21: Chapter 21 is tantamount to declaring war on the Blue Star Alliance!

Rebecca Parker and Shen Qingci stared blankly at Shangguan Yunshu, momentarily forgetting how to speak.

The bustling noises in the dungeon lobby seemed to be blocked out in the distance, and the atmosphere became somewhat quiet for a moment.

Shangguan Yunshu did not seem offended at all; her expression remained as calm as ever as she nodded slightly, her voice cool yet not aloof: "Hello."

Hearing Shangguan Yunshu's words, Shen Qingci and Rebecca Parker finally snapped back to reality.

This is real!

It's not an illusion, nor is it a dream!

The [star-slicing veil], Shangguan Yunshu, was actually standing right in front of them!

A fierce brilliance suddenly burst forth in Rebecca Parker's eyes.

She took half a step forward, but realizing that this was a bit rash, she abruptly pulled her foot back, her voice incomparably excited: "Your Excellency Shangguan Yunshu! Hello, I am a fan of yours!"

Compared to Rebecca Parker, Shen Qingci wasn't as outgoing, but she was equally excited with flushed cheeks, her fair fingers nervously pinching the hem of her mage robe.

Her lips moved slightly, and her voice was a bit soft: "H-Hello, Your Excellency Shangguan Yunshu!"

Shangguan Yunshu glanced at the two of them and nodded slightly, the expression on her cold, peerless face softening just a fraction: "Your talents are quite good, keep up the good work."

Teaming up as a pair and being able to fight all the way to Kezhi was enough to prove that the two of them had good Soul Talents.

At worst, it had to be the purple legendary Rank, and the orange epic Rank was also a strong possibility.

If they were paired with an elite full five-person team, there would be hope of passing Kezhi.

Hearing Shangguan Yunshu's praise, Shen Qingci and Rebecca Parker immediately clenched their fists in excitement, unable to suppress the corners of their mouths from turning up.

Shen Qingci pursed her lips, smiling rather subduedly, while Rebecca grinned brightly, revealing her neat, white teeth.

Shen Qingci nodded repeatedly, her high ponytail swaying slightly with the motion: "Thank you, thank you for the compliment, Your Excellency Shangguan Yunshu!"

Rebecca Parker was a bit more direct. She took a deep breath, looked at Shangguan Yunshu with an expectant expression, and asked: "Your Excellency Shangguan Yunshu, when our Ranks are a bit higher, can we join your Dawn Pioneering Team?!"

As soon as these words were uttered, Advisor Jiang Lan and the others on the side glanced over slightly.

The Dawn Pioneering Team...

This was one of the top pioneering teams in the Blue Star Alliance!

It was also the most powerful pioneering team of the new generation!

As a top Genius of the new generation in the Blue Star Alliance, Shangguan Yunshu naturally also shouldered the responsibility of pioneering new dungeons for the Blue Star Alliance.

Every time a new dungeon appeared in the Universe, the rewards brought by the first clear were precious enough to make major factions fight tooth and nail!

Whether it was high-tech items, powerful combat class equipment, or perhaps treasures for Awakening Soul Talents and so on...

Every single one of them was something that could stir up bloody storms if brought outside!

To the entire Blue Star Alliance, they were naturally supreme treasures as well!

Not to mention the bountiful returns brought by pioneering new dungeons itself.

As for the Dawn Pioneering Team led by Shangguan Yunshu, all of its members were top geniuses.

Every single pioneering team member possessed at least a purple legendary-grade Soul Talent!

They were also recognized by the Blue Star Alliance as the elite among the elites of the younger generation!

Being able to join Shangguan Yunshu's Dawn Pioneering Team was the dream of the vast majority of novice professionals!

For Shen Qingci and Rebecca Parker, it was naturally the same.

Hearing Rebecca's inquiry, Shangguan Yunshu's expression didn't show a trace of surprise.

She had probably heard this kind of request far too many times.

She merely said calmly: "It depends on your subsequent performance."

The danger of pioneering dungeons was extremely high.

After all, in newly emerged dungeons, whether it was the monster types, boss skills, or dungeon mechanics, everything was unknown.

Even geniuses could lose their lives at any moment in a dungeon.

If the members in the pioneering team were not outstanding enough, they would not only get themselves killed, but might even drag their teammates down to their deaths.

Therefore, regarding the recruitment of pioneering team members, Shangguan Yunshu had always maintained the most rigorous attitude.

In addition to excellent talent requirements, there were extremely high demands in various aspects such as a professional's on-the-spot adaptability when facing danger, psychological resilience under high pressure, and execution of tactics!

Furthermore, on the premise that talent met the minimum standard, a professional's own combat literacy was even more important than the quality of their Soul Talent!

A possessor of a purple legendary-Rank talent who could remain calm in the face of danger, could even bring their own strengths into play, and could bring positive benefits to the team in desperate situations was definitely more favored by Shangguan Yunshu than a possessor of an orange epic-Rank talent who panicked when facing danger and even dragged the team backward!

Therefore, Shangguan Yunshu naturally wouldn't directly agree to Shen Qingci and Rebecca Parker's request.

She needed to observe the two of them's subsequent growth status.

Although Shangguan Yunshu didn't give a definitive reply, the two of them were still excited.

After all, Shangguan Yunshu hadn't explicitly rejected them!

This showed that they had hope!

Rebecca quietly nudged Shen Qingci with her elbow, making excited faces and winking at her.

Just at this moment, Shen Qingci and Rebecca Parker belatedly thought of something.

The two exchanged glances, both seeing confusion in each other's eyes.

Why would Shangguan Yunshu appear here?

However, both of them were smart people; the moment this thought popped up, the answer floated to the surface along with it.

