43: Chapter 43 Li Zhihai's Worries: Will the two of them be able to clear the dungeon?

In the suburbs of Jincheng City, inside a luxurious villa, Wang Hongming and Li Zhihai sat opposite each other.

Yet, the two men, who were usually high-spirited in their respective territories, wore expressions quite different from their usual selves.

Wang Hongming was somewhat restless, shifting his body back and forth.

There was even a hint of panic in his eyes as he blurted out,

"I don't know what kind of dog-shit luck that kid Zhang Jian stumbled upon, but he actually broke a record that had been sealed for twenty years."

Li Zhihai's eyes narrowed.

What kind of dog-shit luck could it be?

It must be that mysterious scabbard!

It is absolutely a Heaven-Defying treasure!

The more Wang Hongming spoke, the angrier he became.

"Tell me, such a talent that appeared with such difficulty, yet we aren't letting him participate in the Professional University entrance exam. Because of this, our academy's losses this year are truly too great!"

Li Zhihai remained silent, his brow furrowed.

Seeing that he had said so much yet the other party showed no reaction, Wang Hongming suddenly became a bit angry.

"I say, Old Li, you don't think I'm lying, do you?"

"If you don't believe me, you can go check the trial dungeon leaderboard!"

"At the time, when Zhang Jian cleared the dungeon and refreshed the record, it caused quite a sensation on the scene. Many students saw it, and there were even instructors who called to question me."

"Do you know how much pressure I had to withstand to block this matter for you?"

Li Zhihai waved his hand irritably.

"I know!"

"I never said I didn't believe you."

"Although this fact is absurd, it did happen, and I'm also very pissed off."

"How about this..."

He weighed it repeatedly in his heart.

This goddamn Wang Hongming is truly greedy; he wants to squeeze more benefits out of me.

But he was indeed in the wrong regarding this matter, so in the end, he could only grit his teeth and say,

"My older brother sent me a legendary-grade defensive skill book that I was originally planning to use myself."

"I'll compensate you with this skill book too, that should be enough, right?"

Li Zhihai's expression was extremely pained.

For Professionals of their level, transactions involving money were common, but they didn't carry much weight at critical moments.

To make the other party let it go, he had to bring out such a rare skill.

It was just that the effect attached to this skill was a True Shield, which was extremely rare.

His brother had only obtained it from another high-Rank Professional after encountering a good opportunity.

He hadn't even been happy with it for a few days after receiving it.

He had intended to learn it and make his main task this year grinding enough experience to quickly level this skill to the max.

He was preparing to have the confidence to complete a second-turn job advancement task for a top-tier profession by the end of the year.

As a result, Zhang Jian's matter had now completely spun out of his control.

Instead, he had to pay a price to cover it up.

Being encountered by Ye Xun earlier wasn't a big deal.

He could just insist that he was settling a personal grudge, and he could bluff his way through it.

Even if the higher-ups found out, the most they would do is reprimand him a few times, or at worst, fine him some salary or issue a notice.

But he instructed Wang Hongming to prevent a talented trainee Professional from obtaining in-school grades, making him unable to participate in the Professional University entrance exam.

That was a serious crime.

If investigated and confirmed, or even exposed, the lightest sentence would be life imprisonment.

It was even possible he would be sentenced to death.

Even his brother's status might not be enough to save him.

To shut Wang Hongming's mouth, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and part with his treasure.

After accepting the skill book, Wang Hongming's eyes became friendly as he probed,

"Are you talking about that brother of yours who is an instructor at the Kyoto Professional University and is at Rank 65?"

Li Zhihai said proudly,

"He recently reached Rank 69 and is preparing for his third-turn advancement."

Wang Hongming's eyes immediately became extremely respectful.

"Then it seems that before long, our Huaxia will welcome another third-turn Venerable-level existence!"

"This little brother congratulates Brother Li in advance!"

Li Zhihai was very satisfied with his changed attitude, and his tone became a bit more familiar.

"The third-turn advancement is so difficult; my brother only has a slight inkling of success, it's not certain yet."

Wang Hongming remained respectful.

In reality, he wasn't being respectful to Li Zhihai, but rather to the significance represented by the brother behind him.

