SSS Grade Saint Knight - Chapter 108

Chapter 108: Zhou Yi, the Second Golden Era Leader?

TL: Etude Translations

Wang Hui, the only official principal of Suhang University, a national representative of Zhongxia Country, and the founder of one of the largest associations in the nation, the Skyfeather Society.

He was a figure of immense strength, often leading legions into battle in foreign realms.

In the last decade, however, he had grown much more low-key, stepping back from the front lines to serve as the principal of Suhang University.

Despite retreating to a secondary role, Wang Hui still held tremendous influence.

Numerous clans and factions sought him out, encouraging their descendants to apply to Suhang University.

Of course, there were also many students who chose Suhang University out of admiration for Wang Hui.

Thus, when the towering figure suddenly appeared on the ceremonial stage, many students in the audience erupted into excited discussions.

“It’s Principal Wang Hui!”

“After a year, the principal is finally back!”

“Awesome! Now we can take his courses again.”

“…”

Although he was the principal, Wang Hui occasionally held open lectures.

“Heavy Armor Knight Combat Techniques,” “Cooldown Judgement and Exploitation,” …

The content of Principal Wang’s lectures was always practical and insightful, drawing overwhelming crowds every time.

There were even people willing to crowd outside the classroom just to listen.

Over the past year, the principal had been away from the school, and open lectures had ceased for over a year.

Naturally, the students missed him dearly.

Of course, beyond the joy of the principal’s return, many eyes were also fixed on the virtual projection screen hovering in mid-air.

“Gasp! That’s so fast. It’s been just over ten minutes since they entered the dungeon, and Zhou Yi has already cleared it?! That’s insane!”

“Even in Nightmare difficulty, it would take me at least half an hour to clear it. As for Abyss difficulty… I wouldn’t even dare to imagine clearing it, let alone think about how long it’d take.”

“Out of over thirty displays, Zhou Yi’s clearance speed is undoubtedly the fastest. It seems the top freshman this year is definitely him.”

“…”

At Suhang University, the top freshman of any year was always the center of attention.

Some people even took out their phones to contact the factions backing them.

After all…

A figure like this was best befriended early to convey goodwill.

Of course, the New Student Competition still had its second phase.

But no one believed there would be anyone stronger than Zhou Yi…

“Zhou Yi… the strongest freshman of the second golden era.”

“Indeed, whether it’s Zhou Yi or the others, they’re far superior to our cohort when we enrolled.”

In the audience, Lin Haoran gazed at the screen displaying Zhou Yi, his eyes gleaming with an unreadable light.

After a pause, he turned to Li Dongsheng beside him and said, “Dongsheng, after the New Student Competition ends, your team should send Zhou Yi an invitation to join our society.”

“If he agrees, let me know.”

“I have some matters to attend to, so I’ll leave first.”

Patting Li Dongsheng on the shoulder, Lin Haoran departed gracefully.

“Huh, that’s rare. Senior Lin actually took an interest in someone.”

“Zhou Yi’s performance is too dazzling. Compared to him, the other special admissions students are completely lackluster. Senior Lin is a battle maniac; of course he’d take an interest in him.”

As Lin Haoran left, the surrounding members of the Aurora Society broke into discussion.

After all, Lin Haoran was famously aloof within the society, and it was unusual for him to pay attention to anyone.

“All right, Senior Lin has spoken.”

“Everyone, start preparing. Organize all the resources we can currently offer.”

“We need to recruit Zhou Yi and the top ten freshmen into our society!”

At that moment, Li Dongsheng was also filled with enthusiasm.

A level 29 Sharpshooter was considered a relatively high level among regular students.

But within the Aurora Society, this wasn’t quite sufficient to qualify as a minister.

The only reason he held the ministerial position was due to his exceptional administrative skills.

And next, it was time for him to demonstrate his value.

“Brother Lin has spoken; of course, we must do our best!”

The other members of the Aurora Society immediately sprang into action.

Generally, when the Aurora Society recruited members, it required applicants to submit a request, pass an evaluation, and then pay an entry fee to join.

