34: Chapter 34 Major Families Enter the Fray to Win Over Their Families

Boom! The entire classroom instantly erupted into an uproar!

"What? SS-rank? Did I hear that right?"

"An SS-rank building card? My god! My brother was in the previous batch, and their assessment reward was only an A-rank card!"

"They're insane! How could they be willing to offer something like that as a reward?"

"Damn! If I could get this card, wouldn't I be shooting straight to the top?"

The students could no longer stay quiet; everyone was flushed with excitement, and the buzzing of their discussions surged like a tidal wave.

Even the usually calm Liu Ruyan widened her beautiful eyes at this moment, a glimmer of disbelief flashing within them.

Zhang Chao was so excited that he grabbed Fang Chuan's arm and shook it vigorously. "Lao Fang! Lao Fang, did you hear that? SS-rank! It's SS-rank!"

Fang Chuan felt a bit dizzy from the shaking, but his heart was likewise churning with turbulent waves.

SS-rank!

If an S-rank building card was a strategic resource that couldn't be bought even with money, then an SS-rank building card was a national treasure capable of altering the trajectory of a Divine Kingdom civilization!

"Quiet!"

Head Teacher Chen Xingyue spoke up again, her voice raised a notch to suppress the commotion in the classroom.

"I know everyone is very excited right now, but I must also remind you that this reward is not so easy to obtain."

Her expression turned serious.

"This joint examination will not only involve our No. 1 High School, but all the geniuses from No. 2 High School and No. 3 High School will participate as well."

"Therefore, I hope you can recognize the reality and not be blindly carried away by the reward. For most of you, the goal of this joint examination is to showcase yourselves, strive to enter the elite class, or gain the favor and investment of some families."

Head Teacher Chen Xingyue's words were like a bucket of cold water, dousing the hot-headed students.

That's right, while the SS-rank reward is tempting, you need to be alive to claim it.

Trying to compete with SSS-rank monsters like Lu Hai and Qin Yao? That's just wishful thinking.

The fervor on many students' faces gradually faded, replaced by a touch of rationality and helplessness.

"The head teacher is right; the SS-rank Divine Kingdom building card doesn't have much to do with us. Even Zhang Chao might not be able to get it."

A bespectacled boy adjusted his glasses and muttered in a low voice, "What are you thinking? Although Lu Hai is also SSS-rank and has his grandfather, a Ninth-Order Deity, backing him, don't forget about those two young ladies from No. 2 High School and No. 3 High School. Their backgrounds are terrifyingly strong as well. If we go, we're just pure cannon fodder. We should just watch the gods fight."

The buzz-cut boy next to him immediately retorted, unconvinced, "That's not necessarily true. If the S-rank big shots from our school could team up, maybe we could still fight for the SS-rank building card. After all, our No. 1 High School has the strongest strength."

"It's a bit difficult. Didn't Lu Hai approach Zhang Chao the day before yesterday? Zhang Chao didn't agree, saying he had already agreed to team up with Fang Chuan," a chubby girl with a ponytail behind them shook her head regretfully.

The bespectacled student wasn't surprised; Zhang Chao and Fang Chuan were as close as brothers. If Zhang Chao were to abandon Fang Chuan, that would be the real big news.

There were many who had thoughts of strong alliances. They all regretted that Zhang Chao didn't go to help Lu Hai, but they didn't harbor any ill will toward Fang Chuan. After all, they were all classmates, and Fang Chuan's character was recognized by everyone; there was no need to make things awkward.

In contrast, Fang Chuan was idly spinning his pen, as if everything had nothing to do with him.

After Head Teacher Chen Xingyue announced the bombshell news about the joint examination rewards, the atmosphere in the classroom remained in a strange state of excitement and tension.

Once the bell rang, this atmosphere reached its peak.

Almost instantly, several middle-aged men in suits who clearly didn't look like students walked in through the back door of the classroom.

They all wore exquisite family emblems on their chests and professional smiles on their faces, but their eyes scanned the classroom like hawks.

"Hello, students. I am from the Wang Group. This is my business card."

"The Li family is recruiting excellent prospective deities. Students with D-rank talent or higher can come over to learn more; we are offering angel investment of one million Faith Points!"

"Are there any students developing an orc civilization? Our Lin family has exclusive resources in the cultivation of orc units..."

The classroom instantly became as lively as a wet market.

These were the "scouts" sent by some of the prominent families within Qinghe Base City.

Their goal was clear: to "invest" in promising students before the joint examination. Once these students performed well in the joint examination or were even selected for the elite class, their families could reap huge returns.

For a time, the students in the class who usually had excellent grades and whose Divine Kingdom ratings were D-rank or higher were surrounded by people.

Especially the school beauty, Liu Ruyan, who had a B+ rating and was beautiful, was surrounded so tightly that not even water could trickle through.

"Student Liu Ruyan, our Chen family is willing to offer three million Faith Points, only asking that you guide our family's descendants during the joint examination."

"Student Liu Ruyan, consider our Zhao family. We can provide a three-star rare unit card!"

