Two Car... Classmates, Stop Kneeling

The light faded, and Lin Mu's figure reappeared on the square.

The moment he stepped out of the light gate, the entire world seemed to have its mute button pressed.

The square, which had been roaring with noise before he entered, was now so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Nearly a thousand gazes, mixed with shock, confusion, and fervor, locked onto him like spotlights, fixed and unyielding.

Lin Mu frowned slightly; he still wasn't quite used to this feeling of being the center of attention.

At the edge of the square, a few Heaven Branch freshmen who had also just come out of the secret realm stood.

They hung their heads, their faces pale.

Clearly, they had encountered danger inside and had to crush their Teleportation Talismans early to escape.

Now, as they stared at the pitiful double-digit scores on their own ranking panels, and then looked up at the glaring 140,000 at the top of the big screen, their eyes went hollow, already questioning life itself.

Lin Mu followed their gaze and glanced back at the massive crystal screen.

The score ranking was absurdly lopsided.

First place: Lin Mu, score 143,240.

Second place: Luo Tian, score 1,260.

Third place: Lei Ming, score 975.

Fourth place: Xiong Zining, score 931.

Ninth place: Lu Hu, score 628.

Twelfth place: Ao Di, score 546.

His score was over a hundred times that of Luo Tian in second place!

As for Lu Hu and Ao Di, who had talked big earlier, they didn't even reach a fraction of his total.

"Student Lin Mu."

Mu Wanqing appeared before him as if teleported.

Her beautiful phoenix eyes churned with unprecedented shock, but she forcibly suppressed the turmoil within.

She was just about to ask about the specific situation inside the secret realm.

"Buzz—"

The void light gate behind Lin Mu lit up again.

A burly figure, bear-like, stepped out with a face full of fatigue and arrogance.

It was Lu Hu!

The moment he came out, he spotted Lin Mu standing there at ease, and a contemptuous, smug smile immediately spread across his face.

"Hahaha! And I thought who it was! So it's you! The Necromancer?"

Lu Hu's voice was thunderously loud, as if afraid no one would hear.

"What? Couldn't hold out, got teleported out that fast?"

"I told you! Someone like you, who relies on resources to pile up your level, the moment real combat starts, your true colors show!"

He glanced around, but no one echoed him.

Instead, they all looked at him like he was an idiot, which struck him as a bit odd.

But he was too caught up in his own self-satisfaction to think much of it.

"Hmph! I just had bad luck, ran into an elite boss early on. Otherwise, I could've farmed a few hundred more points in there!"

Lu Hu puffed out his chest, spitting as he bragged about his "heroic deeds," acting as if he were the center of attention.

Finally, he sensed the weird atmosphere.

Everyone was staring at him with a complex mix of pity, mockery, and schadenfreude—a feeling worse than being directly cursed out.

"You guys... why are you all looking at me like that?"

Lu Hu frowned, asking in confusion.

"Could it be... could it be that my six hundred plus score is the highest?"

He even asked this ridiculously stupid question with a hint of hope.

Someone in the crowd finally couldn't hold it in and let out a snort of laughter.

That laugh, like a signal, instantly ignited the suppressed tension in the air.

Countless gazes, holding back laughter and eager for a show, made Lu Hu feel like a naked monkey performing on stage.

"You... what are you laughing at!"

Lu Hu pointed furiously at the laughing student.

That student barely suppressed his grin, raising a hand to point at the massive crystal screen behind Lu Hu.

"Buddy, turn around and look. Don't keep embarrassing yourself here."

Hearing this, Lu Hu slowly turned, filled with suspicion.

He lifted his head and looked at the scoreboard reflecting the cruel reality behind him.

The moment he saw the rankings.

The smugness and contempt on Lu Hu's face instantly froze.

He subconsciously rubbed his eyes, thinking fatigue was causing hallucinations.

At the very top of the board, a name written in golden font blazed with unbearable brilliance.

[First Place: Lin Mu, Points: 143,240]

Lu Hu's mind went blank with a deafening buzz.

His lips parted slightly, his Adam's apple bobbed, but no sound came out.

One hundred forty-three thousand?

He jerked his head down, looking at his own rank.

[Ninth Place: Lu Hu, Points: 628]

Six hundred twenty-eight.

