“Mentor Yu Xuan, your boy’s a freak.”
Mentor Yu Xuan smiled politely, her beautiful eyes sparkling as she watched Yan Zhen.
“Next.” Yan Zhen glanced at the challengers below—only nine left now. “Who’s up?”
The nine were clearly rattled by that display. They exchanged looks until a chubby figure hopped onto the platform.
“I’ll teach you a lesson—Bian Ge, ranked fourteenth on the Nine Stars Ranking!”
Bang!
“Agh!”
“I’m Lao Hu, ranked thirteenth on the Nine Stars Ranking—”
Bang bang!
“Oof!”
“I’m ranked on the Nine Stars—”
Bang bang bang!
“Urk!”
As the fights wore on, Yan Zhen sensed something off.
What was he here for? To complete the plot while taking a few hits to toughen up—prepping his body so he could spam Three Heavy Strikes from Eight Extremes Explosion against Xiao Mie later.
But these guys were kinda trash. Four down, and the strongest only tanked three punches?
Way too suspicious, bro. Were they throwing the match?
The crowd in the stands found it unbelievable too. Yan Zhen was strong, sure, but curb-stomping Nine Stars Ranking elites like this? He was only Six-Star!
Some even whispered that the bookies were rigging it.
But who had the guts to rig a bet like this?
The dean hadn’t shown, but he was surely watching.
Only the mentors understood: spiritual power was like an overpowered cheat against anyone below Mystic Master!
Yan Zhen’s control was masterful—he’d narrowed his perception into a battle domain. The moment an opponent entered it, their flaws lit up like neon signs. How could they not lose?
Yan Zhen frowned but pressed on. Finally, the tenth-ranked fighter traded a full ten exchanges before crumbling.
Yan Zhen’s strikes were too vicious, always hitting the hitches in his mystic power flow. He couldn’t bring his full strength to bear before getting speed-blitzed, leaving him frustrated and defeated.
That was battle for you.
“Anyone else? Hurry up!”
Yan Zhen was getting impatient.
He’d even braced for a loss and reload. But these guys were folding like paper tigers.
Were they weak or just screwing with him?
“Come on up already! You all challenged me—why chicken out now?”
“I-I forfeit!”
“Who said you could? Get up here!”
“I forfeit too! I’m out, Momma!”
“Hey, don’t run! Get back here!”
“Whoever steps up as his punching bag is an idiot! I’m done.”
“I-I’m just a Six-Star Mystic Practitioner!”
“No one’s buying that. You’re hiding your cultivation, you sneaky bastard. Lightning’s gonna strike you down!”
“…”
The last four challengers grumbled and bolted.
The earlier ones weren’t any weaker, and they’d gotten crushed just as bad. No point stepping up for the same.
Close fights were one thing, but getting bodied in seconds? Pass.
Yan Zhen panicked.
“Don’t go! I’ll let you four come at once! Hey, come back—Mentor, stop them! Don’t let them run, damn it!”
Everyone had fled, leaving Yan Zhen alone on the arena stage, disheveled in the wind.
He hadn’t even completed the plot yet! What was he supposed to do next?
The audience was dumbfounded. What the hell was this? Rigged matches? They didn’t even fight—they just ran away. Have some shame! What the hell, refund!
Only a few from the top ten of the Nine Stars Ranking, like Xiao Mie and Yu Yue, saw through it. There was no rigging or fake match. Yan Zhen was just that terrifying.
The mentors of those fleeing challengers had faces as black as coal. You could lose a fight, but you couldn’t lose face. Daring not to even fight—what kind of mystic cultivator was that? They would have to give those guys a good scolding when they got back!
The referee mentor could only give a wry smile. In all the student duels he had hosted, this was the first time someone had voluntarily requested a wheel battle—and halfway through, the challengers had been scared off.
“Since the remaining challengers have forfeited, Yan Zhen wins this duel ten battles to zero. The monthly pill allowances of all ten challengers now belong to Yan Zhen.”
But Yan Zhen wasn’t happy at all. Not only had he failed to complete the System’s mission, but he hadn’t taken a single hit either. What a pure waste of time.
Who wanted those crappy pills? The Minor Yuan Pills he refined himself were the best cultivation aid for any mystic practitioner.
The grand ten-battle showdown ended in the most baffling way. Neither the spectators nor the participants were satisfied, and they dispersed amid a chorus of grumbles and curses.
The girls gathered around him, eyeing his sullen, handsome little face. They wanted to laugh but didn’t dare.
“Cousin, don’t be upset. You won, after all.”
“Winning is better than anything. You didn’t want to lose, did you, you dummy?”
Yan Meng’er and Yan Ruyu spoke up one after another to comfort him.
“Yeah, Little Brother Yan Zhen. Look, you scared them all off. How impressive is that?” Mi Xue’er chimed in. “Don’t get discouraged. Next time, find another chance to push your limits!”
“…”
Xiao Xinyan opened her mouth but hesitated. Their words felt a bit off to her.
Yan Zhen had clearly won, so why were they consoling him? Anyone who didn’t know better would think he’d lost miserably.
“Alright, alright. Since there’s nothing else, let’s head home.”
With that from Mentor Yu Xuan, the group set off in a boisterous crowd, leaving the academy and returning to the estate.
Back in his room, Yan Zhen bolted the door and entered the Crystal Stone Space.
The get-beaten plan had failed. Sure enough, he had no choice but to seek guidance from the Beautiful Female Master.
—What an idiot I am.
Even if the Beautiful Female Master wouldn’t offer to boost his physical strength, couldn’t he just ask her himself? With their current bond, would she refuse? Of course not!
Yan Zhen felt immensely smug inside, but on the surface, he said it all cute and innocent:
“Master, I can now use the Three Heavy Strikes of the Eight Extremes Explosion normally. Could you help me find a way to increase my physical strength?”
Chen Xi shook her head gently.
“No can do, Zhen’er. Your master can’t help you like that.”
—She refused.
Huh? Yan Zhen froze.
“Why not, Master?”
“As I told you before, the Eight Extremes Explosion has cultivation thresholds. Forcing it without reaching them will cause serious damage to your body.”
“But if I boost my physical strength, won’t that fix it?”
“It’s not fixed—it just means you can withstand it. The damage still accumulates. The more you use it, the more it builds up, leading to endless troubles later, just like with your grandfather. One day, it all erupts, and down you go.”
“…”
That was true enough.
But this was something he had to go through! Anyway, he’d cultivate a Body Refining Technique later to clear out the damage accumulated from the Eight Extremes Explosion.
In the script, the Beautiful Female Master was willing to teach it, but in reality, she wouldn’t—probably because she cared too much about him and didn’t want to leave any hidden flaws in his body.
Yan Zhen had no choice but to give up on asking the Beautiful Female Master and turn his sights to Mentor Yu Xuan instead.
