Academy rules stated that experts on the Nine Stars Ranking had to accept at least one challenge per month, or issue one to a higher-ranked fighter if none came their way—except, of course, for the top spot.
The rules set a minimum but no maximum, which meant Yan Zhen accepting ten challenges at once was technically allowed. No one had ever been that outrageous, though.
When Yan Zhen announced it, the five women present all jumped in surprise and tried to talk him out of it.
Yan Zhen told them not to worry—he was confident.
“Why are you doing this?” Mentor Yu Xuan asked, puzzled. “You can’t just be doing it for the spotlight, right?”
Taking on ten fights in a single day was a clear slap in the face to his challengers. They’d lose their minds.
In his previous life, Yan Zhen hadn’t pulled a stunt like this. He’d fought one challenge per day for ten straight days, advancing to Seven-Star Mystic Practitioner along the way. On the eleventh day, he’d challenged Xiao Mie and beaten him by the slimmest of margins to claim the top spot on the Nine Stars Ranking!
The moment he’d grinned through his wounds after that hard-fought victory, Mentor Yu Xuan had felt her heart stir for the first time. That feeling only grew after he’d saved her from pursuers in the Demon Domain, until it spiraled completely out of control.
Now that he was reborn, Mentor Yu Xuan secretly wanted to see him shine on the Duel Platform once more. But Yan Zhen’s choice this time around seemed different from his past life.
“I want to test my limits,” Yan Zhen said—he’d prepared his excuse ahead of time. “I feel like I’m still a ways off from Seven-Star Mystic Practitioner. Normal cultivation could take forever, so I want to push myself hard.”
It was an airtight reason.
Mentor Yu Xuan let out a soft sigh.
“Alright. If you can’t handle it, I’ll step in and call off the challenges myself.”
Yan Zhen flashed her a smile.
“Thanks, Mentor~”
Word spread like wildfire: Yan Zhen was taking on ten challenges in one go. The entire Mystic Academy erupted.
Since the academy’s founding, the Duel Platform had hosted thousands upon thousands of battles, but never a “gauntlet match” like this—one fight rolling right into the next.
Fighters in duels were usually evenly matched, so winning even one meant they’d poured out everything they had. Who had the stamina for another? Let alone ten in a row?
His challengers were all top-ranked powerhouses on the Nine Stars Ranking. Facing their nonstop onslaught was basically begging for a beatdown.
This was going to be good.
Shady bookies in the shadows even opened bets on how many fights Yan Zhen could win—one to ten, with varying odds.
The payout for “winning all ten” was a staggering one-to-ten-thousand!
They clearly thought he had zero chance of sweeping the field.
Aside from the four women back at the house, no one bet on a perfect record. The most popular wager was three wins—a huge nod to his strength.
That was the spectators’ view.
The ten challengers who’d issued the challenge letters? They were all fuming, faces red and veins bulging. As elites among their peers, they had pride. Yan Zhen’s move was straight-up calling them weak!
But they’d sent the challenges themselves. If Yan Zhen accepted, they couldn’t back out—or they’d forfeit their monthly pills to him, win or lose.
The Mystic Academy had baked under the sun all day, and as it dipped toward the horizon, the air grew even hotter and thicker with tension.
The stands around the Duel Platform were packed. Students from all three grades showed up in droves—more than for Yan Zhen’s last showdown with Lan Ke.
Down below, the ten top-ranked Nine Stars Ranking fighters stood together, glaring daggers at Yan Zhen across the platform. They looked ready to kill him.
Yan Zhen had prepared himself mentally for this.
—System, this doesn’t derail the script’s storyline, right?
【Please state your reason for deviating from the script.】
—Doesn’t this flex way harder? If you’re gonna show off, go big. What’s the core of a power fantasy? Looking cool as hell. As the protagonist, I should tweak the script’s weak spots to make the story even more epic—not just copy-paste it. Right, System?
【Host makes a valid point. System approves.】
—Cough, uh, if I crash and burn, rewind me, yeah? I don’t wanna spend a month flat on my back.
【Acknowledged.】
Yan Zhen finally relaxed. If he lost, just reload—that was his biggest trump card.
“Yan Zhen!”
“Mentor Yu Xuan.”
“You… Sigh, no need for extra words. Fight your heart out. I’ll have your back if anything goes wrong.”
“Thanks, Mentor. I’ll win.”
【Ding! Key Plot Activation】
【Current Plot Progress—Chapter 123: Ten Fights, Ten Victories】
【Role-Playing Requirement: Accept one challenge per day, and advance to Seven-Star Mystic Practitioner in the final fight.】
【Requirement Updated】
【New Role-Playing Requirement: Accept ten challenges at once, claim victory in all, and advance to Seven-Star Mystic Practitioner.】
【Completion: 0%】
Yan Zhen clenched his fist, a sharp glint entering his eyes. He strode step by step onto the platform and took his stance. In that instant, countless gazes locked onto him from the stands.
Under the spotlight, flames of mystic power cloaked Yan Zhen’s body like a gauzy robe, while a translucent flicker danced at his brow. Though only a Mystic Practitioner, he radiated subtle pressure that made even the mentors tense up.
Yan Zhen seemed like a different person—his usual mild demeanor tucked away, replaced by an aggressive edge.
He turned to the challengers below and spoke coldly.
“You lot… Who’s first?”
“Hmph! I’ll test you out—Liu Liang, ranked sixteenth on the Nine Stars Ranking!”
A figure shot into the air, flipped neatly, and landed steadily on the platform.
“Yan Zhen, it doesn’t matter how many challenges you stack. I’m taking you down.”
The referee mentor stepped to the platform’s edge and signaled the start of the duel.
“Come on.”
“I refuse to believe a mere Six-Star Mystic Practitioner is that tough—take this!”
The fight exploded into motion.
As his opponent charged straight in, the Mental Fire at Yan Zhen’s brow swayed gently. His perception spread out, blanketing a one-meter radius around him.
He slowly clenched his fist, mystic power gathering there with a faint glow of flame.
The instant Liu Liang entered his sensory field, Yan Zhen’s mind lit up with the opponent’s glaring “weak spots.” He dropped his waist low and unleashed a thunderous punch right at the biggest one.
Eight Extremes Explosion—first heavy strike!
Liu Liang spat blood and flew off the platform, crashing to the ground.
Fight over.
The rowdy arena fell deathly silent. Eyes bulged as people wondered if they’d seen wrong.
One hit? Just like that? That was a Nine Stars Ranking expert! Top sixteen out of nearly a hundred—no way it ended without a dozen exchanges, right?
Xiao Mie’s face grew grave.
“This kid… In less than a month, he’s gotten way stronger.”
Nearby, Yan Meng’er and Mi Xue’er cheered wildly. Yan Ruyu and Xiao Xinyan gripped their fists in excitement.
The mentors, including Mentor Yu Xuan, spotted the trick.
“Isn’t that spiritual power?”
“What a monster. Not only has his mystic power reached that level, but he’s even awakened spiritual power.”
