A Chorus of Boos!

"Huajing University's competitor is the same one we all know, Qin Tianyu!"

"And Imperial University's competitor this time is a freshman, Lin Xia!"

As soon as Shan Ming finished speaking, the stands erupted!

Aside from the spectators who already knew Lin Xia, those hearing his name for the first time gaped in astonishment.

"Oh my god, did I hear that right? A freshman?!"

"Has Imperial University really run out of talent? Why'd they send a little kid to compete?"

"Yeah, it's barely been any time since the semester started. I bet this Lin Xia kid hasn't even taken a proper combat class yet!"

"Damn it, if I'd known Imperial University was sending a rookie, I never would've paid so much to come watch this match!"

Doubtful voices rang through the crowd.

Principal Tao, watching from a VIP box, looked like he was enjoying the show.

With a thin smile, he gave Principal Yan and the others in the opposite VIP box a subtle nod, conveying a message with his eyes:

Think Lin Xia can last a minute?

Principal Yan replied with a look of his own:

Have you cured that condition where you can't last three seconds?

Principal Tao's mouth twitched. He turned and sat back down on the sofa, directing his gaze toward the ring.

"The rules of the Challenge Tournament are simple!"

Shan Ming announced, "To win, you either make your opponent surrender—or throw them out of the ring!"

As soon as he finished, the lights in the arena went out, plunging the entire venue into darkness.

The next second, two spotlights landed on opposite sides of the ring.

On the right stood Qin Tianyu, dressed in a black leather jacket and looking like a street thug.

The moment his figure appeared beneath the spotlight, the crowd erupted in cheers.

But when Lin Xia appeared on the left, wearing a green tracksuit—

He was met with a chorus of boos!

Although 1,500 Imperial University students were cheering him on, their voices were drowned out in an instant by the roar of 48,500 spectators...

The lights came back on, illuminating the entire venue once more.

"I heard he signed up to compete of his own accord?"

A dark-skinned man in his forties with a buzz cut asked quietly.

"Yes, General."

The young man beside him, who looked like a secretary or aide, replied respectfully. "I looked into it. Just yesterday, Qin Tianyu went to Imperial University to provoke them...

"But no one at Imperial University stood up to challenge him.

"Only this freshman, Lin Xia, stepped forward.

"I've gathered his detailed profile. Please take a look, General."

"Mm."

General Liu Jie nodded without another word and took the file with a cool expression.

His decision to sit among the spectators with his adjutant had been made at the last minute.

As for why he'd asked whether Lin Xia had entered voluntarily, General Liu Jie suspected this match was just a formality.

For the past two years, Imperial University had been defeated by Qin Tianyu by an overwhelming margin.

So he was concerned Imperial University had given up on this year's Challenge Tournament and simply picked some student at random to compete.

But when General Liu Jie opened the file, his brow furrowed at once. It was a long while before it finally relaxed.

[Single-handedly defeated all 39 other students at the freshman tournament!]

[Imperial University's first student to reach "Bronze" within the allotted time!]

[Reached level 7 after only two days at the school!]

As he read through Lin Xia's list of achievements, an almost imperceptible smile appeared at the corner of General Liu Jie's mouth.

His thoughts went back to an hour earlier.

General Liu Jie had seen Zhang Ting and her family threaten Lin Xia in the tunnel.

But he hadn't intervened. He had no interest in the petty grievances of ordinary people.

Now, however, his mind had changed.

At that moment, Lin Xia stood tall in the ring. The crowd's boos didn't change his expression in the slightest.

Before he'd even stepped into the ring, he'd noticed that only two of the VIP boxes with floor-to-ceiling windows had people in them.

One was occupied by Huajing University's administrators.

The other was occupied by Imperial University's administrators.

The most luxurious box, right in the center, was empty.

Clearly, it had been reserved for the most important person there—General Liu Jie.

Someone with that much authority wouldn't go back on his word.

If he said he'd come watch the match, then he'd definitely be here.

Lin Xia slowly swept his gaze across the stands.

The spectators were packed together so tightly that from the ring, he couldn't make out anyone's face. He could only see a sea of figures and clothes in all kinds of colors.

Finding one person among more than fifty thousand was obviously impossible—

Unless that person stood out from everyone else.

And General Liu Jie was exactly that sort of person.

He and his adjutant were the only ones in the entire venue sitting calmly, their expressions stern and their presence unmistakable.

"Oh?" General Liu Jie raised an eyebrow as his eyes met Lin Xia's. "Interesting."

"This young man has a sharp eye," his adjutant murmured, shifting in his seat.

Just then, the referee Shan Ming's voice rang out through the microphone, quieting some of the noise. "Competitors, do either of you have any pre-match remarks, or anything you'd like to say to your opponent?"

"I've got nothing to say to a dead man!"

Qin Tianyu put his hands in his pockets, lifted his chin, and looked at Lin Xia with contempt.

"Ahem..." Shan Ming cleared his throat. "The rules of the Challenge Tournament forbid killing. That rule—"

"I was just saying."

Qin Tianyu cut off the host's reminder. If Lin Xia runs into my wave on his own, that'll just be an accident!

"Lin Xia, do you have anything to say?"

Shan Ming walked up to Lin Xia and held the microphone to his mouth, asking curiously.

"'First' has never been something a title or a stamped piece of paper can define."

Lin Xia's gaze was resolute. "Host, please start the match."

Silence! Complete silence!

The once-noisy stands fell utterly quiet!

People tried to figure out what Lin Xia meant.

Was he saying Qin Tianyu's acclaimed title of "World's First Wave" was nothing but empty talk?

Or was he saying the title "Great Xia First Academy" had no real meaning?

"Damn, how does Brother Xia always come up with such profound stuff?"

Xu Jian looked incredulous.

"Pighead, do you call everything you don't understand 'profound'?"

Wu Ziyang's voice rang out.

"I think so too."

Liu Yucheng nodded in agreement.

"Keep it down."

Zhu Tingyu turned around and said coolly.

Since the spectators were seated by class, they were close enough to hear one another clearly whenever anyone spoke.

"'First' has never been something a title or a stamped piece of paper can define..."

General Liu Jie smiled in approval. "Well said!"

"Then... competitors, get ready!"

Shan Ming hurried backward to make sure he wouldn't get in Lin Xia and Qin Tianyu's way. Then he swept his raised right hand through the air.

"The match begins!"