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**Beijing, Dragon Empire Alliance, Year 2045**
Lin Feng jolted awake, heart pounding like he'd just sprinted a marathon. His desk was a warzone of crumpled calculus notes, half-eaten instant noodles, and a flickering holographic textbook screaming about quadratic equations. The air smelled of sweat and cheap coffee, but something was off. Way off.
"Am I… 16?" he muttered, staring at his scrawny arms. No beer gut. No eye bags from pulling all-nighters for a soul-crushing civil service exam. Instead, he was in a futuristic classroom, surrounded by teens in sleek, rune-etched uniforms. Outside, Beijing's skyline gleamed with towering spires, floating billboards, and drones zipping like fireflies. This wasn't Earth—or at least, not the one he knew.
Memories hit like a truck. In his past life, Lin Feng was a 30-year-old office drone, dead from exhaustion cramming for an exam he didn't even care about. Now, he was reborn in **Terra Apocalypse**, a world where Earth had ballooned 100 times its size, 80% overrun by monsters, dungeons, and rifts. Humanity survived in seven super-nations, with China's **Dragon Empire Alliance** leading the pack. Every high schooler awakened a class and talent at 16, preparing for the **Global College Entrance Trials**, a death gauntlet deciding their fate.
Before Lin could process further, a blue screen flickered in his vision, invisible to everyone else.
**[Mysterious Sovereign System Activated! Welcome, Host, to Terra Apocalypse!]**
**[Status: Lin Feng, Age 16, Level 0]**
**[Quest: Survive the Class Awakening Ceremony. Reward: Mystery Dragon Egg, 100 System Points.]**
Lin blinked. "A system? Like in those webnovels I binged instead of studying?" A grin crept across his face. In his old life, he'd been a nobody. Here, he had a cheat code. "Alright, apocalypse, let's game this."
The classroom buzzed with nervous energy. Students whispered about the ceremony, where they'd awaken their class (Combat, Support, or Life) and talent rank (F to SSS). Only 13 people in the world held SSS-Rank talents, legends like **Xiao Tianlong**, China's "Spear Saint." Lin's deskmate, a chubby kid named **Fatty Wang**, was sweating buckets.
"Feng, what if I get a trash Life-Class like 'Gourmet Chef'? I'll be stuck cooking for hunters!" Fatty wailed.
Lin patted his shoulder, smirking. "Relax, Fatty. If you're a chef, I'll eat your failures. Can't be worse than my instant noodles."
A sharp voice cut through. "Lin Feng! Stop slacking!" Their teacher, **Ms. Ironfist**, a Combat-Class mage with a glare that could melt steel, lobbed a holographic textbook at him. Lin ducked, earning snickers from the class—except from **Li Hao**, the school's golden boy. The fire-mage prodigy sneered, his S-Rank talent practically glowing in his smug aura.
"Trash like you shouldn't even dream of awakening," Li Hao said, flicking his perfectly styled hair. "Stick to cleaning dungeons, not fighting in them."
Lin rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the pep talk, Hair Gel. Save it for your fan club."
The class laughed, but Li Hao's glare promised murder. Lin didn't care. He had a system, and he was about to flex.
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**Class Awakening Ceremony**
The school's arena was a coliseum of glowing runes, packed with students, teachers, and scouts from **Celestial Dragon Academy**. A massive crystal orb pulsed at the center, ready to scan each student's potential. The air crackled with anticipation as names were called.
"Fatty Wang!" Ms. Ironfist barked.
Fatty waddled up, placing his hand on the orb. It glowed green, and a holographic display flared: **[Life-Class: Spirit Chef, B-Rank Talent]**.
"Not bad!" Fatty cheered, already dreaming of buffing hunters with spicy dumplings.
One by one, students awakened. Most got C or D-Rank talents, with classes like **Ironclad Knight** (Combat) or **Herbal Alchemist** (Support). Li Hao strode up, oozing confidence. The orb blazed gold: **[Combat-Class: Inferno Warlock, S-Rank Talent]**.
The crowd roared. Li Hao smirked at Lin, as if saying, *Beat that, loser.*
"Lin Feng!" Ms. Ironfist called.
Lin sauntered to the orb, ignoring the whispers of "That slacker?" He slapped his hand on it, and the arena fell silent as the orb erupted in a blinding golden light, brighter than Li Hao's. The display flickered wildly before settling: **[Combat-Class: Dragon Sovereign's Celestial Mandate, SSS-Rank Talent]**.
The crowd exploded. "SSS-Rank?! That's a one-in-a-billion talent!" "Lin Feng? The guy who naps in class?"
