About ten minutes later, Luo Qingyan's figure finally appeared on the arena as well.
Employing a similar tactic to Lin Ran, she had swept through the final layer with her light cannon "Holy Skill: Halo of the End," and after a flurry of attacks while under the buffs and the World-Ending Soul Armor, she emerged victorious.
Her final score was 15 minutes and 57 seconds, with an overall achievement of 976 points.
When Luo Qingyan emerged, Lin Ran was waiting for her, along with the five department heads.
The moment Luo Qingyan saw Lin Ran, she knew she had been slower again and could only dejectedly rub her face.
"Why are you so fast?"
Lin Ran coughed lightly.
"So many people are listening, please be clearer with your words..."
"You should ask, why was your clear speed so fast, right?"
"Otherwise, it might lead to misunderstandings."
Luo Qingyan chuckled.
"Perhaps it's not just the clear speed?"
"Men, they always like to brag about these things."
Lin Ran tilted his head, his mischievous gaze sweeping over Luo Qingyan's alluring figure.
"So you mean you want to try it yourself?"
Luo Qingyan blinked with feigned innocence.
"What do you think?"
Looking at Luo Qingyan's graceful curves, her gently trembling bosom, and her beautiful face adorned with a wicked smile.
And inhaling the fragrant breeze she exuded...
Lin Ran felt his inner fire rising, almost impossible to suppress.
But alas, in this public setting, no matter how much Lin Ran couldn't restrain himself, he couldn't possibly just pin Luo Qingyan down right here...
Fine! Just you wait!
Lin Ran let out a resigned sigh.
"Let's go, we'll sit down nearby for a while and chat about some things."
Lin Miao also smiled.
"Yes, yes, you two can discuss your issues privately in bed later..."
"Uh... in your room..."
"Let's talk about important matters first!"
With that, Lin Miao pulled Luo Qingyan along with the remaining five people back to the judges' stand.
Luo Qingyan asked curiously.
"What important matters?"
Ling Shangqing smiled and took out two manuals from his spatial storage device, handing one to Lin Ran and the other to Luo Qingyan.
"Your performances were outstanding enough that you can rightfully be placed under the boss's name, and we five will guide you together."
"These two specially made booklets are prepared exclusively for you, and they are different from those who are assigned to the five major departments."
"They contain many things you need to pay attention to. You can go through them."
"After all, the freshman competition is over, and it will be the official start of our Swallow University. We still need to abide by the rules."
"However, there's no rush to look at this. You can first observe the clear progress of others on the central projection or through your bio-chips."
"After all, these top-ranked special recruits will likely be your main competitors in the future."
After listening to Ling Shangqing's words, the two accepted the booklets and turned their attention to the projection orb.
Since Lin Ran and Luo Qingyan had already cleared the challenge, their figures were naturally absent from the screen at this moment.
From the current situation, Lu Yuan's performance among the top-ranked individuals was quite brilliant.
He was currently in the process of finishing the third level.
Putting aside other aspects, Lu Yuan's "Tidal Gale" talent was undoubtedly cool.
The ice vortices, frost storms, and surging waves he created continuously churned within the tower, scattering the Soul Armors and providing excellent crowd control.
Moreover, Lu Yuan maintained a calm and composed smile on his face, appearing to be in complete control.
Clearly, in his own eyes, he was both stylish, swift, and debonair.
If he continued smoothly like this, he had a high chance of winning first place.
The only drawback was that his talent seemed to consume a significant amount of mana, requiring him to constantly consume blue potions to replenish his energy.
This was rather less than debonair...
"Hmm, this is good, fancy and flashy, I like it!"
Lin Ran complimented.
Luo Qingyan rolled her eyes.
"Good for what! Slow and weak, constantly draining mana, and sporting that sickening, superior-class smile of unshakeable confidence."
"Just looking at it makes me want to throw up!"
"That young lady, however, is somewhat to my liking."
The person Luo Qingyan was referring to was Lan Ruo Qiu, who possessed the SSS-grade talent "Wasted Grey Bones."
Lan Ruo Qiu's usual appearance was quite striking. While not comparable to Luo Qingyan, she was considered a considerable beauty.
This was largely due to her aloof demeanor.
And the "Wasted Grey Bones" talent was indeed well-suited to her temperament.
Currently, in the third level where Lan Ruo Qiu was, grey bones were constantly growing.
Lan Ruo Qiu herself was covered in bone shields, wielding a bone blade and charging into battle with abandon.
Lin Ran stroked his chin.
"Quite surprising, you, of the Holy element, would appreciate her from the Undead element..."
"Or perhaps, you see a reflection of yourself in her combat style, playing a battle mage like a berserker?"
Luo Qingyan knew Lin Ran was teasing her about opening her wings and charging with a light sword, so she snorted.
"You know nothing!"
"The Holy Angel, as an all-around talent, isn't bad in close combat either, okay?"
"Compared to hiding in the back and casting spells, don't I just like the impact of every blow connecting?"
"But it is indeed strange..."
"Logically speaking, awakened individuals like us with opposing attributes should feel uncomfortable around each other."
"Yet, I don't seem to feel that way..."
"Instead... instead... uh... you might not believe this."
"I actually feel a strange sense of closeness towards awakened individuals of the Undead element..."
"Although I don't know why."
Lin Miao looked at Luo Qingyan with some surprise.
As someone with a purely Holy element talent, she experienced the repulsion Luo Qingyan mentioned.
For instance, when facing Lan Ruo Qiu's undead power, Lin Miao felt a distinct discomfort.
This was a perfectly normal phenomenon.
However, Luo Qingyan's reaction was highly abnormal.
If she were indifferent to Lan Ruo Qiu, it would be one thing, perhaps Luo Qingyan's adaptability to her own talent was strong enough to suppress this natural pressure and repulsion.
But Luo Qingyan actually felt an inexplicable sense of closeness towards Lan Ruo Qiu's Undead element talent...
And then, recalling the dark energy she had sensed within Luo Qingyan before, Lin Miao was completely bewildered.
At present, with Luo Qingyan's increasing strength and improved attributes, even Lin Miao could no longer sense that dark energy.
This energy had been inadvertently hidden very well by Luo Qingyan herself.
However, that energy had indeed existed, and it was genuine.
But Luo Qingyan's bloodline ability had also been discovered, it was the Holy element's Soul of the Angel...
So, what else could be the source of that dark energy?
Lin Miao was perplexed.