Lin Qingyue paused.
As an internal scream of Save me! This damn, uncontrollable urge to perform! echoed in her mind, she delivered the line destined to be immortalized in her personal hall of social shame.
"I will be mindful... of a Knight's 'grace.'"
Lin Xiyue: "!!!"
Sis! Did you mean 'grace' or 'madness'?!
After a moment of stunned silence, the live stream chat was utterly flooded by a tsunami of "Hahaha"s and question marks.
"Grace?! Are you sure it's not 'madness'?!"
"Confirmed! It's the 'mad' in 'madness'!"
"This Maid Knight has a remarkably clear self-awareness!"
"She's gone berserk! She's definitely gone berserk!"
"Giant Goblin: I can't rest in peace! Great Goblin: Report! We request a strategic retreat!"
Before the words even faded, Lin Qingyue had already transformed into a silver-gray whirlwind of death, charging head-on into the torrent of Great Goblins that vastly outnumbered her side!
In her hands, the Favonius Greatsword was no longer a sword.
It was an indestructible... giant broom!
Sweep!
Chop!
Upward Slash!
Every strike carried a terrifying, overwhelming power.
The Great Goblin Warriors' prized fine leather armor and iron weapons were as fragile as crumpled paper balls before the Favonius Greatsword, shattering on contact and flying away at the slightest touch!
The dull thuds of crushed bones, the mournful cries of breaking weapons, and the desperate screams of the dying wove together into a symphony of destruction.
She needed no fancy techniques.
This was pure, unreasonable brute force—a reckless tanking of damage with her shield!
The Geo Elemental Shield, "Breastplate," steadfastly withstood attacks from all directions. The Great Goblin Shamans' fireballs and ice cones merely created insignificant ripples upon impact, failing to even slow her steps for a fraction of a second.
And with every swing of her sword, she cleared a fan-shaped area.
In the most violent and direct way possible, she perfectly demonstrated the true meaning of "Sweeping Time"
The only thing she could do was raise her shield and occasionally block one or two stragglers that had luckily broken through the Death Whirlwind.
Then, she could only watch, dumbfounded, as her sister single-handedly surrounded the entire Great Goblin army.
"Is... is this what 'Madness' looks like?"
Lin Xiyue muttered to herself, watching her sister go on a rampage through the enemy ranks. "I'm done for. I'm truly done for."
The Great Goblins' emotions had been on a roller coaster.
From initial bloodthirsty ferocity to stunned confusion, then to bone-deep terror, and finally, to complete collapse.
This wasn't a battle!
It was a one-sided slaughter! A "sanitation sweep" taken to the extreme of violence!
"Gah! Monster! She's the monster!"
"Run! Run for your lives!"
"Mama! I wanna go home!"
The remaining Great Goblins shrieked in terror, all thoughts of revenge and treasure thrown to the winds.
Like rats whose nest had been kicked over, they turned and fled, scattering in all directions, leaving behind only a field littered with severed limbs, broken bodies, and shattered weapons.
-
Meanwhile, at the Joint Points Tournament Monitoring Center, the eyes of several university admissions officers weren't just shining—they were practically shooting flames.
An old man in an ancient-style robe, its cuffs embroidered with arcane runes, froze with his hand halfway through stroking his beard. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
"It's not just brute force... The stability of that shield, the effortless precision in her control of power—it clearly bears the mark of 'Intent'! This girl's talent for energy manipulation is monstrous! We can't let her... slip away to another university! Quick! Contact the County Education Department immediately! Tianshu University must lock her down early!"
Nearby, a man in a sharp suit, looking like a corporate elite, was rapidly tapping on a light screen.
"The return on investment is staggering! Clearing the Giant Goblins and this wave of Great Goblins earned them 3,015 points in a single engagement! Team ranking... Hiss—they've already shot up to eighth place! And it's a two-person team! Such efficiency, such strength... Northern Alliance University must have her! Double the scholarship! No, triple it!"
Not far away, a woman in a sleek combat uniform with a star emblem on her shoulder stood with her arms crossed, a predatory curve playing on her lips.
"Interesting. That power control, that combat will... It would be a waste if she didn't join our Starlight Military Academy. Record this: Lin Qingyue and Lin Xiyue, the sisters. Package deal. The older one is a born battlefield vanguard; the younger is a perfect heavy shield guardian. Both are prime recruits. We can't lose a single one."
-
On the battlefield, the last Great Goblin fell with a desperate scream.
"Hmm, much cleaner now."
Lin Qingyue stood with her sword in hand, her chest rising and falling slightly. She surveyed the instantly cleared battlefield and the soaring points on her wristband, nodding in satisfaction.
