Goblins were not weak. For freshmen, facing over a thousand goblins, including elite warriors and mages, was a nightmare. But for Xu Luo, they were insignificant. He had already destroyed many divine realms, faced numerous strong opponents, and would not be concerned with such ordinary creatures.
Goblins were only about 1.2 meters tall, slightly taller than gnomes, dwarves, and goblins, but not by much. Only the goblin warriors stood around 1.8 meters tall, like regular humans.
Their opponents, the Mantis Bugs, stood at about 1.5 meters tall, while the Beetles were 1 meter long and 0.8 meters wide. When they formed a line, they blocked the goblins' path effectively. The Mantis Bugs attacked with low-altitude flight and then retreated behind the Beetles, making them difficult to hit.
The battle ended quickly.
The Mantis Bugs' enhanced forelimbs, as sharp as blades, slashed down on the goblins, bringing one down with each strike.
This swift victory shocked the teachers and students watching outside.
Not only did Xu Luo annihilate the goblin invaders, but he also did it so quickly that many spectators barely had time to react.
Annihilating the invaders earned Xu Luo full marks, but he wasn't satisfied. He knew that others in Class 1 might also manage to annihilate their invaders. He wanted to take first place and claim the top reward, which meant more than just tying for the top score.
With the connection between the goblin realm and his divine realm still intact, he decided to take a risk.
It was a simulated battle; even if all his Zerg were killed, he would suffer no real loss. Why not go for it?
Driven by this thought, Xu Luo commanded his Zerg to launch a counter-invasion into the goblin realm.
This maneuver once again astonished the spectators, both students and teachers.
"Is he... turning the tables?"
The head instructor was bewildered.
"Isn't he from an ordinary class? How is he this strong?"
"I've been the logistics director for over ten years, and this is the first time I've seen a student counter-invade the invaders' base during a monthly exam."
The logistics director was equally amazed.
"Principal, should we stop him? There's no precedent for this!" Zhao Yiming tried to hide his dismay as he spoke.
"Why would we stop him?"
Zhong Tianyue asked with a faint smile, seeing through Zhao Yiming's intentions.
Zhao Yiming had initially been confident that Xiang Xun would take first place and had schemed to secure the newcomer king's reward for him. But now, with Xu Luo's outstanding performance, Zhao Yiming didn't want to see his efforts benefit someone else.
"The school has no rule against counter-invasion. If we stop him now, are you suggesting we declare him the winner?" Zhong Tianyue said calmly.
"This..."
Zhao Yiming fell silent. If Xu Luo were declared the winner, all his efforts would indeed benefit someone else, someone he particularly disliked.
"I don't think it's appropriate. Let's observe first," suggested the head instructor.
"I agree," echoed another.
"I concur," added yet another.
The school's senior staff collectively agreed. Zhao Yiming, despite his reluctance, was outnumbered.
Their rationale was simple: to gauge Xu Luo's true capabilities. If he truly was a genius, they wouldn't hesitate to support him.
Xu Luo had reached this level without any support. What heights could he achieve with the school's backing? They could potentially cultivate a student capable of competing in the global league, maybe even a future star Godfighter.
With such honor at stake, offending Zhao Yiming was a minor concern. Despite the Xiang family's influence, these leaders held significant power within the school and had their own backers. They weren't afraid of opposing Zhao Yiming.
As Xu Luo initiated his counter-invasion, most of the students had exited the simulation pods.
These were students from Class 19 and other ordinary classes. Their development was average, and after a hard-fought defense, their divine realm cores were still breached.
In contrast, almost all Class 1 students passed the assessment, either by meeting the required defense time or by eliminating the invaders.
With family support from the start and additional school resources, they were far ahead of ordinary students.
Passing the assessment was expected for them; failing would have been unusual.
Xiang Xun was the first to exit the simulation pod. Seeing the crowd of students emerging, he sneered.
"Are they all this weak? So many failures!"
Born into the Xiang family, Xiang Xun had always received elite education. He looked down on ordinary people, considering them beneath him.
Seeing these "mud legs" trying to change their fate, he couldn't help but mock them.
"What are you so smug about? You just killed all the invaders. Xu Luo from the ordinary class did that earlier than you and is now busy invading the goblin realm!" someone retorted from the crowd, irritated by Xiang Xun's arrogance.
The conflict between these second-generation elites and ordinary students had been simmering for a long time. Many second-generation elites, like Xiang Xun, looked down on ordinary people, and many ordinary people resented and even hated them.
The divide between the rich and the poor had existed for years.
With the recent massive unemployment wave, ordinary people's lives became harder, while the elite lived extravagantly, exacerbating the tension.
"What did you say?"
Xiang Xun turned sharply, incredulous, towards the projection screen. Only a few screens remained active, and one of them stood out.
On it was Xu Luo, not in his divine realm, but invading the goblin realm.
This revelation stunned Xiang Xun, making him forget about the ordinary student who had offended him.
In different circumstances, he would have taught the student a lesson.
But now, he was fixated on one word: counter-invasion.
He knew the significance of this.
The top spot he had thought was securely his and the title of newcomer king seemed to be slipping away.
How could this happen?
His face turned grim, and his breathing became rapid.