Confrontation with Zhilin!

Ye Lingling looked at the people surrounding her and felt deeply troubled. Just as she was thinking of a way to escape, she caught sight of someone standing outside the crowd.

She had not paid much attention at first. Given Xue Beng's status, even if he was discovered, no one would dare step forward. But when she glanced over, she froze. The man's face seemed quite familiar, yet she could not remember where she had seen him.

When she saw the smile on Jin Yan's face, she suddenly recognized him, and a surge of delight rose in her heart.

She had already learned from her mother of Jin Yan's status within Spirit Hall.

On the Douluo Continent, strength was what ultimately mattered. With the backing behind Jin Yan, even the princes of the two great empires seemed somewhat inferior to him in her eyes.

Moreover, since Jin Yan had come here, how could there be no powerful experts protecting him from the shadows? Thus, she was not worried in the slightest about bringing trouble upon him. At Jin Yan's signal, she directly broke through the crowd and hid behind him.

"Kid, who are you? Do you know who I am?"

Xue Beng tilted his face and looked at Jin Yan with an arrogant expression. His lackeys spread out behind him, faintly surrounding Jin Yan from every direction.

"I don't care who you are. If you dare act recklessly in front of me again, I'll beat up your father too!"

Xue Beng was arrogant, but Jin Yan was even more arrogant.

After saying that, Jin Yan ignored Xue Beng's stunned reaction and directly pulled Ye Lingling away.

Xue Beng's lackeys had long since been dumbfounded by Jin Yan's words and actually did not stop them.

Who was Xue Beng's father? He was His Majesty Xue Ye, the current emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire! Yet Jin Yan had said he would beat him up too. What audacity!

"Kid, don't run! I'll kill you today!"

Watching Jin Yan's figure gradually recede, Xue Beng roared in fury, his face flushed crimson. He was clearly enraged beyond measure.

I absolutely cannot let this kid leave today. Otherwise, where would the dignity of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family go? Second Brother would also...

Xue Beng gritted his teeth as Soul Power fluctuations surged from his body. A pale yellow Soul Ring appeared beneath his feet, and behind him, a pair of white wings unfurled.

His wings beat, and Xue Beng's body skimmed close to the ground as he shot toward Jin Yan at high speed. When he was still three to five meters away, the only Soul Ring on his body suddenly lit up. At the same time, his wings shook fiercely, propelling him into the air.

"First Soul Skill, White Blade Flying Feathers!"

Countless white feathers fell from his wings, slicing through the air with sharp explosive cracks as they shot toward Jin Yan.

Jin Yan snorted coldly and did not even look back. His feet tapped the ground in rapid succession as he led Ye Lingling ghostlike through the scattered feather blades.

Turning around, Jin Yan looked toward Xue Beng and said teasingly, "Prince Xue Beng, if you keep chasing me, I won't be so polite."

Under the gaze of Jin Yan's pale golden eyes, Xue Beng inexplicably felt a trace of fear. By the time he came to his senses, Jin Yan had already turned and headed toward the academy's exit.

A sigh came from within Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Jin Yan's body instantly froze in place, and cracks spread across the stone slabs beneath his feet.

"I admire your courage, young friend. His Highness the Fourth Prince is indeed somewhat arrogant and overbearing, and I do not believe you were in the wrong. But you should never have insulted His Majesty the current emperor."

After the aged voice finished speaking, the rustling of leaves came from the dense woods on both sides of the stairs. An elderly man with a lean figure and refined features appeared.

The old man wore a black robe trimmed in gold. His white hair was meticulously combed behind his head, and one hand rested behind his back. His eyes were bright and piercing. Standing straight as a spear atop a tree, he looked down at Jin Yan while powerful Soul Power fluctuations radiated from him, pressing down on Jin Yan with extraordinary precision.

The old man's control over his pressure was extremely precise. The Soul Power pressure was directed solely at Jin Yan. Even Ye Lingling beside him initially noticed nothing unusual. Only when she discovered that the body she was holding onto was becoming increasingly heavy did she realize something was wrong. Seeing the lean old man perched in the tree, her face turned pale, and the hand clutching Jin Yan trembled slightly.

"Zhi... Zhilin Education Committee Member."

"Little Lingling, this has nothing to do with you for now. Move aside."

Zhilin waved his hand, and a powerful force swept out with the motion, pushing Ye Lingling to one side.

"Kid, I won't make things difficult for you. As long as you kneel three times toward the imperial palace and kowtow to His Majesty, we can consider this matter settled. I can even let you cultivate at Heaven Dou Royal Academy. What do you say?" he said calmly, as though this were an immense favor to Jin Yan.

Though Zhilin's terrifying pressure bore down on him, Jin Yan's back remained perfectly straight, as if he had not been affected in the slightest. Calm and composed, he said, "Senior Zhilin, do not be so full of yourself. I would not come to Heaven Dou Royal Academy even if you gave me a Soul Bone!"

"You...!" Zhilin's face darkened. Pointing at Jin Yan with a trembling finger, he said, "Don't think you can act however you please in front of me just because you're a genius. I, Zhilin, have roamed the continent for many years. When I first became famous, even Tang Hao, once the number one genius on the continent, had to call me Senior. How do you think you compare to Tang Hao?

"Hurry and do as I say. I will spare your life. Otherwise, don't blame this old man for showing no mercy!"

After Zhilin finished speaking, eight Soul Rings slowly rose from beneath him, displaying the formidable intimidation of a Spirit Douluo.

"Senior, this junior is not particularly talented. I'm only about a hundred and eighty times more gifted than the Tang Hao you mentioned," Jin Yan said calmly.

"H-He actually said he's a hundred and eighty times more talented than Tang Hao... Hahaha.

"Who does he think he is?"

"Hahaha, I'm dying of laughter. This is the funniest joke I've heard all year."

Jin Yan's words immediately made everyone burst into laughter.

Jin Yan, however, remained utterly composed, as though he truly believed himself to be a hundred times more talented than Tang Hao. He completely ignored everyone's mockery.

Zhilin was also stunned by Jin Yan's words, then could not help laughing. He felt that Jin Yan was the sort of genius who became complacent and overly self-important after gaining a little talent. Zhilin had seen many such people. His assessment of Jin Yan dropped another level, and more than half of his desire to recruit him faded away.

I was indeed too hasty. Even if the academy is currently short on talent, I cannot just bring anyone in.

"He's right!" At that moment, Ye Lingling, whom Zhilin had just pushed away with Soul Power, suddenly rushed forward. Her clean little face was filled with seriousness, along with a rare trace of stubbornness, as she looked up at Zhilin.

"Education Committee Member Zhilin, he's right. He is a hundred times stronger than Tang Hao."

Seeing the stubborn expression on the girl's face, Zhilin's brows furrowed slightly.

What kind of bewitching potion did this kid give Little Lingling? Why is she defending him like this?

No, I need to speak with Su Ling later. I can't let Little Lingling get too close to this kid. He doesn't look like a good person!