43: Chapter 43 Provincial Assessment: Tools for Enhancing Potential

Over the next three days, the entire Qinglin Province heavenly pride list fell into an unprecedented frenzy.

The rankings refreshed daily, the numbers jumping like a heartbeat.

From fourth to tenth place, several groups of people swapped positions every day.

Someone would charge into the top ten at the last moment, and before they could even celebrate, they'd be kicked out by a latecomer who had spent the night sprinting up the ranks.

Some fought desperately, going three days without sleep or rest, trading a body full of injuries for a few hundred points of Power Of Faith, only to find their ranking hadn't moved an inch.

Because those ahead of them were fighting just as desperately.

Only the top three remained as steady as Mount Tai.

First: Su Bai, Yin Qi World, Rank Four.

Second: Lin Canglan, Sword Dao World, Rank Four.

Third: Murong Xue, ice phoenix world, Rank Four.

These three were like three great mountains pressing down on the heads of all challengers.

Within three days, Lin Canglan challenged two Rank Four A-grade worlds and achieved total victory.

Within three days, Murong Xue devoured an ice-type world, and the diameter of her ice phoenix world expanded to five hundred kilometers.

But Su Bai?

No one knew what he had done during those three days.

His ranking didn't budge, but no one could shake it either.

Someone checked his conquest records and found that he had only campaigned once in three days.

It was against a Rank Four S-minus grade world, the Shadow Demon Realm—the one where twelve invasions had all failed and seven Creators had fallen.

The record showed: Victory.

Then followed consecutive campaigns against four Rank Four A-grade worlds, all victories.

After that, there was nothing.

No new conquests, no new devouring, not a single movement.

Yet his ranking sat firmly atop everyone else's heads.

"Exactly how many units does he have?"

"How many heroes does he actually have?"

"Just how... did he do it?"

No one could answer these questions.

But everyone knew one fact:

This year, Qinglin Province had produced a monster.

The final second of the third day.

The numbers on the heavenly pride list finally stopped jumping.

[Qinglin Province heavenly pride list · Finalized]

[First Place: Su Bai, Yin Qi World, Rank Four]

[Second Place: Lin Canglan, Sword Dao World, Rank Four]

[Third Place: Murong Xue, ice phoenix world, Rank Four]

[Fourth Place: Chu Tiange, War Demon World, Rank Four]

[Fifth Place: ...]

[Tenth Place: Chu Kuangren, Berserk Battle World, Rank Four]

In a luxurious villa in the provincial capital, Chu Tiange stared at the words "Fourth Place" on the screen, remaining silent for a long time.

His hand gripped the hilt of his sword, his knuckles turning white.

Three days ago, he was still third.

Three days later, he had been forcefully pushed down to fourth.

The one who displaced him was a Yin Qi World that had been in twenty-ninth place three days ago.

It was a name he had never heard of before.

Su Bai.

Chu Tiange closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

When he opened them again, the unwillingness in his eyes had been suppressed.

He released the hilt, turned to walk to the window, and gazed out at the pitch-black night sky.

"Fourth... so be it."

"The true battlefield is on the Battle Stage."

At the same time, in another villa, Chu Kuangren was slumped on the sofa, staring at that "Tenth Place" on the screen, gasping for air.

"Damn it... almost... just a little more and I would've been pushed out..."

He hadn't closed his eyes for three days and nights, fought through five worlds, and sustained three serious injuries to forcefully claw his way back from eleventh to tenth.

In that final second, when he saw his name jump from eleventh back to tenth, he almost cried.

"That was so damn thrilling..."

He climbed up, gulped down a large mouthful of wine, and then stared at the name at the very top of the rankings.

Su Bai.

"Buddy, you're really something." He grinned. "I, the tenth place, will be waiting to see your performance on the Battle Stage."

...

The fourth day, early morning.

Su Bai's dormitory door was knocked on.

He opened the door to find the Old Principal standing there.

The old man was dressed exceptionally formally today in a deep gray robe, with the Qingshi No. 1 Middle School badge pinned to his chest and his hair combed meticulously.

He held a palm-sized silver envelope and handed it to Su Bai.

"It's from the province."

Su Bai took the envelope and opened it.

Inside was a silver card with small gold characters that read:

[Qinglin Province Top Ten Heavenly Prides · Assessment Notice]

[Time: 2:00 PM today]

[Location: Provincial Capital Prodigy Arena]

[Assessment Content: Combat Drill]

[Special Note: Any units that die during the assessment will be fully resurrected by provincial powerhouses using Law of Causality methods. All heavenly prides are requested to go all out without reservation.]

[Assessment Reward: Those who pass will receive one 'Racial Potential Enhancement Item'. This item can increase the basic potential upper limit of a chosen race and is a key resource for future national-level campaigns.]

