The spectators are waiting for the next battle of the competition.

"Lian Nichang really has the potential to become a finest assassin."

"Arrogance is nothing but a vague thing when it comes to brawl!"

"We want to witness the infamous Lin Yuan’s match!"

Various murmurs lingered across the stadium. But from the start of the competition, Lin Yuan didn’t say a word. His gaze was fixed on the battle stage from the beginning.

"The next battle is..." Luo Zhen’s voice cut through the murmurs in the academy grounds. "Ying Yue versus Yun He!"

Click! Click!

Faint footsteps clanked against the battle stage. Ying Yue and Yun He climbed the stage and stood facing each other.

"You are going to lose this match, Yun He!" Ying Yue enunciated, her bluish-white hair whipping against the wind. "I will crush you with my wit!"

"Stop dreaming, Ying Yue," Yun He muttered, tying her black hair into a high pony tail.

Ying Yue is nearly six feet tall, her dark robes perfectly compressed by her elegance. She is a Baby Beast Realm Mid-Stage cultivator and the holder of a Lightning-Wolf beast. Her beast is still a cub, resting gracefully in her silver-white beast essence in the aperture. Unlike Ying Yue, Yun He is a five-foot-tall young girl, her medium-sized breasts tightening her dark robes slightly. Yun He is also a Baby Beast Realm Mid-Stage cultivator and the holder of an Earth-type Ape beast, which is manifested as a wild-ape tattoo on her left shoulder.

"BEGIN!" Luo Zhen roared, stepping out of the battle stage immediately.

None of them made a move for an agonizing 30 seconds. Then —

Boom!

Ying Yue thrusted forward with her Lightning ability, the beast essence swirling around to manifest a wolf claw around her hands.

"Lightning-Wolf Claw!" Ying Yue roared, tearing the air with a sickening slash.

"Hehe.." Yun He grinned, ducking into a medium crouch. The lightning attacks missed, imbalancing Ying Yue due to her movement. Yun He immediately clenched her fists, the white beast essence manifesting an Ape’s fist around her fists.

"Mighty-Ape Punch!" Yun He bellowed, thrusting a devastating punch into Ying Yue’s side ribs.

Ying Yue blasted twenty paces away before halting, leaving two-three ribs broken. Ying Yue defended the attack at the last minute to minimize the lethal injury from the attack. Her wolf cub groaned, letting out a silent howl in her aperture. Yun He successfully outwitted the first attack of YIng Yue and inflicted major damage on her.

"You said that you will crush me, Ying Yue," Yun He lampooned, letting out a prideful smile. "What happened to that yapping now?"

Ying Yue groaned, struggling to stand straight. As they were Baby Beast Realm cultivators the healing speed of their beasts is comparatively low. Pure rage culminated in her eyes listening to the mockery sayings of Yun He.

"Fucking bitch!!" Ying Yue yelled, wheezing out splashes of blood. "Stop mocking me!"

Ying Yue sluggishly forced herself to stand, her exhausted arms snapping outward in an X-motion. Instantly, twin razor-sharp blades of wind tore through the air, hissing violently toward Yun He’s chest.

"Is that all she has?" a spectator whispered from the tense crowd.

"Look out!" another murmured, their voice cutting through the rising tension.

Yun He’s eyes sharpened. She pivoted mid-stance, gracefully contorting her body. The lethal X-shaped attack streaked past, grazing her thigh and cheek with twin trails of blood slashes.

Before the dust settled, Yun He roared, concentrating her beast essence into her fists. "Mighty-Ape Punch."

She lunged forward with explosive power, slipping seamlessly inside Ying Yue’s defenses. A hush fell over the stands as time seemed to slow in that moment.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Then, the silence was shattered by a rhythmic, thunderous, and devastating barrage of punches. Ying Yue couldn’t even defend herself. After several consecutive blows, her breath hitched and her eyes rolled back from sheer exhaustion. Yun He finally stopped, her own beast essence nearly depleted into a hollow void. Instantly, Ying Yue collapsed, crashing face-first onto the ground.

The spectators stunned into eerie silence across the academy.

