The next day.

The sky was faintly bright.

Zhou Huai and his four companions were led into a dim room.

In the center of the room, a complex runic array glowed with a faint blue light.

The light converged, slowly outlining a flickering teleportation gate in the center of the array.

Li Gang stood before the five, his expression serious.

"In five more minutes, the teleportation passage will be completely open."

"You will be teleported to the National Examination instance—Triple Island."

His gaze, sharp as lightning, swept over each person's face.

"From now on, you are no longer examinees fighting individually."

"You are comrades in the same team, representing our entire Dongning Province."

"Understood?"

"Understood!"

The five spoke in unison, their voices echoing in the empty room.

Li Gang nodded, his expression softening slightly.

"Very good. Next, I will explain the National Examination rules."

"This National Examination involves forty-eight provinces nationwide, with forty-eight teams and two hundred forty participants."

"The assessment uses a point system."

"The team with the highest total points will win the championship. The most outstanding examinee will be crowned the National Examination Champion."

He held up two fingers.

"There are two ways to earn points."

"First, by killing exotic beasts."

"Killing one ordinary exotic beast earns one point."

"Killing one ordinary BOSS-level exotic beast earns twenty points."

"A Calamity-level exotic beast BOSS earns one hundred points."

"As for a Hell-level exotic beast BOSS, one thousand points."

Li Gang's tone paused, becoming a few shades colder.

"The second way to earn points is by annihilating other participating teams."

"Annihilating a team directly earns you all of that team's points."

"Remember, it's annihilation."

"As long as even one person from the opposing team remains in the instance, their points will not be transferred."

He surveyed everyone, his eyes sharp.

"Additionally, the assessment instance has a protection mechanism."

"Having your health depleted does not mean actual death; instead, you will be forcibly teleported out of the instance."

"So, be decisive when you act."

"Even if the opponent is human, do not hesitate."

"The National Examination is not only testing your strength but also your strategy and Heart-Nature."

"Being weaker than the opponent does not mean you will lose."

"Never give up easily until the very last moment."

Li Gang withdrew °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° his gaze and continued.

"The rules are explained; now let's talk about the precautions."

"First, infighting within the same team is forbidden in the instance; violators will be directly eliminated. You are teammates, comrades who share honor and disgrace, and I hope you will always remember this."

"Second, no recovery potions or status-enhancing potions can be used within the instance; violators will also be directly eliminated."

"Finally, I'll give one more reminder."

"The National Examination will be broadcast live nationwide, so please mind your words and actions."

"Don't disgrace our Dongning Province."

"Understood?"

"Understood!" The five's voices were even louder than before.

"Very good!" Li Gang checked the time. "Five minutes are up, depart!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the pale blue teleportation gate glowed brightly and stabilized.

Lu Qi was the first to step in, his face showing eager excitement.

Ye Xi, Shen Fuhai, and Yuan Kai followed closely, their expressions a mix of nervousness and apprehension.

When it was Gandalf's turn, Li Gang's voice suddenly rang out.

"Wait."

Zhou Huai stopped, turned around, and looked at him calmly.

Li Gang stepped forward, patted his shoulder, and lowered his voice.

"Don't forget our agreement."

He looked into Gandalf's eyes, and in those weathered pupils, a complex light flickered.

"Perform well."

"Hit those who look down on us, hard."

He chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"I, too, was once looked down upon."

"They all thought I was the weakest S-rank."

"After all, in that era, thermal weapons did negligible damage to exotic beasts, and firearms could barely even break their defenses."

"But I, with this gun in my hand, forced everyone to shut their mouths."

Li Gang's eyes became fervent.

"Believe me, the feeling of hitting others where it hurts is addictive."

Zhou Huai's heart stirred, wondering why Li Gang would suddenly say these things to him.

He could feel the genuine expectation in the old man's words.

"I will."

He nodded faintly, then stepped into the teleportation gate, his figure disappearing.

