Qian Jin regarded Rudy with doubt, secretly wondering if Rudy intended to lose, or if he was playing a trick—intentionally putting himself in a precarious position only to slowly seize the advantage and reveal his true brute strength.

While both men were pondering, Rorin had already positioned their tightly clasped hands at the most balanced point, suddenly releasing them with a sharp cry: "Begin..."

Bang!

The table instantly erupted with a sharp, hard impact sound; the sheer force of the shockwave made the entire surface leap off the ground for a fraction of a second.

Everyone in the room stared blankly at the astonishing scene before them. The instant Rorin shouted 【Begin】, Qian Jin's arm unleashed a sudden burst of power, slamming the back of the ox-like Rudy's hand fiercely onto the tabletop.

Qian Jin... had won...

Not only had Qian Jin won, but he had done so with decisive swiftness. The Ox-Rudy hadn't even had time to react before Qian Jin finished him in a single instant.

The result was decided too quickly; the crowd was frozen, unable to accept what had just occurred.

Who was Rudy? The third strongest in raw power among the first-year warriors at Oakleigh Academy! A brute whose strength was second only to those two students possessing a sixth of Barbarian bloodline. Even many of the second-year seniors in the Warrior Track would lose if they matched Rudy purely in brawn.

The students of Class 1-2 stared uniformly at Qian Jin, everyone bewildered. How could this person, who barely ranked in the top fifty for pure strength in their year group, possibly win an arm-wrestling match against Rudy?

Everything had happened too fast. Qian Jin stared blankly at his own arm, which had pinned down the Ox-Rudy, unable to process what had just happened—how he had defeated him with a sudden surge of strength as easily as he had defeated Rorin.

Qian Jin even wondered if he was dreaming. This victory felt too unreal, winning against the Ox-Rudy in arm wrestling instantly.

The dormitory room fell so silent you could hear a needle drop. Rorin was also stupefied, staring at the result on the table. He had merely sought someone who wouldn't look too miserable in defeat, never expecting Qian Jin could actually win.

The audience was so shocked they seemed to forget to breathe. While everyone was still stunned, Rorin’s slightly chubby body suddenly twitched, and then...

Rorin’s little, fat, triangular eyes flashed with a gleam of excitement first. His body lunged forward like a wild boar charging into the undergrowth, practically throwing himself prone over the table where Qian Jin had just wrestled. His hands greedily swept up the coins bet by others nearby, pulling them into his embrace.

Qian Jin was startled by Rorin's sudden movement. Seeing the friend diligently collecting cash, he finally confirmed he wasn't dreaming—this Rorin, hailing from a merchant family, possessed an intense obsession and greed for money.

The most shocking instance of Rorin’s financial fixation for Qian Jin had occurred while they were strolling. Rorin suddenly stopped, insisting he smelled money nearby, suggesting someone must have dropped some coins. After several minutes of searching, Rorin triumphantly unearthed a single copper coin from the grass.

"Haha, made a profit, made a profit," Rorin exclaimed, his ten chubby fingers rapidly gathering the winnings. His tone still carried a deep sense of surprise: "Won, he actually won! Unbelievable."

The coppers on the table vanished into Rorin’s money pouch in an instant. Qian Jin glanced at him but wasn't in a rush to check; he had already memorized exactly how many coins were wagered. If this fatty dared to renege and try to swallow the gains, he could just wait to be beaten into a pulp.

"I lost? How is that possible?" Ox-Rudy, looking utterly baffled, grunted loudly at Qian Jin. "Impossible! I must have spaced out! One more time!"

Qian Jin ignored Rudy and instead focused intently on the right hand that had just secured the victory. He spread his five fingers wide, then clenched them with full force. Three sharp cracking sounds echoed in the room as his knuckles popped. A tangible power, a palpable force, pulsed beneath the surface of his aching muscles.

Power... Qian Jin frowned slightly. A fundamental quality for a warrior was the ability to sense any change or increase in one's own capabilities.

Because of the humiliating incident earlier stemming from his appearance, Qian Jin had been somewhat distracted. Even if he suspected his strength had somehow increased, he hadn't seriously examined it, attributing the possibility to the incredible nature of the dream.

Winning an arm-wrestling match against the third strongest, Ox-Rudy, compelled Qian Jin to seriously test his strength. This single clench revealed that although his muscles ached, his power was surging relentlessly—immeasurably stronger than before.

Qian Jin released his tight fist and gently touched the bridge of his nose in serious contemplation, muttering softly to himself, "Could it be? Is that so-called Endless World virtual game real? Can it actually train my body? Enhance my strength?"

He rotated his wrist and flexed his fingers; the increased power was undeniably real. Even if some student warriors lacked the skill to test whether their strength had improved, Qian Jin, as a descendant of the Qian family—even one whose Bloodline Awakening Ceremony had failed—could certainly gauge any increase in personal might or the enhancement of his Warrior Dou Qi through self-testing.

"Hey!" Rudy’s rough voice broke Qian Jin’s reverie. "Kid, another round! I guarantee I’ll beat you this time."

"Again?" Now that Qian Jin had confirmed the growth in his power, his expression relaxed. He looked around at the others in the room. "Anyone else want to bet?"

The others in the room looked at Qian Jin’s slightly arrogant expression, feeling a strong urge to jump up and beat him. Unfortunately, private fights were forbidden by the school, and in this room, no one could defeat him one-on-one. Even if they all attacked together, they’d certainly take plenty of others down with them before Qian Jin fell.

Qian Jin’s fighting prowess was acknowledged by all first-year students as placing him among the top ten. Although he hadn't competed against the other top nine warriors to establish a precise ranking, no one believed his practical combat skill fell outside that top tier.

As for exactly how formidable Qian Jin was—whether he ranked tenth or perhaps first within the year group—only an actual fight would reveal that. Tragically, Qian Jin, who had come to the academy alone, seemed utterly uninterested in competing for any ranking.