47: Chapter 47 Points Soar!

Killing the Gold-tier BOSS brought Fang Chuan 50,000 points, bringing his current total to 2.1 million, still in fourth place.

"Not bad." Fang Chuan nodded in satisfaction; these points were just an appetizer, and what he cared about more was the altar.

He walked up to the altar. It was crafted from unknown bluestone and covered in ancient, obscure runes. Though dilapidated, it still exuded an air of desolation.

In the center of the altar lay two items silently.

A card flickering with purple light and a diamond-shaped, crystal-like token.

[Item Name: 4-Star Talent Follower Card: Rock Giant]

[Grade: S]

[Description: Converts to 200,000 points.]

[Item Name: A-Grade Special Building Blueprint: Elemental Furnace]

[Grade: A-Grade]

[Description: Converts to 200,000 points.]

"Chao, Ruyan, you two take one each."

Because the competition was too fierce, Zhang Chao and Liu Ruyan's points were about to be pushed down. Zhang Chao currently had 410,000 points and was ranked eighth, while Liu Ruyan had already been completely pushed out.

If they added 200,000 points, Zhang Chao would rise to sixth place and Liu Ruyan would rank seventh, creating a significant gap with the contestants behind them, making it unlikely they would be pushed out of the top ten.

"This…" Zhang Chao wanted to refuse.

"If I tell you to take them, take them. Hurry up."

Liu Ruyan immediately tugged at Zhang Chao, then pulled him over so they each chose one.

Zhang Chao and Liu Ruyan treasured the items as if they had found a great treasure; the excitement in their eyes was indescribable. Their positions in the top ten were now completely secure!

"Let's go, keep pushing deeper. The good show has only just begun." Fang Chuan's gaze turned toward the center of the wasteland, deep and calm.

And just as Fang Chuan's team was advancing triumphantly, across the vast Meteor Wasteland, two other slaughters belonging to SSS-grade geniuses were reaching their climax.

In a swamp shrouded in acid rain.

A young girl wearing a gothic black dress with twin tails, looking as delicate and cute as a doll, sat bored on the shoulder of a giant Slaughter Mecha, swinging her fair, slender legs.

Below her, hundreds of mechanical spiders and self-destruct robots were launching a devastating attack on a massive Hydra nest.

Lasers, artillery shells, and high explosives turned the entire swamp into a sea of fire.

That Hydra BOSS, with strength comparable to a Gold-tier lord, let out mournful cries of unwillingness under the siege of the endless mechanical army, before finally being blown to pieces.

The girl was none other than the SSS-grade genius from No. 3 High School, Lin Xiaoxiao.

Her Divine Kingdom talent, [Infinite Mechanization], allowed her to use resources to manufacture and modify mechanical followers without limit.

To her, war was simply about overwhelming the enemy with resources.

"Sigh, how boring." Lin Xiaoxiao yawned and opened the leaderboard to take a look. "Huh? That guy named Fang Chuan actually made it to fourth place?"

"What about Lin Qi? What?! He was actually eliminated?"

A flicker of interest flashed in her seemingly innocent, large eyes.

"Things seem to be getting more and more interesting."

... On the other side, in a mountain range of crystals where elemental energy was raging.

A young girl dressed in pale blue mage robes, with a quiet temperament and stunning beauty, was floating silently in mid-air.

Around her, spirits of the four elements—water, fire, wind, and earth—formed a magnificent elemental torrent. Wherever it passed, swarms of crystal lizards were instantly decomposed into the purest energy.

She was Qin Yao, the SSS-grade genius from No. 2 High School.

Her talent, [Elemental Tide], allowed her to perfectly control the power of all elements.

Her followers, the Elemental Spirits, although not top-tier in individual strength, could unleash world-destroying power when combined.

Suddenly, she seemed to sense something, her delicate brows furrowing slightly as she looked toward the direction of the Meteor Core.

"Such a strong legion presence… and it's very close to me…"

Qin Yao muttered to herself, a trace of confusion flashing in her deep, star-like eyes.

Unlike Lu Hai and Lin Xiaoxiao, she was not in a rush to compete for points but was searching for something within this mountain range.

"Forget it, whoever it is, they had better not disturb me."

She withdrew her gaze and continued to command the Elemental Spirits, flying deeper into the mountain range.

The three SSS-grade geniuses, although their styles were different, all demonstrated unparalleled power in their own ways.

And now, the greatest variable—Fang Chuan—was steadily approaching their common goal, the Meteor Core.

A storm gathering the top geniuses of this year's joint exam was about to collide violently at the center of that wasteland!

Outside, in the main control hall.

The face of the No. 2 High School principal, Chang Ya, was like a painter's palette, changing from green to white, constantly shifting. She stared fixedly at the big screen, watching the leisurely movements of Fang Chuan's team, her heart filled with complex emotions.

