144: Which window did God close for him?

Outside the Secret Realm, the vast, boundless grassland was already bustling with noise.

Tens of thousands of students from various evolution academies had gathered here, a dense mass like a rising tide.

Although the assessment had ended, the clamor in this world hadn't diminished in the slightest; instead, it intensified because of the shocking news that had just spread.

The focus of all discussion converged on one name—Qin Lang.

The Prodigy who, as a freshman, had forcibly snatched the ultimate grand prize of the Secret Realm Assessment.

"I don't believe it! This is absolutely impossible!"

In the crowd, Lei Zhen's face was distorted, his eyes bloodshot as he hissed and roared.

As a Genius of the Lei Family, he had always held himself in high regard. Hearing the news of Qin Lang taking the top spot, jealousy gnawed at his sanity like a venomous snake.

"The ultimate grand prize can only be obtained by going to the eighteenth floor of the dungeon. It's filled with Fourth-Tier Demon Clan Members; how could he, a freshman, manage that?"

Lei Zhen turned to his companions, trying to find agreement.

"It must be cheating! Or maybe he relied on the massive amount of biological energy he won from the Atlas Group to buy a mountain of four-star and five-star energy Talismans and smashed his way through!"

"He's just a pay-to-win player; it's not real skill at all!"

However, facing Lei Zhen's hysteria, Feng Rui, who had been silent by his side, appeared exceptionally calm.

He was among the first group to fight Qin Lang and had been severely face-slapped by him.

"Lei Zhen, give it a rest."

Feng Rui sighed, looking toward the exit of the Secret Realm with a complex gaze.

"Is it that hard to admit someone else is excellent? From the day he beat Atlas senseless on the stage, I knew we weren't from the same world."

Feng Rui shook his head, the competitive spirit he had been holding onto completely dissipating.

Being an enemy to such a monster was meaningless, other than bringing humiliation upon oneself.

Not far away, the Wanhao Academy camp was also deathly silent.

Before the assessment, they had clamored about sweeping the top three and teaching Qin Lang a lesson.

But now, those once arrogant sons of wealthy families were all dejected, like defeated roosters.

"Maybe... maybe he just got lucky and stumbled upon the ultimate grand prize?"

One student was still clinging to illusions, his voice trembling as he comforted himself.

"Even with a ten-thousand-point bonus, his total kill points might not exceed those of our pay-to-win big shots."

Just then, several surviving students who had just come out of the medical tent brought an even more explosive piece of news, completely shattering everyone's illusions.

"What the hell do you know!"

A wounded senior was so excited his face was flushed red as he shouted loudly.

"The Secret Realm was infiltrated by Foreign Races long ago! There was a Blood Refining Great Array beneath the eighteenth floor, specifically designed to refine students like us!"

"What?"

The surrounding students instantly broke into an uproar.

"If Junior Qin Lang hadn't charged into the array core alone and slain that half-step fifth-tier Blood Demon with a single Sword Qi strike, all of us... would have died inside!"

These words were like a heavy hammer, slamming hard against everyone's heart.

Immediately after, a video captured by a recorder began to spread like wildfire through the crowd.

In the footage, Sword Qi crisscrossed the sky, and golden flames descended like divine punishment.

The freshman who usually looked lazy now appeared like a god of slaughter descended to earth, splitting a terrifying Fourth-Tier Demon Clan Member in half with one sword strike.

That overwhelming visual impact caused all voices of doubt to vanish instantly.

Lei Zhen watched the video, his face pale, his lips trembling, unable to say another word.

He finally understood that Qin Lang's strength didn't need any external embellishments.

It was pure, despair-inducing dominance.

*Hum—*

Just then, the spatial portal ahead rippled violently.

The figures of Qin Lang and his group slowly walked out.

In an instant, the originally noisy grassland fell into a brief silence, followed by a mountain-shaking, ocean-roaring eruption of cheers.