One hundred forty-three thousand two hundred forty.

These two numbers, like heaven and earth, nearly suffocated him.

The color drained from his face at a visible speed, turning deathly pale.

That arrogant pride he'd worn was shattered into dust by this string of cold numbers.

"No..."

"Impossible..."

Lu Hu's voice was hoarse and raspy, like two pieces of sandpaper grinding together.

"The system must have glitched! Yeah! It has to be a glitch!"

Clutching at his last straw, he pointed wildly at the screen and roared at Mu Wanqing.

"Teacher Mu! This isn't fair! He cheated! How could a Necromancer possibly score like that!"

"He must have exploited some bug!"

But no one paid his ranting any mind.

The entire plaza—everyone's gaze was fixed on him.

Their eyes looked at him like he was a monkey from Mount Emei.

Just then.

"Whoosh—"

Another figure stepped out from the light gate—it was Luo Tian, who had been resting with his eyes closed.

He looked somewhat tired too, but his gaze remained sharp.

The first thing he did upon exiting was look at the scoreboard.

When he saw Lin Mu's despairingly unmatched score.

Even he, with his ice-cold face, showed a flicker of emotion.

He gave Lin Mu a deep look, no trace of contempt left in his eyes.

What replaced it was unprecedented gravity and a hidden fighting spirit.

This Necromancer wasn't a genius.

He was a monster.

Right after, Lei Ming, Xiong Zining, and other top freshmen emerged from the secret realm one after another.

Every single one of them repeated the same process.

First, brimming with confidence—then they saw the scoreboard.

Next came stunned silence.

Finally, they looked at Lin Mu with reverent awe, as if gazing at a deity.

The atmosphere in the plaza turned incredibly strange.

Lu Hu's foolishness, amid this dead silence of reverence, no longer seemed so awkward.

He finally realized just how enormous a mistake he had made.

Only then did he dare to provoke Lin Mu.

Recalling the harsh words he had thrown at Lin Mu in the lounge, in front of everyone.

"If you can outperform me in this assessment, I, Lu Hu, will kneel and kowtow to you in public as an apology!"

These words, like the most vicious curse, echoed madly in his mind.

"Silence!"

Just then.

A commanding voice descended from above.

The principal of Shengjing Academy, a white-haired elder with an unfathomable aura.

Had appeared above the square at some unknown moment.

Beside him stood several of the academy's senior elders.

Each exuded a suffocating pressure.

Their gazes at Lin Mu were filled with undisguised admiration and ecstasy!

The principal swept his eyes across the crowd, finally landing on Lu Hu, his brow slightly furrowed.

"Young man, a word spoken is a bond—that is the foundation of being a person."

"The bet was made by you yourself."

"Shengjing Academy does not accept those who break their word."

The elder's words struck Lu Hu's crown like bolts of heavenly thunder.

This was forcing him to fulfill the bet!

In front of the entire school's faculty and students, in front of all the top geniuses.

To kneel and apologize to the Necromancer he despised the most!

Lu Hu clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles cracking audibly.

His body began to tremble violently.

It was fear and humiliation born from the depths of his soul!

He lifted his head and looked at Lin Mu with a gaze almost pleading.

Yet Lin Mu simply stood there, unmoved.

"Thud!"

Lu Hu's legs gave way, and he collapsed uncontrollably onto the ground.

His eyes were hollow, his mouth muttering incessantly.

"It's over... it's all over..."

Ao Di, who had just emerged from the secret realm, saw Lu Hu kneeling.

He immediately knelt down on the spot as well.

Lin Mu felt an urge to laugh, then spoke calmly.

"Uh, Lu Hu, Ao Di, right? You two cars... I mean, classmates, kneeling once is enough; no need to kowtow."

Then he calmly walked toward Mu Wanqing, as if none of this had anything to do with him.

"Teacher Mu, is the assessment over?"

"I'm a bit hungry. Can I go eat now?"

These utterly plain words were like the loudest slap.

Fiercely striking Lu Hu's face.

Ignoring him!

This was the most complete form of disregard!

So he had never been in Lin Mu's eyes from the very beginning!

"Pfft—"

Lu Hu felt a sweetness at his throat.

A mouthful of blood burst forth—he was so enraged by the burning humiliation that he actually vomited blood!