Confidence

Dormitory.

Luo Yan was cultivating.

He visualized the rolling mountains, visualized the towering peaks.

He imagined himself becoming as solid as a mountain, standing firm and unshaken.

In this visualization,

Primal Energy entered his body with each breath, following Luo Yan's will.

It washed through the various meridians in his body.

After the skin and flesh,

The cultivation of Observing Mountains and Seas at Primary Level Three tempered the body's meridians.

The so-called meridians were structures attached to soft tissues such as muscles, tendons, and ligaments.

Their main function was to connect and link the bones.

At the same time, together with the skeleton, they protected the internal organs and, through the joints, enabled the limbs to perform various activities.

The stronger and more resilient the meridians, the faster the body's movements and the greater the explosive force.

Through the teaching materials, Luo Yan knew

that the human body had a total of 485 meridians.

There were 62 meridians in the upper front of the body.

There were 126 meridians in the middle front of the body.

There were 72 meridians in the lower front of the body.

There were 127 meridians on the back, as well as an additional 98 meridians.

At that moment,

under the constant washing of Primal Energy,

one meridian finally completed its tempering.

Luo Yan activated his inner vision.

He saw that the meridian radiated a faint glow.

It was full of resilience, difficult to injure, and capable of producing greater strength.

He took a deep breath and slowly ended his cultivation.

Over the past week,

although Luo Yan had used a Calming Agent during every cultivation session,

by just now, he had only finished tempering 42 meridians in the upper front of his body.

Clearly, after reaching the third level, his cultivation speed had slowed.

At a rate of tempering six or seven meridians a day, completing the cultivation of the third level

would take at least 70 days.

No wonder Wei Fenghua had said that the cultivation speed of Observing Mountains and Seas was relatively slow.

He was tempering his meridians now.

At the fourth level, he would have to temper the 206 bones in his body.

That would probably be even slower.

After standing up,

Luo Yan moved his hands and feet.

He looked at the clock.

It was already 9:30.

There was only half an hour left before the Death Match began.

He calmly drank a cup of warm water.

Then he put on the protective gear he had exchanged from the Logistics Department.

This set of protective gear was more elaborate than the one he had worn in the Forbidden Land.

It also covered much more of his body.

At the same time, it did not hinder the movement of any of his joints.

Luo Yan then opened a box.

He took out a Crimson Toxin Relief Agent and injected himself.

By his estimate, the effects of the relief agent from his previous injection were about to wear off.

Luo Yan did not want the Red Poison to suddenly flare up during the match.

Next, he separately concealed the Essence Recovery Agent, which could boost his vitality and ease pain;

the Toxin Dispelling Agent, which could alleviate most toxins;

and the Golden Boiling Agent, which could stimulate the nerves and keep him in an excited state for a short period.

Finally, he picked up the longsword Star Splitter.

Luo Yan left the dormitory.

He pulled the door shut.

Training Hall No. 3.

When Luo Yan arrived, Luo Beichen happened to approach from the other side.

Luo Beichen wore dark armor and held a long spear.

The spearhead was flat, shaped like an oar.

Judging from its properties,

besides possessing the piercing and thrusting traits of a spear, it also had the cutting and chopping traits of a blade.

The two stopped in front of the Training Hall's entrance.

They looked at each other.

Luo Yan had initially thought the other man would throw out some harsh words.

Unexpectedly,

Luo Beichen was unusually composed today.

He merely glanced at Luo Yan indifferently before entering the Assembly Hall.

Luo Yan became slightly more alert.

Luo Beichen had clearly come prepared.

Otherwise, he would not have radiated confidence from the inside out.

Of course,

confidence was something

Luo Yan also possessed.

His confidence came from the realm of Primary Level Three.

From the Opening the Essence Gate taught to him by Di Zheng.

From his experience fighting two giant beasts in the Forbidden Land.

From all his experiences surviving on the surface for three years!

He turned around.

And entered the hall!

A burst of applause immediately rang out in the Assembly Hall.

Only then did Luo Yan discover that the Training Hall was packed with people.

There were first-year freshmen, as well as second- and third-year students.

There were mentors he knew and mentors he did not.

There were also people who had clearly come from outside the school.

Among them,

Luo Yan saw people from the Surface Exploration Legion.

Although he did not know a single one of them,

their military uniforms, identical to Di Zheng's,

made him feel especially close to them.

At that moment,

he saw a young man with a square face and a sturdy build among the legion members nod at him.

Then,

someone on the arena said, "Luo Yan, Luo Beichen."

"Please come up onto the platform."

Luo Yan stepped onto the arena and stood facing Luo Beichen, one on the left and one on the right.

"I am the Student Union President, Bai Zixi."

"I am also today's referee."

The Student Union President smiled and said, "Normally, according to procedure, we would need to inspect both of you."

"But since this is a Death Match, we'll skip that step."

"Let me emphasize this again."

"A Death Match means fighting until one of you dies. There are no restrictions and no rules."

"Is that clear?"

Luo Yan glanced at the longsword in his hand and said calmly, "Since I have stepped onto the arena, I have no regrets, whether I live or die!"

Luo Beichen let out a cold laugh and made a throat-slitting gesture.

Bai Zixi looked at the two of them.

"Good."

"The Death Match will officially begin in five minutes."

"Get off the platform and rest for now."

Luo Yan turned and went below the platform.

He had just sat down

when Zeng Shan ran over.

He whispered into Luo Yan's ear, "Luo Yan, be careful."

"I heard that the one surnamed Luo is already at Primary Level Three."

"Also, the Luo Family has money to spare."

"The spear in Luo Beichen's hand is at least a Superior Armament."

"And it is a long weapon. You are at a disadvantage using a sword."

Luo Yan nodded lightly. "I know what I'm doing."

Zeng Shan pressed a hand against his shoulder. "In any case, I support you."

"And I believe you definitely won't lose."

Luo Yan nodded.

In the audience stands,

Minister of Education Lu Cheng scrutinized Luo Yan.

Someone beside him said, "Minister Lu, what exactly do you think that Commander Di sees in this surface savage?"

"I heard that, to make this Death Match happen, he personally went to the City Lord's Office."

Lu Cheng shook his head. He truly did not know.

But he knew that if Luo Beichen lost today,

not only would the Luo Family suffer a blow, the entire Conservative Faction would lose face as well.

Their influence in important matters in the future would be greatly reduced.

Perhaps

Di Zheng had brought this child from the surface

to use him to strike at their faction.

"I don't know Commander Di's intentions."

Lu Cheng glanced at the uneasy members of the Conservative Faction around him.

"But I know that the young master of the Luo Family won't lose."

"Because Luo Tianyi invited Gao Lin to be his son's mentor for a week."

"Do you know who Gao Lin is?"

Someone exclaimed softly, "Gao Lin? Wasn't he the former commander of the Exploration Corps?"

"He retired two years ago. On the surface, it seemed that he had left the Exploration Corps of his own accord."

"But some people also said that Di Zheng forced him out."

Lu Cheng smiled. "I don't know whether Di Zheng forced him out."

"But I am certain that he is the person in this world who understands Di Zheng best."

"So the student he taught definitely won't lose!"