Chapter 34: Codename: Abyss Flame Emperor! SS-Class Threat Rating!

Wu Jun cast another glance at the group of people sprawled on the ground in disarray, their behavior having completely disgraced Tianshui Academy. His anger flared even more intensely.

Tianshui Academy was one of the top fifty renowned higher education institutions for professionals in the Great Xia. How could it have produced such a collection of useless, incompetent fools?

If that humanoid creature, cloaked in scorching blue flames, truly was some formidable entity native to the Abyss, then why was it that while he—who had also stared directly at such an existence—was fine, these second-turn students and third- or fourth-turn teachers of his had been scared into unconsciousness?

This was proof that the young man before him possessed a temperament far beyond his years—extremely resolute and unyielding. Seen in this light, he was a rare and exceptional talent.

"Come to our Tianshui Academy."

"We can offer you a special admission opportunity."

Wu Jun stepped forward, approaching Lin Yi. He issued the invitation in an unquestionable tone.

For a moment, everyone was stunned, including the teachers who had followed Wu Jun and had not entered the dungeon, and whose mental states were currently still normal.

"You’ve got to be kidding me..."

"Special admission!"

"Wait, does Professor Wu even have the authority to do that?"

"He does. After all, as a director and mentor of one of the branches, he has two or three special admission quotas every year..."

"Damn, I’m so jealous. I had to rank 76th in the entire province just to get into Tianshui!"

For a time, all the Tianshui Academy teachers and the students who had not yet entered the dungeon were filled with extreme envy. They had never imagined that the usually strict Professor Wu would take an interest in a novice professional from a level-five base city.

Well, perhaps it was because this kid had entered the Dungeon Record Hall at such a young age?

Damn, what kind of blind luck is this?! If I had entered the dungeon earlier, maybe that final clear record would have been credited to me!

Much like what the students suspected, Wu Jun was indeed attracted to the prestige of Lin Yi entering the Dungeon Record Hall at only eighteen, but even more so, he was impressed by Lin Yi's character.

Zuo Qian’s eyes lit up. He leaned toward Lin Yi and whispered, "Accept it!"

"Tianshui Academy is the second-best in our province and ranks among the top hundred in the country."

Jiang Xian also nodded, adding, "Such special admission spots are extremely rare; only a few '281' institutions have the qualifications. Tianshui Academy is truly excellent; you should consider saying yes."

The so-called "281" institutions were similar in nature to the 985 and 211 universities of Lin Yi's previous life—just within a different worldview.

Just as everyone expected Lin Yi to readily agree, he frowned. "No need. Not interested."

This time, even Wu Jun was taken aback. In his view, this was already an unprecedented act of charity. How could this brat be so unappreciative?

He narrowed his eyes and continued, "You should think carefully."

"This might be the only opportunity you get in your lifetime."

Lin Yi laughed. He genuinely felt that this group from Tianshui Academy was overflowing with unwarranted confidence.

"You could have left a better impression on me, and perhaps I would have considered joining your Tianshui Academy."

"This is also the only opportunity you will get in your lifetime."

Zuo Qian and Jiang Xian were both utterly shocked. Good heavens, those words were far too arrogant! But, strangely enough, it felt incredibly satisfying.

Wu Jun replied, "Still as foolish as ever..."

"Let's go."

Wu Jun gave Lin Yi a deep, lingering look, then led his team away.

...

In the end, this special Mage professional trial came to a close. Time flew by, and ten days passed in the blink of an eye.

An event that Lin Yi had never expected shocked the entire circle of high-level professionals in Dongjiang Province.

In the capital of Dongjiang Province, Tianhai City, at the Professionals’ League conference room:

Qi Guoguang sat at the head of the table. Although he was only a vice-chairman, the chairman was often busy with official duties and frequent business trips, so he handled the majority of meetings, large and small.

At this moment, the conference room was deathly silent. Everyone was staring at the large screen.

The footage playing on the screen was recorded from the perspective of an ordinary professional, capturing everything that had occurred in the special dungeon, "The City of Fading Light, Felkain."

The Shadow Demon Spider, a high-level hidden boss, had emerged.

Following that, the Blue Fire Sun appeared. The humanoid creature, burning with flames, grasped at the void.

Terrible nuclear explosions and flames not only instantly obliterated the Demon Spider but also annihilated the entire city of Felkain, causing the dungeon to vanish from the Blue Star entirely.

The video ended. Qi Guoguang’s expression was grave as he spoke: "This footage was uploaded by the Tianshui Academy in TS City."

"It appears to have been processed using some form of memory extraction and imaging technology."

"Give me your insights."

One person spoke up: "Vice-Chairman Qi, the method this unknown fire creature used to annihilate the entire city—I believe its tier is at least level eight..."

Qi Guoguang nodded: "It is certainly level eight or higher. While it may not yet reach the level of a level-nine forbidden spell, it is very close."

"Vice-Chairman Qi, do you think this fire creature could be a professional from our Blue Star, and this skill is just a high-level ability?"

Qi Guoguang shook his head: "This is a very typical fire spell, but it is vastly different from the level-eight spells used by Mage professionals."

"The level-eight fire spell, 'Undying Flame Curse,' is quite powerful, but compared to the spell used by this mysterious entity in the video, its power is at least one-third weaker!"

"Furthermore, it would be absolutely impossible to kill that level 220 Abyssal Spider Demon at such speed."

"This is a power we do not understand at all, and it is the true form of fire magic in the hands of a real powerhouse from the Abyss!"

A hint of awe crept into Qi Guoguang’s voice. Although he was already at the seventh turn, the deeper he delved into magic, the more he felt how little he truly knew about it. Even at the same eighth-tier level, the gap between the Undying Flame Curse and the spell used by this mysterious existence was simply too vast.

Once Qi Guoguang reached his conclusion, everyone else fell silent. They were all contemplating what kind of terrifying destruction would be unleashed if such an existence were to descend from the Abyss to the Blue Star. He didn't even need to chant; with a mere wave of his hand, he could annihilate a massive city!

"Since none of you have other points or insights, let me state mine."

"First, it is certain that this creature burning with blue flames originates from the Abyss."

"And its strength is terrifyingly high."

"A powerful enemy that our human race must face has appeared in the Abyss once again!"

"What we must do now is continue to report all data regarding him."

"His rank is at least Emperor-tier, so for the time being, I have assigned him a codename."

"Codename: Abyssal Flame Emperor!"

"I am preliminarily setting his threat level at SS. If we obtain more eyewitness records and data on him later, we may have to raise this threat level even further!"