Chapter 31: The Test Concludes, The City Lord's Astonishment
"Test whether I’m truly human?"
Song Qi was slightly startled.
"Have the aliens already infiltrated the human cities?"
Coupling this with what Principal Shen had told him earlier, countless conspiracy theories suddenly flashed through his mind.
Could it be that within the human cities, countless aliens had been living in secret all along? Were they lying in wait among the humans, biding their time, ready to strike at any moment?
Song Qi’s expression turned grave, his voice low and serious.
"If that’s the case, I think Chu Shaojiang and Principal Chu are highly suspicious."
"Maybe the two of them are aliens."
"I suggest, Lord Governor, that you investigate them thoroughly."
The governor fixed him with a pair of lifeless fish-like eyes, then nodded calmly and replied in an unruffled tone.
"Mm, I see what you’re getting at... you have a grudge against the Chu family."
"Heh heh~"
Exposed so easily, Song Qi could only offer an embarrassed laugh and said no more.
The governor turned to look at Lü Bu standing nearby.
"Also... your summoned spirit is indeed formidable."
"Not only was he able to fight me, but he dispersed my black mist several times."
"In terms of strength, he’s certainly impressive. But as for his precise abilities and how to assess him, I’ll need to see his status panel."
"One moment."
Song Qi opened the system interface, found Lü Bu’s entry, and set it to public.
Ding!
A pale blue panel appeared before the governor.
Summoned Spirit: Divine Lü Bu
Level: 12
Quality: Mythic
Strength: 649
Constitution: 649
Agility: 649
Spirit: 649
Equipment: [Divine Sky Piercer Halberd (Sealed)], [Divine Red Hare Horse (10% Unsealed)]
Status: [Sealed: Limited by the summoner’s strength, Lü Bu cannot display his full might. Until his power is fully unleashed, his level will rise in sync with the summoner.]
Talents:
[Peerless: Lü Bu’s prowess knows no equal, growing braver the longer he fights! While in combat, all attributes increase by 1% per second, up to a maximum of 100%!]
[Reckless: Lü Bu enters a berserk state, instantly boosting all attributes by 500%! Lasts ten minutes. Afterwards, he’ll be weakened for half an hour, all attributes reduced by 20%. Cooldown: half an hour.]
[Desperate Strike: Lü Bu forsakes all defense, pouring every ounce of his strength into a single earth-shattering blow!]
[Divine Might: Having obtained a seed of divinity, any being of lower level who faces him will be stricken with fear, reducing their attributes. The reduction varies with the level gap and distance, up to a maximum of 50%.]
[Mount Summoning: Lü Bu calls forth Red Hare. While mounted, strength increases by 10%, and all skills gain a 10% boost.]
Evaluation: Amongst thousands of troops, a single general stands alone—it is as easy as reaching into a sack!
Since Red Hare had already appeared earlier, Song Qi was not particularly surprised by the fifth skill.
The governor’s eyes fixed upon the panel, and at a single glance, his previously calm face shifted dramatically.
As he read further, he clicked his tongue in amazement.
"All attributes at 649? And he’s only level twelve? Incredible!"
"If I remember correctly, this spirit’s base attribute was 99, wasn’t it?"
"99 per attribute at level one, 649 at level twelve—that means... each level adds fifty points to every attribute?!"
Even the governor was startled by his own calculations.
Gaining fifty points to each attribute per level—what did that mean?
It was roughly equal to equipping a transcendent-grade item with each level up!
In other words, with every level, Lü Bu was essentially gaining the equivalent of another piece of transcendent equipment compared to a regular professional!
"If he reaches a higher level, just his raw stats could crush a whole group of high-level professionals!"
He collected himself and kept reading.
"And these skills..."
"Peerless? Up to 100% increase to all attributes in battle? Absurd."
"Reckless—an instant 500% boost to all attributes?! My word... even crazier! And the side effects are practically negligible."
"Desperate Strike... so that’s the move that shattered my black mist? A divine skill for fighting above one’s rank!"
"Divine Might—this is one of the rarest aura-type skills!"
"He actually comes with such a skill by default?"
The more the governor saw, the more shocked he became.
Initially, he’d thought Lü Bu was one of those summons with rapid early growth but poor late-game potential.
Those spirits typically had skills providing large fixed increases to attributes—for instance, a straight boost of several thousand points to strength and constitution! Such summons were usually strong enough in the early game to let their summoner sweep through most dungeons, even defeating the vast majority of peers at the same level. But once the late game arrived...
Such spirits would become little more than burdens.
Therefore, although Lü Bu had smashed his black mist, the governor had only been mildly impressed.
But upon seeing Lü Bu’s skills, he realized how wrong he’d been.
Utterly, completely wrong!
Not a single one of Lü Bu’s skills granted a fixed attribute bonus; every single one was a percentage-based boost!
For a normal summoned spirit to have even one percentage-based skill marked it as a spirit with potential.
Yet Lü Bu’s every skill was a percentage-based boost!
Even more astonishing, his base stats and level-up gains were both extraordinarily high!
He’d seen summons with 99 points per attribute at level one, but those usually gained almost nothing per level.
He’d also seen summons with high level-up bonuses, but their base stats were usually pitifully low.
Never before had he seen one with both such high base stats and such steep level-up gains!
"So this is what a mythic-class summoned spirit is..."
The governor murmured, his heartbeat accelerating despite himself.
At last, he understood why that Shen fellow had been so desperate for his return.
"This child... has the potential to become a governor-level powerhouse!"
The way he looked at Song Qi changed from initial indifference to burning intensity!
This panel was beyond anything he could have imagined.
Most people assumed that the quality of a summoner’s spirit was pure luck.
But as governor, he knew well that a summoned spirit’s quality was actually closely tied to the summoner’s own potential.
In other words, with a spirit as powerful as Lü Bu, Song Qi's potential was equally great!
It was even possible he might one day rival the Human Supreme—Li Er—the founder of the professional path!
"Song Qi... I have to admit, you truly are a genius."
The governor marveled, shaking his head in disbelief, his mouth slightly open, breathing a little quickened.
"You flatter me!"
Song Qi scratched his head, looking slightly embarrassed.
"I’ve decided: I’m going to enter you in the Thirteenth District’s Genius Trials, held a month from now."
"Genius Trials?"
"You’ve heard of them?"
"Yes, I heard the name from someone called Chu Shaojiang before coming here."
The governor nodded.
"Saves me an explanation, then."
"But remember this!"
"Genius is just your ticket into the real world."
His tone suddenly turned solemn.
"You still lack tempering!"
"Earlier, I was thinking that if you were lazy or of poor character, I would only offer moderate support, and let you fend for yourself after that."
"But now... I’ve changed my mind."
"I realize now that temperament can be honed, character can be improved, but talent—talent is innate. If missed, it can never be recovered."
Song Qi felt a chill run down his spine, sensing that the atmosphere had subtly shifted.
"Wait, Lord Governor, I’m really not as—"
He hadn’t finished before the governor cut him off with a wave.
"Prepare yourself, Song Qi..."
The governor revealed that gentle, warm smile he always wore during speeches.
But to Song Qi, there was something deeply unsettling about it now.
He could feel a cold shiver creeping over him.
"In order for you to achieve a good ranking in the Genius Trials..."
"For the next month, I will personally oversee your training—no, your rigorous instruction will be in my hands!"