Just a moment ago, she was watching Principal Xiao Mi of No. 3 High School make a fool of himself, feeling so relieved. Look, the genius from your No. 3 High School was crushed by an F-grade student; you've lost all face, haven't you?

As it turned out, retribution came too quickly. In less than ten minutes, Fang Chuan's team bumped into their No. 2 High School team.

Chang Ya's heart was in her throat, fearing that Fang Chuan would repeat his old tricks and send her precious students from No. 2 High School out of the exam. She wouldn't be able to show her face if that happened.

Fortunately, fortunately.

Fang Chuan didn't seem to have any intention of wiping them out completely.

He collected 10,000 points from each of them and let them go.

Once Fang Chuan collected the money, he really let them go without causing any more trouble.

Chang Ya let out a long sigh of relief, her back soaked with sweat. Although they lost a few tens of thousands of points, the people were still there, and their rankings were still there; it was ten thousand times better than being directly eliminated.

"This Fang Chuan… at least has some sense of propriety." Chang Ya comforted herself this way, but she always felt something was wrong. This looked just like collecting protection money!

On the other side, Principal Yao Guishan of No. 1 High School had a completely different expression.

He sat with his legs crossed, holding a thermos, blowing on the goji berries inside, looking like an old cadre pointing out the mountains and rivers.

"Oh my, this student Fang Chuan, his way of doing things is really not honorable!" Principal Yao Guishan smacked his lips, shaking his head as he said, "He clearly has such strong strength, he could solve the problem with one axe, but he insists on being so insidious and even collecting protection money from others. If this gets out, it will affect the reputation of our No. 1 High School!"

He turned his head to look at Head Teacher Chen Xingyue standing beside him and criticized her with a "serious" tone: "Xiao Yue, look at the student you brought up! You must have a good talk with him later. Our No. 1 High School students must be upright and honorable; they cannot do such sneaky things!"

Head Teacher Chen Xingyue was in high spirits, glowing with radiance. As she listened to the principal's "lecture," her face beamed with joy, and she nodded repeatedly.

"Principal, you are right to teach me! It was my failure in education; I will definitely criticize him severely later! I'll make him write a 10,000-word self-reflection!"

"Hey, don't, don't, don't!" Principal Yao Guishan immediately waved his hand, putting on a kind and amiable face, "He's just a child, still young, it's normal to have his own ideas. Why criticize him? What if you scare the child and affect his performance later? A small punishment is enough; just give him a verbal warning!"

Chen Xingyue held back her laughter: "Yes, yes, yes, the principal is right; you really care about the students."

The two of them sang in harmony, making the eyes of Principal Xiao Mi of No. 3 High School and Principal Chang Ya of No. 2 High School twitch.

They had seen shameless people, but never anyone this shameless!

Being smug after gaining an advantage—that's exactly the kind of person Principal Yao Guishan was!

Principal Xiao Mi's face was as black as the bottom of a pot. He couldn't listen anymore and spoke sarcastically: "Principal Yao, I don't think what you said is right. I think student Fang Chuan's tactical thinking is very flexible, knowing how to use his own advantages to maximize benefits. This is quite consistent with our No. 3 High School's 'Pragmatism First' tactical philosophy."

He paused, then changed the subject, directly starting to poach: "I see you don't seem to like his style. How about this, you name a price, and let student Fang Chuan come to our No. 3 High School, how about that?"

"Hmm?" Principal Yao Guishan pretended to look left and right, then dug his ear with a confused look, "Strange, was someone speaking just now? Why is there a buzzing sound, like a fly?"

"You!"

Principal Xiao Mi was so angry he almost spat out a mouthful of blood. He pointed at Principal Yao Guishan, unable to say a word for a long time.

Over the next two hours, the three of them swept along the way, and their points increased more and more.

When they encountered students from other schools, as long as they didn't cause trouble, they turned a blind eye.

Eight hours after entering the virtual battlefield, Fang Chuan's points reached 3.11 million, ranking second, only behind Lu Hai's 3.15 million!

Fang Chuan didn't hog everything for himself.

He took most of the points for himself, but he generously shared the A-grade and B-grade building cards, as well as some rare equipment materials, with Zhang Chao and Liu Ruyan.

Zhang Chao's points skyrocketed, quickly breaking through the one-million mark and rushing to fifth place on the leaderboard!

Liu Ruyan followed closely behind, her points reaching 900,000, firmly occupying sixth place!

At this moment, the entire main control hall went completely quiet.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on that glaring name on the leaderboard—Fang Chuan!

Mayor Li looked at the constantly jumping numbers on the screen, his eyes filled with admiration.

"He has also… arrived at the Core Area."

"Previously, Lu Hai, Qin Yao, and Lin Xiaoxiao had all teamed up to enter, but they all returned in defeat when facing the level 80 gatekeeper. I just don't know… how long this Fang Chuan can hold out inside?"