If Sun Ze had to describe how he felt at that moment in one sentence,
it would be this: a million mud horses were galloping through his heart, spitting at him as they ran.
He couldn't wrap his head around it.
How had Ling Zhan managed to claim the top spot on the Nanzhou Province Trial Ranking!?
He was a Jobless Freelancer!
A Jobless Freelancer!
A Jobless Freelancer!
How!?
When Ling Zhan heard Sun Ze ask that, he tilted his head. His trademark honest smile appeared once again, and he scratched his head. "I don't have much to say. It's as easy as using your hands, isn't it?"
Pfft!
In an instant,
the ninety-nine other prodigies felt as though they'd been stabbed in the heart.
What did he mean, "It's as easy as using your hands"?
Was he saying that the rest of us prodigies could only shout for a nanny to feed us?
Huang Bo immediately turned to King Yama Zhou, raised his hand, and called out, "Teacher Zhou, are you sure you didn't misread the rankings?"
After the initial shock,
his first reaction was that King Yama Zhou had read the rankings wrong.
How could a Jobless Freelancer possibly take the top spot on the Nanzhou Province Trial Ranking?
What a joke!
And yet,
King Yama Zhou replied coolly, "Are you questioning Ling Zhan's strength?"
"Yes!" Huang Bo was proud and straightforward by nature.
He turned to look at Ling Zhan, whose face was full of innocent honesty, and said in a low voice, "You're Ling Zhan, right? As a student of Dongjiang City No. 1 High School, I challenge you to a spar!"
Ling Zhan was slightly taken aback.
Seeing this, all the prodigies immediately grew keenly interested.
"Great! I love watching people fight!"
"Huang Bo really is direct. He doesn't waste time—he just gets right to it."
"Honestly, I'm also questioning whether these rankings are real."
"Who isn't?"
All the prodigies around them looked like they were eager to watch the show.
Zhu Yaoguang was just as curious about Ling Zhan's strength.
A Jobless Freelancer had somehow surpassed every prodigy present and claimed first place.
She wasn't the sort of person who couldn't accept a loss.
She was simply curious.
Curious about the strength of this Jobless Freelancer.
In fact, even if Huang Bo hadn't challenged him, she would have done so herself.
The proud Phoenix couldn't accept defeat willingly.
However,
at that moment, King Yama Zhou smiled and waved a hand. "All right, I understand how you feel, but now isn't a good time. If you want to spar, you'll have plenty of chances in the future."
"Don't forget: after you enter a Key Combat Academy, there'll be a University Sparring League every year. You can spar to your heart's content then."
King Yama Zhou's word
still carried plenty of weight.
Even the proud Huang Bo could only grudgingly back down.
From his expression, it was clear he wasn't convinced at all.
He didn't accept these rankings.
By now,
the prodigies were glancing at Ling Zhan again and again.
Sun Ze, in particular, looked like he wanted to press his face right up against Ling Zhan's.
"Honestly, why are you kids so unwilling to accept defeat?"
Seeing that the prodigies were still glaring at Ling Zhan, the honest young man, King Yama Zhou sighed helplessly and said, "If you can't accept the results, the officials will publish recordings of every examinee's battles in half a month. Of course, I expect plenty of people have already recorded Ling Zhan's fights. Just go online and search today, and you'll be able to see what he's really capable of, won't you?"
The prodigies thought it over.
That did make sense.
Only then did they reluctantly look away.
"Ling Zhan, I'd like to congratulate you. Congratulations on becoming the first person in history to claim the top spot on the Nanzhou Province Trial Ranking as a Jobless Freelancer!"
King Yama Zhou looked at Ling Zhan with pride.
Ling Zhan nodded and said, "Thank you, Teacher Zhou!"
"All right, this meeting is over. In three minutes, all examinees will be sent back to their respective exam sites. You can go home and share the good news with your parents!"
King Yama Zhou waved his hand, and his figure vanished from the secret realm.
"Ling Zhan, I really didn't expect it. I really didn't. You've been hiding your skills..."
Sun Ze looked Ling Zhan up and down, as if he'd discovered a whole new world.
Ling Zhan felt a little helpless and was just about to speak.
That pleasant osmanthus fragrance drifted around the tip of his nose again.
He turned around.
Sure enough, Zhu Yaoguang was standing right in front of him.
Huang Bo, looking thoroughly unconvinced, stood beside her.
"Ling Zhan, I want to know which city you're from," Zhu Yaoguang asked directly.
She didn't say "May I ask?" or "Could you tell me?"
She simply said, "I want to know."
It was as though she were saying that since she wanted to know, he had to tell her.
She meant no harm, but Zhu Yaoguang had long been used to speaking this way.
So she asked him directly.
Ling Zhan furrowed his brow. He had no intention of answering her question.
But Sun Ze replied excitedly, "He's a student at Yundong City No. 1 High School. We go to the same school, and we're in the same class! I'm Sun Ze. If you want to know anything about him, Zhu, I'll tell you everything truthfully!"
Ling Zhan opened his mouth. "..."
Good grief!
Sun Ze, do you realize that your face has two huge words written all over it right now? Simp!
"Yundong City No. 1 High School..."
Zhu Yaoguang's snow-white lashes fluttered once. She said softly, "If I'd known there was someone as unusual as you at No. 1 High School, I should've transferred to Yundong City No. 1 High School back then and sparred with you."
Outside the secret realm,
the principals on the dais gave a muffled snort when they heard Zhu Yaoguang say that.
They thought to themselves, Good thing you didn't go to City No. 1 High School. Otherwise, Zhong Wenshan would be grinning from ear to ear.
Inside the secret realm, Huang Bo heard what Zhu Yaoguang said. The look he gave Ling Zhan grew even more heated.
Ling Zhan, however, muttered to himself, Huang Bo's Simp Number One, and Sun Ze's Simp Number Two...
"Which major academy do you want to attend?" Zhu Yaoguang asked again.
Sun Ze turned to look at Ling Zhan.
As Simp Number Two, he couldn't answer this question on behalf of his goddess.
Ling Zhan shook his head and replied in his usual flat tone, "I haven't decided yet."
Zhu Yaoguang nodded at that and turned to leave.
She knew that when he said "I haven't decided yet," he really meant, "I don't want to tell you."
But so what?
Perhaps she couldn't uncover top-secret information about the Dragon Kingdom.
But finding out which Key Combat Academy Ling Zhan applied to would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it?
"Hi, Brother Ling Zhan! I'm Guo Tianjiu."
After Zhu Yaoguang left, the petite and adorable Guo Tianjiu came running over.
Sun Ze's eyes widened. Why had the cute little girl come over too?
Ling Zhan's first impression of Guo Tianjiu could be summed up in three words: little green tea.
It was just a gut feeling.
"We should get to know each other, in case we end up applying to the same Key Combat Academy. Then we'd be classmates!"
Guo Tianjiu looked playful and adorable.
"Mm." Ling Zhan nodded earnestly.
"Now that we've met, I won't bother you, Brother. I'll be going."
Seeing how indifferent Ling Zhan was, Guo Tianjiu turned and left.
The moment she turned away, her adorable little face grew vicious. She clenched her teeth and grumbled furiously to herself:
You little jerk! So you took first place in the province—big deal! I'm talking to you, and you act like you can't be bothered with me. You're asking for a beating. Just you wait. If you ever fall into my hands, I'll make you pay. Hmph!
Ling Zhan suddenly felt a chill run down his back.
He couldn't help shivering.
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