.

The members of the club didn't have any prejudice against Gu Qing.

After all, they are all seasoned veterans, and they know that a top scorer in the college entrance examination cannot be achieved by luck alone.

Of course, they didn't pay too much attention to it; they still wanted to see how the freshmen performed in the competition.

Just then, another commotion erupted at the entrance to the playground.

Gu Qing raised an eyebrow and saw two figures walk in.

Wishing you good luck, Xing Tong!

Blessed Miaolian!

The two remained as indifferent as before, finding a spot and standing still without looking around.

"Zhu Xingtong is here! I heard she's already reached level 20!"

"That's unbelievable! I've been hunting and leveling up with all my might, and I'm only level 18 now. I really don't know how she did it."

"Moreover, she has completed quite a few missions, and has even made it into the top ten of the bounty mission list."

"Zhu Miaolian is not weak either. She has also reached level nineteen. I heard that although she is an S-rank, her combat power is not much worse than Zhu Xingtong's."

The two sisters, Zhu Xingtong and Zhu Miaolian, are still too attractive; they even have their own dedicated thread section on the school forum.

On the viewing platform, many senior students from various clubs had their eyes shining.

The Zhu sisters, Xingtong and Miaolian, are freshmen that all clubs want to recruit.

Zhao Tian stood in the crowd, and when the light fell on Zhu Xingtong, a smile spread across his face.

But Zhu Xingtong never glanced at him once.

Zhao Tian's smile froze, and his face turned completely gloomy.

"You bitch, wait till I get my hands on you, then I'll show you how I torture you."

Then, Zhao Tian's gaze fell on Gu Qing behind him, and his face grew increasingly gloomy.

If it weren't for this guy, I would at least be standing next to Zhu Xingtong now.

snort!

In the past month, he has focused on improving his strength and even used a secret technique to comprehend two innate skills.

He's determined to redeem himself in this freshman competition!

"Buzz!"

As Zhao Tian was thinking, the teleportation array on the North Playground rostrum lit up.

The surrounding noise was instantly suppressed.

Several figures emerged from the teleportation array and stood on the platform.

Leading the group was Principal Lin Lei.

When Lin Lei appeared, the senior students in the spectator stands erupted in an uproar.

"Holy crap! Principal Lin Lei is personally hosting this year's freshman competition?!"

"Our freshman competition was hosted by the dean alone. This year's freshmen are so prestigious!"

"After all, there are top scorers in the college entrance examination."

"I think it's because of Zhu Xingtong, after all, she's an exchange student from the Holy See of Light."

On the podium, Lin Lei looked at the new students below and nodded in satisfaction.

"Dear students, I'm sure you all know why you're here today."

"I won't waste any more time. The freshman competition is now officially starting."

"Next, I will introduce the process and rules of this freshman competition."

The students below all quieted down, afraid of missing any rules.

Lin Lei's voice came again: "This year's freshman competition, like in previous years, is divided into two parts."

Part One: Trials in the Secret Realm

Lin Lei waved his hand, and a light screen instantly appeared in mid-air.

Above the light screen, an entrance to a secret realm appeared.

"All new students will enter the same secret realm, each with their own independent space, where they will hunt monsters to clear the level."

"Based on the difficulty of the dungeon you choose, the number of monsters you kill, and the time you take to complete it, you will be ranked according to your points."

"The higher the score, the higher the ranking."

"Just a reminder, if you are teleported out of the secret realm by the protection mechanism midway, a certain percentage of your points will be deducted, so please choose the appropriate secret realm difficulty according to your own strength."

"This is also a test of your understanding of your own capabilities."

The students below started discussing among themselves. Everyone was familiar with clearing the secret realm, but the key was choosing the right difficulty level.

If you choose the wrong option, your score won't be very high even if you clear the level.

If you choose a level that's too difficult and can't clear it, you'll be teleported out and your points will be deducted.

Choosing the right level of difficulty is something you really need to think about carefully.

Lin Lei, standing on the podium, waited until the new students below had finished processing the news before continuing to speak.

"After the Secret Realm Trial, the second part begins: the Arena Challenge."

"Those who are not satisfied with their ranking in the Secret Realm Trial can directly challenge students with higher rankings."

"If the challenge is successful, the rankings of both parties will change. The one with the lower ranking will be promoted to the position of the challenged party, and the challenged party will be demoted by one place."

""

"Each new student has only three chances to challenge in the arena."