Qin Ming bowed and exited the room, gently closing the door. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

He stood outside the door, taking a deep breath, trying to calm the fervent throbbing in his heart.

In the hall, everyone's gaze was fixed on him, filled with inquiry and tension.

"How was it? What's inside?" someone asked in a low voice.

Qin Ming looked up, scanned the crowd, and a look of devout fanaticism appeared on his face.

He didn't answer, but just nodded vigorously at everyone.

Then, he walked to the side and stood quietly, his body straight, like the most loyal guard.

Everyone exchanged glances, more confused than ever.

"I'll go!"

Another young man stepped forward, gathered his courage, and pushed the door open.

The assessments continued one after another like this.

Time passed in waiting.

Some emerged with the same fanaticism and excitement on their faces as Qin Ming.

Others walked out dejected, their faces ashen.

"Why? Why won't you give me another chance?"

A young man who failed the contract knelt on the ground, clutching Jasmine's calf, weeping bitterly.

"Guild Master! Please! Give me another chance! I'll do anything!"

Jasmine's face was expressionless, her eyes cold.

She lifted her foot and mercilessly kicked him away.

"I'm sorry, those who fail the assessment must leave Eternal Night Guild."

"Take your things and get out."

In the end, out of twenty-eight people, twenty-six remained.

The two failures were mercilessly thrown out of the Guild's main gate by Yasuo.

The twenty-six who remained were beaming with uncontrollable joy.

"Oh my god! All my attributes, each increased by seventy to eighty points!"

"Especially Agility... it directly increased by two hundred points! I feel like I can fly now!"

A burly Shield Warrior was now nimbly twisting and turning on the spot, his movements unbelievably light.

His face was full of shock.

"I'm a Tank, and I'm faster than an Assassin now!"

This explosive increase in attributes, comparable to gaining eight Ranks, made every single one of them feel a transformative change.

This was the power bestowed upon them by their Lord!

However, this was not the end.

Jasmine clapped her hands, attracting everyone's attention.

Behind her, Yasuo silently held a huge box.

"Next, equipment distribution."

The box opened.

A brilliant radiance instantly burst forth from the box.

Purple and golden light intertwined, dazzling everyone.

"This... this is..."

"Epic equipment?! I'm not mistaken, am I? That entire box is full of Epic equipment?!"

Gasps of astonishment erupted from the crowd.

Jasmine began to call out names one by one, distributing equipment.

"Qin Ming, Epic Dagger 【Night Shadow's Fang】."

"Wang Dali, Epic Shield 【Heart of the Bedrock】."

"Li Mei, Epic Staff 【Moon Whisper】."

...

In less than ten minutes, each of the twenty-six members had one piece of Epic equipment.

The remaining slots were all filled with Rare quality equipment.

At this moment, the entire hall was silent.

Everyone stared blankly at the shimmering equipment on their bodies, their minds blank.

In their lives, they had never even had the chance to see a piece of Epic equipment with their own eyes.

But now, they not only had it, but each had one.

Was this the Lord's power?

Was this the Eternal Night Guild's foundation?

"Thump!"

No one knew who led the way first.

All the members present uniformly knelt on one knee.

Their movements were perfectly synchronized, their faces filled with fervent worship.

"We, swear to serve our Lord until death!"

"Eternal Night Guild stands! We shall not rest!"

...

Night fell.

A well-equipped team silently left the Guild base, merging into the vast night outside Donghai City.

The wilderness, for other Guilds, was a dangerous forbidden zone.

But for the members of Eternal Night Guild, it was their paradise.

"Night Demon" state activated.

Everyone's attributes surged by another two times.

Qin Ming, holding the 【Night Shadow's Fang】, moved through the forest like a ghost.

He had never imagined that one day, he would be able to so easily harvest the exotic beasts that once filled him with dread.

One strike, one kill.

Clean and decisive.

After one night, everyone in the team had increased their Rank by one {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} to two levels.

