With Skills Like That, You Think You Can Snarl at Me?

"Though I'm not Xiaoyu's boyfriend yet, I will be someday!

"We're a match made in heaven, from our looks and family backgrounds to our abilities!"

Meng Bo lifted his chin high, his voice full of boastful pride.

"So after all that..."

Lin Xia let out a cold laugh. "You're just a simp!"

"What the hell did you say?!"

Meng Bo bared his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead as he raised his hand to slap Lin Xia across the face!

He was the young master of the Meng Family, the oil tycoons!

How could anyone call him a dog?!

The scene caused an uproar!

The older students watching from outside gaped in disbelief at Meng Bo's hand—and at the cool, handsome face it was about to strike.

They'd heard that a genius had joined this year's class, bringing an SSR-level Summoning Card with him on his very first day!

He'd even wiped out all the students by himself during the class placement competition!

That was why they'd come to watch Lin Xia's first trip into a secret realm. They were curious whether he'd come back with another high-grade Card.

Or had Lin Xia used up all his luck? Would the next Card he obtained be a low-grade one?

That was one of the reasons the teachers and the suited gentlemen had come, too.

Of course, there was another reason: word had gotten out that someone in this year's class had earned the Bronze Achievement!

The most mysterious reward in the Imperial University's centuries-long history was about to be revealed!

As for who had earned it, there was no shortage of speculation. Zhu Tingyu and Lin Xia were the most popular guesses.

Perhaps because of their social standing, the upper-class crowd all favored Zhu Tingyu.

As a result, her father was surrounded by people eager to curry favor with him.

The teachers, meanwhile, had gathered around Xiao Ya. They thought Lin Xia had given them too many surprises for anyone else to be more likely to have earned the achievement first.

Regardless, Lin Xia was the center of attention.

That was why Meng Bo's reaction caused the crowd to erupt in an instant!

Among the families present, only the Zhu Family could rival the Meng Family!

"Has that kid lost his mind?!"

Meng Dahai's eyes widened. He could tell that Meng Bo had used his awakened power in that strike!

As a strength-type Awakener, Meng Bo could hit hard enough to smash a wall to pieces!

Meng Dahai was filled with regret. If Lin Xia took that hit, he'd be crippled at best!

His son had acted so recklessly in front of all these important people—and attacked a prodigy at Imperial University, someone the government had singled out for special attention!

If something happened to Lin Xia, what was he supposed to do?

How would he handle the aftermath?

How could he face the government and Imperial University when they came demanding answers?!

Sigh. It's come to this. Hopefully, money can fix it.

Seeing that it was already too late, Meng Dahai let out a helpless sigh.

The scene shifted.

A dull thud rang out.

Everyone's expression changed. They gaped in unison, unable to believe their eyes!

Lin Xia had caught Meng Bo by the wrist!

To everyone watching, Meng Bo's strike had been incredibly fast—so fast it might as well have happened in an instant!

At such close range, Lin Xia shouldn't have had time to react!

And yet Lin Xia had moved even faster than Meng Bo!

At least they'd been able to see Meng Bo's palm shoot forward. But no one had seen Lin Xia move his arm and seize Meng Bo's wrist!

Lin Xia was so fast it was as if frames had been cut from a movie and stitched together. His movement was invisible to the naked eye!

Meng Dahai, who had been fretting over how to handle the aftermath just moments ago, now sat frozen, as if his soul had been wrenched from his body.

The friends beside him began to mock him gleefully, piling on while Meng Bo was down.

They made snide remarks about how Lin Xia had completely outclassed Meng Bo.

Meng Dahai had always cared about saving face. Now, his cheeks flushed with humiliation. He clenched his fists and glared at his worthless son on the field.

Nearby, Zhu Tingyu's father looked at Lin Xia with admiration and astonishment. As a clever man, he could tell that Lin Xia's abilities were far beyond what he'd heard.

That kid would one day shake the entire Great Xia Empire!

So he had to bring Lin Xia into the fold before he made a name for himself, securing powerful backing for the Zhu Family!

After all, the Zhu Family had money and influence in abundance. What they lacked was a powerful figure to protect them!

For years, their rivals, the Sun and Qiao Families, had been using the powerful Awakeners in their households to devour the Zhu Family's business...

"Th-this..."

Meng Bo's pupils contracted sharply. His mouth twitched as he stared at his wrist, pinned so tightly he couldn't move. He was stunned by Lin Xia's strength.

He was a strength-type Awakener! And now he couldn't even pull his own hand free!

But Meng Bo wasn't afraid of Lin Xia. Instead, he regretted not hitting him harder and letting him show off.

"Heh. With skills like that, you think you can snarl at me?!"

Lin Xia snorted, killing intent rising in his eyes.

"Hey, hey! What are you two doing?"

Xie Feng hurried over, looking displeased. This year's ceremony wasn't the quiet, by-the-book affair it had been in years past. School leaders and important figures from every walk of life had gathered!

And now they'd gone and caused a scene!

Seeing Xie Feng's expression, Lin Xia let go.

He couldn't make a move just yet, not with so many people watching. He might as well wait until they entered the secret realm to deal with Meng Bo!

Then Lin Xia glanced at the staff member who had given him the slip of paper.

It was obvious the guy had taken a bribe from Meng Bo and arranged for them to enter the secret realm together.

"Nothing, Teacher Xie. I was just testing my partner's abilities."

Meng Bo was quick with his words, immediately coming up with an excuse, though he made no effort to hide his contemptuous look.

"It's fine, Teacher Xie. We were just messing around."

Lin Xia played along.

But with their terrible acting and the hostility in their eyes, Xie Feng could easily tell what had happened!

He snorted and put his hands on his hips. "You two are drawing new tickets. You can't enter the secret realm together!"

Lin Xia and Meng Bo both froze at that. They looked at Xie Feng, protesting silently with their eyes.

Just then, Meng Dahai walked over, his belly as big as a pregnant woman's. "Since they drew the same ticket, it's fate. It only makes sense for them to enter the secret realm together."

He cared deeply about saving face. Lin Xia had easily caught his son's attack, and now his fair-weather friends were laughing at him.

Meng Dahai wanted Meng Bo to teach Lin Xia a lesson in the secret realm... At the very least, the kid should come out with a few bruises on his face. That way, he could save face by telling his friends Meng Bo had held back, rather than been completely outclassed.

"No, Mr. Meng. Can't you see..."

Xie Feng kept refusing, trying to explain the situation to Meng Dahai.

Meanwhile, Zhu Tingyu's father walked over and quietly came up behind Lin Xia. He asked softly,

"Young man, would you rather enter the secret realm with Meng Bo, or stay away from him?"