"Your cousin is immensely powerful, born with a special divine ability. He defeated me with nothing more than a glance; you are nowhere near being his match right now."
"Take these 20,000 Dragon Coins. Find a way to level up, or just fade into the crowd and live a normal life."
Yáo Qīng spoke with earnest gravity as he pulled 20,000 Dragon Coins, wrapped in a plastic bag, from his pocket and placed them into Bai Ze’s hand.
Bai Ze fell silent for a moment. He recalled that his homeroom teacher, Yáo Qīng, was around level 40 and should have had formidable combat power. If his cousin could defeat a teacher like that with a single glance, how strong must that cousin be?
"Why are these blockheaded relatives trying to suppress me? Even 300,000 is enough for them to scramble over? A bunch of animals..."
Though Bai Ze cursed under his breath, he already had a guess in his heart, though he wasn't certain.
Just then, Brother Monkey, dressed in a blue leather jacket, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Buy some fruit. We’re heading into the abyss tonight to level up. We need to get your things back sooner rather than later!"
"My things?" Bai Ze asked, confused.
"Yes. Let’s get your level up first; you’re too weak right now."
Brother Monkey didn't explain further. He hailed a taxi, took Bai Ze to a supermarket to buy a sack of fruit, and then spent over 10,000 Dragon Coins at the Professional Mall to purchase a Black Iron-grade iron staff.
Afterward, the two headed straight for the Abyss Hall.
Although Bai Ze couldn't see the surrounding scene clearly, he could sense that the Abyss Hall was bustling with noise. He could even recognize the voices of several of his former classmates. After all, with the national college entrance examination only half a month away, many students were holding onto dreams of getting into elite academies, so they were naturally pushing hard to level up.
Brother Monkey shielded him through the crowd until they reached several Level 1 abysses to check the options.
"Human Skin Lantern, Peach Blossom Grudge, Apartment 54."
"There are three Level 1 abysses open to us. Which one do you want to enter?" Brother Monkey turned his head to ask.
"How about Peach Blossom Grudge?" Bai Ze suggested.
"Fine. The map is spacious, so I’ll have room to move."
"Let's go."
With the decision made, they prepared to enter the Peach Blossom Grudge abyss. Unexpectedly, a male student stepped in their way.
"Bai Ze? You actually dare to come to the abyss to level up? Do you really want to go to the front lines?"
Surprised, Bai Ze recognized the voice as his former classmate, Sun Tai. They had been on decent terms; Sun Tai had often helped him find buyers for his old desk and chair, and Bai Ze was still somewhat grateful for that.
"Yes, I definitely want to give it a try. Who wants to be an ordinary person for their whole life?" Bai Ze replied.
"Alright, how about I take you leveling? I didn't expect to pick up the Giant Spirit God class after you didn't choose it. I’m a Rare-grade professional now!"
Bai Ze nodded in agreement, and Brother Monkey didn't say anything, as he didn't mind.
Soon, the three of them stepped into the Peach Blossom Grudge abyss. After a wave of dizziness, they were completely inside. A scent reminiscent of peach blossoms washed over them, but the land was cracked and parched, with hundreds of pitch-black mummified corpses wandering about.
Sun Tai rolled up his sleeves in excitement, a faint phantom of the Giant Spirit God even appearing behind him. However, the moment the phantom appeared, it caught a glimpse of the Great Sage in his human form standing nearby. Sun Tai shuddered, a forced, ingratiating smile tugging at his lips.
Unaware of this, Sun Tai spotted several mummy-like monsters in front of them and charged in without hesitation. It had to be said that the Giant Spirit God class was indeed decent; he killed ordinary monsters with just a few punches and kicks, though the style was somewhat clumsy.
"How about it, brother? My strength isn't bad, right?" Sun Tai said with a chuckle. Then, seemingly remembering something, he turned to Bai Ze and added, "Let me tell you, some incredible big shots from the Capital City’s Bai Family arrived in Tianshui City today!"
"One of them was born with Double Pupils. His strength truly eclipses everyone else of his generation!"
Bai Ze nodded, signaling for him to continue.
"And there’s another member of the Bai Family who has already entered the Level 5 abyss here. They’re probably looking to speed-run it!"
For some reason, upon hearing this, Bai Ze felt an inexplicable surge of rage. He noticed that the moment he heard the words "Double Pupils," his body began to tense up uncontrollably, and he was suddenly gripped by an intense fury.
"Snap!"
The Great Sage suddenly stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder, instantly suppressing the fire in his heart. He then said, "Endure it until you have the strength. When your blade is sharpened, there will still be time to reclaim what is yours!"
The Great Sage’s words instantly calmed him down. The Great Sage then called Sun Tai over.
"You don't need to fight anymore. Let me handle it."
"You?" Sun Tai looked skeptical.
The Great Sage ignored him, stepping in front of the two and pulling out the Black Iron-grade iron staff.
At a quick glance, there were over 100 monsters, each with a combat power of around 70.
[Peach Blossom Mummy]
[Lv3]
[Combat Power: 72]
[Skills: Slow Aura, Mummy Bite]
"Time to level up!"
Brother Monkey shouted, and the iron staff in his hand suddenly elongated to six or seven hundred meters in length. Still holding it, he swung it in a wide arc!
"Boom, boom, boom, boom..."
The black iron staff swept across the field. In a single stroke, it shattered the waists of all the mummy monsters, slicing them in half. The monsters' bodies dissolved like snow in the sun, and a small amount of equipment dropped as well.
[You have killed Peach Blossom Mummy, EXP +3]
[You have killed Peach Blossom Mummy, EXP +3]
[You have killed Peach Blossom Mummy, EXP +3]
[...]
One swing to clear the ten miles of peach blossoms!
Sun Tai was stunned. He stood frozen in place, staring at Brother Monkey in disbelief.
"No way! What just happened?!"
Seeing this scene, his heart trembled. How could a Black Iron-grade weapon become so long? And how could he possibly lift a six-hundred-meter-long staff, let alone swing it to kill over a hundred monsters in one go? How was this even possible?
He had originally thought this young man in the blue leather jacket was just tagging along to leech some EXP from Bai Ze, but it turned out that he was the one being carried!
"Brother, don't tell me you're a Hidden Class?" Sun Tai asked, looking at Brother Monkey.
Brother Monkey, amused, decided to play a small joke. "That's right. I am the world's only Hidden Class—the Great Sage Equal to Heaven!"