This kind of leveling speed was something they wouldn't have dared to dream of before.

...

At the same time.

Jiangning City, in a hotel suite.

Gandalf, who was currently AFK, suddenly heard a knock at the door.

Zhou Huai, having received a System notification, instantly had his consciousness cross space and descend into this Clone body.

He opened his eyes and walked to the door.

Outside the door stood several familiar faces.

Leading them was Li Gang, with a wide smile on his face.

Behind him were two men with impressive Auras.

One was Zhang Donglai, the person in charge of the National Examination.

The other was a burly, one-eyed old man with a black eye patch over his left eye.

Zhou Huai had seen him on Triple Island, but didn't know his name.

"Student Gandalf, sorry to keep you waiting!" Li Gang greeted him warmly.

He stepped aside and began to introduce them.

"This is General Zhang Donglai, who specially came from the Imperial Capital."

"This is General Zhao Menghai."

Zhou Huai, controlling Gandalf, nodded slightly in greeting to the two.

"Hello, Generals."

The group entered the room.

Zhang Donglai spoke first, with a hint of apology on his face.

"I apologize, Student Gandalf, for making you wait so long."

"Recently, due to the investigation of the Dawnbreaker Guild, some time was delayed."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Huai's heart stirred.

"How is the investigation going?"

Li Gang quickly cleared his throat, interrupting.

"That's military confidential, don't go poking your nose into it."

Zhang Donglai, however, waved his hand, looking unconcerned.

"It's fine, Student Gandalf was a firsthand participant in the National Examination, he has the right to know some things."

He sighed.

"We found one of their temporary strongholds through certain means."

"Unfortunately, we only caught some small fry."

"The big fish, after all, were too slippery and managed to escape."

After listening, Zhou Huai calmly spoke.

"Could the military's internal structure have already been infiltrated by the Dawnbreaker Guild?"

"Otherwise, whether it was the National Examination or the subsequent arrests, how could they always be one step ahead?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Li Gang's face instantly changed.

"Don't talk nonsense!"

He was flustered; wasn't this kid usually good at reading the room? Why was he acting like a reckless youth today, saying whatever came to his mind?

Zhang Donglai and Zhao Menghai exchanged glances, both seeing a hint of appreciation in each other's eyes.

Zhao Menghai's single eye gleamed, and he laughed.

"Student Gandalf's thinking is very sharp."

"We are indeed considering that direction and have already begun investigations."

"However, the specific details are not convenient to disclose for now."

Seeing that the two high-ranking officials from the Imperial Capital weren't angry, Li Gang finally breathed a sigh of relief and said no more.

Zhou Huai continued to ask, "Then when are we departing for the Imperial Capital?"

Zhang Donglai smiled.

"It seems you're in a hurry?"

Gandalf nodded, a touch of sincerity on his face.

"I've been delayed for almost ten days, and my Rank hasn't increased at all."

"As you know, I might have already been targeted by the Dawnbreaker Guild."

"If I don't improve my strength quickly, I'm quite anxious."

Zhang Donglai's expression of admiration grew stronger.

Exceptional talent, yet not arrogant or impatient, always thinking about improving himself.

Such a Genius was truly a pillar of the nation.

"We came specifically to pick you up this time."

"Since you're eager to leave, we can depart now."

Upon hearing this, Li Gang quickly stepped forward.

"Ah, there's no need to be so rushed, is there?"

"The Governor has already prepared a banquet to welcome the two Generals."

"You two should at least eat before you leave."

Zhang Donglai shook his head.

"No need, the sooner we send Student Gandalf to the Imperial Capital, the sooner we can rest assured."

Zhao Menghai, who was standing by, suddenly burst into hearty laughter.

He clapped Li Gang on the shoulder, with such force that the latter stumbled.

"Eat with your Governor?"

"Let's not."

Zhao Menghai grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

"With your Governor's appetite, if we went now, we'd probably only get a sip of soup."