However, for geniuses like Zhou Yi, it was different.

They had to make the first move, and even offer certain resource benefits.

Otherwise, there was a high risk of losing him to another society.

After all, a powerful individual could bring tremendous benefits to a society…

…

On the ceremonial stage, many teachers were aware that Principal Wang Hui was returning to the school today.

What they didn’t expect was that he would come to watch the New Student Competition.

It was well known that in past competitions, even if the principal was on campus, he would only delegate the hosting duties to the deans of the various colleges.

All he needed was the final ranking results.

“But this year’s freshmen are different from previous years—much stronger. It makes sense for Principal Wang to take a personal interest.”

“Still, what is this ‘Divine Gift Skill’ the principal mentioned? I’ve never heard of it…”

At this moment, some younger teachers, including Su Mei, seemed to have no concept of the Divine Gift Skill that Principal Wang Hui referred to.

Only some older instructors showed expressions of astonishment.

This included Wu Mang, the dean of the War College.

The Divine Gift Skill was almost exclusively a concept understood by third-transfer professionals.

While younger second-transfer professionals at the school might not know, Wu Mang was well aware.

One had to communicate with the gods to receive a gift and obtain such a skill.

But Zhou Yi was just a freshman who had just entered the school.

How could he possibly have the opportunity to communicate with a god?

Instinctively, he glanced at Principal Wang Hui.

Seeing that he had no intention of elaborating, Wu Mang refrained from asking further questions.

After all…

Possessing a Divine Gift Skill was undoubtedly a great boon for Zhou Yi.

…

“Clear time: 12 minutes and 16 seconds. Not bad, it seems to be a new record.”

At this moment, Zhou Yi had already slain all the monsters, and his clear time was displayed in the upper right corner of the screen.

Wang Hui’s words of praise immediately refocused everyone’s attention on Zhou Yi’s projection.

“He actually broke the record!”

“Does that mean… Zhou Yi is stronger than the top-ranked individual of 80 years ago?!”

Upon reaching this conclusion, the surrounding instructors were instantly astonished.

It was known that…

The last time the Abyss-level dungeon difficulty had been attempted was during the Golden Era 80 years ago.

The record for clearing the Abyss-level dungeon was set during that time.

This meant that Zhou Yi’s record-breaking achievement suggested his potential future accomplishments might surpass those of the strongest individuals born in the Golden Era!

Of course, they understood this was merely a possibility.

Still, the emergence of such a possibility was enough to amaze them.

After all, the strongest individuals born in the Golden Era were true legends who stood at the pinnacle of Blue Star.

Their strength was incomparable to that of ordinary powerful individuals…

…

“Dean Wu, if I recall correctly, there’s an additional stage after clearing the dungeon, correct?”

Wang Hui spoke up.

Standing next to Wu Mang, who possessed the Giant Bloodline and stood over three meters tall, Wang Hui’s height of 1.8 meters appeared somewhat diminutive.

However, the icy killing intent emanating from him was unmatched by Wu Mang.

“Yes,” Wu Mang nodded.

“No matter the difficulty chosen by the freshmen, there is always an additional stage after clearing the dungeon.”

“Performance in the additional stage is also factored into their ranking.”

Dungeon clear times and additional stage times were calculated separately.

This separation allowed for a more thorough evaluation of the freshmen’s abilities.

“In the additional stage of the Bear Monster Dungeon, the opponents are undead creatures. They must be defeated ten consecutive times to clear it.”

“If someone can’t hold on and exits midway, their score will be determined by the number of kills,” Wu Mang added.

“Undead creatures? Ten consecutive battles…

It seems I arrived late, but I’ll still get to witness his full strength.”

Wang Hui looked at Zhou Yi’s projected image with a hint of anticipation.

The New Student Competition consisted of two phases, but the second phase involved duels between freshmen.

Given the abilities of the other freshmen, they might not be able to push Zhou Yi to his limits.

The dungeon phase of the competition, however, offered a more substantial reference…