Chapter 39 – Successful Ascent: The Position of Top Student

The potholed ground was now covered in a layer of frost, appearing at some unknown point.

Ice crystals had also formed on the surrounding treetops.

A bone-chilling gust of wind howled past, causing Li Pengyun to involuntarily shiver, finally snapping him out of his shock.

His dazed gaze swept across the ground.

The corpse of the Golden Wither Beast was no longer there, only scattered ice shards on the ground bearing witness to its existence.

In an instant, Li Pengyun couldn’t help but gasp sharply.

A mighty Ferocious Beast at Tier 3, Stage 5, had been instantly killed without any resistance!

No matter how hard he racked his brain, he could never have imagined such an outcome.

The fierce battle he had anticipated never materialized.

With just a single strike, the Golden Wither Beast was dead beyond dead!

The scene before him truly delivered an indescribable shock to Li Pengyun.

“This is definitely not a Tier 3 Pet Beast!”

“Even a Tier 3, Stage 9 Pet Beast couldn’t instantly kill a Tier 3, Stage 5 Golden Wither Beast!”

“To accomplish this, it would have to be at least Tier 4…”

Li Pengyun subconsciously swallowed hard, his gaze toward Lin Ze now filled with shock and awe.

Everyone had assumed Lin Ze possessed a Tier 3 Pet Beast, just like them.

But in reality, they couldn’t have been more wrong!

What Lin Ze possessed was not Tier 3 at all—it was a Tier 4 Pet Beast!

Only now did Li Pengyun truly understand why Lin Ze could rack up points so quickly.

The other party’s strength was on an entirely different level from theirs.

Whether it was him, Tan Yong, Guo Xinyi, or Lv Gang, none of them had ever known what kind of monster they were competing against.

“Going up against a genius like this… there’s simply no chance of winning!”

A bitter expression crept onto Li Pengyun’s face.

Since childhood, he had been crowned with the halo of a genius.

Though he never showed it outwardly, deep down he had indeed felt a sense of pride at times.

After all, at just eighteen years old, possessing a Tier 3, Stage 2 Pet Beast placed him unquestionably among the top echelon of his peers.

But that pride was utterly shattered today.

At the same age, his achievements paled in comparison to Lin Ze’s—like a minor sorcerer next to a great one.

They seemed utterly insignificant.

Li Pengyun, who had always been regarded as a genius by those around him, now finally began to understand the mindset of those people.

“He’s an absolute monster!”

Li Pengyun murmured softly.

Just as he was reeling in shock and confusion, the other examinees in the forest were also thrown into a massive uproar.

For on the Leaderboard, Lin Ze’s ranking had surged past the three ahead of him in an instant, claiming the top spot!

Rank 1: Lin Ze, 918 points

Rank 2: Tan Yong, 903 points

Rank 3: Guo Xinyi, 898 points

Rank 4: Lv Gang, 884 points

Rank 5: Li Pengyun, 815 points

“Holy crap, Lin Ze’s in first place already!?”

“He gained 90 points in an instant!”

“That’s way too fast!”

“So strong! This point-racking speed is absolutely insane!”

Every examinee who saw the Leaderboard change was stunned.

Though they had guessed Lin Ze might surpass the three ahead of him, they never imagined it would happen so quickly.

Guo Xinyi, who had just slain a Ferocious Beast, stood frozen in place, her small lips slightly parted, her pretty face filled with astonishment.

“This guy… does he have to be this ridiculous?!”

Tan Yong was equally taken aback, and when he came to his senses, he couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.

“Impressive. Worthy of a genius who passed the Apprentice Assessment at Ultra Difficulty.”

On the other hand.

Lv Gang’s face turned ashen, his expression growing uglier by the moment.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the forest.

Guan Ning, who had been keeping an eye on the Leaderboard, broke into a radiant smile, her eyes curving into crescents.

“I knew it. My brother is definitely the best!”

Outside the Virtual Realm.

The teachers who had watched Lin Ze’s entire hunting process from start to finish all wore expressions of astonishment.

“He’s in first place now.”

“It looks like this year’s Top Freshman is none other than Lin Ze.”

“Yeah, it’s all settled now.”

No one believed that with Lin Ze already holding the top spot, any examinee could snatch the position of Top Student away from him.

After all, Lin Ze’s rate of scoring was plain for everyone to see.

In the remaining hour or so, it would already be impressive if Tan Yong and Guo Xinyi’s group of four could avoid falling too far behind.

Catch up?

That was nearly impossible!

“Truly astonishing strength and talent.”

Gao Wenbai looked at Lin Ze on the screen with an appreciative gaze.

“It seems our academy is about to welcome an unprecedented genius this year.”

This was undoubtedly an extremely high compliment.

And coming from Gao Wenbai, a Golden Beast Tamer of extremely high standing at Ningjiang Academy, its weight went without saying.

For a moment.

All the teachers were secretly taken aback.

The scene fell into a brief silence.

As if to break the silence, a teacher suddenly spoke up:

“What do you all think—can Lin Ze manage to claim those 500 points from the stone tablet challenge?”

Everyone was momentarily stunned, and many let out wry chuckles as they shook their heads.

“Impossible.”

“In all these years, no one has ever claimed those 500 points. Even Lin Ze can’t do it.”

“That reward was never meant for examinees to obtain.”

“Exactly. When the academy originally established this rule, the purpose was simply to make freshmen understand that there is always someone stronger, and always a sky beyond the sky. What Ningjiang Academy lacks least is geniuses. Everyone who comes here to study must set aside their pride and complacency, and take a hard look at themselves.”

“And for that reason, this Trial is simply not something a freshman can pass—even if Lin Ze has a Tier 4 Pet Beast.”

Many teachers nodded in succession, clearly deeply convinced by this reasoning.

The teacher who had asked the question originally didn’t believe Lin Ze could break convention either, and upon hearing this, he smiled without rebutting.

Everyone stopped discussing and turned their attention back to the light screen.

As time passed, the scores at every rank on the Leaderboard continued to climb.

Among them, Tan Yong, Guo Xinyi, Lv Gang, and Li Pengyun were increasing their scores at a pace far ahead of the other examinees.

The four of them frequently swapped positions, overtaking one another.

Yet no matter how they shifted, Lin Ze remained firmly entrenched in first place.

As the assessment drew closer to its end, the gap between the four and Lin Ze didn’t shrink—it only widened.

By the time only ten minutes remained, the gap had grown to over 300 points.

1st place: Lin Ze, 1638 points

2nd place: Tan Yong, 1321 points

3rd place: Guo Xinyi, 1295 points

4th place: Lv Gang, 1263 points

5th place: Li Pengyun, 1202 points

At this point, the outcome of the Top Student position was beyond all doubt.

Even if Lin Ze did nothing from here on out, the remaining four could never catch up to his score.

Even Lv Gang, who was most displeased with Lin Ze, had to grudgingly admit this fact.

And so.

The four of them had no choice but to give up competing for the position of Top Student, instead turning to fight for the runner-up spot.

And soon.

The five-hour hunting period came to an end.

The examinees who had managed to survive gathered together on the plains, as if by mutual agreement.