Lightning-type E-rank? My Space-time-type S-rank can't be hidden anymore!

From his artistic realm to his physical tempering, from his marksmanship to his combat awareness, every quality of this young man is perfect.

But what truly terrified her were those eyes.

From beginning to end, no matter what moves Su Qingyue used or what trump cards she played, there was never a flicker of emotion in her eyes.

It's not indifference, nor arrogance.

Rather, it is a composure towards battle itself that comes from having witnessed life and death.

How could an eighteen-year-old boy have such a look in his eyes?

On the other side of the main stand, Su Zhen sat motionless in his seat.

His face was beyond just looking ugly.

His face was ashen, pale, and his lips trembled slightly.

He stared intently at Lin Yuan in the arena, his fingers clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white, and he even peeled off a layer of paint from the armrest of the chair.

Lost.

An S-rank daughter, a second-tier A-rank Ice Frost Sword, and all the resources the Su family had poured into the project—they lost.

They lost to an orphan who was an F-rank student just ten days ago.

In front of the four top universities and all the powerful figures in Donghai City, they suffered a complete and utter defeat.

But what chilled him to the bone was something else entirely.

He suddenly remembered what Lei Meng had said earlier.

"Eight rounds of bone tempering?" Su Zhen's heart trembled, but he dared not think too deeply about it.

He dare not.

In the center of the arena, Lin Yuan slung his spear back over his shoulder.

He glanced at Su Qingyue sitting on the ground, hesitated for a moment, and then reached out a hand to her.

Su Qingyue stared blankly at that hand.

His palms were covered in calluses, and there were several unhealed wounds on his knuckles. A thick layer of hard skin had formed on the web between his thumb and forefinger.

This is a hand that is completely different from her world.

She was silent for a few seconds, then took his hand.

Lin Yuan helped her up.

"Your swordsmanship is very beautiful," he said.

Su Qingyue was taken aback.

"But beautiful swordsmanship can't kill demons." Lin Yuan released his grip, his tone calm.

"A Tier 1, Level 7 Wind Pattern Leopard in the wasteland won't die any faster just because your swordsmanship is beautiful."

Su Qingyue opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, she said nothing.

Lin Yuan didn't look at her again and turned to face the main stands.

His gaze passed over Su Zhen, over the powerful and wealthy people of Donghai City, and over the teachers of the four universities, and looked at the morning light falling on the dome of the arena.

Then he spoke, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching the ears of everyone present.

"Patriarch Su."

Su Zhen's body stiffened slightly.

"I won the ten-day agreement." Lin Yuan's voice remained calm. "The engagement continues. Also—"

He paused.

"It's time to return the item that my parents entrusted to the Su family years ago."

Su Zhen's expression changed completely.

He suddenly stood up, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something.

But under the watchful eyes of the professors from the four universities and all the wealthy and powerful figures in Donghai City, he finally managed to squeeze out only two words.

"......nature."

Lin Yuan nodded and turned to walk towards the exit of the arena.

After taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped, turned his head, and glanced in a certain direction on the stands.

There, three figures dressed in gray cloaks were quietly getting up, preparing to leave.

Lin Yuan's lips curled up slightly, revealing a cold, sharp smile.

The stage is set up.

Next, it's time to get rid of the rats.

......

The silence in the arena lasted for a full ten seconds.

Then, it exploded.

It wasn't a metaphor; it really exploded.

Some people stood up and argued loudly, some took out their phones and sent messages frantically, and some leaned out from behind the back of the seats in front of them, wishing they could jump into the stadium to get a clear view.

"Tier 1, Level 6! That kid is Tier 1, Level 6!"

"Eight-stage bone tempering? Did I hear that right? The teacher from the National Martial Arts Academy just said he had eight-stage bone tempering?"

"Ten days ago he was still F-rank! Ten days! F-rank, from never having entered a higher rank to the sixth level of the first rank, is this even possible for a human?"

"The eldest daughter of the Su family lost? An S-rank character lost?"

The cacophony of noise rose higher and higher, making the entire arena feel like a pot of boiling water.

But the real excitement wasn't in the stands, it was in the main grandstand.

Gu Cheng was the first to make a move.

This perpetually lazy admissions officer from a prestigious Shanghai university was moving incredibly fast at this moment.

He sprang up from his seat and pushed aside Qian Wantong, who was blocking his way.

The president of the Donghai Chamber of Commerce was so jostled that he almost fell, and with his other hand he pulled out a black business card.

"Lin Yuan, right? Check out Shanghai University! Our cafeteria has the best hot pot in the country—"

Before he could finish speaking, a palm the size of a fan was pressed against his face.

Lei Meng.

The martial arts instructor from the National Martial Arts Academy shoved Gu Cheng away with one hand, his face trembling—not from anger, but from excitement.

"Boy!" His voice was so loud that it could be heard throughout the entire arena.

"Come to Guowu! With your foundation in Eight-Round Bone Tempering, I'll personally train you! Physical skills combined with lightning techniques—your future is limitless! Kyoto and Shanghai are just for show!"

"Who are you calling a show-off?" Qin Ruolan's voice was icy.

Lei Meng shrank back, but immediately retorted defiantly, "I'm talking about you guys! Tons of theory lessons, but utterly useless in real combat. I, Old Lei, speak my mind, don't take offense!"

Qin Ruolan took a deep breath and decided not to lower herself to the level of this brute.

She turned to Lin Yuan, her expression softening considerably.

Although, given her icy demeanor, this "gentleness" was probably like going from minus twenty degrees to minus ten degrees.

"Lin Yuan, Kyoto Academy is the top of the four major universities in the Dragon Kingdom. We have the most systematic theoretical system of lightning-type superpowers, lightning-type instructors of level three and above, and the most complete superpower database in the entire Dragon Kingdom."

She paused, then added, "Moreover, we are a public university with free tuition and a monthly living allowance. We can discuss other benefits in detail privately."

"We'll waive all the fees in Shanghai too!" Gu Cheng emerged from under Lei Meng's slap.

"Guowu provides food and lodging!" Lei Meng retorted, not to be outdone.

"Those from Shenzhen will be directly admitted to the military and become officers upon graduation." Ye Lin's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable confidence.

The four of them started talking back and forth, their voices getting louder and their speech getting faster and faster, until they were practically arguing.

The local bigwigs of Donghai City were caught in the middle, unable to move forward or backward, and their expressions were quite interesting.

Zhao Lie sat in his seat with his mouth agape, wide enough to fit an egg.

Just ten days ago, his son Zhao Tianyu mocked Lin Yuan as a "moving third wheel" on Awakening Day, but today he took down an S-class soldier with a single shot.

He slowly turned to look at his son, Zhao Tianyu, whose face had turned a deep purplish-red. Zhao Tianyu was huddled in his seat, wishing he could disappear into the ground.

Zhou Wenjie sat on the other side of the stands, his expression extremely complicated.

Five days ago, Lin Yuan rescued him and Sun Qian in the wasteland. At the time, he just thought that the kid was lucky and brave.

Now he understands.

That's not luck; it's real skill.

He recalled the words he had uttered with Zhao Tianyu on the day of his awakening, and his face burned as if he had been slapped dozens of times.

The person with the worst expression in the room was Su Zhen.