To be able to make a figure of Shangguan Yunshu's caliber personally visit the scene, there could only be one reason: an extremely powerful Genius had appeared in the welfare dungeon!

This Genius's level of power had even reached the point where it was worth Shangguan Yunshu coming to recruit them in person!

The two turned their heads almost simultaneously, casting their gazes toward the record stele outside the dungeon exit.

When their eyes saw the first name and the kill records behind it, they both widened their eyes with looks of shock.

Shen Qingci couldn't help covering her small mouth, exclaiming in a low voice: "There's a kill record for a Hero-grade boss?! H-He cleared Kezhi?!"

Her mind flashed instantly with those overwhelming black branches in the dungeon, densely interweaving into a net, crushing over from all directions with nowhere to hide!

A boss of that intensity could actually be cleared by someone?!

Meanwhile, Rebecca Parker swept her gaze toward the few names further down at the first opportunity.

Her pupils shrank slightly, and she muttered somewhat incredulously: "He... soloed it?!"

Shen Qingci's body shook, and she hurriedly checked as well.

The second and third places were her and Rebecca.

This...

If other professionals had teamed up with this classmate Lu Yang, then she and Rebecca definitely couldn't have ranked second and third!

Then there was only one possibility.

This classmate Lu Yang had soloed it!

He soloed and killed the Hero-grade boss Kezhi!

Shen Qingci and Rebecca exchanged glances, both seeing a trace of frustration in each other's eyes.

Don't look at how they only teamed up as a pair.

But Rebecca had awakened as a special class, a Holy Light Knight, right off the bat, learning several high-level skills. She could tank, deal damage, and heal, and her self-preservation ability was also extremely strong.

As for Shen Qingci's Soul Talent, it leaned toward a Frost Mage; she had likewise learned several frost-type skills with extremely high damage and extremely strong crowd control abilities.

The combination of the two of them was almost equivalent to a standard five-person squad!

Exactly because of this, they chose to team up as a pair to clear the Nightmare-grade dungeon.

To them, unless another novice professional's Soul Talent reached their level, others would only be holding them back.

Teaming up with them was worse than not teaming up at all!

However, even with a combination like theirs, they still couldn't beat Kezhi.

This classmate Lu Yang... Just how did he manage to do it??

Shen Qingci and Rebecca couldn't imagine it, and at the same time, they developed an extremely strong curiosity toward this classmate Lu Yang whom they had never met.

Advisor Jiang Lan spoke up at this time, saying in a gentle and serious tone: "Qingci, Rebecca, the two of you leave the dungeon exit by ten meters first; what happens next is very important."

This was not only to prevent Shen Qingci and Rebecca from being spies, but also to protect the two of them at the same time.

After all, if there really were spies mixed among the novice professionals, being by Lu Yang's side next would be the most dangerous place.

Although Shen Qingci and Rebecca's Soul Talents were not bad, after all, they had just undergone Awakening, and their combat power was as thin as a piece of paper.

Shen Qingci and Rebecca were startled for a moment, casting somewhat perplexed glances at Advisor Jiang Lan and the others, whose expressions were serious.

Although they were somewhat puzzled, they still nodded.

"Alright."

Just as they intended to leave, Shangguan Yunshu's calm voice sounded: "You don't need to leave."

Advisor Jiang Lan and the others were startled for a moment, successively looking toward Shangguan Yunshu with puzzled expressions in their eyes.

Shangguan Yunshu said calmly: "Your talents are also good; you are geniuses among us humans. If there really are spies here and they find themselves unable to kill Lu Yang, they might make a move on you instead."

As soon as these words were spoken, Advisor Jiang Lan and the others suddenly understood in their hearts.

If the cost of assassinating Lu Yang was too high, it was entirely possible for the spies to settle for next best and strike at the other two geniuses.

After all, when it came to geniuses of the opposing faction, naturally every single one strangled meant one less.

Ian Montague immediately said solemnly: "Lady Shangguan, we will protect Qingci and Rebecca well!"

Shangguan Yunshu didn't say much else and nodded slightly.

Meanwhile, Shen Qingci and Rebecca exchanged even more dumbfounded glances.

How come it feels... like this setup is a bit terrifying?

Just how huge of a commotion did this classmate Lu Yang make?

The two of them felt a bit uneasy.

Just at this moment, on the stele, behind Lu Yang's name, the kill record suddenly jumped.

The Hero-grade monster kill count changed to 2.

Almost simultaneously, Lu Yang's name began to emit a golden glow.

That glow floated up from the surface of the stele, growing brighter and brighter.

The densely packed monster-grinding records behind the name slowly faded away, eventually condensing into two large characters.

[Cleared!]

In the dungeon lobby, the air seemed to be sucked out of thin air for a split second.

Everyone widened their eyes, staring blankly at the two characters "Cleared", with no one speaking for a moment.

Hundreds of people were crammed into the lobby, yet it was so quiet that one could hear the sound of their own heartbeat.

Shangguan Yunshu hardly lost her focus and was the first to react.

A flash of fierce, stern light crossed her cool, detached eyes, and the magic power within her surged like a tidal wave.

Her plain white robe fluttered without wind, and her black hair gently lifted.

In the next instant, the surrounding space seemed to be sliced apart.

Everyone felt as though they had been pulled into an independent Small World.

Even though they could clearly still see everything around them, feel the temperature of the air and the metal floor beneath their feet, they seemed to be separated by an infinite distance from every single person beside them.

Just as they were somewhat panicked and bewildered, Shangguan Yunshu's cool and calm voice rang out. Her voice was not loud, yet it clearly penetrated through every layer of sliced space, carrying unquestionable majesty and sternness: "People of other civilizations, listen up: making a move against Lu Yang is equivalent to declaring war on the Blue Star Alliance!"