After more than a full day of high-intensity combat, capped off by that exhilarating "sweeping time," she suddenly felt an invisible shackle within her shatter!
A gentle yet pure energy surged from the depths of her limbs and bones, flowing through her like a warm stream. It instantly dispelled most of her fatigue, leaving her feeling refreshed and invigorated.
Her Exam Wristband vibrated lightly at the perfect moment, displaying a notification:
[Level Up! Lin Qingyue - Priest Lv. 21]
[Strength: 60] [Agility: 60] [Constitution: 123 (+3)] [Intelligence: 73 (+3)] [Faith: 82]
[Free Attribute Points: 2]
Level up!
The +3 to Constitution and +3 to Intelligence made her body feel more solid and her mental energy more abundant.
Without hesitation, she allocated the 2 free attribute points to Constitution. This stat directly affected how long she could use her Character Card—the very foundation of her survival.
With the battle over, her mind immediately began racing with calculations.
"From the start of my transformation until now... it's been about 12 minutes."
Based on the conversion rate—120 Constitution for a 12-minute transformation—she should have been nearing her limit.
But strangely, while she felt a massive drain on her power, it was far from depleted. The fatigue was also much lighter than she'd anticipated.
"It feels like... I can keep going for a few more minutes?"
She clenched her fist in confusion, feeling the still-surging power and the stable Breastplate. Was it an insight gained in battle? Or...
As she pondered, the long-overdue System notification finally chimed in her mind with a cheerful tone:
[Ding! Host detected successfully completing an exhilarating "Sweeping Time" with the Noelle Character Card. During combat, you have profoundly grasped the true meaning of "Protection" and "Duty," significantly increasing your synchronization with the character Noelle!]
[Congratulations, Host! Strength permanently +30! Constitution permanently +30!]
[Note: Level up + Synchronization boost = Double the joy! This is the self-cultivation of a maid, Host! (ThumbsUp.jpg)]
Strength +30!
Constitution +30!
Lin Qingyue's mind buzzed as a wave of power—far stronger and more concentrated than before—erupted from the very core of her flesh and bone!
The lingering fatigue was instantly washed away by this surge of new strength. She even had the illusion that she could fight for another three hundred rounds!
The explosive increase in Constitution didn't just extend her transformation's duration; it also represented a massive leap in her base stamina!
She instinctively glanced at her updated Attribute Panel:
[Strength: 90 (+30)]
[Constitution: 155 (Free +2, Synchronization +30)]
Such a terrifying increase!
No wonder she felt like she could keep going! With 155 Constitution, her transformation's limit had likely been extended to fifteen and a half minutes!
More importantly, this strength boost was a permanent, tangible improvement! Even without transforming, her close-combat abilities had undergone a complete metamorphosis!
"Sis! Eighth place! We've broken into the top eight! We have over twenty-one thousand points!"
Lin Xiyue stared at her Exam Wristband, her voice rising to a near-shriek with extreme excitement. She was completely oblivious to the storm of joy her sister was experiencing over the massive attribute boost.
[Ding!]
[Successfully executed the "Aesthetic of Madness" by clearing the field with absolute force, creating an extreme contrast between violence and elation. Elation Value +255!]
[Host, please continue sprinting down the path of becoming stronger and suffering social death!]
Lin Qingyue took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the wild joy in her heart and the urge to complain, Finally, the System did something useful for once.
The attribute boost and soaring rank were great, but the immediate danger hadn't completely vanished.
She deactivated her transformation, feeling the tangible increase in her base strength and stamina. Recalling the lines she had just shouted, a delayed wave of shame still washed over her.
But perhaps... in the face of absolute power and a dazzling rank, a little shame didn't matter so much?
She silently looked up at the sky.
"Maybe... I should consider changing my class to 'Cleaner'?"
The moment the words left her lips, the hair on her body stood on end!
She felt several incredibly "scorching"—even "frenzied"—gazes pierce through the dense forest and the barriers of space, locking onto her with deadly precision!
Is it just my imagination?
She shivered and decided to leave this dangerous place immediately. The commotion she'd caused had been far too great.
Moreover, this transformation had already consumed 12 minutes. Even with the increased total duration, only three and a half minutes remained.
Not enough trump cards, she thought. I must be cautious.
"Xiyue, hurry! Gather the loot! We need to leave this place immediately!"
"You got it, Sis!" Lin Xiyue replied cheerfully.
Gazing at the dazzling 8th place on the Points Leaderboard, she felt an inexhaustible surge of energy. Her eyes, fixed on her sister, were now filled with twinkling stars of adoration.
My sister really is the best in the world!