"Qin Lang! Qin Lang!"

Countless admiring gazes hit him like spotlights. The freshmen were even more moved to tears, surging forward frantically to surround him like stars circling the moon.

At that moment, he was the one and only king.

On the outskirts of the crowd, Wei Hong was covered in bandages, sitting on a stretcher, staring fixedly at Qin Lang who was surrounded by the crowd.

His eyes were bloodshot, and his fingernails dug deep into his palms.

That glory, that spotlight of being the center of attention, should have belonged to him!

If it weren't for Qin Lang, that ultimate grand prize would have been in his pocket!

"Damn it... damn it all!"

Wei Hong's heart was filled with monstrous hatred, but he could only rage impotently in a corner.

"Silence!"

A majestic voice boomed in mid-air.

Director Wang of the academy stepped through the air, followed by a group of solemn-looking instructors.

He looked around the field, and the noise gradually subsided.

After a brief mourning for the students who had unfortunately sacrificed their lives in this assessment, Director Wang didn't waste words and waved his hand.

"Announce the results!"

*Hum!*

A massive holographic screen unfolded in the air, densely listing the point rankings of each grade.

Everyone held their breath.

The screen scrolled, first showing the rankings for the freshman group.

First place: Qin Lang (Olympus Academy).

Points: 56,800.

When this number appeared, a collective gasp echoed through the field.

"Fifty... fifty-six thousand points?!"

One must know that the second place, the pay-to-win big shot from Wanhao Academy who relied on five-star Talismans, only had a bit over twenty thousand points.

Qin Lang's points were actually more than double the second place!

This was a despair-inducing, overwhelming gap.

In the fifth position, Su Muyue's name was also prominently listed; clearly, her fortuitous encounters in the Secret Realm had yielded a bountiful harvest.

Next was the sophomore group.

First place: Shangguan Xue (Olympus Academy).

Seeing this name, many students showed expressions of surprise, and there were even some whispers, as Shangguan Xue was competing across grades at a freshman's age.

But when people thought of the rumors that she had already achieved a Breakthrough to the third tier and awakened the Double Pupils, the doubt was quickly replaced by admiration.

Finally, the senior group.

First place: Xiang Changkong (Xiang Family).

And that arrogant, self-important Wei Hong, because he was heavily injured and immobilized at the final moment, missed many opportunities to harvest points and ultimately ranked only fourth.

Looking at that glaring "Fourth" on the screen, Wei Hong was so angry his vision went dark, and he almost fainted on the spot.

Not even making the top three was an utter disgrace to him.

"Finally, announcing the winner of the ultimate grand prize for this joint examination."

Director Wang's voice rang out again, carrying a hint of undisguised praise.

At the very top of the holographic screen, golden light flashed, and a line of large characters slowly emerged.

[Ultimate Grand Prize Winner: Qin Lang]

[Reward: heavenly dao talisman (two) and 10,000 points]

Although it had already been known through rumors, when this scene was officially confirmed, the shock still struck people's hearts directly.

Thunderous applause and cheers erupted on the grassland once more.

The students looked at the youth standing on the podium, his expression calm as if he had only done something insignificant. The jealousy in their hearts had long since vanished, leaving only a deep sense of powerlessness and admiration.

Dual Mythic Gene, slaying across tiers, proficient in potions, wealthy enough to rival a nation... and now added with the hero's halo of saving everyone.

This man was simply too perfect to be true.

In the crowd, several girls gathered together, looking toward Qin Lang with infatuated eyes.

"This is just too ridiculous..."

One girl couldn't help but sigh, her tone full of disbelief.

"He's handsome, strong, and rich, and even his luck is so Heaven-Defying."

Her companion nodded in deep agreement, then joked with a bitter smile:

"I really wonder which window Heaven actually closed for him?"

"Yeah, some say when God closes a door, He opens a window, but for him, it's like God tore down the walls just to make everything more unobstructed for him."