Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Powerful Candidates

Yang Xiong spoke in a low voice, soft enough that only Zhao Chi could hear.

Zhao Chi could feel Yang Xiong’s genuine concern.

He hadn’t felt this kind of friendly concern since he was in his previous world.

Zhao Chi smiled at him but didn’t mention that he had already signed the agreement.

"Don’t worry about me. How are things on your end?"

"Not bad. Out of 40 Beastmen, 22 are male, and they’re all super muscular. So awesome."

It was clear that Yang Xiong was very satisfied with the Beastman Race.

If he knew that Zhao Chi’s women were all as fierce as his Beastmen, who knows what kind of face he’d make.

Zhao Chi nodded. "Didn’t your family give you anything?"

Yang Xiong sighed. "Not right now. They gave everything to my two older brothers. I’ll have to go ask for something after this test, if my results are good."

His tone was a little subservient.

Zhao Chi smiled. "Good luck."

"Sigh... Yeah, I’ll give it my all!"

Yang Xiong walked to a seat in the back.

As more people arrived, the classroom grew increasingly noisy.

Each class of Junior Lords had about 100 students, making for nearly 1,000 in the entire grade.

Now that everyone was gathered, topics that had been discussed in group chats were being debated in person.

There were three main topics of conversation.

One was the Magical Beast situation for the test, and another was the prizes.

The last one was, as always, the likely top-ranked students.

Five people were generating the most buzz.

Yuan Zhao from Basic Class 10.

Zhou Lue from Basic Class 9.

Hua Yuyin from Basic Class 1.

Qi Xue from Basic Class 6.

Pei Yuanxiu from Basic Class 5.

There were a few others from other classes as well.

But these were undoubtedly the most prominent figures in their grade.

As for Class 4... they only had Cao Feng, and you could maybe count Lu Yi as half a contender.

But both of them relied on their families, and Lu Yi’s family background was considered quite good.

The rest of the students could hardly compare to those prominent figures. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

It was soon 8:30 AM.

Chief Instructor Li Ruanyu walked in.

Her High Heels went CLICK-CLACK on the floor.

The class fell silent in an instant, especially the male students.

Li Ruanyu was wearing light makeup today, making her look stunning and vibrant.

She glanced around the room and nodded.

"Good. It looks like everyone is here.

"It’s 8:30 now. At 9:00, we’ll assemble in the Grand Hall.

"The Dean will announce the prizes for this test and go over the rules again.

"The format of the test hasn’t changed. The only difference is that the Magical Beasts sent to your territories will come in ten batches, or you could say, ten waves.

"I won’t re-emphasize the test format, but I will emphasize safety one more time. Listen carefully!

"If you’re in danger, do not try to be a hero. You must forfeit the test and request support from an instructor.

"In each of your territories, multiple instructors, including myself, will be proctoring simultaneously.

"When we hear a call for help, we will descend to provide support immediately.

"Also, this is just a test at the start of the school year. While the rewards are a bit more generous, your Life is always the most important thing.

"And your Initial Heroes cannot be casually injured or killed.

"You have plenty of Time in the future. Don’t force yourselves to fight for this one ranking or these rewards. Do you understand?"

Although Li Ruanyu had a delicate and beautiful appearance, she was a competent instructor.

She knew how to prioritize.

These students were all 20-year-old young adults; it was inevitable they’d be impulsive.

Still uneasy, she emphasized the points she had already repeated many times.

"Understood!"

The students answered in unison.

Li Ruanyu nodded.

"Very good. But there’s one more thing.

"Each of you comes from a different family background and has access to different family resources.

"But I want you all to remember one thing.

"Financial power, authority, and luck are also forms of strength.

"They are no different from Wisdom, judgment, personal Ability, individual Martial prowess, intuition, or experience. These are all components of strength.

"Many people tend to look down on students who rely on their homes or their families.

"But that is a one-sided view.

"Having money, power, and luck is, in itself, a form of strength.

"You can’t ignore it, you mustn’t look down on it, and you shouldn’t be hostile toward it.

"You must view things objectively. No matter what you think, objective facts will always exist. You need to think these principles through clearly.

