Roling crouched in a corner, hands clutching the money pouch at his waist, feeling the glare of over a dozen furious customers, secretly praying for Qian Jin to appear quickly. If he didn't show, not only would the money he'd earned be lost, but he’d likely get a severe beating as well.

A rustling sound swept through the woods as Qian Jin pushed through the undergrowth beneath the trees, raising a hand gently at head height and waving it: "Everyone, my apologies, my apologies, a little late, just a bit late."

"A little late?" The sharp voice was grating and high-pitched: "Qian Jin, you say you’re just a little late? Do you have any idea that wasting other people’s time is wasting their lives?"

Qian Jin scratched his head and walked to the center of the clearing in the woods. Without needing to turn his head, he knew the speaker spitting anger was the Dean of Academic Affairs, who had never looked favorably upon him. After beating Kesar again yesterday, the Dean must surely hate him down to the bone?

Qian Jin rolled his eyes. "I didn't invite you to waste your life. That’s on you, what has it got to do with me?"

The onlookers blinked in surprise, even the two challengers stood frozen. Qian Jin was actually speaking to the Dean like that? Didn't he realize the consequences of showing such disrespect to the Dean, inviting long-term resentment from the petty official?

Roling, the only audience member not surprised, watched Qian Jin with a slight smile. This friend of his repaid a tiny bit of kindness with tenfold generosity, but a tiny bit of malice with tenfold cruelty. This Dean had always been looking for trouble with Qian Jin.

"You..." The Dean glared fiercely at Qian Jin, this young man who had blocked his nephew Kesar out of the top ten of the first-year Warrior stream, feeling an irrepressible rage building up inside him.

Roling stealthily observed the older students. Their expressions fixed on Qian Jin’s face seemed to uniformly read: Kid, you really have guts!

They didn't understand Qian Jin! Roling shook his head gently. He still remembered the time Qian Jin, drunk, had leaped onto the large, low stone monument in front of the school entrance and roared his sentiments toward the vast, starry sky.

"In this life, what else is there to seek but pure exhilaration? To constantly calculate the pros and cons, to live timidly, what's the point of such a stifled existence?"

Principal Fick lifted his eyes, nearly hidden beneath his brow, and stroked the white beard on his chin with a smile. Qian Jin's sheer refusal to back down against the Dean, even before the fight began, placed his aura leagues above Zelda and Fabcalas. This was hardly a good omen for those two young students ranked higher than Qian Jin.

"Fine! Let's see how boastful you remain after you’ve been defeated." The Dean reluctantly stepped aside, lest Qian Jin utter another phrase like, 'Irrelevant people, please move aside.'

Seeing the Dean retreat, Zelda and Fabcalas both stepped forward simultaneously, then exchanged glances, silently arguing over who would attack first.

"Enough arguing," Qian Jin said, shaking his somewhat stiff shoulders, tilting his head back to look at the moon climbing high in the sky. "I'm a bit tired today and want an early night. To save time, why don't you two just come at me together?"

...

Zelda and Fabcalas paused, then burst out laughing. "Who do you think you are? Dark?"

Dark? The undisputed number one powerhouse in the first-year Warrior stream! Qian Jin remembered hearing about Dark, even though he didn't pay much attention to school gossip. Dark's name and his legendary debut fight were famous.

Rumor had it that Dark established his status as the undisputed top fighter in the first year with just one match. That battle supposedly saw him fight two opponents simultaneously, defeating Fabcalas, ranked seventh, and Zouron Tianren, ranked eighth, making him the true pinnacle of the first-year Warrior stream whom none dared challenge.

The older students watching were also stunned. Qian Jin had easily beaten Zouron Tianren yesterday, but now he was facing the sixth and seventh ranked fighters together. Group combat was entirely different from one-on-one fights. Wasn't this young man being too arrogant?

"Since Qian Jin has invited you both to come at him..." The Dean's smiling expression narrowed his already thin eyes into mere slits. "Then both of you should attack together."

Zelda and Fabcalas exchanged a look, seeing helplessness reflected in the other's eyes. The Dean was notoriously petty; defying him today would surely result in future retaliation. They weren't afraid of other kinds of revenge, but they dreaded him manipulating the rankings in the upcoming Spirit Array trials.

For a Warrior, the Spirit Array was crucial! Saying it determined a Warrior's entire future wouldn't be an exaggeration.

The two slowly advanced. Judging by their expressions and stances, they certainly appeared stronger than Zouron Tianren from yesterday.

The Dean watched Zelda with great appreciation. This sixth-ranked first-year Warrior had a father and grandfather who were both Warriors, meaning he had received rigorous foundational training since childhood. His fundamentals were solid in a way students like Zouron Tianren couldn't compare to.

Even in a one-on-one fight, the Dean was fully confident Zelda could defeat Qian Jin! Especially today, when Qian Jin was essentially asking for trouble by allowing both Zelda and Fabcalas to attack together.

Qian Jin was eager to finish the fight quickly and enter the Endless World. This time, he absolutely had to have a good talk with the Old Blacksmith. Seeing the two step out, a flicker of excitement sparked within him.

"Begin!"

As the Dean announced the start, Zelda lunged forward suddenly, charging straight ahead like a ferocious beast, a full body length faster than Fabcalas.

In such a short distance, opening a body-length gap drew gasps of admiration from the watching crowd. Zelda’s right leg swept high, aiming for Qian Jin's head.

Qian Jin instantly felt a rush of wind sweep past his skull; the air pressure pressed uncomfortably against his eardrums. He knew this horizontal sweep kick was incredibly potent—even striking a wooden post would cause a violent tremor.

Beautiful, practical kicking technique. Excellent fundamentals, Qian Jin thought. Facing the powerful, flashy sweep kick, he did not retreat but advanced. He bent his right knee slightly, leaning forward in a posture that many Warriors would deem strange and unsuitable for generating attack power, while simultaneously lifting his left arm.

Principal Fick paused briefly, his gaze suddenly feeling slightly blurred. In the arena, Qian Jin had a momentary resemblance to a blacksmith hammering iron.

Bang!

In the quiet woods, the collision of arm and leg produced a crisp, loud sound of muscle and bone striking. Qian Jin's Level Five Dou Qi erupted instantly, overwhelming Zelda's Level Four Dou Qi. His arm slid down along Zelda’s descending right leg, aiming for his head!

The instant his arm and leg collided, Fabcalas arrived. Before he could launch an attack, he saw Qian Jin’s right arm raised high, ready to smash down.

In a flash, Qian Jin’s left and right arms became like two sledgehammers swung with full force, aimed respectively at the foreheads of his two opponents.

The moment the Dou Qi surged, the two challengers and the surrounding spectators were simultaneously startled. Level Five Dou Qi! Qian Jin was Level Five Dou Qi?

Everything changed too fast. The two challengers couldn't react further in time. They crossed their arms over their heads to block the descending hammers.

Thwack... swish...

There was no sound of fists colliding with arms. Zelda felt a cool draft whistle over the crown of his head. The punch that his arm should have intercepted never materialized.

Fabcalas cautiously rolled his eyelids up and discovered that between his and Zelda's raised, crossed arms and their heads, an arm and a fist were suspended, along with a slightly weary, sleepy smile on the face standing before them.

Unblocked! Zelda stared at the fist hovering near his head, a chill creeping into his heart. If this were a life-and-death battle, his head would already be smashed open! And yet, he hadn't even registered the moment his defense was breached.

Hiss...

In the quiet little grove, several older Warrior students let out a series of sharp inhalations. The process and outcome of this fight were too surprising! It was an instant kill!

: Come on, recommend a vote! B