The First Battle for the Top Spot

No matter which way it went, today was destined to be an extraordinary day.

Soon, as the sky gradually brightened, more and more people gathered at Arena No. 1. In less than fifteen minutes, the place was packed so tightly that not even water could pass through. Even the academy teachers had come to watch, filling every available space.

Everyone was waiting for this moment to arrive.

Second by second, time passed. Finally, Lu Leng and Jin Zhengyang appeared in everyone's sight.

The two then stepped onto the stage and faced each other.

Lu Leng carried himself with calm ease, exuding confidence from head to toe. Combined with his handsome face, he drew shrieks from quite a few girls.

"Lu Leng, go!"

"Leng Leng, go!"

"Leng Leng, Cold One Slash! Leng Leng, one slash!"

The sudden cheers from below drowned out all other noise. Lu Leng's fan club erupted with astonishing enthusiasm, making it feel as though the match had already reached its climax before it had even begun.

Only then did Lu Leng notice that, at some point, Dudu had actually recruited several hundred people.

Hearing that terrifying wave of cheers, Lu Leng could not help sighing. The power of fandom was truly formidable.

Standing opposite Lu Leng, Jin Zhengyang was a somewhat chubby man. However, he was not truly fat; his face simply made him look that way. In reality, his body was packed with well-developed muscles and raw strength.

He wore his hair parted down the middle, which made him look unusually mature.

As Lu Leng looked at him, he felt that Jin Zhengyang resembled someone from his previous life. That person had been known as the strongest member of Earth's post-80s generation!

"Fat Jin, your path to becoming the Holy Son ends here," Lu Leng said. As the challenger, he felt he still had to put on a bit of a show.

But Jin Zhengyang clearly did not like wasting words and simply ignored Lu Leng.

"Good. I like people who act tough like you. Of course, I also like beating up people who act tough like you the most." Lu Leng gave a disdainful smile, completely unconcerned by being ignored.

"Are you both ready?" Seeing that the time was about right, the referee stepped between them and asked.

"Ready." Both nodded.

"Then begin."

At the referee's command, Lu Leng wasted no words. Zhan Luo appeared in his hand, and he immediately slashed at Jin Zhengyang.

"Damn, a sneak attack! No martial virtue!" someone below instantly shouted.

But before his complaint could cause any stir, it was immediately drowned out by merciless retorts. "That's called catching him off guard. What do you know?"

"You talk a big game. Why don't you go up there and try a sneak attack?"

"Martial virtue is for gentlemen. Does he deserve it?"

"Leng Leng is facing such a powerful opponent. He's already doing everything he can. Why are you still insulting him?"

"You must be one of Fat Jin's hired shills. Looking at you, you definitely aren't a good person."

"..."

One after another, their words instantly submerged the man.

Fortunately, Lu Leng did not hear any of that. Otherwise, he would have felt like some otherworldly pretty-boy idol.

On the stage, Jin Zhengyang had clearly not been prepared for Lu Leng's sudden strike. He had still been waiting to go through the usual opening spiel about summoning martial souls.

With no choice but to react after losing the initiative, he hurriedly raised a defense. But Lu Leng's blade flashed again and again as he pressed in close, giving him no chance to catch his breath. Jin Zhengyang retreated repeatedly, constantly dodging while quickly steadying himself. In a brief gap, he caught an opening in Lu Leng's defense and fiercely launched an attack.

But Lu Leng's momentum had already formed, and that opening had been deliberately exposed. Seeing Jin Zhengyang take the bait, he changed his attack without hesitation and met him with a slash.

A wound immediately appeared on Jin Zhengyang's hand.

"What a sharp blade!"

Jin Zhengyang sighed as he looked at the blackened wound on his hand. A faint burnt stench rose from it, and he finally gained some understanding of this so-called God-level Martial Soul. The blade was too sharp. He no longer dared meet it head-on and could only keep dodging, searching for an opportunity to widen the distance.

Naturally, Lu Leng would not give him that chance. He closed in directly, and for a time, Jin Zhengyang was completely suppressed by Lu Leng.

"Good fight! Beat him to death!" Xiong Rige shouted from the audience.

Watching Jin Zhengyang get chased around and beaten like a dog, he found it immensely satisfying.

In the stands, Hu Liena, Mimis, and the others also smiled faintly. They had not expected Lu Leng to seize the advantage right from the beginning. Yet Zi Qingyang's expression barely changed. There was even a faint sneer hidden within it.

"Roar!"

On the stage, Jin Zhengyang endured the pain of nearly being slashed again and finally found an opportunity to neutralize Lu Leng's attack.

The moment he leaped beyond Lu Leng's attack range, he immediately summoned his Martial Soul.

A golden Golden Crocodile appeared behind him, opening its blood-filled jaws and roaring continuously, exuding an imposing and majestic aura. At the same time, five Soul Rings appeared around Jin Zhengyang, rising and falling around him in the colors yellow, yellow, purple, purple, and black.

"A level-fifty Battle Soul King!"

When Jin Zhengyang's fifth Soul Ring appeared, cries of shock erupted from below.

"Level fifty at twenty years old? That's too terrifying!"

"Damn it, even my teacher isn't that badass."

"Level fifty? Lu Leng is definitely going to lose."

"..."

"How was that possible? He'd only broken through to level forty-nine two months ago!" Mimis cried out from the stands as well.

"Hmph, nothing's impossible. Lu Leng broke through ten levels in half a year, so isn't it perfectly normal for Jin Zhengyang to break through one level in two months?" Zi Qingyang said with a smile. Seeing Mimis's stunned expression, he felt a surge of satisfaction.

Mimis glanced at him, thinking, How could those be the same? Lu Leng took an Immortal Herb, but who knows what method Jin Zhengyang used.

Mimis wanted to refute him, but she also knew she couldn't say that aloud.

Otherwise, if someone with ulterior motives learned that Lu Leng possessed an Immortal Herb, it would bring him fatal danger.

In the arena, when Lu Leng saw Jin Zhengyang raise five Soul Rings, the surprise on his face vanished in an instant, replaced by intense fighting spirit.

"I thought this would be nothing more than a one-sided beatdown. I didn't expect you to make things a little more interesting," Lu Leng said approvingly.

With that, he too activated his Soul Rings without hesitation. One purple and two black rings instantly illuminated the entire arena. The third Soul Ring in particular, carrying the might of nearly fifty thousand years, suppressed the whole stadium, dimming all five of Jin Zhengyang's Soul Rings.

"What terrifying pressure. I actually feel stifled!" Jin Zhengyang stared at those two pitch-black Soul Rings. So this was the power of a fifty-thousand-year Soul Ring! Level thirty-five, a Battle Soul Elder!

One purple and two black rings—upon appearing, they stunned the entire audience, completely crushing the cries of shock Jin Zhengyang had stirred up.

"Battle Soul Elder!!"

"A seven-year-old Battle Soul Elder? Damn, they're getting more monstrous by the second."

"What's going on? Can someone well-endowed explain this to me?"

"Stop always bothering us well-endowed people. You less-endowed ones need to learn to grow on your own too."