Concern

The fragment landed softly, yet it rang like a thunderclap in everyone's hearts.

Lin Xia had actually torn up the certificate issued by the Spiritual Energy Testing and Research Institute!?

Wasn't this a direct slap to Qin Tianyu's face!

"You're courting death!!"

Qin Tianyu's face twisted in a snarl, his fists clenched tight, ready to strike.

"Stupid! Childish! Ridiculous!"

Principal Tao stepped forward, blocking Qin Tianyu's path, and sneered at Principal Yan, "Is this the kind of student your school produces? Truly a model of character and excellence!"

Hearing this, Principal Yan finally recovered from the shock of Lin Xia's startling action, but before he could speak up for Lin Xia, the boy spoke first.

"It's just a piece of scrap paper. I tore it, so what? Does this guy's so-called wave really need this paper to prove it works?"

This sentence was an open mockery, implying that Qin Tianyu's skill was nothing but a flashy facade—impressive on paper, but lacking any real substance!

"Heh..."

A mixture of rage and contempt crossed Qin Tianyu's face. With a condescending air, he bypassed Principal Tao and stepped right in front of Lin Xia, close enough that they could feel each other's breath. "I truly hope you participate in the challenge match... just make sure you're qualified enough to show up!"

"Rest assured."

Lin Xia naturally understood that Qin Tianyu's words were a jab at whether his level met the requirements.

The next second, Lin Xia displayed his status panel.

[Level: LV7!]

Whoa! The entire crowd erupted in an uproar once again!

The upperclassmen rubbed their eyes in disbelief, then gaped at one another, stunned.

School had only been open for two days; how was Lin Xia already level 7!?

Shouldn't a freshman be level 1!!

Although Zhu Tingyu, Xu Jian, and the others weren't shocked by Lin Xia's level, they broke into a cold sweat over his actions.

Lin Xia had torn up an official certificate in public...

And he had gotten right in Qin Tianyu's face...

Everyone knew that bastard Qin Tianyu was malicious and incredibly petty.

If he saw an opening during the match, he would definitely try to kill Lin Xia!!

"I knew it!!"

At this moment, Director Xie Feng slapped his thigh, his eyes gleaming. "I knew you kid must have leveled up!!"

It wasn't just Xie Feng; the other leaders, including Principal Yan, wore meaningful smiles.

Indeed, anyone who could emerge from the Secret Realm exit must have cleared it!

"Now you are truly dead!"

Qin Tianyu leaned into Lin Xia's ear, his tone filled with triumph and intimidation, whispering in a voice only the two of them could hear: "You will be the third person to die under my Nether Prison Black Annihilation Wave!"

After saying this, he patted Lin Xia's shoulder and scoffed, "I don't want to be branded with the shame of an unfair victory. For the sake of fairness, I propose changing the 5v5 format to 1v1—just you and me. How about it?"

"That suits me perfectly!"

Lin Xia pushed Qin Tianyu's hand away and said coldly.

He knew, of course, that Qin Tianyu wasn't actually worried about the stigma of a lopsided fight.

He was worried that Imperial University wouldn't be able to field five participants, causing the challenge match to be canceled and robbing him of the chance to face Lin Xia.

"Let's go."

Seeing his goal achieved, Qin Tianyu turned and walked away with Principal Tao.

Along the way, Principal Tao continued to express his dissatisfaction with Lin Xia's destruction of the certificate.

But Qin Tianyu merely waved his hand, implying: why bother arguing with a dead man?

As their figures gradually vanished from sight, Lin Xia was immediately surrounded by a dense crowd.

Some upperclassmen praised his courage, while others urged him to stay calm.

Principal Yan also approached, intending to say something.

But Lin Xia stated that he had very important matters to attend to, and he firmly pushed through the crowd, heading toward the school gates.

Seeing this, Xu Jian and the others wanted to follow, but were stopped by Principal Yan. "He said he has important business to handle; it's best we don't disturb him."

And so, Lin Xia's figure gradually receded, eventually disappearing from everyone's view.

What was he going to do?

Could it be that he was regretting his decision to compete?

What would happen in tomorrow's challenge match?

Did he have any chance of winning?

Would Lin Xia become the savior of Imperial University, or would he be the one digging its grave?

Question after question surfaced in everyone's minds...

On the other side.

Lin Xia first went to a restaurant to grab a meal.

While eating, he checked to see where the nearest Secret Realm was located.

Lin Xia's next goal was to hurry up and level up to see if he could acquire a new skill... or perhaps a new Card?

After all, one extra skill or one extra Card meant one extra sliver of a chance at victory.

He did the math, factoring in the cooldown times for entering Secret Realms and the rate of experience point gain.

Lin Xia could definitely reach level 8 before the match began!

"Boss, check!"

After paying the bill, Lin Xia walked out of the restaurant and headed straight for the Bronze Secret Realm.

"Hey!"

Just then, a familiar voice rang out.

Lin Xia turned around and saw Zhu Tingyu standing there with her hands tucked into her hoodie pockets, her face a mix of approval and worry.

"Yo, are you stalking me?"

Lin Xia gave a mischievous grin. "In movies, scenes like this... don't tell me you're about to confess to me?"

"Hmph, who would ever confess to you!"

Zhu Tingyu was truly flustered by Lin Xia's words. A blush instantly bloomed on her cheeks, her eyes darted away, her throat bobbed, and her fingers twisted the hem of her shirt inside her pockets. "What time do you think it is? Can't you be serious for once?!"

"I asked around and got a detailed file on Qin Tianyu, along with the combat footage from his last two challenge matches..."

As she spoke, Zhu Tingyu opened her interface. "Add me as a friend, and I'll send these files over to you!"

Hearing this, Lin Xia was quite surprised; he hadn't expected Zhu Tingyu to be so invested in his match.

He immediately added Zhu Tingyu as a friend.

The next second, he received a link.

Lin Xia tapped it open, and organized text and videos waiting to be played appeared before his eyes.

Just then, a delicate fragrance wafted into his nostrils.

Zhu Tingyu had walked over.

She extended her slender, fair hand to swipe across the virtual screen, explaining things to Lin Xia one by one:

"Although Qin Tianyu's initial stats are slightly lower than yours, he is a combat-type Awakener with well-rounded offense and defense, and almost no obvious weaknesses.

However, he has extremely rich practical experience. It's said that apart from eating and sleeping, he spends every day training his combat techniques...

Other than the fact that there are no detailed records of the [Nether Prison Black Annihilation Wave] that Qin Tianyu recently studied, his other formidable skill is [Nightmare Entanglement].

[Nightmare Entanglement] is a crowd-control skill; once you are hit by it, you will fall into a terrifying illusion..."

"I see..."

Lin Xia's mind wasn't on Qin Tianyu at all; he was busy admiring Zhu Tingyu's peerless beauty the entire time.

"Hey! Why do you keep staring at me!"

After Zhu Tingyu locked eyes with Lin Xia's deep gaze, her ears turned red instantly. "You... you need to listen carefully, what I'm about to say is very important!

Qin Tianyu has 5 Cards, and that includes a transformation card!"