46: Chapter 46 Marching into the Core

Zhang Chao had completely fallen into a state of fanaticism, as if he could already see the glorious scene of Fang Chuan stepping on the three SSS-rank geniuses and topping the joint exam.

Fang Chuan said helplessly, "Alright, alright, don't get so excited. Keep it low-key, keep it low-key, understand?"

"Low-key my ass!" Zhang Chao waved his hand, overflowing with heroic spirit. "With this kind of strength, staying low-key would be foolish, wouldn't it? Brother Chuan, let's go! Let's charge into the Core Area right now and snatch the points from that brat Lu Hai too! Let him know who the true number one high school student in Qinghe City is!"

Zhang Chao was a person who held grudges; having suffered quite a few grievances at the hands of Lu Hai before, his resentment toward Lu Hai was quite deep.

Watching him like this, Fang Chuan smiled helplessly.

He opened the point ranking leaderboard.

At this moment, his name was hanging high in fourth place with 1.7 million points.

And ahead of him were:

First place: Lu Hai, 2.15 million points.

Second place: Qin Yao, 2.08 million points.

Third place: Lin Xiaoxiao, 2.01 million points.

"These three SSS-rank geniuses are truly impressive." Fang Chuan looked at the leaderboard, his eyes flashing with fighting spirit. "However, it's time for someone else to sit in the first-place spot."

Hearing this, the blood in Zhang Chao and Liu Ruyan's bodies began to boil.

They knew that a truly good show was only just beginning!

"Captain, where are we going next?" Liu Ruyan had completely stepped into her role as a team member.

Fang Chuan pulled up the map and pointed to a red area in the center of the wasteland marked as "Extremely Dangerous."

"Going here, the Meteor Core." Fang Chuan's lips curled into a confident arc. "It is said that this is the largest resource point in this exam, as well as the final battlefield. We're going there to meet those SSS-rank geniuses."

"Alright! Let's go to the Meteor Core! Let's crush them!" Zhang Chao roared excitedly.

Fang Chuan waved his hand, "All troops, advance!"

The terrain of the Meteor Wasteland was complex and ever-changing; the closer one got to the central area, the harsher the environment became.

The parched earth was covered with crisscrossing gullies, and the air was filled with a pungent smell of sulfur mixed with decay, while the sky turned gray and gloomy, as if it would never clear up.

The three of them, Fang Chuan, Zhang Chao, and Liu Ruyan, each rode a griffin, following behind the army of three thousand.

The army moved very quickly, and in less than twenty minutes, they saw the shadows of other teams.

When the other teams saw Fang Chuan's army of three thousand, especially after seeing their level information, they panicked and hid to the side.

"My god, whose followers are these? There are over a thousand Four-Star Followers, and even two Five-star Believers. They are much stronger than the three of them, Lu Hai and the others."

A student from the Second High School said in extreme shock.

The classmate beside him was even more terrified and pulled him to run away quickly.

"Hurry up, it's the people from the First High School. They are up there; if we don't leave now and they catch up to us, we'll be in big trouble."

Fortunately, Fang Chuan had no interest in them, and soon passed them, venturing deep into the Core Area.

Along the way, the three of them didn't have the good luck to scavenge anything good; it seemed like everything had already been swept clean by the SSS trio.

Liu Ruyan was constantly observing the information on the point leaderboard, and she exclaimed, "Lu Hai and the others' points have risen again."

During the time they were traveling, there had been new changes to the points on the leaderboard.

The points of Lu Hai, Qin Yao, and Lin Xiaoxiao were all continuously growing at a terrifying speed, having all broken through the 2.5 million mark, leaving Fang Chuan's 1.7 million far behind.

"Holy crap, are these guys on drugs? They're rising way too fast!" Zhang Chao couldn't help but curse.

"They are SSS-rank geniuses. The quality and quantity of their followers far exceed normal people, and they definitely have powerful trump cards provided by their respective families. They should all be teaming up to clear out some large beast nests right now, so their efficiency in gaining points is naturally high," Liu Ruyan analyzed.

Fang Chuan nodded. Lu Hai and the others came from influential backgrounds and had recruited quite a few teams to act as their subordinates, so their efficiency in gaining points was indeed far above theirs.

Just as they were talking, a violent energy fluctuation suddenly came from ahead, followed by a deafening roar.

"Something's happening!" Zhang Chao immediately became alert.

In the basin below, a spider-type beast the size of a small hill, covered in thick rock armor and sporting eight giant legs, was frantically attacking an energy barrier emitting a blue halo.

Inside that barrier was a dilapidated ancient altar.

[Monster Name: Mountain Giant Spider (Gold-rank BOSS)]

[Level: Level 48]

[Combat Power: 650,000]

"It's a Gold-rank BOSS! It's attacking a ruin!" Liu Ruyan's breathing quickened.

