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At that moment.
No one had expected things to escalate to a request for a deathmatch.
A perfectly ordinary university academy interview had turned into the scene of a deathmatch.
Zhong Wenshan and Qi Mu knew Ling Zhan to some extent.
When they saw the resolute look on Ling Zhan's face,
they knew there was no changing his mind.
"Call Ling Zhan's parents and ask them to talk him out of it," Zhong Wenshan said quietly to Qi Mu.
Qi Mu gave a bitter smile. "Principal, Ling Zhan's parents... passed away a long time ago."
Zhong Wenshan fell silent.
At last, he understood why Ling Zhan had reacted so strongly when Fang Bo insulted his parents.
Before this, no matter who mocked Ling Zhan or made sarcastic remarks to him,
Ling Zhan had always worn a simple, amiable smile, seeming harmless and mild-tempered.
But as soon as his parents were brought into it, Ling Zhan became like a ferocious beast, ready to tear into anyone who crossed his path.
That was his one weak spot.
Even the most easygoing person had limits.
"Go get your parents to sign the form and explain the situation to them," Mu Yutian said to Fang Bo, the veins on his forehead bulging.
He was used to students showing him respect.
So when he suddenly ran into Ling Zhan, who showed him none at all, Mu Yutian was naturally furious.
"Okay!"
Fang Bo nodded quickly and was about to call his parents to explain the situation.
However,
just then,
Zhu Xiaoshan spoke up.
"Everyone, stop. With me here, the authorities won't approve this deathmatch."
At those words,
the tense atmosphere suddenly eased.
Many of the teachers present breathed a sigh of relief.
If this really happened, no matter who lived or died, it would cause a huge commotion.
And if a commotion broke out, people would accuse them, the teachers, of deliberately taunting Ling Zhan until he couldn't take the humiliation and challenged someone to a deathmatch.
They were genuinely relieved that Zhu Xiaoshan had come.
No one noticed Zhu Yaoguang purse her lips when she saw her uncle stop the deathmatch.
Fang Bo stopped making the call.
But it was plain to see that he wasn't happy about it.
In his eyes, Ling Zhan was as good as dead.
Ling Zhan glanced at Zhu Xiaoshan, tugged at the corners of his mouth, and said nothing.
If it wasn't approved,
that was fine.
There would be plenty of chances to take him down later.
"Fang Bo was indeed in the wrong this time, but he has his reasons for not wanting to admit it," Zhu Xiaoshan said, tugging at his collar with a smile. "In this world, strength is everything. How about this? You two have a spar, and I'll referee. Keep it controlled, and whoever loses apologizes. What do you say?"
The other teachers looked at one another.
They all nodded slightly.
A controlled spar like that would work. There'd be no need to worry about anyone getting killed.
"I agree!"
Fang Bo nodded without the slightest hesitation.
He turned to Ling Zhan with a cold laugh. "Weren't you going to get back at me? Come on, here's your chance."
"Sure. I'll collect a little interest first." Ling Zhan's harmless, honest smile returned.
But no one believed that this kid was really as harmless as he looked.
Anyone who casually proposed a deathmatch was a ruthless man who didn't care if he lived or died.
"Fang Bo's words were out of line, but Ling Zhan is bound to lose this match."
"Exactly. Fang Bo has studied at Huaqing Academy for a year. His level and strength are both far beyond what a high school student can manage."
Two teachers from top-tier combat academies whispered to each other.
The admissions teachers and college students from the other academies also expected Ling Zhan to lose.
Of course, a few teachers from key academies were quietly looking forward to the match.
They wanted to see what was so special about someone who had won the Provincial Trial Ranking as a Jobless Freelancer.
They thought the Jobless Freelancer class had no future, but there had to be something to it if he'd managed to win the Provincial Trial Ranking.
They would just have to wait and see.
"The meeting room's too small. Let's head to your academy's simulated secret realm now!" Fang Bo said with a cold smile, then strode out of the meeting room.
Everyone got up, ready to watch the show.
Ling Zhan walked over to Zhu Xiaoshan and suddenly asked with a cheerful smile, "Teacher Zhu, when you're sparring, accidents happen. Losing an arm or a leg is pretty normal, right?"
Then he walked out.
Zhu Xiaoshan's expression tightened. Watching Ling Zhan's honest-looking back, he could only shake his head with a wry smile.
He turned to his niece and sighed. "Yaoguang, is this the 'interesting person' you were talking about?"
Zhu Yaoguang smiled softly. "What, Uncle? Don't you think he's interesting?"
Zhu Xiaoshan opened his mouth, then sighed.
He really couldn't see what was interesting about that kid.
City No. 1 High School had only one simulated secret realm.
After all, it was a third-tier city, and the high school had some of the weakest teaching resources around.
Qi Mu entered the simulated secret realm, clapped his hands, and called out,
"Students over there, pause for a moment and clear one of the one-on-one arenas."
The students practicing in the simulated secret realm were all first- and second-years.
They were sparring and practicing their beginner-class skills.
When they heard Qi Mu call out,
the students on the other arenas stopped practicing too.
They looked over curiously.
"Teacher Qi, what's going on?" a girl asked.
"It's nothing much. Your senior, Ling Zhan, is going to spar with a first-year student from Huaqing Academy," Qi Mu said with a wry smile.
His words landed like a boulder in a calm lake, sending a huge wave through the crowd.
"Holy crap! Senior Ling Zhan is going to spar with a college student!"
"That's a bit much, isn't it? That's a senior from a key combat academy. He must be really strong!"
"Why would Senior Ling Zhan want to spar with someone that powerful?"
These younger students were still innocent and didn't think too deeply about it.
Ling Zhan's impressive battles had left a deep impression on them.
He had practically become their idol.
A video of Ling Zhan blazing through the entrance trial secret realm had been posted online.
Some people had left sarcastic comments under it.
The younger students had fired back at them.
They just hadn't expected Senior Ling Zhan to spar with a first-year student from Huaqing Academy...
In no time,
all the younger students had gathered around.
Fang Bo, confident and carefree in his Huaqing Academy uniform, lightly pushed off with his toes and sprang onto the arena.
Ling Zhan, by contrast, wasn't trying to show off. He simply walked onto the arena, radiating an honest, harmless air that said, "I'm easy to bully."
Fang Bo spread his hand, and a dagger appeared in it.
The dagger wasn't high-grade, only a level 15 blue-quality weapon.
Clearly, Fang Bo didn't think he needed a purple-quality weapon to deal with Ling Zhan.
Ling Zhan, meanwhile, took out a long spear.
It was the Crab King Fang Spear, the reward he'd received for clearing the entrance trial secret realm.
But even though Ling Zhan had brought out a purple-quality spear,
none of the spectators below believed he could win.
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