"Is that so? Then I happen to have some time." Vivestine smiled, executing a demure gesture. "Why don't I act as your guide and introduce you to this great academy that has stood for countless years?"

Chekflitt glanced at Qian Jin, and the three female mages finally noticed that standing beside the boy whose handsomeness eclipsed even the sun, there was another warrior.

Qian Jin shrugged and nodded. In this unfamiliar and enormous academy, having a guide was certainly the most convenient thing.

Seeing Qian Jin’s response, Chekflitt turned and offered a slight, gentlemanly nod to the three female mages.

Qian Jin instantly felt six sharp, highly hostile gazes lock onto him, akin to the stare of the fiercest wolves in the jungle.

Treating me as an enemy? Qian Jin looked at Chekflitt beside him, then back at the three women, shaking his head repeatedly, unable to stop sighing internally. He was a man, after all, and no matter how dashing Chekflitt was, he was still a man. Did these three women see me as a romantic rival? This is a bit much, isn't it?

Vivestine naturally positioned herself to Chekflitt’s right, and the other two female mages began to drift toward his left. Seeing their movements, Qian Jin curled his lip; if they managed to squeeze him out, he would look like nothing more than an attendant.

The two female mage apprentices, seeing they couldn't squeeze in, glared fiercely at Qian Jin before also moving to Chekflitt’s right side.

Three men and two women walked forward shoulder-to-shoulder. Qian Jin had to admire the speed with which women change their expressions; while introducing the academy’s architecture to Chekflitt, their smiles were gentle and ladylike, but the moment they looked at him, their gazes instantly filled with hostility.

"And over here..." Vivestine pointed a finger toward a sparring ring not far away, while her left hand pretended to casually reach for Chekflitt's palm.

Almost touching! Vivestine caught a glimpse in her peripheral vision of her fingers rapidly approaching Chekflitt's palm, and excitement surged within her.

Huh? Vivestine’s hand grasped empty air. She realized that Chekflitt’s hand, which had been resting by his side, had somehow lifted, picking up a fallen strand of hair from Qian Jin’s shoulder.

This... The three female mages froze simultaneously at the sight, and in an instant, their gentle looks turned into gazes sharp enough to shoot daggers, fixed hatefully on Qian Jin.

Qian Jin sighed helplessly, pouting. This Battle-Mage with the bloodline of a Fallen Angel possessed a kind of fastidiousness in a certain way; he seemed to intensely dislike others touching his body. If you tried that calculated move to grab his hand, and succeeded, I’d cut off my head and let you use it as a ball.

But... Qian Jin shot Chekflitt a look of mild complaint. Did you have no other way to evade her hand? You had to use this move to pick up my hair?

Chekflitt looked toward the ring Vivestine was pointing at: "What is that?"

"One of the academy's oldest sparring rings," Vivestine said with a hint of disappointment. "A long, long time ago, the Dean invited famous Inscriptionists and Forgemasters of that era. It took several years to complete—it's one of the sturdiest rings in the academy. Also... Huh? Someone is challenging today? This isn't the monthly ranking match."

"I told you already! The Fentou Family is nothing but a bunch of trash who don't know how powerful a Bloodline Warrior truly is!"

A harsh, clamoring voice carried faintly from the ancient ring. Vivestine looked toward the stage uncertainly, explaining subconsciously: "This ring has a certain amplification magic array; it can even broadcast the dialogue between the combatants..."

Before Vivestine could finish her sentence, she saw Qian Jin and Chekflitt had already moved several meters ahead, their pace far quicker than their leisurely strolling moments before.

The Fentou Family? Qian Jin frowned tightly. According to the arrogant Isabella, the War Conquest Academy rarely managed to recruit warriors from the Fentou Family, and in recent years, they hadn't enrolled a single one.

Now that a warrior from the Fentou Family appeared on the stage, there was only one possibility! The challenger must be Fentou Kuangge! Qian Jin’s steps quickened, and he looked up at the young warrior standing tall and proud on the ring.

Bloodline Battle Form!

The young warrior on the ring had bulging muscles, causing his body to swell to a height of two and a half meters. His normally smooth face was covered in a visible layer of brownish hide, and his eyes were pure black, radiating a faint, fierce light. The sudden protrusion of muscle made him resemble a mountain of flesh, yet simultaneously a mountain overflowing with explosive power.

From a distance, the warrior in this Bloodline Battle Form looked even more like a bear than Mu Gui Wuxin! Or rather, the warrior standing on the stage was, in fact, a bear: a Burst Bear Bloodline Warrior!

If the Ten Great Bloodline Warriors of the Zhence Dynasty hadn't gained the Titan Bloodline Warrior, who also prioritized strength, perhaps the Burst Bear Bloodline Warrior could have secured a spot among the Ten Great Bloodline Warriors of the Zhence Dynasty.

