Kill one monster, stack one poison, and I alone will poison my way across the world!

8 PM.

Su Chen sat on the sofa in his old apartment, watching TV out of boredom.

As the major general said, the playoffs were classified as a state secret, and not a single word was mentioned on television.

There wasn't much media coverage about him being the top scorer in the country.

I just briefly mentioned that this year's college entrance examination has been successfully completed, and the top scorer in the country is a student from Tianhe No.1 High School.

His name and his incredible performance in those three matches were not mentioned at all.

With no one around, he took out the epic-level abyss crystal from his backpack and swallowed it in one gulp.

[Note: Successfully using the [Abyssal Gaze Crystal (Epic)] grants +400 Spirit, but permanently reduces physical/magical damage dealt and healing received by 4%]

His mental strength instantly surged by 400 points.

"Knock knock knock".

Suddenly, a very light and rhythmic knocking sounded on the door.

Su Chen turned off the TV and went to open the door.

There were two people standing outside the door.

The man in front was He Kaishan, standing ramrod straight with an extremely serious expression on his face.

Not only that, he put on a smart Zhongshan suit, which made him look much more energetic.

Standing behind He Kaishan was an elderly man with white hair and beard, wearing a gray robe.

There was no energy fluctuation emanating from the old man; he was just like an ordinary old man.

【Battle Without Limits】

【grade:???】

【Profession:???】

……

"Old Zhan?!"

Su Chen's eyes lit up the moment he saw Zhan Wuji.

Zhan Wuji was not only a leading figure in the education field, but also held an important position in the military, where he was responsible for guarding the borders of China.

It's already quite surprising that they came to Tianhe City in person.

"Aren't you going to invite us in?"

Zhan Wuji looked at Su Chen with a gentle smile on his face.

"Please come in quickly."

Su Chen moved aside.

The sofa in the small living room was somewhat worn out.

Zhan Wuji didn't mind and went straight over to sit down.

He Kaishan stood straight next to the sofa like a primary school student, not daring to sit down.

"Don't be so formal, Principal Kaishan, please have a seat."

Zhan Wuji waved his hand.

He Kaishan then carefully sat down on the edge of the sofa, half of his bottom touching the edge.

Zhan Wuji looked at Su Chen standing in front of him, sizing him up, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration.

"Su Chen, a native of Tianhe City, Jiangnan Province, lost his parents in a strange tide fifteen years ago."

Elder Zhan slowly spoke, "The only hidden class of SSS rank, the Venom Mage."

Su Chen nodded.

For someone of Zhan Lao's caliber, this is all public information.

The important thing is what comes next.

Zhan Wuji continued, "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes today, I really wouldn't have believed that the Great Hua Empire could produce such a prodigy as you."

Su Chen humbly replied, "It was just good luck."

"This isn't luck."

Zhan Wuji smiled and shook his head.

How could he kill so many Abyss Flame Guardians and even an epic dragon just by luck?

At the same time, he was even more satisfied with Su Chen.

To possess such incredible combat power at such a young age, yet remain humble without becoming arrogant or complacent, demonstrates an exceptional character.

After exchanging pleasantries, his expression turned serious: "Without you, all one thousand of the Great Xia's top geniuses would have been trapped inside by the demons in today's additional competition instance."

Zhan Wuji suddenly stood up and bowed slightly to Su Chen.

"On behalf of those one thousand children, on behalf of the Chinese Ministry of Education, and on behalf of myself, thank you."

He Kaishan's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he watched from the side.

I rely on!

Who is Zhan Lao?

A leading figure in education, and one of the pillars of stability for China!

He actually bowed to a kid who hadn't even completed his first-tier job advancement?!

"Elder Zhan, this won't do!"

Su Chen quickly returned the bow with a slight bow.

If this were filmed and posted online, I'd probably be cyberbullied to death in no time.

"I never imagined that I, who hunted geese all day long, would end up having my eyes pecked by a goose."