After a brief sensation of weightlessness, a solid touch came from beneath his feet.

The salty sea breeze blew against his face, accompanied by the 'whoosh' of waves crashing on the beach.

Zhou Huai opened his eyes.

Before him was a golden beach, ahead was a boundless dense jungle, and behind him was the azure sea with rolling white foam.

Ye Xi and the other three had already arrived, curiously looking around.

"The National Examination... has it already begun?" Ye Xi murmured.

"It seems so." Shen Fuhai, beside her, took a deep breath, his expression becoming serious.

"Since we are comrades now, before we act, let's first introduce our professions to each other, to get acquainted."

"That way, when we fight, it will be easier to coordinate."

He was the first to speak.

"I'll go first. My name is Shen Fuhai, and my profession is A-rank Illusionist."

"I'm a support type; I can create various illusions to confuse opponents."

The tall and thin Yuan Kai took over.

"My turn. My name is Yuan Kai, A-rank profession, Armored Warrior."

"I can transform into an Armored Warrior to fight."

After speaking, he seemed a bit excited, directly pulling out a card with a metallic sheen from his shirt pocket.

He held the card high, striking what he considered a cool pose, and shouted with full vigor.

"Body Integration!"

The card transformed into a stream of light, merging into a card slot device that appeared out of nowhere at his waist.

"Buzz—!"

Dazzling white light erupted from his body!

Pieces of silver-white metal armor appeared out of thin air, accompanied by the 'clack clack' of mechanical interlocking sounds, rapidly covering his entire body.

Helmet, chest plate, arm guards, leg guards...

In just a few seconds, Yuan Kai had transformed into a silver warrior over two meters tall, with a highly futuristic design.

Ye Xi's mouth hung open, her face full of shock.

Zhou Huai was also stunned by the sight.

What was with this overwhelming chuunibyou vibe?

He stifled the urge to complain, silently giving a thumbs-up to this Armored Warrior in his heart.

Just then, a cold snort sounded, out of place.

Lu Qi walked over, arms crossed, a look of disdain on his face.

"I haven't spoken yet, how dare you all chatter here?"

"I said yesterday, this team will be commanded by me!"

"All of you must listen to me!"

Zhou Huai, controlling Gandalf, cast a sideways glance at him with an expression that said, 'Are you an idiot?'.

"When did it become your turn to command here?"

"Who do you think you are?"

"You!"

Lu Qi's face instantly turned purple, and the veins on his forehead bulged one by one.

"I've disliked you since yesterday! Provoking me again and again!"

"If it weren't for the National Examination team rules forbidding infighting, do you believe I'd cripple you right now!"

Zhou Huai simply said, "Oh." 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"You still want to cripple me?"

He ignored the fuming Lu Qi, turning to look at Ye Xi and the other two.

"Since everyone has introduced themselves, it's my turn."

"My name is Gandalf, and my profession is... Forbidden Spell Mage."

As his voice fell, he raised the core of pyroblast in his hand high.

The red crystal at the top of the staff glowed brightly.

"Forbidden Spell - Meteor Shower!"

He didn't even chant.

The sky suddenly grew dark.

Five massive meteorites, burning with eerie green netherflame, tore through the clouds, trailing long fiery tails, and hurtled towards the dense jungle in the distance!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The earth trembled violently, even the sand beneath their feet vibrated.

Terrifying explosions rang out one after another, deafening.

The distant jungle was instantly engulfed by a sea of fire, countless ancient trees turning to charcoal in the flames, and thick black smoke rose into the sky.

Shen Fuhai and Yuan Kai stood frozen, their mouths agape, wide enough to fit a fist.

Ye Xi covered her mouth with her small hand, her beautiful eyes filled with disbelief.

Lu Qi's ferocious and arrogant expression completely froze.

He stared blankly at the flattened sea of fire, his body trembling uncontrollably.

Zhou Huai slowly lowered his staff, turned his head, and looked calmly at Lu Qi.

"Now, do you still want to cripple me?"