As Qian Jin approached the ring, he saw Fentou Kuangge, hunched over, supporting himself with one hand on the ground, the other clutching his abdomen, kneeling halfway and glaring fiercely up at the Burst Bear Bloodline Warrior.

It was clear this match had concluded. Bloodstains still marred Fentou Kuangge’s lips and the ground not far in front of him.

"I knew it! The Fentou Family... No, no! Ordinary warriors, they’re all just a bunch of useless trash." The Burst Bear Bloodline Warrior spread his thick arms, grinning cheerfully down at the half-kneeling Fentou Kuangge. "Just one punch! You couldn't even take one punch from me, and you call yourself a warrior?"

Among the dozen or so warriors watching the fight below the ring, two young warriors stood with their arms crossed, cold smiles plastered on their faces as they watched Fentou Kuangge. Contempt and disdain flickered constantly in their eyes.

The other dozen warriors showed expressions ranging from disappointment to frustration, while some clenched their fists in resentment. Ordinary warriors! They were still the largest group of warriors in this world! They had hoped that Fentou Kuangge, hailing from the prestigious Fentou Family, could win some honor for the ordinary warriors, but instead, he had lost so miserably.

"Fentou Kuangge, is it?" The Burst Bear Bloodline Warrior squatted down with his sturdy frame, bringing his shaggy face close to Fentou Kuangge's: "I remember you have an older brother, Fentou Kuangxiao, right? You challenged me in a fit of anger just to avenge your brother, didn't you? Let me tell you, your brother was beaten like a stray dog by my brother back then, and today, I can beat you like a stray dog too. The Secret Arts of the Fentou Family's Battle Apertures are quite good! But my Hall clan not only has eighty different Battle Aperture Secret Arts like yours, we also have Bloodline Power!"

Fentou Kuangge's hateful eyes sharpened with a thread of disdainful cold laughter: "Your brother? Hall Tie, if your brother hadn't resorted to despicable means the day before the battle, my brother could have crushed that idiot Hall Lerf with one hand. What else does your Hall family have besides shamelessness and depravity?"

"You..." The fur on Hall Tie’s face twitched violently, and the arrogance in his eyes instantly transformed into pure fury. His huge, thick palm lifted high and swung downward like a collapsing pillar, but the arm suddenly froze, suspended a distance of three fists above Fentou Kuangge’s head.

A trace of icy killing intent! Hall Tie slowly turned his neck and looked down at Qian Jin, who was standing not far below the ring. A bow forged from refined steel was drawn back into a full moon, its crystalline arrow tip radiating the light of the sun, conveying an aura of bone-chilling death.

Hall Tie sensed that if he brought that palm down, the arrow would annihilate him completely before his blow could heavily injure Fentou Kuangge.

A first-rate archer! Hall Tie looked at Qian Jin with confusion. If not for the hostile killing intent suddenly erupting from the arrow, he might not have even noticed he was already locked onto by someone using a strong bow.

"My friend..." Hall Tie slowly lowered his arm, afraid that any sudden movement might lead to a misunderstanding with Qian Jin, which would turn this situation into a real disaster.

What defines a first-rate archer? It's when you know you're being aimed at, you feel the lock, yet you still have no certain way to evade—that is a truly formidable archer.

Hall Tie was certain he had a ninety percent chance of being shot dead and only a ten percent chance of evading, and that evasion would be while severely injured. The distance was too short now, and the threat from the bow was too immense.

"I am not your friend." Qian Jin watched Chekflitt help Fentou Kuangge down from the ring. He slowly retracted the Moon Shooting Bow and the arrow, then gently pressed a hand on Fentou Kuangge's abdomen. There were no broken bones or internal organ damage; the brute force of the Burst Bear Bloodline had merely winded him.

From within the crowd stepped forward a young warrior with naturally narrow, slit eyes, a slender build, a flat nose, thin lips, long green hair, and a sinister expression: "Tiezi, the Fentou Family trash has already been beaten. Why argue over mere verbal victory?"

"Lilizawa, you speak the truth." Hall Tie retracted his Bloodline Battle Form, shrinking by a good thirty centimeters. Without the layer of fur, he still resembled a sturdy bear, his eyes beneath thick brows possessing an unhealthy, earthy yellow tint. "I truly don't know why the Fentou Family, such trash, gets better resources than us Bloodline Warriors in any high-tier war academy. It was the same with his brother, Fentou Kuangxiao, back then, and it seems he'll get the same treatment now."

What kind of Bloodline Warrior was this green-haired man? Qian Jin studied the sinister-looking Lilizawa, then shifted his gaze to the short, thin-faced young warrior standing beside him, slightly bent over.

Is this also a Bloodline Warrior? What kind of Bloodline Warrior?

"Hall Tie, I'll say it again." The sharp pain in Fentou Kuangge's abdomen gradually subsided, and his hunched back straightened: "If your brother hadn't used despicable methods, my brother could have blown your brother away with a single hand." (To be continued. To know what happens next, please log in—more chapters available, support the author, support legitimate reading!)