Li Hao's jaw dropped, his face redder than his fire spells. Ms. Ironfist looked like she'd swallowed a lemon. Only Lin saw the [System]'s secret message: **[Immortal-Rank Talent Disguised as SSS-Rank. Class: Dragon Sovereign's Celestial Mandate. Ability: Tame and evolve all dragon-type creatures. Skill Unlocked: Dragon Bond Lv. 1]**.
A warm weight appeared in Lin's hand—a cracked, fist-sized egg. The crowd snickered. "An SSS-Rank gets a trash egg?" Li Hao taunted. "What's it gonna hatch, a chicken?"
The egg split open, revealing a red lizard the size of a kitten, with tiny wings and a scowl. "Yo, human, I'm Xiaohuo, your VIP dragon. Feed me or I burn your sneakers," it hissed, voice dripping with attitude.
Lin burst out laughing. "A talking lizard? This apocalypse just got interesting."
**[Quest Updated: Bond with Xiaohuo. Reward: Skill - Dragon Claw Strike Lv. 1]**.
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**First Taste of Power**
Post-ceremony, the students were herded to a training field for their first test: a mock dungeon with F-Rank **Ironfang Wolves**. Ms. Ironfist explained, "Survive and kill one wolf. This prepares you for the **Global College Entrance Trials** in three months."
Li Hao, flanked by his cronies, strutted forward, summoning [Fireball Lv. 3] and roasting a wolf in seconds. "Child's play," he bragged, eyeing Lin. "Let's see the SSS-Rank flop."
Lin, still figuring out his class, whispered to Xiaohuo, "Got any tricks, little guy?"
Xiaohuo snorted. "Call me little again, and I'll torch your hair. Use [Dragon Bond Lv. 1]. It syncs our senses."
Lin activated the skill, feeling a rush as his vision sharpened, Xiaohuo's instincts merging with his. A wolf lunged, but Lin dodged with unnatural agility, grabbing Xiaohuo like a football. "Let's try this!" He hurled the drakeling, who spat a [Flame Burst Lv. 1], singeing the wolf's fur. Lin followed with [Dragon Claw Strike Lv. 1], his fingers glowing as he slashed, tearing through the wolf's hide.
The crowd gaped. "Did he just throw his pet?" "That's an SSS-Rank?!"
Lin grinned, dusting his hands. "Sorry, Xiaohuo sneezed. Want another fireball?"
Xiaohuo flapped back, grumbling, "Sneezed? I'm a precision flamethrower, you noob!"
The [System] pinged: **[Quest: Troll Li Hao in Public. Reward: 100 System Points.]**
Lin's eyes lit up. As Li Hao prepared another fireball, Lin "accidentally" tripped, bumping him. Xiaohuo, catching on, spat a spark that ignited Li Hao's fancy robe. The prodigy flailed, screaming as the flames (mostly harmless) turned his outfit to ash, leaving him in singed underwear.
The arena roared with laughter. Ms. Ironfist facepalmed. "Lin Feng, detention!" But even she cracked a smile.
**[Quest Completed! Reward: 100 System Points, Skill - Celestial Evasion Lv. 1]**.
Lin smirked, petting Xiaohuo. "Not bad for day one, huh?"
Xiaohuo huffed. "Feed me, or you're next, human."
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**After the Ceremony**
That night, Lin sat in his dorm, a cramped room with a flickering neon view of Beijing's fortified walls. He opened the [System]'s interface, marveling at its features:
- **[Status]: Lin Feng, Level 1, Stats: Strength 10, Agility 12, Intelligence 15, Vitality 10, Luck 8**
- **[Skills]: Dragon Bond Lv. 1, Dragon Claw Strike Lv. 1, Celestial Evasion Lv. 1**
- **[Pet]: Xiaohuo (Flame-Tailed Drakeling, Level 1, Evolves at Level 10)**
- **[System Shop]: Locked until 1000 Points**
- **[Quest Log]: Train Xiaohuo (Kill 10 F-Rank Monsters, Reward: Mystery Item)**
"Immortal-Rank, huh?" Lin mused. The [System]'s disguise meant no one knew his true potential—not even the **Level 1000 Gods** in the Upper Realm. But why hide it? And what was the **Dragon Sovereign's Celestial Mandate**? The name screamed power, but Lin felt like a noob in a max-level raid.
His thoughts were interrupted by Fatty Wang bursting in, holding a tray of glowing dumplings. "Feng! My [Spirit Chef] class made these! +5 Strength for an hour!"
Lin grabbed one, biting into a burst of spicy heaven. "Fatty, you're my MVP. Keep these coming, and I'll tame you a dragon."
Fatty laughed, then whispered, "Be careful. Li Hao's pissed. Says he'll crush you in the trials."
Lin leaned back, Xiaohuo curled on his lap like a grumpy cat. "Let him try. I've got a system, a dragon, and zero chill."
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