"Your goals are the same: get rich, get strong, and survive.

"Use everything available to you, but don’t lose sight of your conscience. Act according to the principles of kindness that you believe in.

"I hope you all achieve good results.

"That’s all from me. Everyone, head to the Grand Hall and assemble."

The students rose one after another and headed for the Grand Hall.

The academic building was bustling with people.

The Grand Hall could be reached directly from the first floor.

The leadership had already arrived.

The Dean, the Head Instructor for the grade, the Chief Instructors for each class, and the supervising instructors for each subject were all gathered here.

There were also instructors brought in from other grades.

The entire instructor team numbered over 100 people.

They wouldn’t be entering each student’s Territory World directly.

Instead, they would observe the students using projections from a specially prepared proctoring area.

It was like watching multiple territories simultaneously on real-time surveillance monitors.

When a student encountered danger, they would immediately lead their own troops to the rescue.

The Grand Hall was abuzz with noise.

There were still ten minutes until 9:00.

Students from different classes gathered together, and friendly exchanges were inevitable.

"Your class has no chance this time. First place is definitely going to Hua Yuyin from our class."

"Is a girl the only one holding up your class? Hua Yuyin isn’t as badass as Yuan Zhao."

"Fuck, what’s so great about Yuan Zhao? He just relies on his family. Pei Yuanxiu from our class relies on himself."

"Bullshit! He relies on himself? Qi Xue is the one who relies on herself."

"So what if they rely on themselves? All anyone cares about are the results, not how you get them. Get it?"

"I don’t get it. All I know is that Zhou Lue from our class relies on his brain."

Of course, most of the students were friendly.

But every class had its loudmouths.

They loved to argue about everything, just to show they knew more than others.

But the silent ones were always the majority.

For example, Class 4 was quiet at the moment.

No one was going around looking for trouble.

Even Cao Feng kept his mouth shut.

Even his followers weren’t trying to pick fights with other classes.

After all, Cao Feng and his group knew their own limits.

They could act all high and mighty in Class 4, but when it came to the entire grade, they could only shrink back into a corner.

But the hecklers around them didn’t let them off the hook.

"Hey, I don’t see anyone from Class 4."

"Who’s even in Class 4?"

"Are you stupid? Lu Yi is in Class 4."

"Fuck, Lu Yi is hot, but forget about her strength. She’s just a pretty face."

"A pretty face is fine by me. Why isn’t she in our class?"

"Good point..."

"Class 4 may be weak, but they’re lucky. They’ve got Lu Yi, and their Chief Instructor is Li Ruanyu. Too bad all their guys are limp noodles, a bunch of weaklings."

"Isn’t there a Cao Feng?"

"He’s a nobody. Never even made the top 10. Don’t even mention him."

"True, his strength is pretty garbage."

Hearing this, Zhao Chi and Yang Xiong couldn’t help but chuckle.

Cao Feng was nearby, his face cold and silent.

His followers also acted as if they hadn’t heard a thing.

Zhao Chi walked over with a smile. "Cao Feng, they’re talking about you. Why don’t you say something back?"

Cao Feng glared at Zhao Chi. "My ears aren’t broken. I don’t need you to point it out. Just you wait. You’ll be my vassal soon enough. Now shut up."

Zhao Chi said, "Since when did you become such a coward? Whose guys are they?"

Cao Feng glanced into the distance.

Those people were still talking loudly, not trying to be discreet at all, but they hadn’t noticed them.

Cao Feng cursed under his breath, "Fuck, who else could they be? They’re that dog Yuan Zhao’s lackeys."

Zhao Chi laughed. "You called Yuan Zhao a dog? I’m going to go tell them right now."

Cao Feng froze, then quickly tried to stop him. "Holy shit, what are you doing? You fucking dare?"

Zhao Chi laughed. "Hahaha, look how scared you are."

At that moment, the Dean began to speak.

"Everyone, please be quiet and line up with your respective classes."

The students immediately fell into formation.

Cao Feng kept glancing at Zhao Chi, afraid he would actually go and talk to Yuan Zhao’s group.

But Zhao Chi was just messing with him.