I gain permanent defense when attacked; even gods and demons can't hurt me.

The only sound was the sizzling of the grilled meat.

Xia Chen's chicken leg fell onto the plate with a "thud".

Ouyang Xue's knife, which was cutting the steak, froze in mid-air.

Three seconds later.

"Holy crap!!"

Xia Chen let out a bloodcurdling scream, nearly jumping off his chair:

"Level 28?!"

"Brother Yuan! You call this 'only' level 28?!"

"Please, have some decency! I beg you!"

Xia Chen pointed at herself, her face filled with grief and indignation: "I haven't been idle at home for the past month; my dad has been forcing me to grind monsters every day!"

"I've worked myself to the bone, and I've only just barely reached level 20!"

"You're telling me you're level 28?!"

Ouyang Xue looked at Lin Yuan with a complicated expression, feeling deeply hurt: "I'm only level 21 too."

This was achieved thanks to the Ouyang family's substantial resources, including hiring someone to train them.

Keep in mind that after level 20, each level requires more than 100,000 experience points, and their strength is not as abnormal as Lin Yuan's, so they naturally need to team up to run dungeons.

When forming a team, experience points need to be allocated!

Even if they team up, they can't pull all the monsters in an entire dungeon to their side and kill them like Lin Yuan did.

They can't do it!

Even if it's possible, whether we can actually kill all those monsters is another question mark!

Leveling up 8 times in a month, and that's in the 20-30 level range.

That's inhuman speed!

Lin Yuan spread his hands innocently: "I'm soloing, so I get all the experience points, which is why it's faster."

"abnormal"

Ouyang Xue muttered something under her breath, but the admiration in her eyes was unmistakable.

Is this the true value of being a top scorer?

One step at a time, one step at a time.

If they don't chase after him desperately, they might not even be able to see Lin Yuan's back anymore.

"well"

Xia Chen sighed deeply, channeling his grief and anger into his appetite, and took a big bite of the roasted meat: "Forget it, I'm not going to compete with a pervert like you."

"By the way, Brother Yuan."

While chewing on some meat, Xia Chen said with a gossipy look, "I heard there's a very important lecture after tomorrow's entrance ceremony."

"It was personally established by the legendary Celestial Master Chen Qingxuan!"

Xia Chen's eyes lit up at the mention of this name:

"That's one of the top ten most powerful figures in our country!"

"The pinnacle existence ranked tenth!"

"It is said that he has been guarding the front line of the abyss rift for many years and has killed more monsters than I have eaten rice."

"I wonder just how powerful this legendary figure really is?"

Ouyang Xue nodded and added, "I've heard about it too. My dad specifically told me that I must attend this class, because I'll definitely be able to use what he says in the future."

"It is said that when Master Chen Qingxuan returned this time, he not only gave lectures, but also planned to select a few promising talents and give them some guidance."

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly.

Chen Qingxuan?

Suya and Guzhi seem to have mentioned this name before.

Moreover, Koji had a very high opinion of him, saying that he was a genius who suppressed an era back then.

"The Ten Strongest"

Lin Yuan looked at the night view outside the window, a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes.

Although he is now invincible in defense and has no rivals among his peers, he can even solo level 40 raid bosses.

However, he knew that the limits of this world were far greater than that.

The further you progress, the more astronomical the amount of experience required to level up becomes.

Furthermore, you will not gain experience by killing monsters that are much lower level than yourself.

In the later stages, you will definitely encounter a bottleneck period.

Just how strong are those "Top Ten Strongest People" who stand at the pinnacle of humanity?

Can it move mountains and fill seas? Or can it tear through the void with a single hand?

"It's definitely worth listening to. Let's go see for ourselves tomorrow and find out who this legendary Celestial Master really is."

The next day, early morning.

Today is the official start of the new semester for freshmen, a day that all freshmen have been eagerly anticipating.

The morning was a solemn and dignified opening ceremony. The principal's speech on "protection and sacrifice" stirred the hearts of countless passionate young people.

But what everyone was really looking forward to was the highlight of the afternoon.

[The First Lesson for New Students]

Two o'clock in the afternoon.

The largest hall of honor at the War Academy.

This giant stepped building, capable of holding tens of thousands of people, was already packed with people.

As arranged by the school, this year's freshmen sat neatly in the front row of the core area.

The seats in the back were packed with second-year, third-year, and even graduating fourth-year students who had come to attend the class, and there were also quite a few teachers who came to listen to the lecture.

This is the prestige of the "Top Ten Strongest"!

"They're here!!"

Someone shouted.

The auditorium, which had been as noisy as a market, suddenly became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

A ripple suddenly appeared in the space on the podium.

A handsome man dressed in a simple purple Taoist robe appeared out of thin air behind the lectern.

He looked to be no more than thirty years old, with a faint smile on his lips.

Good afternoon, students.

Chen Qingxuan's voice was gentle and refined, "I am Chen Qingxuan, and I am also your senior."

The simple opening remarks made countless students in the audience blush with excitement.

This is the legendary Celestial Master!

That peerless powerhouse who has been guarding the front line of the abyss for many years, using thunder magic to intimidate all demons!

For the next hour.

Chen Qingxuan did not talk about any dry theoretical knowledge.

He tells stories.

It tells the story of the cunning monsters he encountered on the battlefield of the abyss, the life-and-death trust between teammates, and how to find a glimmer of hope in desperate situations.

"At school, you pursue higher damage and more flashy skills."

Chen Qingxuan's gaze swept across the entire room, his tone becoming serious:

"But on the battlefield of the abyss."

"The first thing you need to learn is not to kill the enemy, but to survive."

"Only by living can we contribute; only by living can we protect the homeland behind us."

These words left many of the freshmen in the audience deep in thought.

The lecture was drawing to a close.

Chen Qingxuan looked gently at the group of energetic new faces below the stage.

"Alright, that's about all for today."

"Your future instructors will teach you specific combat techniques."

Chen Qingxuan paused, then a mysterious smile appeared on his face: "According to the school's arrangements, the day after tomorrow will be the start of your month-long 'hellish military training'."

"After the military training ends, there will be a freshman ranking battle that will attract the attention of the entire school."

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the audience instantly became enthusiastic.

Freshman Ranking Battle!

That is the most important battle for each new class to establish their status and compete for resources!

Chen Qingxuan smiled and said, "To encourage everyone, I'll personally set up a prize for you all."

"Who will be the ultimate winner of this freshman ranking battle?"

"I will personally gift him a [legendary] skill book, or provide him with three days of personalized instruction!"