Liu Ruyan was a bit overwhelmed by this commotion and could only respond politely but distantly.

As for Zhang Chao, as an S-rank potential prospect, he was naturally also a key target for recruitment.

"Student Zhang Chao, I am from the Lu Group. Our young master, Lu Hai, is very interested in you and hopes you can join his team to achieve great things together!" A person dressed like a sophisticated butler handed over a business card with a rather friendly attitude.

Compared to these focal figures, the area around Fang Chuan's seat seemed exceptionally deserted.

When several scouts passed by Fang Chuan's row, they didn't even spare him a glance.

An F-rank rating was, in their eyes, not even worth being cannon fodder.

The Lu family butler who had just handed Zhang Chao a business card even turned his body away with extreme disgust, fearing that his high-end suit might get stained by the dust on the edge of Fang Chuan's desk.

Fang Chuan twitched the corner of his mouth and simply leaned back in his chair, watching the fawning faces of these capitalists as if he were watching a monkey show.

"Hey, these guys, they really look down on people." Zhang Chao squeezed through the crowd, returned to Fang Chuan's side, and muttered with an unhappy face.

"What? Did Lu Hai say something nasty that upset you?" Fang Chuan teased.

Zhang Chao cursed quite angrily, "I told them I could join the Lu family; after all, it's a Ninth-Order Deity family, a good place to be! But I have to bring you along. No matter how I tried to reason with them, they just wouldn't listen. My request wasn't even high; I just wanted them to train you to become a demigod! But they wouldn't agree. And they call themselves a Ninth-Order Deity family? How stingy!"

Fang Chuan smiled; he knew his brother was genuinely looking out for him. He was just too kind-hearted and hadn't experienced the darkness of society.

"Chaozi, take this. I was lucky and dug it up a couple of days ago."

He pulled something he had prepared long ago from his pocket; it was the [Four-Star Talent Believer Card: Pure-blood Werewolf] that he had opened from the golden fortune orb.

He handed the card to Zhang Chao.

"What is this?" Zhang Chao asked, taking it with confusion.

When he saw the content on the card clearly, he froze, his eyes instantly widening into saucers.

"Four... Four-Star Talent Believer Card? Pure-blood Werewolf?!"

Zhang Chao's voice was out of tune. He looked up at Fang Chuan sharply, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief.

"Lao Fang, you... where did you get this card?!"

A Four-Star Talent Believer Card was an absolute rarity on the market. Each one was worth a fortune, starting at at least several million Faith Points, and it was a case of having money but nowhere to spend it!

Moreover, this was the "Pure-blood Werewolf" that best suited his Divine Kingdom civilization!

With this card, he could create a Werewolf leader to lead his mongrel gray werewolves toward strength! This was even more useful than giving him millions of Faith Points!

"Don't worry about where it came from," Fang Chuan patted his shoulder and said in a relaxed tone, "I was lucky a few days ago while mining. Aren't your believers werewolves? This thing is useless to me; it's perfect for you."

He had already prepared his excuse; it wasn't news that mining in the Divine Kingdom world could yield some strange items, so this wouldn't arouse suspicion from others.

"No! This is too valuable! I can't take it!"

Zhang Chao's reaction was exactly as Fang Chuan had expected; without a second thought, he tried to shove the card back into Fang Chuan's hand.

"Lao Fang, I know you're good to me, but I really can't accept this! This isn't just some ordinary item. Keep it for yourself, or sell it for Faith Points; it can make your Divine Kingdom develop much faster!"

Zhang Chao's face was full of anxiety and determination. In his view, Fang Chuan's F-rank start meant he needed resources more than anyone else. For Fang Chuan, who started at F-rank, this card was practically a lifeline.

"Just take it." Fang Chuan pushed his hand back, his attitude equally firm.

"A three-star werewolf is already enough for me to handle; a four-star werewolf? Do you think I can afford to raise one?"

Fang Chuan's expression became serious. "We are brothers, aren't we? If your strength increases, that means my strength increases. For this joint examination, I'm counting on you, the S-rank big shot, to carry me."

This speech left Zhang Chao speechless.

He looked at Fang Chuan's sincere and firm eyes, then looked down at the card in his hand that was emitting an alluring light, and his eyes inexplicably grew hot.

"Alright... then... then I'll accept it." Zhang Chao took a deep breath and carefully put the card away, as if he were holding some peerless treasure.

He patted Fang Chuan's shoulder heavily. He didn't say many words of thanks, just said solemnly:

"Lao Fang, thanks! From now on, whoever dares to touch you will have to step over my, Zhang Chao's, dead body first!"

Fang Chuan laughed and punched him in the chest.

"Alright, don't make it sound like a tearful farewell. Hurry back and use this werewolf, let me see how fierce a four-star believer is."

"You got it!"

Zhang Chao nodded vigorously, turned around, and ran toward the school's meditation room. He couldn't wait to return to his Divine Domain and witness the birth of his first four-star believer.

Watching his excited back, the smile on Fang Chuan's face grew even brighter.