How could Gu Chen's name not be in the family tree?
Gu Qingfeng was slightly startled, his expression becoming complicated.
He'd been so busy with the war these past few years that he'd forgotten to include his son's name in the family tree.
Never mind, there was no rush. The family tree matter would be discussed in a few days, after that rebellious son admitted his mistakes and apologized.
Gu Qingfeng didn't know that Gu Chen had already boarded the train leaving Gubei City.
He was returning to Lincheng, a senior at Lincheng No. 1 Middle School.
The Empire's class change ceremony would conclude today. Starting at 7:00 AM tomorrow, novice dungeons in all cities would open simultaneously.
For those from humble backgrounds who wanted to change their fate, becoming a professional was only the first step.
The examinations at higher education institutions were the turning point of fate.
If one could gain admission to the Empire's premier Shangjing Academy, their future achievements would be limitless.
To achieve good grades in the higher education institution assessments, one must enter the Novice Dungeon, gain experience by slaying exotic beasts, and then level up.
The Novice Dungeon is only open for ten days. Missing even one day would be an irreparable loss for Gu Chen.
Therefore, the most important thing now is to return to Lincheng No. 1 Middle School before seven o'clock tomorrow morning.
Gubei City, where the Gu family lives, is the center of the seven northern cities.
The distance from Gubei City to the border city of Lincheng is over ten thousand kilometers. In the past, even if the high-speed train was running at full speed, it would take two or three days to reach the destination.
"Fortunately, the trains in this world are powered by highly concentrated energy crystals. If nothing goes wrong, I'll be back in Lincheng by the end of the night."
In the empty carriage, Gu Chen looked out the window. The setting sun was as bright as blood, almost dyeing half the sky red.
In this world, exotic beasts are rampant, wars are constant, and much of the land where humans live is in ruins. Only the strongest can control their own destiny.
Changing classes is the only way to become the strongest.
"System, I want to change classes," Gu Chen muttered silently in his mind.
Of the options provided by the system, he chose the third one, randomly changing to a common class.
Now, he could finally begin his professional career.
[Changing your class]
[You have changed to Summoner]
"Why did you change to Summoner?" Gu Chen frowned slightly.
It's well known that Summoner is the most expensive class, bar none.
If Gu Chen hadn't broken with the Gu family, with Gu Qingfeng's status as the Northern Territory War King, he could definitely devote vast resources to training him into a top-tier summoner.
Even becoming invincible at his level wouldn't be impossible.
After all, a summoner's greatest strength is their summoned beasts.
Only by acquiring top-tier summoned beasts or top-tier summoning skill books can this class's combat power be fully unleashed.
And both of these come at a significant cost.
For ordinary people, becoming a summoner is a dead end.
Take the most common summoning skill book, for example. After learning it, you can summon ordinary summoned beasts, and the market price generally starts at 20,000 yuan.
Summoned beasts can be categorized into six levels: Common, Superior, Excellent, Rare, Epic, and Legendary.
The higher the rank, the rarer the summoned beast and the greater its potential.
Although the cheapest summoning skill book starts at only 20,000 yuan, ordinary people can afford it with a little effort.
But how much combat power can an ordinary summoned beast unleash?
If it can't even beat a novice dungeon, what future is there?
Gu Chen's heart sank.
The reason he was only half disappointed was because he still had a god-level talent.
[Activate God-level Talent - Darkin First Blood]
[Darkin First Blood: Each level gains a dark bloodline, transforming ordinary creatures into dark creatures.]
To date, the highest level of talent is SSS, and only one person has ever been known to possess it.
It was Xiao Nanfeng, the commander-in-chief of the Shenxia Army, the military's top figure, known as the Shura God of War.
Below this level, there were SS-level, S-level, A-level, B-level, C-level, D-level, and E-level.
As for the God-level, it was unprecedented.
"Darkspawn First Blood, gaining a Dark Bloodline at level one?"
"It would be nice if I could try it with a summoned beast."
The Dark Bloodline transforms ordinary creatures into dark creatures. Although he had become a summoner, he couldn't summon without learning the summoning skill.
"It seems I'll have to find a way to buy a summoning skill book after arriving in Lincheng, but I only have a little over two hundred yuan..."
With just over two hundred yuan, I couldn't even afford the cheapest summoning skill book.
Gu Chen leaned back in his chair, frowning.
It was already late at night when he arrived in Lincheng. He headed directly to Lincheng No. 1 Middle School and slipped into the teachers' apartment.
After knocking on the door, a refined middle-aged man opened it. It was Gu Chen's homeroom teacher.
"Gu Chen, is that you? Where have you been this month?" Jiang Songhua, still awake, looked surprised and puzzled.
"Teacher, I've changed my class to Summoner. I want to participate in the Novice dungeon," Gu Chen said straight to the point.
"Summoner?" Jiang Songhua was slightly surprised at first, then a look of melancholy crossed his face. "Why did you choose Summoner?"
Typically, students are given two or three classes to choose from during the class change ceremony.
Gu Chen failed to awaken in Gubei City, so he truly didn't have a class at all.
This was one of the reasons for Gu Qingfeng's outburst.
"Although a powerful summoner is comparable to a combat squad, that formidable fighting power is built up with money and resources!"
"Without money and resources, you can only bring the lowest-level summoned beasts and barely make it past the novice dungeon."
"We've been taught this knowledge countless times in school, haven't you heard a word?" Jiang Songhua's tone tinged with disappointment.
The resources needed to grow as a summoner are a bottomless pit. Apart from some powerful factions, ordinary people wouldn't choose this profession.
"This is my only choice," Gu Chen said indifferently.
"Alright," Jiang Songhua clicked his tongue, a look of regret on his face. "I'll report the job change. The novice dungeon starts at 7 a.m. tomorrow. Just don't be late."
"Thank you, teacher." Gu Chen nodded and turned to leave.
"Wait a moment."
Jiang Songhua stopped him, pulling out a skill book from his personal space and handing it to Gu Chen. "This is a premium-grade summoning book. Due to its poor quality, it's been unsellable. Now I'm giving it to you at a discount."
Poor quality?
Unsellable?
Gu Chen glanced at it, unconvinced.
A premium-grade summoning book would cost at least 50,000 yuan on the market. How could it not sell?
Gu Chen's eyes flickered slightly, and he looked at Jiang Songhua with gratitude.
50,000 yuan? Just giving it to me like that?
The teacher must have said that out of consideration for his pride.
Gu Chen sighed inwardly. He had assumed his teacher had given up on him after he switched to a summoner class, but to his surprise...
"Teacher, I will definitely repay you for this kindness in the future."
"What's the point of repaying? If you're lucky enough to get into a prestigious university, just listen carefully in class."
Jiang Songhua curled his lips. "I've said in class before that those who switch to summoners are generally nobles."
"In the eyes of the nobles, excellent-grade summoned beasts are simply not worth showing off. Therefore, this summoning book won't sell in the market."
"I'm not lying, seriously." Jiang Songhua emphasized the last two words.