Hook a finger, come here!

Everyone's eyes gathered on the little figure at the very end of the line.

He was small, skinny, gaunt, his complexion a little sallow, as if he had been malnourished for a long time.

Compared to the two geniuses on the stage, standing tall and proud in their fine clothes, he practically seemed to come from a different world.

Those who had not gotten into the Heaven Class felt that Ning Yuan looked easy to push around.

"Mutation-type? That's unstable."

"So what if he has innate full soul power? Look at him. How good could his background be?"

"No family resources leaning his way, no background to fall back on. What can he do with just that little subsidy from Spirit Hall?"

The academy's class placements were not fixed forever. They would be reevaluated according to each stage's increase in strength.

"I may not have innate full soul power, but I still had innate rank-nine soul power, and I've already obtained my first soul ring. A three-hundred-year one."

"My soul power has already broken through rank twelve."

"What about him? He only awakened four days ago. He probably doesn't even have a soul ring, right?"

"A bare-bones soul master. What does he have to compare with me?"

"He awakened four days ago? Then what's his soul power now?"

"The file only recorded his information from when he awakened. It hasn't been updated since... He probably hasn't even had time to cultivate yet."

"Then isn't he just a bare rank ten? He doesn't even have a soul ring. In actual combat, how is he any different from an ordinary person?"

The gazes cast from the crowd began to change. From the initial shock and admiration, they slowly turned into appraisal and scrutiny.

Some people even had faint smiles tugging at the corners of their mouths. At this moment, this group reached a shared understanding: this genius with innate full soul power seemed... like a pushover?

"He can get into the Heaven Class? He's probably just bottom-of-the-barrel material."

"After a while, when everyone else breaks through to rank thirteen or fourteen, he'll still be stuck at rank ten."

"So what if he has innate full soul power? Without resources, it's all useless."

[Yo! My little Ning Yuan! Looks like people are looking down on you. How about it? Want me to step in? My appearance fee is really cheap. Just treat me to that brain-flower feast from last time again.]

[Get lost! That last meal nearly bankrupted me. If we eat another one, are we supposed to live on air afterward?]

[Tch! Stingy!]

Venom's roasting was still precise as ever.

Ning Yuan stood at the end of the line, listening to the chatter around him from every direction, but he did not take it to heart. After all, how could an elephant possibly be affected by what ants thought of it?

Besides, even if he made a move here, aside from venting his anger, it held no meaning for him.

But if they went too far, he was not someone they could just push around either.

Since they wanted to get beaten up, he would grant their wish.

After the class placement ceremony ended, the crowd scattered in twos and threes.

Today was only for class placement. Formal lessons would begin tomorrow.

Ning Yuan was just about to head back to his room when he turned his head and saw three people standing in front of him.

The boy in the lead had short fiery-red hair and a tall, sturdy build. His burning gaze fixed on Ning Yuan as if he were staring at prey.

It was Yan of the Golden Generation.

Behind him, Xie Yue leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, his expression lazy.

Hu Liena stood to one side, excitedly waving at Ning Yuan in greeting.

"Hi! Junior Brother Ning Yuan! Senior Sister came to see you again!"

Xie Yue stood beside them, his gaze on his younger sister Hu Liena's face.

All of a sudden, he felt that his sister's attitude toward Ning Yuan had already faintly crossed a line.

It was not the kind of care one showed a junior brother, nor was it admiration for a genius.

He frowned slightly and fell into thought.

This sister of his...

The moment Ning Yuan saw Hu Liena, his face started to ache.

This woman was clearly treating him like a Labubu.

[It's that pretty little girl again! You're about to blush again. Why don't you just give in to her? It's not like you'd lose out.]

[...]

Ning Yuan merely nodded in acknowledgment, counting it as a greeting, then wanted to leave.

But Yan walked up to Ning Yuan and looked down at him from above.

"We agreed three days ago. Once the classes were assigned, we'd fight."

"Now that the classes have been assigned, you don't have any reason to stall anymore, right?"

Ning Yuan looked up at the red-haired boy, who was more than a head taller than him.

He couldn't help pressing a hand to his forehead.

Damn it. He had forgotten about this.

There was still Yan, that battle maniac.

Hu Liena let out a soft laugh from the side, her tone carrying a hint of teasing.

"Yan, don't scare him."

"He's only six. You're a three-ring fighting a one-ring. Winning wouldn't be glorious, and losing would be even more embarrassing."

Yan did not even look back.

"I wasn't planning to bully him. He agreed to it himself."

"I'm just keeping the appointment."

"Besides, men are meant to fight!"

Hu Liena looked disgusted after hearing that. Yan, when was he going to stop being such an edgelord?

Xie Yue lazily added a line.

"But Ning Yuan, if you think now isn't the right time to fight, you can set another date."

"Yan is impulsive, but he's not the type to hound you endlessly."

Those words sounded like he was giving him a way out.

But Ning Yuan could hear it. None of them thought he could win.

In their eyes, he was just a scrawny little brat with decent talent. Fighting one of the Golden Generation with three rings?

He was only asking to get beaten up.

Ning Yuan did not want to be high-profile, but that did not mean he was someone others could casually push around.

So every last one of you thinks I'm easy to bully, huh?

Ning Yuan flexed his wrist, his gaze filled with aggression.

