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

Lin Yuan's gaze swept over everyone, finally settling on these two.

He seemed to see through their thoughts and said calmly, "Don't be so surprised. I chose you for only one reason."

He pointed at Zhao Kuo: "You are the ranged mage with the highest burst damage among this year's freshmen, and some of your skills even have paralysis control."

He then pointed to Chen Xiaoman: "And you are currently second only to Liu Mengli among the new students in the support class. Moreover, regardless of level, your skill pool is more comprehensive than Liu Mengli's."

This Liu Mengli was the support player who formed a five-person team with Ji Qingyue during military training, and she was also Ji Qingyue's high school classmate.

Just when everyone thought the team had finished assembling.

Lin Yuan's expression suddenly turned serious: "There's one more thing I need to make clear to you here beforehand."

"After you've heard this, you can decide for yourselves whether you still want to join this team."

Upon hearing this, Chu Tianxing, Ye Cang, and the others immediately sensed something unusual.

Lin Yuan's gaze swept over everyone, and he said in a deep voice, "This trip to Shanghai is not simply about competing and winning trophies."

"After the competition, there will be another training session, which will take place in an area near Shanghai."

"According to reliable intelligence, an underground stronghold of the Abyss Order is lurking there!"

"Our mission is to investigate. If we do encounter members of the Abyss Cult, then we'll need to take action and wipe them out!"

"Holy crap?!"

Zhao Kuo couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, his eyes widening: "The Abyss Cult?!"

Lin Yuan nodded, making no attempt to hide anything:

"That's right. So, this trial is life-threatening."

Even if a school has a teacher as a team leader, there's no guarantee that everything will go perfectly.

"If any of you are afraid or unwilling to take the risk, you can withdraw now; I will not force you."

"willing!!"

"How could I not want to?!"

To everyone's surprise.

The first one to step forward was surprisingly Zhao Kuo, who usually seemed a bit timid.

"Those bastards from the Abyss Cult, I've wanted to kill them for ages!"

"An elder in my family died in the sacrificial ritual of these beasts; their remains were never found!"

"This experience, this chance to kill these scumbags, is exactly what I, Zhao Kuo, desire!!"

Zhao Kuo's sudden outburst of bloodthirst and killing intent surprised even Lin Yuan.

He gave this former "troublemaker" a deep look, a smile of appreciation playing on his lips: "Not bad, Zhao Kuo. You may seem carefree and irresponsible on ordinary days, but you still have a man's spirit when it matters."

Xia Chen chuckled and patted Zhao Kuo on the shoulder: "Brother, my opinion of you has changed."

"I thought you'd chicken out, after all, you were a complete coward when you were with Brother Yuan."

Zhao Kuo rolled his eyes at him, annoyed, and retorted, "How can that be the same?"

"Brother Yuan is one of our own, it's just a friendly spar."

"The Abyss Cult are beasts, mortal enemies! I'll bite off a piece of their flesh even if it kills me!"

"I have no objection." Chu Tianxing, who had been silent all along, also took a step forward.

"I come from a military family. Protecting our country and eradicating these rats in the gutter is our duty."

Count me in.

"I'm going too!"

"Me too!"

Xia Chen, Ouyang Xue, Chen Xiaoman

These young men and women, who had faced the threat of the abyss in the college entrance examination's secret realm, did not back down at this moment.

After a month of rigorous military training, plus the baptism of the Ares Tower.

They have long since shed their youthful naiveté and gained a steely, soldierly air about them.

The hardship of that month was not in vain.

Looking at his teammates, who were full of fighting spirit, Lin Yuan nodded in satisfaction: "Very good."

"Alright, now that you've convinced me, I won't waste any more words."

Lin Yuan clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention back: "Next, let's talk about the tactical arrangements for this competition."

Upon hearing about tactics, everyone perked up. Chu Tianxing asked, "Captain, what tactics are we going to practice?"

The others were also curious to see what Lin Yuan would say, since they were facing two other top universities, and their teams were certainly not simple either, so they would definitely need to be strategic and coordinated.

However, Lin Yuan simply waved his hand in response to the stares of the crowd.

"Tactics? It's not that complicated."

Lin Yuan retorted, "Who are you? You are geniuses from the Academy of War. We have the hardest shields, the sharpest swords, and the most powerful artillery."

"I only have one tactic: a straight push!"

"In team competitions, I will be at the forefront and take all the damage. All you guys need to do is cooperate well, just like in military training."

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, finding the approach far too simplistic and crude.

But then I thought about it again, and then I thought about Lin Yuan's despair-inducing defense and counter-damage.

That actually makes a lot of sense!

"As for the individual competition, having gone through the life-and-death trials of the Crimson Wasteland and honed your skills in the Tower of War for so long, don't you have any confidence in your own abilities?"

On the eve of departure.

The team leader sent a list of information he knew to everyone's wristband.

On the eve of departure.

The team leader sent a list of information he knew to everyone's wristband.

Imperial Capital University Representative Team:

Evaluation: They have extremely strong overall strength, and this generation is even known as the "Golden Generation".

Key figures:

Qin Tian (Captain): Hidden Class [Dragon Master]. Possesses a sub-dragon mount and is extremely powerful.

Su Yurou: Legendary class [Child of Elements]. An all-elemental mage with terrifying burst damage.

Shanghai University Representative Team:

Evaluation: Although there is no unique hidden class, the combination of technology and magic is excellent.

Key figures: Possess two legendary classes (Mechanical Commander and Arcane Sage).

It can be said that this year's freshmen have the most unique hidden professions and the highest quality of legendary professions in the past century!

At this point, the atmosphere on the [University Forum] was extremely tense.

Students from the Imperial Capital Academy: "Heh, a War Academy? A bunch of brutes! This year, our Young Master Qin has a sub-dragon! We'll crush you!"

Students from a prestigious university in Shanghai: "Don't be so arrogant, upstairs! This is our home turf! Our mechanical legion will teach you a lesson!"

The next day, early morning.

Shanghai, the international airport.

A plane representing the War Academy landed on the tarmac.

As soon as I got off the plane, a sea breeze hit me, and a convoy of cars from Shanghai's top universities was already waiting outside.

"Welcome, everyone from the Academy of War!"

The teacher in charge at the university in Shanghai said: "Thank you for your hard work, everyone, you must have had a long journey."

"We've already prepared a welcome banquet at a grand hotel near the university in Shanghai. Why don't we rest and relax today, and let the students get to know each other?"