Arrogance

That old Emperor of Heaven Dou had definitely learned of his Innate Full Soul Power and top-tier martial soul.

On the surface, these arrangements were being made by Xue Qinghe, but Xue Ye's approval must have been involved behind the scenes.

A seedling with top-tier talent was worth the royal family spending this little money to win over.

Li Hanche had calculated everything clearly in his heart, yet a somewhat awkward smile appeared on his face.

"Thank you, Mentor Lin. I... I'll just stay in the dorms."

"Good, good, good. The dorms are good. You should get closer to your classmates."

Lin Ruoxi nodded repeatedly, as though he had made an exceptionally wise decision.

"Then shall I take you to your class now? It happens to be the first lesson, and the mentor is already waiting."

Li Hanche followed Lin Ruoxi downstairs, passed through a long corridor, and arrived before a teaching building.

She pushed open the door to a classroom on the second floor. Inside, more than twenty students sat neatly in their seats, all around six years old—the new batch enrolled this year.

An elderly man with graying hair stood at the podium, dressed in a mentor's robe and writing something on the blackboard.

Seeing Lin Ruoxi lead a child inside, he stopped writing and let his gaze settle on Li Hanche, giving him a once-over.

"Elder Sun, this is the newly arrived student, Li Hanche."

Lin Ruoxi spoke to the old man, then turned toward the students and raised her voice slightly.

"Students, a new classmate has joined our class today. Everyone, welcome him."

Scattered applause rang out in the classroom.

Li Hanche stood beside the podium, his gaze sweeping across the twenty-some faces below.

Some were curious, some indifferent, and some openly scrutinized him with hostility.

Most of these children came from noble families. Toward him, a "transfer student from the slums," they naturally felt rejection.

But it did not matter.

He was not here to make friends.

Elder Sun nodded at him, his tone calm.

"Introduce yourself. Let everyone get to know you."

Li Hanche turned around to face the entire class.

He opened his mouth, ready to go through the motions.

"My name is Li Hanche. My martial soul is the Dark Nether Ice Soul Spear. Please take care of me."

After saying those three sentences, he would go sit down.

However, a second before he spoke, golden light exploded in his mind.

"Ding!"

The familiar system notification sounded, carrying a hint of malicious delight.

"Detected that the host is about to introduce himself. How could one's first appearance before a group be so ordinary? The [First Debut] choice mission has now been triggered."

"Host, please make a choice within three breaths."

Three options appeared in his mind, gleaming with golden light. Every word radiated an air of troublemaking.

[Option One: The Arrogant Route]

"Say loudly: 'My name is Li Hanche! Starting today, I will become the biggest badass man on Douluo Continent!'"

"Reward: body-tempering cultivation art Incomplete Immortal Golden Body Art. This art is an ancient secret body-tempering technique. Once cultivated to mastery, one may achieve sainthood through the flesh and shatter the void with a punch. Though incomplete, it is still enough for the host to cultivate to the Soul Sage realm."

"Note: What is arrogance? This is arrogance! Daring to proclaim at six years old that you will become the biggest badass man on the continent—either you are a genius or an idiot, but people will definitely remember you. As for what your classmates think of you... who cares? They are just extras who do not even deserve names."

[Option Two: The Even More Arrogant Route]

"Say casually: 'My name is Li Hanche. Remember this name, because one day all of Douluo Continent will be beneath my feet.'"

"Reward: body-tempering cultivation art Nine-Turn Tyrant Body Art, Volume One. This art is an ancient secret body-tempering technique, divided into nine turns. With every turn, the body's strength doubles. Volume One contains the methods for the first three turns, enough to let the host run rampant before reaching the Soul Emperor realm."

"Note: Trample all of Douluo Continent beneath your feet? What a huge claim. But this system likes it. Take note: when saying this, your expression must remain calm and your tone must be casual, as though you are merely saying the weather is nice today. Only then will the contrast be strong and your aura impressive."

[Option Three: The Bashful Route]

"Blush, lower your head, and stammer in a mosquito-like voice: 'I... I'm Li Hanche... My martial soul is... is the Dark Nether Ice Soul Spear... Please... please take good care of me...'"

"Reward: permanent title [Trash]."

"Title effect: displayed above the host's head, visible to all living beings on Douluo Continent."

"Note: You are already here, on Douluo Continent, in a world of soul masters where the strong are revered. You are a seedling with Innate Full Soul Power and a top-tier mutated martial soul, so why are you acting like some timid little rabbit? Aren't you ashamed? This system is embarrassed for you."

Li Hanche fell silent.

Looking at the three options, the corner of his mouth twitched.

Option Three was immediately eliminated.

In both this life and his previous one, what he hated most were cowards who acted all timid and coy.

He was already here, with a top-tier martial soul and Innate Full Soul Power. Why pretend to keep a low profile?

As for Options One and Two...

One was "the biggest badass man," while the other was "all of Douluo Continent beneath my feet."

One rewarded the Incomplete Immortal Golden Body Art, while the other rewarded Nine-Turn Tyrant Body Art, Volume One.

Both were good.

But the phrase "the biggest badass man" sounded a little... improper no matter how he heard it.

He planned to live in this world for a long time. What if he became a Titled Douluo someday, only for people to dig up that embarrassing history from when he was six—"Li Hanche once said at six years old that he wanted to become the biggest badass man."

The image was too beautiful for him to bear looking at.

By comparison, "all of Douluo Continent beneath my feet" was arrogant too, but at least it sounded more domineering—like a villain's line rather than some street punk's bragging.

That was the one.

Li Hanche raised his head, his calm gaze sweeping across the whole class.

The students below were still waiting for him to speak, and several had already begun whispering among themselves.

"Just look at him. People from the slums really cannot be brought before others."

"Does he not even know how to introduce himself?"

"Tsk, who knows what His Highness the Crown Prince sees in him..."

Their voices were not loud, but the classroom was quiet enough for every word to be heard clearly.

Lin Ruoxi frowned, about to reprimand them, when Li Hanche lifted his chin and curled his lips.

Then, in a calm and casual tone utterly unsuited to his age, he spoke.

"My name is Li Hanche."

"Remember this name."

His gaze swept from the first row to the last, as though he were memorizing every face—and as though he were telling every face to remember him.

"Because one day, all of Douluo Continent will be beneath my feet."

After saying that, he closed his mouth.

Then the classroom erupted.

"What did he say?!"

"All of Douluo Continent beneath his feet? Has he gone mad?"

"A six-year-old child saying something like that—who does he think he is?"

"Arrogant! He is far too arrogant!"

"Heh, people from the slums really have no manners. He does not understand humility at all."

Others said nothing.

In a corner, a little girl with twin ponytails stared at Li Hanche with sparkling eyes, her mouth slightly open, as though something had struck her straight in the heart.