"Female cultivators also have mighty strength, Zhenren," Teng Lianhua muttered, nodding his head slightly. His long black-hair lingered on his back frenziedly.

Dan Zhenren didn’t answer, his gaze was locked on heavily panting Yun He.

After a few seconds of silence, a voice broke out roaring across the academy grounds.

"The match is concluded!" Luo Zhen rumbled, climbing up the battle stage. "The winner is Yun He!"

The academy grounds erupted into synchronized applause for Yun He. Yun He walked slowly toward Ying Yue, lifted her up, and guided her toward the medical tent, letting Ying Yue lean against her shoulder. The entire stadium glanced at the kindness of Yun He. She won the battle along with the profoundness of the audience in the academy grounds.

"Such a kind disciple," Luo Zhen whispered slowly but his voice carried across the place.

"Okay! The next battle is between Xiao Yanrui and Chi Ruyan." Luo Zhen rumbled, stepping out of the battle stage. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Thud! Thud!

Two figures climbed onto the arena. Both possessed crimson-red hair and sharp eyes carried a confident grin. Xiao Yanrui and Chi Ruyan. The crowd immediately became excited. Both disciples belonged to influential clans. Although Chi Ruyan was only a Baby Beast Realm Lower Stage cultivator, his confidence bloomed the entire arena into cheering applause.

"Beat him up, Chi Ruyan!"

"Show us the Lightning Serpent!"

"Xiao Clan brat looks arrogant!"

Various voices echoed across the stands. Meanwhile, Xiao Yanrui stood motionless, his snow-white beast essence swirling quietly in his aperture. His bear beast also manifested as a cub tattoo on his right wrist. A faint Ice-Bear silhouette lingered behind him, his eyes remained calm.

’He is too calm,’ Lin Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly from the competitor’s stand.

Something about Xiao Yanrui felt strange. It was not confidence or arrogance. Something colder, deeper and demonic.

"Begin!"

The moment Luo Zhen’s voice fell, Chi Ruyan immediately retreated backward. Unlike Huo Ren, he wasn’t reckless, his Lightning Serpent specialized in speed and assassination. Maintaining distance was his greatest advantage. The pale-white beast essence surged around his arms.

"Python Slash!" Chi Ruyan bellowed, slashing his arms.

WHOOSH!

A crescent-shaped blade of lightning tore across the arena. The attack was not powerful, but it was extremely fast. Chi Ruyan cannot afford the depletion of his beast essence. So he maintained the long range to replenish the beast essence and launch low-tier attacks simultaneously.

Xiao Yanrui didn’t dodge.

CRACK!

The lightning struck directly against his shoulder but nothing happened. The spectators widened their eyes. A thin layer of ice covered his robes. The attack barely left a scratch.

"Hmm?" Chi Ruyan frowned. "Again."

His hands swept through the air with two violent slashes.

"Python Slash!"

"Python Slash!"

Two more lightning blades screamed across the battlefield.

CRACK! CRACK!

The attacks exploded against Xiao Yanrui. The ice layer around his body merely trembled slightly, but the result was the same as before; No damage. The crowd gradually became quieter.

Chi Ruyan’s grin slowly disappeared. Meanwhile, Xiao Yanrui continued standing there, his eyes like a predator watching its prey. A strange feeling appeared in Lin Yuan’s heart.

’This wasn’t normal. Most cultivators became excited during battle, some became nervous, others became angry. But Xiao Yanrui was empty. How can this brat be calm?’ Lin Yuan widened his eyes, clicking his tongue. He has a near lifetime experience in his past life, so he felt this strangeness immediately.

Lin Yuan can easily manipulate others that he was calm and composed in any situation due to his mental strength and willpower from his past life experiences. But Xiao Yanrui is a mere young boy, but Lin Yuan exactly knows the demonic nature in Xiao Yanrui’s eyes.

"This brat is not a normal brat." Lin Yuan muttered quietly. "He came to the academy for a purpose, so he doesn’t care about anything other than that."

"What?" Beside him, Chen Ming frowned.

"Look at his eyes."

