Chapter 269: First

The examiners shook their heads. Laws were a private matter. Even as chief examiners, they avoided prying too deeply into the Laws of these Nightmare Apostles, as it easily provoked resentment.

"Lin Lingling is Silver 3, and her three Silver Laws all relate to luck: Shining Lucky Star, Heaven's Providence, and Turning Misfortune into Blessing."

"Ah... what kind of Laws are those?" an examiner asked in astonishment.

Sikong Zhen explained, "It is perfectly normal that you haven't heard of them, as they are not among the known Laws. I only know of them because I have crossed paths with Lin Lingling a few times. Back then, I wanted to refine a Transcendent Potion but lacked the crucial main ingredient. While not particularly precious, it was incredibly difficult to find.

"It only blooms for half a day. Once that window passes, it withers and loses its medicinal efficacy. You can imagine how hard it was to secure. Many people managed to track it down, only to miss the bloom.

"I posted a bounty, and a young girl accepted it the very next day. Assuming she had already found the ingredient, I invited her to meet. Yet she told me she didn't actually have it, but guaranteed she would deliver it at the exact same time the following day.

"I asked if she had a lead and offered to go with her to fetch it. Surprisingly, not only did she lack any leads, she didn't even know what the ingredient looked like."

"My lord, could that young girl have been Lin Lingling?"

Sikong Zhen nodded. "It was her. At the time, I thought she was making a fool of me. Just as I was about to lose my temper, she stated outright that if she couldn't find it by the next day, I could deal with her however I pleased. When the second day arrived, she actually found it.

"I gave her double the reward and casually asked how she had managed it. She replied that there was no secret to it—only luck.

"We cooperated a few more times after that. Once we became familiar with each other, I learned about her Silver Laws. All of them are related to luck. Although Lin Lingling's frontal combat abilities are on the weaker side, she is unimaginably lucky. It's as if she has divine assistance!"

The examiners clicked their tongues in wonder.

"To think such miraculous Laws exist in this world. Hearing your words today has truly broadened our horizons."

"Lord Sikong is indeed the Empire's heaven-supporting white jade pillar, sea-bridging purple gold beam. You are truly knowledgeable and experienced. In my eyes, Lin Lingling finding that transcendent material wasn't particularly lucky; her true fortune was being able to befriend you, Lord Sikong."

"Thinking back on it now, our confident guesses about who would take first place in front of Lord Sikong were truly a case of displaying axe work before Lu Ban. It seems first place will undoubtedly belong to Lin Lingling."

Amid the chorus of flattery, Sikong Zhen maintained a calm expression, but he found it deeply satisfying.

Human nature was just like that. Even when a person knew the other party was blatantly flattering them, it still felt good to hear.

"Ah, there is movement in the Dungeon. Someone is about to come out," an examiner suddenly said.

"Incredible. So little time has passed, yet she has already collected a Mithril Token and found the exit? The terrain inside the Dungeon is exceptionally complex. To finish this quickly, Lin Lingling must not have taken a single wrong turn. The power of luck is miraculous indeed!"

Sikong Zhen was also slightly surprised, but he put on an unfazed expression and said coolly, "This is nothing. Last time at the black market, this girl... Hmm!?"

He suddenly paused, staring in a daze at the person walking out of the exit, his expression turning slightly awkward.

Seeing this, the other examiners were taken aback before letting out a few dry laughs. None of them brought up Lin Lingling again.

Su Mu slowly walked out of the exit. The bright sunlight beat down on him, draping him in a coat of gold.

"Ahem..." Sikong Zhen coughed lightly. "Very good. You are the first. Your name is... Su Mu, right?"

He flipped through the files and found the page bearing Su Mu's photo. After a quick scan, he froze once more.

"Silver... 1?"

"You're Silver 1?" Sikong Zhen looked up in astonishment. "Examiners, is there a mistake in this file?"

"That's impossible." The examiners hurriedly flipped through the files in front of them. Upon finding Su Mu's information, they were all dumbfounded.

"He really is Silver 1? Did the staff make a mistake?"

"It must be a mistake. How could a Silver 1 be the first to emerge from the Dungeon?"

"No, there shouldn't be a mistake," an examiner suddenly said, his face filled with shock. He was the one who had brought Su Mu and the others to the Dungeon earlier. He had a rather deep impression of Su Mu, a Nightmare Apostle whose outstanding temperament resembled that of a noble.

"Su Mu, are you really Silver 1?" Sikong Zhen asked with a hint of doubt.

Su Mu smiled and nodded. Looking at the old acquaintance in front of him, he spoke in an enigmatic tone. "That's right. I am indeed Silver 1, from Star City."

Just as expected, the moment the words 'Star City' were spoken, they instantly dredged up unpleasant memories for Sikong Zhen. His expression grew unnatural, and he seemed to lose all desire to converse.

"Where is your Mithril Token?" an examiner questioned. He strongly suspected that Su Mu had simply walked out without looking for it at all. However, when Su Mu took out the Mithril Token, all doubts vanished into thin air, replaced only by shock.

No matter how knowledgeable and experienced these examiners were, they couldn't fathom how a Silver 1 had managed to take first place. After all, there were quite a few Silver 3s inside the Dungeon!

"Go wait at the first seat," Sikong Zhen suddenly ordered.

Su Mu nodded and walked over to the first seat.

As soon as Su Mu stepped away, the examiners began whispering among themselves, constantly questioning the examiner who had brought Su Mu here.

"Is this Su Mu really Silver 1?"

"It's true. I tested him personally; there's no mistake."

"Then how on earth did he make it out of the Dungeon so fast?"

"You're asking me, but who am I supposed to ask?"

"Do you guys think he might have some sort of powerful Artifact?"

"It's possible, but an Artifact is also a part of one's own strength. It doesn't count as cheating."

The group waited for about half an hour before the second Nightmare Apostle appeared. It was none other than the Lin Lingling that Sikong Zhen had mentioned earlier.

The eccentric girl came skipping out of the exit. A small bulge poked against her left cheek, and a small white stick protruded from her lips—she was clearly eating a lollipop. She looked as relaxed as if she were out on a spring picnic.

"You are second. Go to the second seat."

Lin Lingling blinked in surprise, her gaze unconsciously drifting toward Su Mu in the first seat. She clearly hadn't expected someone to be faster than her. However, she didn't seem to care much about rankings, and she skipped her way over to the second seat.

"I'm Lin Lingling. What should I call you, mister?"

A small, fair, and tender hand reached out in front of Su Mu.

Looking at Lin Lingling, who was vigorously sucking on her lollipop, Su Mu smiled and reached out his hand. Behind his Tinted Glasses, his eyes flickered with an imperceptible crystalline blue light.

"Su Mu."

After the two chatted casually for a bit, Lin Lingling pulled out a handheld console and started playing a game. The crystalline blue light in Su Mu's eyes slowly faded away.

'Does she have a mental defense Artifact on her? Luck-based abilities sure are interesting.'

After roughly another hour passed, the people inside the Dungeon began to emerge one after another.