"Fine."

"Don't you want to fight?"

"We'll fight now."

Not far away, Titled Douluo Yue Guan immediately grew interested when he saw this scene.

He had not expected Ning Yuan to actually dare accept Yan's wagered duel. After all, Yan was one of the strongest among Spirit Hall's younger generation.

Ning Yuan's courage in not fearing a powerful opponent was already worthy of praise, but did he truly have the strength to match it?

"Good. You dared agree. If you've got guts, then stop wasting words. To the training field!"

The two of them headed toward the competition platform in the training field.

Some students nearby who had yet to leave ran into Hu Liena and the other two, and recognized them.

When they saw that Yan and Ning Yuan were going to the training field to duel, their interest was instantly piqued, and they all went over to watch the excitement. After all, chances to see geniuses fight were rare.

After they explained their purpose, the staff opened up the competition area, and Ning Yuan and Yan walked onto it.

By the edge of the training field, the news spread faster than the wind.

"Did you hear? Yan of the Golden Generation is going to fight a new student in the arena!"

"Which new student? That scrawny kid from the heaven class?"

"That's him! The one with innate full soul power, who only awakened four days ago!"

"Are you kidding? One ring against three rings?"

The crowd surged toward the training platform with a whoosh, packing it in layer after layer. Everyone craned their necks, waiting to watch this utterly suspense-free "stomp."

In the stands, Hu Liena propped both hands on the railing and tilted her head as she looked toward the arena, a playful smile hanging at the corner of her lips.

Xie Yue stood beside her with his arms crossed, his expression calm.

"Who do you think will win?" Hu Liena asked, turning her head.

Xie Yue did not even raise his eyelids. "A level-thirty-two Soul Elder, Flame Lord martial soul, a perfect configuration of three soul rings, and the Golden Generation's actual combat training volume is more than five times that of ordinary students."

"Across from him is a child who only awakened four days ago and doesn't even have his first soul ring. Who do you think will win?"

"That's true..." Hu Liena smiled. "But I don't know why. I just feel like that kid isn't that simple."

Xie Yue finally turned his head and glanced at her. "You seem to have quite a lot of confidence in him."

"It's not confidence." Hu Liena's fingers tapped lightly on the railing. "It's intuition."

Although in front of Ning Yuan, Hu Liena had acted somewhat strangely.

But when it came to cultivation talent, she was the Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall and the strongest of the Golden Generation. If she said that, there had to be a reason behind it.

"Is Yan taking this too seriously? He's going onto the arena to fight a little kid with one ring?"

"He probably wants to give the new students a show of force. The Golden Generation still has to establish its prestige."

"How many moves do you think that kid can last?"

"Three? I think even one is pushing it."

"Don't say that. He's innately full of spirit power, after all. Maybe he can take two hits. Though after that, he'll probably be crying for his mother."

Laughter broke out all around.

Not far away, in the shadow of a corridor pillar, Douluo Yue Guan leaned against the column, his hands folded in front of him, his faint gaze resting on the arena.

"A rank thirty-two Spirit Elder against a child who just awakened..."

"On paper, there's no suspense to the outcome."

"I know Yan's foundation very well. The resources Spirit Hall poured into the Golden Generation are enough to leave their peers far behind."

"Whether it's spirit skill proficiency, spirit ring configuration, or physical tempering, he's far beyond the standard of spirit masters his age."

He paused, his gaze falling on the small, thin figure on the other side of the arena.

Yue Guan gently shook his head.

"He doesn't have much chance in this match."

But he did not look away.

Because he vaguely felt that the small, thin figure standing on the arena was far too calm.

So calm it was abnormal.

On the arena.

Yan twisted his neck, producing a series of cracks, and crossed his arms as he looked down at Ning Yuan across from him.

He was indeed more than a head taller than Ning Yuan, his broad shoulders and solid muscle lines clearly visible beneath his academy uniform.

And Ning Yuan stood opposite him, small and scrawny, like a bean sprout that would topple over in the wind.

Yan grinned, his tone extremely relaxed and confident.

"Ning Yuan, don't say I'm bullying you. In a bit, I'll let you make the first move. I won't use my second or third spirit skills."

"Today, I just want to see exactly where your limits are."

When he said this, his tone was casual, and his expression was confident.

Because he truly did not think he could lose.

Three rings against one ring—if he could still mess this up, then all Yan's years of training would have been for nothing.

The discussions below the stage grew even louder.

"Yan's way too steady. He's even letting him go first?"

"Letting him go first won't matter. What kind of damage can a bare-bones Spirit Scholar do?"

"Yan's leaving the new student some face. At least it won't look too ugly after the fight."

Ning Yuan stood opposite him and listened to these words, his expression not changing at all.

But deep in his eyes, something that had been suppressed for a long time was slowly surfacing.

From the class placement ceremony onward, he had heard all those looks and all those discussions.

He had not argued back.

But that did not mean he had swallowed it down.

A kind man was bullied; a gentle horse was ridden.

He understood that principle.

Fine, you all want to step on me, right?

Then today I'll start with you and show you whether I'm an easy target or a tough bone.

Ning Yuan raised his head and looked at the red-haired boy before him, who was brimming with confidence, then suddenly smiled.

He stretched out his right hand, lifted his index finger, and crooked it lightly.

"Come at me!"