Chapter 64: Wancheng is determined to have a talent like Gu Chen

Tier 1 Abyss, Bone-Burial Dungeon.

The moment the Voodoo Shaman's health bar was completely depleted, a series of notifications popped up before Gu Chen's eyes.

[Killed Voodoo Shaman · BOSS-LV. 20, EXP +15,317]
[Acquired loot: Bone-Burial Robes LV. 20 [Rare]]
[Acquired loot: Eternal Source Crystal [Rare]]
[Level Up]
[Level: LV. 16 (3,789/211,500)]
[Strength: 477]
[Agility: 476]
[Constitution: 478]
[Spirit: 689]
[Summoned Beasts: Bloodline Monarch LV. 16 [Legendary ★], Nightmare Overlord LV. 16 [Epic ★], Skeletal Golem LV. 16 [Legendary ★]]
[Talent — A Dark Bloodline is currently available]
[Congratulations]
[You have cleared the Bone-Burial Dungeon [Nightmare Difficulty], Rewards: Professional EXP +50,000, Abyss Chest * 1 [Rare]]
[Exiting the Abyss in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...]

Meanwhile, the Abyss Plaza was bustling with a sea of people, filled everywhere with professionals looking to form teams.

Yang Lin found a relatively spacious spot on the outskirts of the plaza, sat cross-legged on the ground, and began wiping the long sword in his hand.

He had just emerged from a Normal-difficulty abyss with his teammates. Although their gains this trip weren't substantial, they had at least managed to secure some EXP.

Judging by this progress, as long as he cleared a Normal-difficulty abyss one more time, he would reach Level 13.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but recall the two bizarre figures from this morning.

A Level 6 swordsman and a Level 10 summoner—how could a lineup like that dare to team up and descend into the abyss?

They were simply courting death.

Yang Lin glanced around the plaza, but saw no trace of the two figures from the morning.

From the looks of it, those two must have already perished within the abyss.

After all, the Bone-Burial Dungeon was one of the highest-difficulty instances among the Tier 1 abysses. For professionals below Level 10 to enter, it was absolute suicide.

Kind words cannot save a damned ghost. He had already advised those two back then, but since they refused to listen, there was nothing he could do.

Right at that moment, a grand announcement flashed across the massive screen in the Abyss Plaza.

[Congratulations to the professional team for successfully breaking the clearance record of the Bone-Burial Dungeon [Nightmare Difficulty]]
[Clearance Time: 4 hours, 32 minutes, 31 seconds]

[Clearance Team Information:]
[Leader: Gu Chen [Summoner]]
[Members: Lin Yuan [Swordsman], Lin Qingqing [Warrior], Su Ran [Assassin], Xu Xia [Classless]]
[Rewards obtained: Professional EXP +50,000, Personal Achievement +1, Record-Breaking Gift Box * 1 [Rare]]
[Clearance Evaluation: SSS]

Gazing at the announcement on the big screen, Yang Lin could not help but rub his eyes.

What was going on?

The Bone-Burial Dungeon cleared in 4 hours and 32 minutes?

That was more than two hours faster than the record set by Wancheng City Lord Liang Yi when he was at Level 19!

What on earth was the background of this team leader named Gu Chen to be so terrifyingly powerful?

Subconsciously, Yang Lin looked toward the screen that recorded the historical milestones of the abyss, only to see that Liang Yi, the previous record holder for the Nightmare-difficulty abyss, had been replaced by... Gu Chen.

Huh?

Why did this name look somewhat familiar?

The leader was a summoner?
And one of the members was actually a swordsman!

"Impossible!" Yang Lin's eyelids twitched as he involuntarily let out a cry of shock.

A nearby professional was startled, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "Stop howling. The abyss announcements never lie. Just because you can't do it doesn't mean others can't."

"Yeah, there hasn't been any movement for several years now; it was about time the record for the Bone-Burial Dungeon was broken."

"I just checked. Everyone in that team consists of newly-transferred graduates, and the leader was only Level 10 when entering the abyss. To break a record with that kind of lineup is simply unheard of."

