2 PM.
The arena in the north district was already packed to the brim.
On the largest central stage, a gate to a secret realm floated quietly.
At the entrance of the secret realm gate, five department heads stood with stern expressions, discussing something amongst themselves.
Below, the new students had already begun to chatter.
"Is the Freshman Grand Competition also a dungeon trial like the college entrance exam?"
"It's probably not entirely, I heard the Freshman Grand Competition focuses more on comprehensiveness."
"Even if there are dungeons, they'd only be a part of it at most."
"So, this means it's going to be a test of pure strength."
"That's right, so those who weren't satisfied with their performance in the college entrance exam can turn things around through the Freshman Grand Competition."
"I wonder what the rules will be this year... I'm looking forward to it!"
"..."
Besides the first-year students attending the examination, the spectator stands of the large arena were filled with students from the second, third, and fourth years.
To the senior students, the annual Freshman Grand Competition was one of the few exciting events at Yan University throughout the year.
It was similar to how many senior students in Lin Ran's previous world enjoyed watching the freshman military training.
Watching others suffer was simply too enjoyable!
They had already connected to the Freshman Grand Competition's network using their biological chips, just waiting for the competition to begin.
"Man, it's really hard to get a seat here. I got here at 10 AM, and I almost didn't get a seat."
"That just shows you're not competitive enough. I arrived at 9 AM, and there were still plenty of seats."
"Haha, to appreciate the fresh young faces of the underclasswomen, I came at 8 AM!"
"You're only here to see the underclasswomen? How shallow!"
"Oh? And you're not?"
"Me? I was hoping to find a good spot and get close to the senior girls, but alas, I ended up sitting with you, you unlucky sod."
"Hahaha, no wonder I got a seat at 10 AM, turns out no one wanted to sit with a face as ugly as yours!"
"You wanted to get close to the senior girls? You'd scare them away long ago!"
"Eat shit! That was the seat I saved for you! If you're not sitting, then get lost! Get out, get out, get out, get out!"
"..."
As for Lin Ran, he was currently chatting and laughing with Luo Qingyan, pointing at the secret realm gate.
The two naturally attracted many gazes.
Envy, jealousy, hatred, fear, dissatisfaction, indifference...
In any case, there were hardly any pleasant emotions directed their way.
After all, being too dazzling in a group often made it difficult to be liked.
Lin Ran and Luo Qingyan seemed not to care at all, maintaining their cheerful smiles.
Qin Tian walked through the crowd, casting a sideways glance at Lin Ran and Luo Qingyan.
In fact, among everyone, his resentment towards Lin Ran was the deepest.
As a scion of a prominent local family in Qingjing, what he disliked and found most difficult to accept was being surpassed by obscure commoners like Lin Ran and Luo Qingyan, who had no distinguished family background.
This was a direct slap in his face!
And a slap in the face for the Qin family of Qingjing!
As for the other two ranked above him, Lu Yuan of the Lu family in Weiyang Province, and Lan Ruoqiu of the Lan family in Xichuan Province, Qin Tian didn't care about losing to them, as they were also from prominent families.
In fact, among the 107 special recruits at Yan University, besides those from prominent families, there were only about twenty to thirty people who were not.
And among these twenty to thirty people, the vast majority were from wealthy families, just not considered noble houses.
Truly rising from humble beginnings, with nothing before coming to Yan University, were only Lin Ran and Luo Qingyan.
Yet, these two individuals had secured the top two positions...
How could Qin Tian not be annoyed?
It wasn't just him; most of the other scions of noble houses, with the exception of Xu Sheng, who was ranked 13th, felt disgruntled towards Lin Ran and Luo Qingyan.
After all, their victories could be seen as a slap in the face to all the prominent families they had surpassed...
They, who possessed abundant resources, professional guidance, family nurturing, and had awakened SSS-grade talent, were actually inferior to commoners with nothing!
This was truly hard to accept.
This was also why, when Qin Tian hosted gatherings, they tacitly agreed to target Lin Ran and Luo Qingyan.
Just as Qin Tian was lost in thought, Lü Qiufeng, who had been standing at the center, finally spoke:
"Hello everyone! I am Lü Qiufeng, the department head of our Yan University's Qilin Department!"
"This competition will be jointly hosted by myself and the other four department heads!"
"The time is now two-thirty, which is half an hour past our assembly time."
"From this moment on, the access to and from the north district arena will be completely sealed."
"Entry and exit will not be permitted until the Freshman Grand Competition concludes."
"As for those who did not arrive in time, they have already been eliminated."
"At precisely three o'clock, our Freshman Grand Competition will commence."
"For now, you can warm up here, stretch your muscles, and get your bodies moving."
"Prepare yourselves for the upcoming competition."
"The first event of the competition is a dungeon clearance similar to the college entrance exam, please be aware!"
With his profound cultivation, Lü Qiufeng could project his voice into the ears of every student present, even without any amplification equipment.
And it was precisely at the most suitable volume.
After hearing Lü Qiufeng's words, the first-year students present also found suitable spots to stretch and loosen up, their enthusiasm soaring.
Ling Shangqing then spoke:
"Continue, you can listen to me while you exercise."
"There are a few things I need to tell you in advance..."
"The final results of the Freshman Grand Competition will overwrite your college entrance examination scores!"
"The only thing that remains unchanged is your student ID number."
"So, I hope those who are currently ranked high will maintain their positions, and those who are ranked low will work twice as hard; anything is possible."
"Furthermore, after the Freshman Grand Competition concludes, department assignments will take place, and all of you present will be placed under one of our five departments."
"The recruitment process is a two-way choice; those who perform exceptionally poorly will not be selected by us for the time being."
"This means that for the time being, you will only be able to attend public lectures, so please do not slack off!"
"Even if your strength is not great, as long as you show us your effort, we will not give up on you!"
"Additionally, I need to make a special clarification..."
"In the first trial, the dungeon simulation, there are absolutely no restrictions on anything!"
"No matter what methods you employ, they will be accepted."
"The only thing that will be affected is the final score calculation!"