Chapter 85

Praying pushed open the heavy doors of the Adventurers' Guild branch with a fierce determination, the two thick wooden doors slamming against the walls with a loud clanging sound.

In an instant, all eyes in the room focused on her.

This girl, carefree and indifferent to others' gazes, scanned the room and locked her eyes on a stunned individual. She strode forward angrily, stopping in front of Sunlight, but suddenly fell silent.

Sunlight hadn't expected Praying to still be alive. If this girl was still alive, then... Dong must also be nearby! He turned his body and indeed saw Dong's figure gradually approaching from behind Praying. Sunlight was a shrewd person; how could he not realize that the young man's strength had grown even more?

Praying slammed her hand on the table in front of Sunlight, making a loud noise that caused the cups and bottles on the table to jump. She then spat out angrily, "Sunlight, are you even a man?!"

These words were met with a moment of silence, and then the room erupted into laughter. Some people even winked and shot Sunlight a knowing glance.

Praying, who usually didn't care about such idle talk, kept her eyes fixed on Sunlight, as if trying to read something from them.

Faced with her aggressive gaze, even the carefree and smiling Sunlight couldn't help but look away, unable to meet her eyes. He took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Praying, you're still alive and kicking, so what's there to complain about?"

"Do you have the nerve to say that?" Praying sneered. "When you suddenly ran away and left me behind, did you really think I would be fine? Bullshit! If it weren't for Dong showing up at the critical moment, I would have been dead long ago!"

Sunlight's face turned red with anger and embarrassment. "What do you want from me? We're not related, and I've already done enough by getting you back to the city. Do you want me to die there? Grow up, everyone's life is important!"

Sunlight's rebuttal had its own logic. He and Praying were neither lovers nor partners; they just happened to be together. It couldn't be said that one betrayed the other or that one abandoned the other. Life is priceless, and everyone values their own life the most!

This point was undeniable.

Praying was speechless, her face turning red with anger, unable to say a word.

There are always people who lack discernment and tact. At this moment, a rough man in animal skin, misunderstanding Praying's identity and thinking she was just an ordinary girl, reached out his hand to touch her shoulder.

Praying, in a fit of rage, felt someone approaching and suddenly turned around. Her arm, soft and boneless, twisted like a compressed spring suddenly released, bursting with immense power.

A punch shot out, filled with her boundless resentment, the force surging and fierce!

The man let out a light exclamation, clearly an experienced fighter, and deftly redirected her punch with a circular motion, easily neutralizing it.

The next second, Praying's eyes became clear, and her arm made a series of cracking sounds. The skin on her fist was instantly covered with a layer of fine, iridescent yellow scales. The scales rippled, and as the old force dissipated, new force emerged. With a light push, a spiral of energy shot out from the top of her fist!

Second-stage power!

The man, caught off guard, instinctively raised his arm to block.

Bang!

The spiral of energy exploded on his arm, instantly tearing off the animal skin and leaving a spiral pattern on the surface. The wound, like a cut from a sharp blade, bled profusely, and the man groaned in pain, falling backward and knocking over a table behind him.

Praying's attack truly left everyone in the room impressed, and many even applauded. This girl had just broken through to become a Second-stage Awakened!

The man, who had failed in his attempt, was furious and stood up, shouting at Praying, "Bitch, you're asking for it!"

At this moment, his companion pulled him back and nodded toward Dong.

The man finally noticed Dong's position and realized they were a team. He suppressed his anger, "Damn, we've run into a demon! I'll give that bitch a good lesson during the field trial!"

Another person, who hadn't fully grasped the situation, curiously asked, "What's so scary about this kid? He's dressed in rags, like a beggar."

The man who had stopped his companion from acting snorted, "This morning, someone submitted seven qualification certificates, all with enhancements! That means at least six people contributed their certificates."

The other person still didn't understand, "Why is that scary?"

The man, frustrated, wanted to slap him, "Would you willingly contribute your certificate?"

The other person finally showed a look of surprise and lowered his voice, "You mean he killed at least six Second-stage Awakened? This young man looks so kind and gentle, but his heart is so cruel! You can't judge a person by their appearance."

Dong hadn't expected Praying to break through to the First-stage and officially become a Second-stage Awakened at this moment. Unlike him, Praying's advancement was a gradual accumulation, and her combat strength might be even stronger than Dong's.

