---
The moment the rankings flashed up, every examinee nationwide craned their necks to see the countdown and leaderboard in the sky.
Xiao Hongtu had figured his 3,000 points in just four hours—thanks to his strength—would lock him in at the top.
But the instant he saw the leaderboard, his face darkened. Even with the Xiao family claiming five of the top 10 spots, it didn't matter.
Su Mo's name had been buzzing nationwide for two days—he knew it well.
After the district exam, he'd taken Su Mo seriously but never thought the guy could threaten his spot.
Yet here he was, nearly 500 points ahead. And this Chu Tian? He'd never even heard the name.
A massive fireball formed in his hand, blasting forward—four Level 30 mobs vaporized instantly.
His points shot to 3,380.
A glance at the leaderboard showed him still stuck in third. Face grim, he pushed deeper into the dungeon's core.
He'd calculated that Level 30 mobs were the sweet spot for grinding points.
Not as scattered as Level 40s, not as rare as 50s, and his skills could one-shot them.
But even so, he was still third.
Chu Tian's expression wasn't much better as he eyed the midair leaderboard.
He'd fought his way to the dungeon's heart, taking down Level 50+ elites—500 points each.
Even with his strength, each kill took a scrap, and those elites were damn scarce.
He'd thought this strategy would put him miles ahead, only to find himself in second.
Sure, he'd just topped the list after slicing another elite, but hunting them took time.
Watching Su Mo's points on the board tick up—slowly, 1 or 2 at a time—he knew he'd get overtaken soon.
Normally, he'd rest after each elite kill, but now he didn't hesitate—straight to the next hunt.
Su Mo had been circling the outskirts since entering, where Level 10-20 monsters gave the same free attribute points.
For quick gains, the edges were best—tons of mobs.
But a peek at the leaderboard told him sticking to this pace might cost him first place.
No second thoughts—his 1,000 speed stat propelled him forward.
With Tiger Roar's taunt, he didn't need to hunt mobs anymore. Time to bag some high-level ones for points.
Free attribute points mattered, but he could grind those anywhere. The exam? One shot only.
Su Mo's advance wasn't elegant or graceful—just bulldozing ahead. Absolute defense meant no damage, so brute force was the play!
[Boom boom boom~]
His figure streaked across the ground, shattering anything in his path. The air cracked with sonic booms.
No map, no clue how far he'd gone—he stopped at a bigger forest, popped Tiger Roar.
Instantly, a horde of monsters charged him, way faster than the ones he'd been slicing before.
A glance at their tags—lowest was Level 31.
"50 points each—should lock it in here. Never killed Level 30s before—wonder how many free points they'll drop!"
Stashing the Void-Tiger Blade, he hoisted the Yue-Breaking Fang Tian Halberd high and smashed it down.
[Rumble rumble~]
[Mountain Collapse, Earth Shatter]
[Mountain Collapse, Earth Shatter]
[Mountain Collapse, Earth Shatter]
…
Skills flew out like they were free.
Roaring blasts echoed as monsters exploded into blood mist under his barrage.
In under two minutes, he unleashed 13 skills back-to-back.
15 Level 30 Three-Eyes—wiped out.
"Level 30s only give 3 free attribute points?
Kinda skimpy. And way fewer mobs here!
Back in that last zone, one taunt pulled over 100, but here…"
Su Mo shook his head. He'd expected the drop-off in free points but had no fix for it. More points meant this was the way.
In those two minutes, his score hit 4,170, blowing past second and third by a mile.
"Too few mobs here—I need to grind faster, hit 10,000 quick,
then swing back to farm Level 10-ish small fry. That's the only way to stack more free attribute points
and push all my stats past 1,000!"
No hesitation—he bolted forward, tiger roars and earth-shaking booms ringing out.
His points skyrocketed, spiking by 300-500 every few minutes, making others' eyes twitch.
"What zone's this guy grinding in?"
"Such a weird point climb—50s, 100s, 150s, even 200s at once. What area's got such a mess of mobs?"
Xiao Hongtu's face darkened at the leaderboard, then he trudged deeper toward the core.
Chu Tian unleashed his strongest hit, dropping a Level 52 elite. No rest—he flew off to the next spot.
Su Mo's point pace was insane—no one could pin down where he was grinding.
No surprise—who'd guess his group skills were basically free-to-cast?
Since getting [Mountain Collapse, Earth Shatter], he'd barely used basic attacks to farm.
Who could blame him with stamina like that?
Three hours later, Su Mo's points broke 13,420.
Second-place Chu Tian barely scraped 8,000, with Xiao Hongtu hot on his heels at 7,800.
Su Mo glanced up, calculating silently. In the last 50 minutes, even if they bagged 10 Level 50+ elites, they couldn't catch him.
Those elites weren't easy to find—otherwise their points wouldn't climb so slow.
And Su Mo? He'd never said he'd stop.
Sure, he'd racked up 10,000 points fast, but only netted 600 free attribute points.
He had to milk the final hour for low-level mobs.
Then it hit him—his skill damage range was too small.
Maybe after the national exam, he'd hit up his bargain-bin master for some skill scrolls.
[Rumble rumble~]
Like a bulldozer, Su Mo barreled back to the low-level mob zone, tiger roars blaring along the way.
---