Su Bai's gaze fell on the last line, his pupils constricting slightly.

Racial Potential Enhancement Item.

He thought of the Mushroom People—a generation every three months, fast reproduction but limited individual combat power.

He thought of the Shadow Demons—shadow affinity, space affinity, but their potential upper limit was restricted by the race itself.

He thought of the Ice Crystals—a race born from death that could survive in extreme cold, yet also had a potential upper limit.

If the potential of these races could be raised another notch...

He looked up at the Old Principal.

The old man smiled slightly. "Go. The whole province is watching you."

2:00 PM, Provincial Capital Prodigy Arena.

This was a giant building capable of holding a hundred thousand people, and today every seat was filled.

The spectator stands were packed with Awakened, students, teachers, media reporters from all over the province, and those geniuses who hadn't managed to squeeze into the top ten.

Outside the plaza, tens of thousands more were watching in real-time via giant projection screens.

Today's protagonists were ten people.

In the center of the arena, ten metal platforms were arranged in an arc. One person stood on each platform, with their world projection behind them.

The first platform: Su Bai.

Behind him was the grayish-white Yin Qi World, Yin Qi surging like a sea, with glimpses of an abyss, an ice field, a forest, and a wasteland.

The second platform: Lin Canglan.

Behind him was an endless mountain of swords, with countless swords thrust into the peaks, sword intent piercing the sky.

The third platform: Murong Xue.

Behind her was a frozen world, where a massive Ice Phoenix circled above the glaciers, its wings blotting out the sky.

The fourth platform: Chu Tiange.

Behind him was a battlefield filled with the flames of war, where countless war demons were slaughtering each other, their roars shaking the heavens.

...

The tenth platform: Chu Kuangren.

Behind him was a tribe of berserkers, with countless berserkers roaring, their battle intent soaring to the clouds.

Ten people, ten types of worlds, ten distinct auras.

In the spectator stands, a hundred thousand pairs of eyes stared at these ten figures.

Some were amazed, some envious, some jealous, and some fanatical.

But everyone was waiting.

Waiting for the assessment to begin.

An old man dressed in a gray robe rose from the judges' seats and slowly walked to the center of the arena.

His aura was unfathomable; with every step he took, the entire arena trembled slightly.

An eighth-rank World Creator.

One of the true powerhouses of Qinglin Province.

He scanned the ten figures on the platforms and spoke slowly:

"I am the chief examiner for this assessment; you may call me Elder Zhou."

"The rules are simple."

"Next, each of you will face the attack of a standard legion."

"Legion composition: one Rank Four hero, five hundred Rank Three soldiers, and three thousand ordinary units of Rank Two and below."

"Legion race: randomly drawn, each will be different."

"Task: Defend your world and repel all enemies."

"Time limit: One hour."

"Withdrawing early counts as failure."

"Holding out for one hour counts as passing."

"All those who pass will receive a Racial Potential Enhancement Item."

He paused, his gaze falling on the ten individuals, his lips curling up slightly.

"Are there any questions?"

Silence.

None of the ten people spoke.

Elder Zhou nodded. "Then let us begin."

He raised his hand and gave a light wave.

Above the arena, ten giant light gates opened simultaneously.

On the other side of the light gates were ten different legions.

...

Su Bai looked up at the light gate descending upon his world.

From the light gate, a massive figure was the first to step out.

It was a giant spider, pitch-black all over, three meters tall at the shoulder, with its eight legs covered in needle-like bristles and its eight blood-red eyes staring fixedly at him.

Rank Four Hero, [Shadow Spider Queen].

Behind it, five hundred Rank Three [Steel-Armored Venom Spiders] filed out, each half a person tall, with shells as black as iron and fangs glowing with a faint blue light.

Further back were dense crowds of low-rank spiders: Venom Spiders, Swift Spiders, Exploding Spiders... over three thousand of them, surging forward like a tide.

The Shadow Spider Queen raised its front legs and let out a sharp hiss.

Over three thousand spiders moved at once.

They were like a black tide, surging toward Su Bai's Netherworld World.

A wave of gasps erupted from the spectator stands.

"Shadow Spider Queen! That's the most troublesome Shadow Spider Queen among Rank Fours!"

"Five hundred Rank Three Steel-Armored Venom Spiders! Those shells can't be pierced by ordinary attacks at all!"

"Over three thousand low-rank spiders, this number... can Su Bai hold them back?"

"His world is only Rank Four; his unit count definitely isn't enough, right?"

But Su Bai just watched that black tide quietly.

There was no expression on his face.

He even looked a bit bored.

He raised his hand and gave a light wave.

Behind him, the grayish-white Yin Qi surged like a sea.

Three giant portals opened simultaneously within the Yin Qi.