57: Chapter 57, the first gap

[Lu Yin (Level 19), Round 5! Time: 0.5 seconds! Points: 480!]

When those dazzling numbers reappeared at the top of the leaderboard, the entire plaza fell into a state of absolute silence.

This time, even the three giants atop the high platform—Hong Feng, Lin Haina, and Ye Fenghua, Commander—couldn't stop a flicker of shock from crossing their eyes.

Given their status and experience, they had long been accustomed to great storms.

But at this moment, Lu Yin's performance was genuinely impacting their understanding of reality.

"This little fellow can actually summon even more?!"

Lin Haina pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, his gaze behind the lenses sharp as a blade.

As it turned out, the moment the illusion tower scene switched to the dilapidated ruins, Lu Yin had subconsciously summoned twenty more Phantom Assassins.

Twenty hideous monsters roared as they pounced from the shadows of the ruins.

Thirty dark figures struck silently, like specters.

In the dim environment of the ruins, their forms almost merged with the surroundings, their movements so fast they were reduced to faint afterimages.

Blade light flashed; the twenty monsters didn't even have time to let out a full roar.

In less than half a second, they dissipated into streaks of white light.

Following a brief silence, the candidate waiting area erupted like a boiling pot of oil as exclamations rose one after another.

"That's impossible!" a candidate cried out in shock.

"Twenty monsters scattered throughout the ruins—how did he manage to deal with all of them in half a second?"

"..."

Naturally, their questions went unanswered.

The only ones who knew everything were the three big shots on the platform and the examiner controlling the illusion tower.

A candidate's combat process is highly private; the outside world has no way of knowing the details.

Because this involves a Professional's personal privacy, the footage is usually sealed directly into their personal files.

Inside the illusion tower, Lu Yin was completely unaware of all this.

[Sixth Round of Assessment Begins]

[Target: Kill 20 Level 22 Elite Monsters]

The monsters in the sixth round were slightly stronger than before.

But for Lu Yin, the process was no different; it was still like chopping vegetables.

The reason his battles were so simple, besides the abnormal strength of the Death Soldier, was that he required zero consumption.

Ordinary Professionals need to do things personally, consuming physical strength and mental energy while weighing the timing of skill usage.

As time passes, they naturally feel fatigued and unable to keep up.

But Lu Yin had absolutely no concerns in this regard.

The Death Soldier were his most perfect killing tools—tireless and fearless of pain.

They would only faithfully execute his will, sweeping away all obstacles for him.

"Sixth round, 0.5 seconds again..."

When this number froze again, the faces of the candidates in the waiting area were nearly numb, as if even their capacity for shock had been overdrawn.

Seventh round, eighth round...

The rounds kept changing, yet that 0.5 seconds seemed eternal.

"Thirty summons, and each one possesses the strength to insta-kill an elite monster of the same level."

Hong Feng narrowed his eyes, the look of surprise on his aged face gradually fading into something deeper.

Lin Haina added in a heavy tone,

"What's even more terrifying is that we still can't be sure if these summons are his limit."

Ye Fenghua, Commander also spoke with a hint of disbelief in his voice.

"And after so many consecutive rounds, the number of his summons hasn't decreased; it actually increased."

"This indicates that his summoning doesn't require the consumption of mental energy or physical strength at all."

The three big shots looked at each other, seeing the same alarm in each other's eyes.

This ability had already exceeded their understanding of the Summoner-type classes.

At the very front of the waiting area, Qin Chuan stood with his hands behind his back, his body trembling slightly with excitement.

Watching the repeated "0.5 seconds" ticking beside Lu Yin's name, his heart was filled with an indescribable pride and gratification.

This was the true gem he had encountered in his teaching career.

Meanwhile, inside the illusion tower, Lu Yin had already entered the tenth round of the assessment—the final stage of the regular assessment.

As the final round of the regular assessment, five Level 25 BOSS creatures appeared before him.

As the notification sound faded, five massive figures slowly solidified within the ruins.

On the left was a giant bear covered in blazing flames, leaving scorching footprints on the ground with every step.

On the right coiled an Ice Crystal Giant Python, emitting a bone-chilling cold from its body.

In the center stood a Rock Giant wielding a massive axe, while on the other sides were a Thunder Eagle wreathed in electric arcs and a Man-Eating Flower King waving poisonous vines.

With five Level 25 BOSSes appearing simultaneously, the energy fluctuations in the entire illusion space became turbulent.

If an ordinary candidate faced such a lineup, they would likely have turned pale long ago.

However, Lu Yin merely raised his hand slightly.

Thirty dark figures moved at once, their speed reaching the extreme.

They didn't even give these BOSSes a chance to activate their skills before emptying their health bars completely.

[Lu Yin (Level 19), Round 10! Time: 0.5 seconds! Points: 15360!]

As Lu Yin completed the ten rounds of the regular assessment, his total assessment time added up to only 5 seconds.

This result was something that had never been seen before in the entire history of humanity.

At this moment, what welled up in everyone's hearts was no longer just shock, but a trace of indescribable horror.

After finishing the regular assessment, Lu Yin did not immediately enter endless mode.

According to the rules, he had to wait for all candidates to finish the regular assessment before they could all start it together.

The notification sound of the illusion tower rang out, and simultaneously, a virtual ranking list unfolded before his eyes.

His name hung high at the top of the list with a massive lead.

A moment later, the names for second and third place also lit up.

This meant that besides him, other candidates had also completed the ten regular test rounds.

[1st Place: Lu Yin, Total Time: 5 seconds!]

[2nd Place: Ye Qingxian, Total Time: 5 minutes 36 seconds!]

[3rd Place: Xiang Cang, Total Time: 6 minutes 27 seconds!]

[4th Place: Baili Qiansheng, Total Time: 8 minutes 09 seconds!]

[...]

The leaderboard appeared simultaneously before all the candidates who had not yet left the illusion space.

Inside her independent space, Ye Qingxian, dressed in white and looking as cool as an immortal, had eyes like autumn water that were now filled with disbelief.

She stared at that piercing "5 seconds" on the ranking list, her slender jade fingers unconsciously tightening.

Ye Qingxian had originally thought that with her abilities, she was enough to reign supreme over her generation...

She hadn't expected reality to give her such a blunt blow to the head.

"5 seconds... how is this possible?!"

On the other side, Xiang Cang carried his massive blade, his bronze-colored face filled with dull shock.

He had originally thought his results were terrifying enough, but he never expected someone could leave him so far behind.

"5 seconds... is this really something a human can achieve?"

After a brief moment of bewilderment, Baili Qiansheng could only wear a bitter smile.

Every Mythic Class Professional was originally a favored child of heaven carrying the destiny of the era.

They all had their own pride and the powerful strength to write their own legends.

However, when the line "Total Time: 5 seconds" stood before them like an insurmountable chasm,

Their indestructible pride seemed to quietly develop a crack.