Hong, the principal, had barely finished speaking when a moment of silence fell over the scene.

"Well... Principal, our school's joint activities with Fourth High School are going pretty well, aren't they?" Long Xiang said awkwardly.

"Ahem, yes, yes." The principal of First High School was also completely bewildered.

How did a student from Fourth High School manage to get into the center position of their First High School team?

It didn't make sense!

If the principals on the stage were clueless, the students of First High School were even more so.

They all thought Qiao Yu was some secret weapon the school had been cultivating.

Regardless of what they thought, the graduating students from the four high schools in Su City had taken their positions.

The four teams were lined up neatly on the examination field, with four designated areas in front of them, each corresponding to one of the four main professional classes.

Each area contained numerous arenas, and in front of the arenas was a podium. A middle-aged man in a suit walked onto the podium.

"Good morning, examinees of Su City!"

The examinees' gazes all turned to him, as this middle-aged man was Fang Biao Zhi, the mayor of Su City.

"I am very honored to once again stand here and see off a new batch of talented individuals as they participate in the annual college entrance examination."

"To be honest, no matter how many times I participate, I am always just as excited!"

"Because it means that I will once again witness the birth of geniuses in Su City, and witness my Su City contribute another group of talented individuals to the country!"

"Three years of hard training to sharpen a sword, calm and composed in the heat of battle."

"Everyone! Your era has begun!"

As Fang Biao Zhi finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted from below, and the fire of burning ambition ignited in the eyes of the young students.

There were many opportunities to change one's life, but the college entrance examination was clearly the greatest.

After Fang Biao Zhi stepped down from the stage, a stern-faced old man took his place.

Behind the old man was a large, unidentified object covered with a curtain.

"I am the chief examiner for this college entrance examination, Jin Tong!"

"Mayor Fang has already said the pleasantries, so I won't waste any time. This year's college entrance examination will use an elimination system based on points."

"Winning a round earns 2 points, losing a round deducts 1 point. Consecutive wins earn an additional 1 point, consecutive losses do not deduct additional points."

"After ten rounds, the ten students with the highest scores will compete in a擂台赛 (lèitáisài - arena battle) to determine the first-place winner. Is that clear?"

"Clear!"

A unified response echoed from below.

"Very good! You may all attack freely, without worrying about accidental injuries, because this college entrance examination will adopt the rules of... the Duels Zone!"

As Jin Tong finished speaking, the examinees below erupted in an uproar. Some were even more motivated, while others looked worried.

"The rules of the Duels Zone..." Qiao Yu muttered to himself.

Holding the college entrance examination under the rules of the Duels Zone meant that players would not die. When a player's health reached 1, their health would automatically lock, and they would be judged as having lost.

In this way, the examinees' attacks would definitely be more ruthless and violent, which was undoubtedly a nightmare for examinees with insufficient combat experience.

"I now announce that the 3080th Su City College Entrance Examination has officially begun!"

Jin Tong ripped off the curtain behind him, revealing a massively enlarged, high-powered Otherworld Conversion Device.

Jin Tong pressed the switch, and the entire examination field was instantly converted into the Otherworld.

"Now, examinees, enter the corresponding areas according to your respective professions!"

Qiao Yu turned and walked towards the mage area, where he finally met up with Yang Xiang Di.

"Brother Yu! You're amazing! How did you manage to become the leader of First High School? That's so cool! Teach me, so I can show off next time too!"

Behind Qiao Yu, the faces of the students from First High School turned green upon hearing this.

So, after all that, the person who had been showing off at the front was actually from another school?

This was unbearable!

Several students from First High School immediately made threatening remarks.

"Kid, just you wait, don't let us run into you in the examination field! Otherwise, you're dead!"

"That's right, how dare you mess with us like that! You're going to get a beating!"

Yang Xiang Di stepped in front of Qiao Yu and said in a provocative manner.

"Loved, hated, hurt, castrated, when has my brother Yu ever been afraid? If you have the guts, then beat him to death!"

Qiao Yu: "..."

Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, several hot-blooded students from First High School rolled up their sleeves and rushed forward, wanting to start a fight.

What kind of young man wouldn't be impetuous?

"Stop! Stop fighting!"

"If you want to fight, go fight on the arena!"

An invigilator stopped the few from causing trouble. Only then did the few students calm down, but the way they looked at Qiao Yu was obviously even more resentful.

"Alright, now we'll begin drawing the first round of match-ups for the mage division examination field."

The invigilator waved his hand, and a holographic projection of a giant screen appeared in front of everyone, with the names of all the mage division college entrance examination students from the four high schools scrolling on it.

[First Round]

[Arena 108: First High School (Long Mietian) vs. Fourth High School (Qiao Yu)]

"Long Mietian? What kind of chuuni (中二病 - referring to adolescent delusions of grandeur) parents would give their child a name like that?"

Qiao Yu finished muttering softly, only to realize that a young man beside him was staring at him with bloodshot eyes. This young man was the same one who had just threatened to beat him up.

"Kid! First you impersonated a student from our First High School, insulting my school! Then you insulted my name. This isn't over! Let's go to the arena!"

Long Mietian walked up menacingly.

"First, your teacher was the one who told me to stand at the front."

"Second, your name was given to you by your parents. All I can do is laugh at it."

Long Mietian, who was climbing the steps, almost slipped and fell after hearing this.

"Get up here! I'm going to rip your mouth apart!" Long Mietian furiously pulled out his staff.

Qiao Yu shrugged and walked up as well. He didn't really care about the early qualifying rounds.

He believed that, with his current strength, he was at least 60% certain of taking first place in the Su City mage division.

"Are you ready?" the invigilator asked.

"Ready." x2

Long Mietian looked enraged, while Qiao Yu looked indifferent, even picking his nose.

After all, compared to facing a big boss like the Mechanical Empress, Long Mietian really couldn't bring him any pressure.

"Both sides, please introduce yourselves."

"First High School, Long Mietian, level 9, apprentice lightning mage."

Long Mietian looked arrogant. It was important to know that lightning was the rarest and strongest of all elemental mages, and the mighty power of heaven was not to be trifled with.

"Kid, it's your turn!"

Long Mietian stared at Qiao Yu with disdain.

"Fourth High School, Qiao Yu, level 11, novice necromancer."