25: Chapter 25 enters the top ten!

On the holographic star-viewing platform, the eyes of the big shots remained tightly locked onto Lin Yunfei's exam sub-screen.

The smooth counterattack just now, along with the berserker squad that had suddenly charged out, left an indelible impression on them.

Patriarch Zhang Wanlin, head of the Zhang family, rubbed his chin, a shrewd merchant's light gleaming in his eyes. "Brilliant! Truly brilliant! This hidden squad is simply a stroke of genius!"

Patriarch Wang Ze, head of the Wang family, couldn't help but nod in agreement, his tone tinged with admiration. "Indeed. If that array just now only had the front shields defending stubbornly without this rear squad charging out, it would at best be considered a conventional turtle shell, hardly worth worrying about."

"But as soon as this fresh squad stepped out, it instantly served as the finishing touch!"

Major General Lu Shuang of the Interstellar Expeditionary Army sat in the very center, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest of his leather chair.

Joining the conversation, he added, "What's even rarer is that both squads share the exact same origin—they are all humans! Not only is there no rejection between their true qi, but it can also blend perfectly. One direct, one surprise tactic, balancing defense and offense—this is true seamless synergy!"

The big shots all nodded in agreement. The way they looked at Lin Yunfei's name had shifted from initial disdain to admiration!

Inside the exam ground.

After the Abyss Skeleton Giant Rhinoceros fled, Lin Yunfei did not order his army to pursue.

Sitting upright on his chariot, he watched the armored soldiers regrouping ahead, a glint of thought flashing in his eyes.

"The raw strength of Tier-2 monsters is still too formidable after all."

Lin Yunfei calculated silently in his heart. Although the recent battle had forced back the giant rhinoceros, it had also clearly highlighted the army's current shortcomings.

The chasm between Tier-1 and Tier-2 could not be completely bridged by battle arrays alone.

The spears of Leader Yan Er and the others could not pierce the rhinoceros's thick bone armor at all. If not for Yan San's suicidal, frenzied fighting style, the array would eventually have been ground down by the monster's terrifying momentum.

"If we keep pushing into the depths of the abyss and encounter more Tier-2 monsters, casualties will inevitably skyrocket."

Every single Tier-1 heavy armor warrior was a precious asset raised with vast quantities of spiritual rice, spiritual spring water, and time. He could never let them perish here due to a moment of reckless ambition for glory.

"Since I've already shown enough potential, there's no need to push myself to the limit anymore!"

Lin Yunfei quickly made his decision: "Play it safe. Slow and steady wins the race!"

To minimize casualties, he immediately issued a divine decree, instructing High Priest Xi to change tactics.

The Xuanwu Heavy Armor Killing Array stopped charging forward recklessly and instead transformed into a massive millstone, slowing down its hunting pace as it slowly roamed the outer periphery of the Skeleton Wasteland. They only targeted packs of Tier-1 Abyss Bone Wolves and Corrupted Wild Boars.

Although the rate of point accumulation slowed down noticeably, it guaranteed absolute safety, restoring the army to its terrifying pace of zero-casualty advancement.

Meanwhile...

Deep in another sector of the Skeleton Wasteland, Zhang Hao, who had also encountered a Tier-2 lord monster, made a decision completely opposite to Lin Yunfei's.

"Kill it! No matter what, we must take down this Tier-2 monster today!"

Zhang Hao stood in the void of his divine realm, his eyes bloodshot as he glared intensely at the creature over thirty meters long below—a Tier-2 Abyss Venomous Python.

To compete for a higher rank and steal the spotlight in front of all the big shots of Tianwu City, Zhang Hao did not hesitate to issue an order to fight to the death.

Hundreds of Lava Behemoths, their bodies ablaze with roaring flames, unleashed earth-shattering roars as they charged relentlessly at the terrifying venomous python in wave after wave.

The battle was exceptionally brutal!

The abyssal venom spewed by the python could instantly melt solid rock. The proud flames covering the Lava Behemoths were doused and extinguished in vast swathes under the torrential venom.

Boom!

The python's thick tail lashed out viciously, instantly whipping three massive Lava Behemoths into piles of rubble.

Zhang Hao's heart bled, but there was no turning back now. He could only grit his teeth and keep infusing divine realm origin, forcibly driving his remaining original belief race to launch violent attacks.

After an hour of grueling combat, as the final Lava Behemoth smashed its burning fist into the python's vital spot, the early-stage Tier-2 abyss lord finally uttered a desperate hiss and crashed heavily to the ground.

