Chapter 28: A Shocking Spectacle! Solo Challenge of the A-Rank Trial!

Lin Yi was taken aback. "You know who I am?"

Jiang Xian surveyed Lin Yi with keen interest. "I haven't met you in person, but I’ve heard your name so often my ears are practically calloused. My granddaughter mentions you quite frequently. Just this morning, she told me to look out for you and help arrange this trial for you."

Zuo Qian’s eyes lit up. He hadn't expected Elder Jiang to actually know Lin Yi! This made things much easier.

Lin Yi felt a bit awkward. The old man before him shared the surname Jiang. Combined with what he had said, it wasn't hard to guess that Jiang Xian was likely Jiang Ya's grandfather.

"President Jiang, isn't it a bit improper to be so blatantly pulling strings for your acquaintances?" A cold voice drifted from behind Jiang Xian.

The speaker was a young man in a suit wearing gold-rimmed glasses, carrying an air of aloofness. Another person standing beside him chuckled, "And if I may be blunt, it’s not that we look down on the educational standards of Jiang City, but surely none of the freshmen in your current batch could actually clear this trial. Rather than occupying spots only to go in and die, you’d be better off making way for our Tianshui Academy freshmen. We’ve traveled a long way, and we’d prefer not to wait too long."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xian's expression soured. He had been acting with courtesy, adhering to the principle that guests should be treated with hospitality while receiving this group that had traveled from afar specifically to allow their first-year Mage-class students to participate in this trial dungeon.

Lin Yi frowned slightly. He detested the way these people acted so haughtily, looking down on others with their noses in the air. It was true that these people from Tianshui Academy were almost all at or above the Second Advancement, with a very small number even reaching the Third. But they weren't exactly invincible. What were they putting on airs for?

Just as they were speaking, a cry of alarm erupted from the entrance of the dungeon. Turning toward the sound, Lin Yi saw Jiang Ya looking pale, walking in a daze, supported by another professional.

Jiang Xian’s expression shifted, and he hurried forward. Even by past experience, this Mage-class trial shouldn't have been that difficult. But there was always risk. Had they failed to clear it?

"Ya'er, what happened to you all…?"

Jiang Ya was clearly in a state of deep shock; her entire body trembled, and her face was terrifyingly pale. Seeing her grandfather, her eyes turned red, and tears instantly streamed down her cheeks. "Grandfather, Second Uncle, he… Second Uncle, he… *sob!*"

Jiang Xian’s expression grew deathly grim. He realized that only three people had returned with his granddaughter! Another person was missing—Jiang Ya’s second uncle, Jiang Xian’s second son!

"What happened? Ya'er, stop crying for a moment, calm down, and tell Grandfather what happened!"

Jiang Ya couldn't stop shivering. "Inside… there were too many monsters! We couldn't kill them all, and as long as we stayed in one place, they would come at us in endless waves. There was almost nowhere in the entire space to hide. In the end, Second Uncle gave us the last four dungeon escape scrolls and drew the monsters' fire so we could get out! Second Uncle, he… *sob!*"

Jiang Xian and Zuo Qian felt a chill run through their bodies. This trial dungeon was restricted to Mage-class professionals only. If what Jiang Ya said was true—that the monsters tracked them and kept attacking—without a tank to absorb damage or a healer to provide support, five mages, even those at the Second or Third Advancement, couldn't withstand such high-pressure conditions.

It seemed their initial prediction that this was a D-rank trial was completely wrong. Looking at it now, it was at least A-rank!

"Help…!"
"There are wounded here! Is there anyone with a healing class? Please help!"
"She’s not going to make it, save her!"

At that moment, people were being teleported out of the dungeon entrance one after another. Wails, cries, and pleas for help echoed incessantly. Countless wounded were covered in blood; some had their abdomens ripped open as if by the pincers of some unknown creature, while others had their legs bitten off. The scene was gruesome. These were clearly the first group to enter, just like Jiang Ya.

In an instant, the onlookers, who had been bustling and waiting in line just moments ago, fell deathly silent. Shortly after, though the line remained, most people retreated far from the entrance to watch from a distance. Those who managed to escape still had a chance at rescue, but one could only imagine the fate of those who hadn't.

Zuo Qian and Jiang Xian’s expressions were as grim as could be. They never imagined that a situation that had seemed so promising would turn so treacherous.

"Hah! What did I tell you?" The bespectacled man from Tianshui Academy adjusted his glasses, then folded his arms, his expression unchanged, as if he had anticipated this all along. "You were going in to die anyway; you should have just stepped aside. If you had done that earlier, we wouldn't have had to wait so long."

Following this, the hundred or so freshmen from Tianshui Academy who had come for the trial beamed with joy. Now, no one was ahead of them in line.

"Everyone pay attention! The task for this trial is to survive for three hours," the Tianshui Academy instructors began briefing their students. "The dungeon difficulty is A+ rank. You must proceed with caution! Keep your electronic maps ready and follow the strategy guide strictly!"

The surrounding professionals were filled with envy. "The difficulty isn't D-rank at all; it's A+!" "How terrifying!" "Wait, electronic maps? They even have a strategy guide?" "Isn't this a newly appeared limited-time dungeon?" "You don't understand. I hear many established professional academies hold secret guides for dungeons we know nothing about. For a dungeon like this that requires three hours of survival, they likely had a strategy prepared long ago."

Zuo Qian, standing beside Lin Yi, gave a bitter smile. "It is our incompetence. We not only misjudged the difficulty, but we also lack any such strategy. I am sorry, Jiang Ya, Lin Yi." The old principal seemed to age decades in an instant, consumed by self-reproach. Comparisons were the most painful; the others were perfectly prepared, highlighting the gap between professional academies and their small city high school.

"Principal Zuo, there is no need to apologize for things beyond your control," Lin Yi said. "Even without a guide or an electronic map, this trial shouldn't be that difficult, should it? I want to go in and try."

If the trial had truly been D-rank, Lin Yi would have found it dull. But seeing so many people fail, he was actually intrigued.

"But in this situation, no one will be willing to form a party with you..." Zuo Qian believed in Lin Yi's strength, but he pointed out the awkward reality. At a time when everyone was looking out for themselves, who would be willing to enter the dungeon with him?

However, before anyone could react, they saw Lin Yi step into the dungeon entrance, his figure vanishing into the void.