Professionals like them, who were in their 30s and stuck before their second-turn advancement, were generally called Elite Professionals by the outside world.

In a small place like Jin City, they were considered the backbone, with quite a bit of influence.

But once they successfully completed their second-turn advancement after Rank 39 and broke through to Rank 40 or above, it would be a whole different world.

This stage had already blocked 90% of ordinary Professionals.

The title from the outside world would also change from Elite Professional to Great Master.

This title wasn't just used casually.

It represented someone who was already a pivotal figure in a certain Domain.

Not only was their strength far beyond theirs, but their influence would not be limited to the county or city level.

Within provincial-level regions, they were considered prominent figures.

And after Rank 69, upon completing the third-turn advancement, one could be said to have truly soared into the sky.

Only those with top-tier professions had a certain degree of certainty and confidence, belonging to the true level of top-tier Professionals.

Like Li Zhihai's brother, Li Zhiyong, if he successfully completed his third-turn advancement, his status and position would immediately change.

His position at the Professional University would immediately be promoted from senior instructor to associate professor level.

He would be invited into teams pioneering some high-Rank special dungeons.

Resources and wealth would simply no longer be an issue.

Whether it was senior strength, income, or influence, he would become an existence they would completely look up to.

If Li Zhiyong could really succeed in his third-turn advancement, Li Zhihai would also immediately rise in status, and the second-turn advancement would no longer be a difficult task.

Thinking of this, his previous dissatisfaction with Li Zhihai instantly vanished.

Instead, he slapped his chest, taking on an appearance of being loyal and righteous.

"Now we are comrades on the same boat, and I will absolutely keep my mouth shut about this matter!"

"If Zhang Jian cannot participate in the Professional University entrance exam, even if he has more talent, he will be buried in the vast crowd."

"As time passes, this matter will slowly be forgotten."

Although he spoke nicely, Li Zhihai was still a bit worried.

"Are you sure he cannot participate in the Professional University entrance exam?"

Speaking of this, Wang Hongming was full of confidence.

"The final step of our academy's internal grade review and confirmation must be approved by me."

"Without the status of an academy student, it's basically impossible to move a single step."

"Could it be that he can still grind out a difficulty rating in a wild dungeon?"

Li Zhihai pondered for a moment.

"Although this possibility is very small, we cannot let our guard down."

Wang Hongming laughed.

"You are, at any rate, a prominent figure in our Jincheng City; how can you still be afraid of a mere Zhang Jian?"

"Rest assured, within Jincheng City, I have dispatched people to keep an eye on the three dungeons below Rank 20. As soon as there is news, they will report it to me."

He patted Li Zhihai's shoulder and teased,

"Or are you afraid that he has the ability to grind a Rank 20 dungeon?"

Li Zhihai shook his head.

"That wouldn't be the case."

"Even back in the day, when Yun Feiyang wanted to clear a Rank 10 dungeon at the difficulty level, it took him several attempts to succeed."

"This Zhang Jian has no powerful teammates, only bringing a comatose little fatty; it's even more impossible."

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed.

"Wait, no!"

"That dungeon under the jurisdiction of that guy Ye Xun doesn't have a Rank limit for entry!"

Wang Hongming was stunned for a moment.

"Are you talking about the one in the black market?"

Li Zhihai nodded.

"It is said that when he was overdue previously, he had entered it twice and came out safe and sound; perhaps he has figured out some tricks."

Upon hearing it was this dungeon, Wang Hongming's expression instantly relaxed.

"Hah!"

"Look at how nervous you are."

"I know that dungeon. It's true that low-Rank individuals can enter, but the monsters inside are at least Rank 10 and at most Rank 25."

"At the very least, one has to continuously kill Rank 10 and Rank 15 excellence-grade BOSSes. There are even requirements for clear time and other restrictions just to get a relatively good evaluation in the difficulty level."

"In all these years, I have never heard of any team being able to clear the difficulty level."

"And they are only two people; how is that possible?"

Li Zhihai nodded in agreement, but a trace of unease still flashed through his heart.

With just two people, it shouldn't be possible to clear it, right?