[Killed Tier-2 Abyss Venomous Python. Obtained massive bonus points!]

Hearing the system prompt, a smile uglier than crying finally cracked through the sweat-covered face of Zhang Hao.

However, when he looked down at the battlefield, he felt as if he had plunged into an abyss of ice.

Less than a third of the hundreds of formidable Lava Behemoths remained.

Moreover, every single one was wounded, their aura severely depleted, and even the divine realm's origin suffered a degree of instability.

"Such a massive loss... I've truly lost big time!"

Zhang Hao's hands trembled slightly as his heart bled uncontrollably.

To kill this Tier-2 venomous python, the high-tier dependents he lost would cost at least a million faith points to replenish and restore after the exam!

Even if he secured a high rank, the rewards wouldn't come close to compensating for such terrible casualties.

It was completely not worth it!

Time flew by amidst the slaughter.

Buzz—!

Accompanied by a long, ancient chime, dazzling teleportation light flared across the sky above the abyss exam grounds.

[The Practical Exam has officially ended!]

All the students and their surviving dependents were instantly pulled by an irresistible force, teleported back onto the white-stone grounds of Tianwu First High School.

Boom!

Amidst a flash of brilliant golden light, the super holographic screen in the central plaza slowly froze on the final leaderboard.

Over ten thousand students present, along with the big shots on the star-viewing platform, held their breath and fixed their eyes on the top spot.

First Place: Liu Ting!

Leveraging her A-grade talent and the immense area-of-effect harvesting capability of the Frost Elementalist, she frantically cleared the beast tide on the periphery, claiming the top spot with indisputable, massive points!

Second Place: Zhang Hao!

Although he suffered heavy losses in the abyssal depths, relying on the massive point bonus from the Tier-2 Abyss Venomous Python, he narrowly retained second place. However, his face was as pale as paper, devoid of any joy that should come with second place.

Third Place: Wang Han!

Also a scion of an established zaibatsu, he securely held a spot in the top three through his deep foundation.

Eyes followed the list further down.

When everyone saw the name that barely squeezed into the top ten on the leaderboard, a massive uproar instantly erupted across the entire grounds!

Tenth Place: Lin Yunfei!

Relying on the machine-like, steady harvesting efficiency of the Xuanwu Heavy Armor Killing Array, Lin Yunfei barely squeezed into the top ten of all Tianwu City at the last moment!

"Tenth place! That F-grade Wasteland actually secured the military's key development slot!"

"Incredible! How on earth did he do it?!"

"And look at his dependent casualty rate—it's unbelievably low! That's what's truly shocking!"

Listening to the tsunami-like commotion around him...

Zhang Hao stared intently at Lin Yunfei's name on the leaderboard, his fists clenched tightly. He had paid a painful price of over a million faith points to get second place, while Lin Yunfei secured the secret top-ten prize with almost zero losses.

Compared side by side, his so-called second place felt like a deeply satirical joke.

Not far away, Liu Ting looked at Lin Yunfei's upright back with a complex gaze, her mind filled with mixed emotions.

The boy she once deemed to have no future now stood at the same height as her in the most composed manner.

She even began to wonder if she had misjudged him from the start.

But looking at her divine realm growing better and better, along with claiming first place, her conviction hardened once more!

Up on the star-viewing platform, the thoughts of the various moguls began to grow active.

Patriarch Zhang Wanlin and Patriarch Wang Ze exchanged a glance, both clearly spotting the undisguised greed and admiration in each other's eyes.

"Though this Lin Yunfei barely scraped into tenth place, his investment value is definitely not inferior to the top three!"

Lowering his voice, Patriarch Zhang Wanlin instructed his assistant, "Go prepare a top-tier investment agreement immediately! A civilian genius like him, given sufficient resources, will surely make that military array shine brilliantly on the interstellar battlefield!"

"Indeed, that kid's military array is extraordinary!" Patriarch Wang Ze also hurriedly summoned his subordinates, preparing to snatch him first.

Just as the heads of the two big zaibatsus were secretly competing with each other...

They simultaneously turned their heads to look at the Major General of the Interstellar Expeditionary Army seated in the center, Lu Shuang.

If they wanted to recruit Lin Yunfei, their biggest competitor was undoubtedly this big shot representing the military.

However, Lu Shuang simply sat there quietly without speaking.

His eyes were deep as he gazed at the calm youth on the grounds, his fingers stopping their tapping on the armrest.

Though Lu Shuang had not uttered a single word, the intense desire for possession and admiration in his hawk-sharp eyes was already self-evident!