"So it was them. I saw that team this morning; they stood out so much because not a single member was over Level 10."

"Now I remember. One of their members was even an ordinary person—that must be the non-professional listed in the announcement."

"I was secretly laughing at them this morning. Never did I imagine a slap to the face would come this fast."

"Young people nowadays are truly becoming more and more formidable. If I had known, I should have gone and tried to get familiar with Gu Chen back then."
"..."

While the surrounding professionals chatted animatedly, Yang Lin wore an expression of sheer absurdity.

"How can this be..."

A summoner, a swordsman, with an average team level not exceeding Level 10—weren't those the exact two people he had seen this morning?!

With that level and that lineup, they had actually shattered the historical record of a Nightmare-difficulty abyss?

Yang Lin felt his worldview collapse completely.

While the people around him were filled with regret for not cozying up to Gu Chen, he had completely missed the golden opportunity to be carried to success by Gu Chen.

An opportunity to soar directly into the clouds had once been placed right before him, and he had failed to cherish it, only feeling regret that gnawed at his soul after losing it. There was no greater pain in this world...

"What a terrible sin!"

Covering his face, Yang Lin felt so depressed he was practically coughing up blood.

Every single day, he got up early and stayed out late, "standing on the street" in the Abyss Plaza, for no other reason than to find a few powerful teammates.

Yet when a true god-tier expert extended a team invitation to him, he had rejected it flat out.

Not only did he reject it, but he even advised the other party not to descend into the abyss unless they wanted a quick death!

What was this?
Heaven had bestowed a feast upon him, and he had smashed his own rice bowl with his bare hands.

In two words: deserved.

***

On the other side.
Wancheng Municipal Hall.

The moment the Nightmare-difficulty record of the Bone-Burial Dungeon was broken, Wancheng, being the city closest to the abyss, received the news instantly and convened an emergency meeting.

City Lord Liang Yi stared at the few pages of documents in his hands, an expression of undisguised excitement blooming across his face.

"Gu Chen clears the Temple Ruins with an SSS-rank evaluation, and now he breaks the record I set back then in the Bone-Burial Dungeon. Such a genius was actually jointly suppressed in Lincheng by Xu Lai and the Li family?"

"The Li family has already been wiped out, yet up to this moment, the guaranteed admission quota still hasn't been officially settled on Gu Chen. What on earth is Xu Lai plotting?"

"Heh, regardless of what he's plotting, Wancheng is claiming Gu Chen as our talent."

Slamming his palm on the table with an attitude of absolute certainty, Liang Yi declared, "Isn't Wancheng's guaranteed admission quota currently vacant? Let's give it to Gu Chen."

"Let me think: first, the guaranteed admission quota; second, the Hell-difficulty dungeon clearance reward; and third, the Nightmare-difficulty abyss clearance reward."

"Secretary Li, no need to apply upward for approval. Directly allocate them from the City Lord's Mansion. Within three minutes, prepare all three sets of rewards and bring them to my office."

"Also, arrange the teleportation array. Within five minutes, I want to arrive at the Abyss Plaza of the Bone-Burial Dungeon."

"This..." Secretary Li was momentarily bewildered. "City Lord, wouldn't this be somewhat inappropriate? Word has already spread from Lincheng that Gu Chen is the son of the Northern War King."

"So what? Gu Chen would rather wander the wilderness as an exile than invoke the name of Gu Qingfeng, which shows he has zero sense of belonging to the Gu family. Just do as I say."

"Then... if Gu Qingfeng holds us accountable, how will Wancheng handle it?"

"Accountable? Gu Qingfeng is the Northern War King, but Wancheng belongs to the Eastern Continent jurisdiction. Can his reach extend this far?"

"Besides, the Eastern Continent also has royal bloodlines holding down the fort. I'm not afraid, so why are you trembling like a leaf?!"

"Stop wasting breath and go prepare! If you delay important matters, I'll transfer you to garrison the abyss."