Zhan Wuji's tone was heavy with self-reproach, and his eyes reddened: "A total of 163 candidates unfortunately died in battle... I was too arrogant. After decades without making a mistake, I lost my vigilance."

Su Chen shook his head and said, "Elder Zhan, there's no need to blame yourself. It's just that the demons are too cunning."

Zhan Wuji slowly shook his head: "I, Zhan Wuji, will not shirk my responsibilities. I have decided to demote myself by three ranks and go to the front lines to personally investigate the Demon Clan's conspiracy!"

"Their recent activities have raised serious suspicions within the military that they are plotting something bigger."

"As for the future college entrance exam dungeons... Rift Demon Shadow stole my skills, so I can't build them for the time being."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Su Chen quickly asked, "Elder Zhan, he's not dead?"

Neither Blazing White nor Rift Shadow popped up a kill notification.

Su Chen had assumed that the Rift Demon Shadow had been captured by Zhan Wuji after being slapped into his private space.

"no."

Zhan Wuji said with a solemn expression, "I trapped him in another instance that I created, and as a result... he committed suicide."

"what?"

"His special ability is to retain a very special clone in other places, which will revive him after he commits suicide."

"..."

Su Chen's lips twitched.

This mechanism is too sinister.

These powerful demons are indeed all incredibly difficult to kill.

Zhan Wuji seemed to be deep in thought, and asked, "You've already fought the Rift Demon in the previous Abyss dungeon, right? If I'm not mistaken, you must have looted one of his very important pieces of equipment or items."

"...Elder Zhan is right."

Su Chen did not deny it.

Indeed, how could the world's top people be mediocre?

Zhan Wuji has deduced the truth of the matter from the few words spoken by the Rift Demon Shadow within the dungeon and from the information already known.

"No wonder. Although Rift Demon Shadow stole my skills, he also paid a heavy price for connecting the Abyss to the dungeon. He went to such great lengths to hunt down geniuses from China, and the second reason was to reclaim what he had taken."

Zhan Wuji did not ask what kind of item it was, but instead instructed, "In that case, you must be more careful in the future. That Rift Demon Shadow will definitely not let this go."

"understood."

Su Chen paused, then tentatively asked, "Elder Zhan, you didn't come all this way just to tell me this, did you?"

He Kaishan gasped in fright and frantically tried to signal to Su Chen from below, fearing that the boy might anger Zhan Wuji.

Zhan Wuji was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Good lad, that's direct, I like it."

Zhan Wuji sat down again.

"As you may have noticed, the country has made a decision to keep today's playoff exam strictly confidential."

"The Bureau of Secrecy and the Ministry of State Security will speak with each person who has inside information to ensure that it will not be leaked."

"..."

Su Chen nodded, indicating his understanding.

The college entrance exam instance has been invaded by demons... If this gets out, it will cause panic throughout China.

"The nation will not treat you unfairly. On the contrary, in fact, from the day you completed your awakening and obtained an SSS-level profession, it has already attracted the nation's extreme attention."

"However... our country is vast, and there are many things to deal with every day. The operation of such a huge state machine is destined to be slow."

"Just a few hours ago, after several days of heated discussions, the government decided to place you under key protection!"

"..."

After saying that, Zhan Wuji flipped his wrist, and a black, exquisite wooden box appeared in his palm.

The wooden box was covered with intricate miniature arrays, which were so striking that they sent a shiver down one's spine.

Zhan Wuji pushed the wooden box in front of Su Chen, entered his fingerprint, and then a magical wave spread out invisibly before gently opening it.

A badge, entirely dark gold and engraved with nine coiled dragons, lay quietly on a red velvet cushion.

【Nine Dragons Purple Gold Medal (Epic)】

[Rarity: Epic]

Usage requirements: None

[Entry: [Advanced Insight]: Blocks detection skills from players below level 200, and blocks divination skills below the highest level.]