With her breakthrough, Praying's anger subsided significantly. She looked at Sunlight with a mocking smile, "Someone like you doesn't even understand why you're here for the exam. What's the point of passing? Without the heart of a strong person, even if you have the power to create the world, it's all in vain. I look down on you!"

Sunlight, rarely silent, looked like a defeated dog.

Dong tugged at Praying's sleeve, "Don't say more. What's the point? Go submit your qualification certificate. Don't miss the time."

While Praying was submitting her certificate, Dong began to observe the candidates in the branch. There were about forty candidates, and among them, only Sunlight was a First-stage Awakened.

Dong remembered that only thirty-four candidates had passed the initial exam, and he himself had eliminated two. Why were there forty candidates? He thought for a moment, wondering if there were other ways to get enhancements in Blood Helmet City. If so, these additional candidates were likely from noble families in Blood Helmet City or its surroundings.

Among these people, about twenty could be assessed for their strength, all Second-stage Awakened. The other twenty, even with Dong's keen eye, couldn't be assessed.

Two of them stood out.

A young man in his early twenties, with a cold expression, sat like a soldier, ready for action. Anyone who stared at him for too long would receive a sharp, knife-like glance.

Another young man, also in his early twenties, was handsome and refined, with several companions, all of whom were not weak. They formed the only clearly organized team. Both the young man and his companions were dressed in luxurious and exquisite clothing, clearly not from ordinary families.

Soon, Praying returned, and the two found a table to sit and wait quietly.

A middle-aged man in white, elegant and graceful, soon walked out from the inner room.

Seeing this man, Dong felt he had seen him somewhere before. After a moment of thought, he realized, "Right, this man looks like he was carved from the same mold as Second Master Ma."

Praying carefully observed and nodded, "He does look like him."

The middle-aged man stood with his hands behind his back and smiled slightly, making everyone feel as if they were basking in a warm breeze. He spoke in a gentle voice, "First, congratulations to all of you for passing the initial exam and successfully participating in this year's Adventurer Exam. The harshness of the Adventurer Exam, I'm sure you have already experienced. We issued 120 qualification certificates, and nearly 80 of them couldn't be recovered..."

Dong couldn't help but recall the brutal battles of the past few days, feeling a chill.

The middle-aged man continued, "This year's Adventurer Exam is different from previous years. There is only one task."

The room erupted in shock! Many faces turned ashen, looking extremely grim.

Dong looked around and quickly understood the reason.

As one of the most popular professions in this world, the elimination rate of Adventurers has always been high. A simple initial exam eliminated two-thirds of the candidates. The success rate in previous years was as low as one percent, and there were even times when no one passed.

To eliminate enough candidates with just one task, the difficulty of this task must be extremely high, forcing the candidates to give their all!

This was why many faces were so grim.

The middle-aged man announced the task, "The task for this year's Adventurer Exam is to collect a Starlight Grass within twenty days."

Starlight Grass?!

Even Praying's expression showed a rare look of surprise.

Dong learned that Starlight Grass was an extremely valuable plant, with effects comparable to a First-stage Divine Power Fruit. Blood Armor Pills, used to enhance the Blood Armor, were in high demand in Blood Helmet City, and the reason for this was not a lack of Divine Power Fruits, but a lack of the main ingredient, Starlight Grass! A single Starlight Grass was even more expensive than a Divine Power Fruit, with each plant worth at least 140 gold coins.

To collect Starlight Grass in Blood Helmet City, one must enter the Ghost Forest. What was the Ghost Forest? It was a terrifying place that even Adventurers dared to enter only in groups.

After announcing the task, the middle-aged man left without further ado.

Soon, the elegantly dressed young man led his companions out. They were all at least Second-stage Awakened, with excellent team composition, including both tanks and damage dealers.

Others quickly snapped out of their shock and began forming teams.

In the end, only Sunlight and the young man who sat like a soldier remained without a team.

The young man, like a silent blade, ignored Dong and Praying and walked out of the branch. As for Sunlight... he looked like he wanted to give up.

At the last moment, Dong extended his hand, "Sunlight, let's go together. I believe in you, and this time, you won't let us down."

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