Once a Gold Lord-level BOSS like this was killed, not only could they obtain massive points, but they could also get the treasures inside the ruins.

"We're going to be rich! Brother Chuan, let's take it down!" Zhang Chao was already excitedly rubbing his hands together.

If it were before, they wouldn't even have had time to turn and run if they saw a BOSS of this level, but now, this thing was just a piece of cake in their eyes.

"Don't rush." Fang Chuan stopped the impulsive Zhang Chao and observed the altar. "The energy barrier of this altar won't last much longer. We'll make our move after it breaks the barrier."

"Why? Wouldn't it be better to attack now?" Zhang Chao asked, puzzled.

"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind," Fang Chuan smiled mysteriously. "Perhaps there are other 'cicadas' that will help us wear it down first?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a commotion indeed came from the other side of the basin.

A team composed of a dozen or so candidates crept over cautiously, led by a tall young man wearing rimless glasses.

"It's Zhao Tuo from the Second High School! An S-rank genius, his Divine Kingdom followers are Earth Bears, and their defensive power is extremely strong!" Liu Ruyan recognized the other party.

That team had obviously also discovered the Mountain Giant Spider and the altar, and their faces were all filled with greed and excitement.

"Boss, it's a Gold-rank BOSS! Should we do it?" a lackey asked.

Zhao Tuo stared at the giant spider, estimated its strength, and gritted his teeth: "Do it! Fortune favors the bold! Everyone get ready. When it breaks the barrier and its stamina is at its lowest, we all attack together!"

"Alright!"

Zhao Tuo's team laid in ambush, patiently waiting for the right moment.

The Mountain Giant Spider was completely unaware of this and continued to frantically attack the energy barrier.

"Boom!"

Finally, under another violent collision, the energy barrier let out a mournful cry and shattered into specks of starlight.

"Roar!"

The Mountain Giant Spider let out an excited roar, preparing to enjoy the treasures inside the altar.

"Now! Attack!"

At Zhao Tuo's command, he took the lead, summoning eight Earth Bears over ten meters tall, which roared as they charged toward the Mountain Giant Spider.

The teammates behind him also summoned their own followers one after another; for a moment, the light of various skills illuminated the entire basin.

A fierce battle erupted instantly.

Fang Chuan remained calm and waited; the people below would likely have a tough fight to defeat the Gold-rank BOSS, and it wouldn't be resolved in a short while.

The battle below was extremely tragic.

Although the Mountain Giant Spider had consumed a lot of energy, it was still a Gold-rank BOSS, and its strength was formidable.

Although Zhao Tuo's Earth Bears had astonishing defense, they were steadily retreating under the giant spider's sharp claws and venom, and they were soon wounded.

The other followers suffered even heavier casualties.

After a bitter battle, Zhao Tuo's team paid the price of nearly half their followers dying, finally beating the Mountain Giant Spider into a severely injured state, looking as if they were about to kill it.

A look of victory joy appeared on Zhao Tuo's face.

His smile hadn't even fully bloomed before it froze on his face. The sky above his head suddenly went dark.

"Swish! Swish! Swish!"

Three thousand arrows shimmering with cold light descended from the sky like a dark cloud covering the top, precisely blanketing the entire battlefield.

"Puff, puff, puff!"

As the rain of arrows fell, whether it was the severely injured Mountain Giant Spider or the surviving followers in Zhao Tuo's team, they were all instantly shot into hedgehogs and vanished into points of light.

Only Zhao Tuo himself and his thick-skinned Earth Bear remained, though they were also riddled with arrows, bleeding profusely, and their combat power instantly bottomed out.

This sudden turn of events left Zhao Tuo completely stunned.

He lifted his head blankly, looking in the direction from which the arrows had flown.

On the high slope, Fang Chuan and the others walked down slowly, and behind them, a dense legion of Goblin Marksmen was slowly lowering the longbows in their hands.

"Wh... who are you? Why did you ambush us?" Zhao Tuo asked, both shocked and angry, his voice trembling.

Fang Chuan didn't answer him, just said indifferently: "Clear the field."

As soon as the words fell, Yi raised the longbow in his hand again, and an arrow gathering terrifying energy aimed at Zhao Tuo.

Feeling a deadly threat, Zhao Tuo was so scared that he no longer cared about any ruin treasures, shouting frantically: "I surrender! I quit! Don't kill me!"

Fang Chuan nodded and said, "I can let you go, but everyone must hand over 10,000 points."

The other party had 14 people. Looking at the three thousand troops eyeing them covetously, knowing that they had no chance of winning in a direct confrontation, and with no option to forfeit, they had no choice but to hand over 10,000 points each.

Fang Chuan kept 80,000 for himself, and Zhang Chao and Liu Ruyan each received 30,000 points.

After watching Zhao Tuo and the others leave, he said to Zhang Chao and Liu Ruyan, "Let's go, let's go check out the ruins."