Defeating Ye Xinglan

The Phoenix flames collided with Ye Xinglan's full-force strike once more. This time, they seemed evenly matched again.

But the only difference was that Ye Xinglan had used her full strength in the clash, while this was merely one of Lin Xiuran's elemental attacks.

Ye Xinglan supported herself with her sword as she knelt on one knee. Her clothes bore varying degrees of tears and burn marks, making her look especially bedraggled.

Lin Xiuran, on the other hand, was different. He still stood straight at the other end of the arena, dressed in fine clothes, his handsome face filled with cold pride.

"I lost." Ye Xinglan slowly rose to her feet and looked at Lin Xiuran, her eyes carrying a trace of indescribable complexity.

Though she was proud, she was still someone who accepted the consequences of a wager. If she lost, she would admit it.

Lin Xiuran did not mock her. His expression was even somewhat indifferent as he slowly bowed to the audience before stepping down from the stage.

Watching his retreating figure, Ye Xinglan swallowed her frustration. One day, she would defeat him fair and square.

Xie Xie was the first to run onto the stage to greet Lin Xiuran. He asked excitedly, "Brother Xiuran, you weren't hurt, were you?"

Xu Xiaoyan stood nearby with an irrepressible smile on her face, squinting as she remained silent.

Guyue stood off to the side somewhat gloomily, her eyes still filled with deep curiosity.

"He won?!" Shen Yi looked at the result onstage in surprise. She had not expected it. After all, she knew Ye Xinglan's talent quite well, yet she had lost to Lin Xiuran.

But on second thought, Shen Yi smiled and shook her head. "That makes sense. He is her child, after all. It's perfectly normal for him to have such talent."

A faint smile also appeared in Wu Zhangkong's cold eyes. Seeing all this, he was in quite a good mood.

Watching Lin Xiuran gradually grow stronger and mature was, in a way, a form of compensation.

"Senior Brother, are we still sending him to Shrek Academy?" Shen Yi asked carefully.

This time, Wu Zhangkong did not refuse. He simply nodded.

Shen Yi smiled and hurriedly said, "I'll go make the arrangements right away."

"No need." Wu Zhangkong glanced at her, then said, "He can do it himself."

Shen Yi froze, then seemed to understand something. She looked down below with anticipation in her eyes.

Indeed, it seemed she did not need to take him there. He could accomplish it himself.

"Xiuran, this is my teacher. He wants to meet you."

Tang Wulin stood outside Lin Xiuran's room, with a middle-aged man in long robes beside him.

Without question, this middle-aged man was Tang Wulin's forging teacher, the Rank Eight Saint Blacksmith Mu Chen.

Lin Xiuran naturally understood why they had come looking for him.

He had won first place in this forging competition. Though the awards had not yet been presented, the rankings were already decided.

Furthermore, he was a blacksmith from Eastsea Academy and was not affiliated with any Forging Masters Association. Mu Chen naturally wanted to recruit him.

"Hello, I am Mu Chen, president of the Donghai Blacksmiths' Association." Mu Chen showed none of an elder's airs. Instead, he warmly extended his hand.

One did not slap a smiling face. Lin Xiuran naturally shook Mu Chen's hand, then invited the two into his room.

"Young friend, I'll get straight to the point. I heard that you are Wulin's classmate and have yet to join a Forging Masters Association. My main purpose in coming today is to recruit you."

Mu Chen did not like beating around the bush and asked directly. He was quite confident that Lin Xiuran would join.

"The Donghai Blacksmiths' Association?" Lin Xiuran asked.

Mu Chen smiled and nodded. "Our Donghai Blacksmiths' Association is quite strong, and the benefits are excellent as well. You can rest assured about that. After all, Wulin is my disciple. I am also a Rank Eight Saint Blacksmith, fully capable of teaching you."

Lin Xiuran considered it briefly. There was no doubt that joining the Donghai Blacksmiths' Association would bring many benefits. Mu Chen was one of the continent's few Rank Eight Saint Blacksmiths, so his abilities needed no introduction. Lin Xiuran's current level was truly limited. If he had a good teacher to guide him, then with his Phoenix Truefire, he would certainly be able to go far down the path of forging.

Mu Chen smiled faintly. "You can think it over. We're not in a hurry. Wait until your competition is over. We won't disturb you any longer."

Lin Xiuran nodded. That was fine. He could think it over for the next couple of days and discuss it after the competition was finished.

Mu Chen then stood up and left with Tang Wulin. Naturally, he was in no rush.

Lin Xiuran studied at Eastsea Academy. He certainly would not join a Forging Masters Association from another city. Once Mu Chen returned, he could slowly work on him. Sooner or later, Lin Xiuran would become his disciple.

With that thought, a smile appeared on Mu Chen's face. At the thought of having two genius disciples, he could already imagine how much more confidence he would have when facing that fellow Zhen Hua in the future.

After all, failing to become a Godsmith had always been one of his greatest regrets.

Lin Xiuran's trio won the next three round-robin matches with relative ease. Only one of those matches featured another three-ringed Soul Master.

But with the support of Lin Xiuran and the other two, their opponents had virtually no ability to resist. They easily advanced into the later rounds.

This time, however, they had encountered a formidable opponent: the first team from Hailu Academy in Hailu City. It was said that they had two three-ringed Soul Masters and one two-ringed Soul Master. They were the strongest group overall and had also won all four of their previous matches.

More importantly, this match was practically a deciding match for both teams. No matter which side won, they would secure a stable place in the top sixteen.

Therefore, both sides would surely go all out and could not possibly hold back. This battle was bound to be difficult and could not be as easy as the earlier matches.

In fact, Hailu City, where the Hailu Academy Team was based, was the third-largest city in the Skysea Alliance, second only to Eastsea City. It lay two hundred kilometers north of Skysea City. The people of Hailu City had fierce temperaments, and Hailu Academy was also quite famous throughout the Skysea Alliance. At the very least, its reputation far surpassed that of Eastsea Academy.

The three students representing Hailu Academy in this competition were all over fourteen years old. With two three-ringed Soul Masters and one two-ringed Soul Master, even the two-ringed Soul Master's cultivation was at least above Level Twenty-Five. In the earlier matches, they had crushed their opponents with absolute strength. They had a certain reputation as championship contenders.

Among them, their captain possessed a thousand-year Soul Ring. Yet since the competition began, she had never once used her thousand-year Soul Skill, so no one knew what it was.

Soon, the contestants from both sides gradually entered the arena.

The three students from Hailu Academy were all girls. Among the three young girls, the one walking in front was Zhou Hanyou. She had long pale-blue hair and a tall, slender figure. Though she was not yet fifteen, she had already grown into a graceful young woman.

To explain, this book's protagonist was not a simp, not even in his previous life. It was merely Gu Yuena's subjective assumption, and the groundwork has already been laid. The protagonist will darken to a certain extent later on.