Chen Ming glanced toward the arena, then his expression changed slightly. He saw a predator who looked at its prey as a mere object. Xiao Yanrui wasn’t looking at Chi Ruyan like an opponent. He was looking at him like an object.

Meanwhile, Chi Ruyan launched another attack.

"Venom Fang Thrust!" Chi Ruyan yelled, piercing his hand into the air, aiming toward Xiao Yanrui.

Lightning essence erupted violently. The beast essence turned into a serpent behind him and opened its mouth. Thick venom swirled around his hand.

WHOOSH!

Chi Ruyan shot forward like an arrow, and this was his strongest low-tier attack. His beast essence will be depleted near to zero as he was only a Lower Stage cultivator. The thrust targeted Xiao Yanrui’s throat. The audience in the academy grounds swallowed hard. The attack was fast, but Xiao Yanrui finally moved. It was only one tiny step. The spear-like thrust brushed past his neck.

Chi Ruyan’s eyes widened in pure shock and disdain. Before he could retreat, a hand grabbed his wrist. The entire arena froze, petrified. Xiao Yanrui had caught him, slowly raising his head. And for the first time, he smiled. The smile sent chills down in some spectators’ spines. The smile was filled with pure cruelty.

"You attack too much." Xiao Yanrui whispered, his voice sounded disappointed.

BOOM!

Instantly, the snow-white essence erupted behind him and the ice-bear aura formed. The surrounding temperature plummeted instantly, spreading frost across the arena floor. Chi Ruyan’s expression changed drastically, and attempted to retreat. But it was too late.

BANG!

Xiao Yanrui’s fist smashed into his stomach. The sheer impact folded Chi Ruyan’s agonizing body with an ear-shattering scream. A thick splash of blood splattered out from his mouth on Xiao Yanrui’s robes.

The spectators gasped collectively, but Xiao Yanrui didn’t stop. He grabbed Chi Ruyan’s collar, slamming him into the ground.

BOOM!

The spider-web cracks sprawled across the battle stage.

"Stop!" A few spectators stood up, yelling at Xiao Yanrui’s cruelty. But Lin Yuan watched it with negligence and cold eyes.

The attack was already excessive, but Xiao Yanrui ignored them. His snow-white essence surged once more, his eyes remaining emotionless. As though he genuinely intended to continue.

Lin Yuan’s gaze sharpened. ’Hehehe... This bastard Xiao Yanrui wasn’t fighting to win. He was fighting because he enjoyed breaking people.’

The red-haired youth stretched his fist again. The next punch will shatter Chi Ruyan’s bones.

WHOOSH!

A fox tail descended from the sky. The massive white tail wrapped around Chi Ruyan instantly.

BOOM!

Xiao Yanrui’s punch collided with the tail. The entire arena shocked, watching the protective formation to activate. Lin Cangxuan intervened just in time. Above the stadium, the illusion of the Seven-Tailed Fox slowly emerged. Its golden eyes locked onto Xiao Yanrui with immense rage, releasing a pressure so heavy that the watching disciples gasped for air. Only then did Xiao Yanrui lower his fist, a hint of fear flickering across his face.

"Enough!" Luo Zhen roared, immediately leaping onto the arena, his gaze fixed on Xiao Yanrui with utter contempt.

Chi Ruyan was already unconscious, his body covered in bruises and frost injuries. Fortunately, no permanent damage had occurred. Shen Ruoxi immediately rushed onto the battlefield with several academy healers. Meanwhile, Xiao Yanrui simply turned around as if nothing had happened. The spectators stared at him in silence with disdain, because everyone felt it. The battle wasn’t uncomfortable because of his strength. It was uncomfortable because of his nature.

"The winner is... Xiao Yanrui!" Luo Zhen announced, glanced toward Xiao Yanrui briefly.

The crowd responded with scattered applause, but it was far weaker than before. Meanwhile, Lin Yuan continued watching the departing figure. Xiao Yanrui wasn’t the strongest disciple present, but for some reason... Lin Yuan felt he was one of the most dangerous. It was not because of cultivation, but because there was something wrong inside his head. Something cold, twisted and that made him far more troublesome than ordinary geniuses.