Tower of Revelation, twelfth floor.

The last beast turned into ashes in the eerie green flames.

A faint sense of boredom welled up in his heart.

Is that all?

The intensity of the National Examination was too low.

Of course, Zhou Huai also knew.

It wasn't that the Tower of Revelation was too weak, but that Gandalf was too strong.

A Rank 20, SS-Rank Forbidden Spell Mage with a full set of epic equipment, fighting in a freshman exam, was indeed a dimensionality reduction strike.

Zhou Huai's consciousness withdrew from Gandalf's body and returned to his own.

He glanced at the time.

Only a mere fifteen minutes had passed since the assessment began.

He frowned.

At this rate, he would likely clear all eighteen floors of the Tower of Revelation in less than an hour. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

This speed was too fast, almost ridiculously so.

It would inevitably attract unnecessary attention and scrutiny from the outside world.

This was not the result he wanted.

"System, Gandalf, activate AI core, stand by in place."

Zhou Huai issued the command.

He pulled up his quilt, turned over, and decided to sleep for five or six hours first.

...

At the same time, in the proctor's office.

On the huge screen, the light spot representing Gandalf had stopped on the twelfth floor.

"Hm?" The slightly overweight proctor was the first to notice the anomaly, "Why did he stop?"

"Not continuing upwards?"

The proctor in the Chinese tunic suit stroked his chin and guessed, "He must have used up too much mana and is recovering."

"After all, those Spells he cast just now didn't look like they were easy on the mana."

"Yes, that makes sense." Another proctor nodded in agreement, "Anyway, he's far ahead now, with plenty of time, so there's no rush to recover slowly."

Everyone found this explanation reasonable.

However.

An hour passed.

Two hours passed.

Three hours passed.

The light spot on the screen remained motionless, as if it had turned into a statue.

Now, everyone was puzzled.

"What on earth is this guy... up to?"

"It shouldn't take this long to recover mana, right? Is he asleep?"

"Could something have gone wrong?"

Just as everyone was discussing and at a loss for an explanation.

Old Li, the chief proctor who had been silent, suddenly chuckled.

He picked up his teacup, blew on the hot liquid, and slowly spoke.

"This kid is even smarter than I thought."

Hearing this, everyone turned their gaze to him.

Old Li took a sip of tea, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.

"He's deliberately stalling for time."

"He probably knows that clearing the tower too quickly would cause a sensation."

"So he simply stopped, wanting to wait for the main group to catch up, to make himself seem less conspicuous."

He put down his teacup, a playful smile on his lips.

"It's just a pity he doesn't know."

"From the moment he stepped onto the tenth floor, we've already been watching him."

...

Tower of Revelation, third floor.

"Hoo... hoo..."

Lu Qi leaned against the wall, gasping for breath, sweat soaking his bangs.

He looked at the wave of beasts ahead, his eyes full of irritation and malice.

Too slow!

It was really too slow!

At this rate, there was no way he could climb to the thirteenth floor!

"It's all because of that damned Yasuo!"

Lu Qi gritted his teeth, blaming all the mistakes on the man who was already "dead."

If it weren't for him, he wouldn't have wasted so much precious leveling time.

If his Rank was higher, dealing with these beasts would be easier.

No!

He couldn't just give up like this!

Fortunately, he had prepared early.

Lu Qi cautiously looked around, then quietly pulled something out of his spatial ring.

It was a mask.

The mask was carved from some unknown dark wood, its surface covered with twisted patterns, outlining a tormented and ferocious ghost face.

The two black, hollow eye sockets seemed to devour all light, exuding an unsettling evil aura.

This was a treasure his trusted butler had specifically bought for him from the black market a few days ago, costing a considerable sum.

It was said to greatly enhance the wearer's strength.

A flicker of struggle crossed Lu Qi's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by an intense desire.

He gritted his teeth and slowly put the cold mask on his face.

Buzz—!

A chilling, bone-piercing power instantly surged from the mask, drilling into his limbs and bones!

"Ugh ah—!"

Lu Qi trembled violently, as if countless ants were gnawing at his marrow.

Pain and power intertwined wildly within him.

A moment later, he suddenly lifted his head.

"Hehehehe..."

A sinister laugh, not human-like, but resembling a vengeful spirit, emanated from deep within his throat.

He raised his hand and casually waved it at the beast horde in front.

A dark purple fireball roared out!

The fireball was a full circle larger than the ones he had released before, and at its center, an ominous eerie blue flame even burned!

Boom!

The fireball exploded in the beast horde!

The few beasts hit didn't even have time to scream before they were engulfed by the strange flames, instantly turning into a puddle of pus!

"Hahahaha! Awesome! This is awesome!"

Lu Qi, feeling an unprecedented surge of power within him, fell into a frenzied euphoria.

"With this! This year's provincial examination first place will definitely be mine!"

He laughed wildly, completely unaware that with each Spell he cast, beneath the mask, faint, almost invisible black threads, like living things, silently drilled into his skin, merging with his flesh and blood.

...

In the blink of an eye, six hours passed.

While most examinees were still fighting fiercely within the tower for higher floors.

Zhou Huai stretched on his bed, yawning leisurely.

He reconnected his consciousness to Gandalf and issued the command to continue the challenge.

Gandalf, who had been dormant for several hours, finally stood up from the ground.

He took a step, unhurriedly ascending the stairs leading to the thirteenth floor.

It was still the familiar Forbidden Spell carpet bombing.

It was still a crushing, sweeping advance.

Under the precise control of the AI core, Gandalf's journey up the tower began again.

Thirteenth floor.

Fourteenth floor.

Finally, he stopped on the fifteenth floor.

Zhou Huai felt that this floor was already sufficient.

Enough to stably secure a top five spot in the provincial examination.

Going higher was not very meaningful and would only appear too ostentatious.

Just like that, several more hours passed.

Dong—!

A long and dull bell rang out again, echoing through the Tower of Revelation.

That signified the official end of the ten-hour assessment.

...

Jiangning City, Central Plaza.

White light flickered.

All examinees were teleported back at the same time.

Suddenly, the plaza was bustling with noise, filled with various complex emotions.

"Awesome! I rushed to the tenth floor in the last minute! Regular academies, here I come!" A boy excitedly waved his fists.

"Sigh, I was careless, didn't dodge, and was ambushed by a Shadow Leopard. I only made it to the seventh floor before I came out." Someone regretfully pounded his chest.

"Wuwuwu... Mom, the Tower of Revelation is too terrifying, I want to go home..." A girl directly squatted on the ground, crying hysterically.

Just as at this moment, the outer perimeter of the plaza was already packed with people from various adventurer guilds.

Waving their flyers and shouting, they began to describe another path to the dejected failed examinees.

"Student, it's okay if you failed the exam! Our Sky Wolf Guild offers excellent benefits and comprehensive welfare, it's your best choice!"

"Come to our Mad Blade Guild! As long as you're willing to work hard, you can still make a name for yourself!"

Amidst this clamor.

The cold and grand broadcast voice sounded again, instantly silencing all the noise.

"This year's provincial examination has officially concluded."

"Your performance within the tower will be evaluated by the auditors of various academies."

"Examinees who meet the admission standards will receive their respective admission notices one week later."

"Those who do not receive one will be considered to have failed."

"Of course, this message is only valid for examinees who successfully stepped onto the tenth floor."

"As for those who couldn't even reach the tenth floor..."

The voice in the broadcast paused for a moment, carrying a hint of undisguised indifference.

"You can now consider which adventurer guild to join."

"Now, we announce the five most outstanding examinees in this provincial examination."

As soon as the words fell, the entire plaza instantly quieted down.

Everyone held their breath and pricked up their ears.

"First place: Donghai No. 1 High School, Gandalf."

"Second place: Donghai No. 1 High School, Lu Qi."

"Third place: Jiangning City No. 1 High School, Shen Fuhai."

"Fourth place: Jiangning City No. 2 ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) High School, Yuan Kai."

"Fifth place: Donghai No. 2 High School, Ye Xi."

"The above five examinees, please remain in place and do not leave."

"Prepare for the National Examination that will begin tomorrow."