The Explosively Popular Young Master

"I'll be damned..." Jiang Ran's eyes lit up.

The payment had arrived!

The message made it very clear: it was a transfer from the Ten Thousand Arts Trading Center.

In other words, many copies of the Vajra Fist had been sold.

"Fantastic!"

The notifications kept chiming, each ring representing another transfer credited to his account.

Though he did not know exactly what had happened, one thing was certain.

—The Vajra Fist had exploded in sales!

So many buyers in such a short time meant that many people had already discovered how extraordinary the Vajra Fist was.

The market was cruel, but it was also fair. The Vajra Fist had passed the market's test!

Explosive sales! Getting rich! Those were the only six words in Jiang Ran's mind.

"Jiang Ran, take this!"

Yang Zhan roared and finally completed his ultimate spell.

A Level Seven earth-element spell: the Mountain-Cleaving Technique!

Grayish-yellow earth qi gathered into waves of light, with phantom mountains seeming to rise on either side.

Level Seven spells corresponded to Late-Stage Qi Refinement. Yang Zhan's face had turned red, and he was clearly struggling greatly.

Yet his opponent, Jiang Ran, did not seem to intend to defend or counterattack.

Everyone below the stage was tense, especially Tao Dapeng, whose fists were clenched tight.

Jiang Ran showed no fear. He even wore an expression of deep enjoyment...

The Vajra Fist selling multiple copies in succession was absolutely no coincidence. One long-term usage right brought in over thirty thousand in profit. If he could sell a thousand copies, that would be a staggering fortune of thirty million.

More importantly, it was not about how many copies of the Vajra Fist he could sell.

The Vajra Fist's explosive sales proved one thing—martial arts from the Grand Ruins Realm had a huge market in Tianlu!

Besides the Vajra Fist, Jiang Ran also had a set of Sand-Flying Footwork that he could sell for money.

Better yet, the next time he returned to the Great Ruins, he could gather other Qi Nourishment Realm martial arts.

Qi Nourishment martial arts were not worth much in the Grand Ruins Realm. Comparatively speaking, this was practically a business with no costs!

Feeling the immense pressure descend, Jiang Ran looked up.

"Teacher, I concede." He calmly spoke those five words without the slightest hesitation.

Everyone froze. No one had expected things to end this way.

Concessions were rare in the Spell Tournament. Even when they happened, no one waited until the spell was right in front of them to concede.

Yang Zhan was startled. By the time he reacted, it was already too late to stop.

At that moment, the Pearl Middle School teacher helplessly shook his head.

His figure flickered, and he was already standing in front of Jiang Ran.

The teacher spread his five fingers slightly, clear light glowing from his palm. The seemingly overwhelming Level Seven spell rapidly dissolved within that clear radiance.

There was not even the slightest aftershock. It vanished cleanly and completely, leaving no one injured.

"Student, say you concede earlier next time." The Pearl Middle School teacher sighed.

"Pearl Middle School's Yang Zhan wins."

The teacher looked at the red-faced Yang Zhan and knew full well that Jiang Ran of Pingjiang No. 1 High School would likely leave Yang Zhan with the deepest impression of all.

Jiang Ran's expression remained unchanged as he returned to Pingjiang No. 1 High School's group.

The students discussed things animatedly. Quite a few of them, especially those from Class Three, crowded around to ask him questions.

"Jiang Ran, you're amazing!"

"That was incredible, Jiang Ran! You almost beat someone from Pearl Middle School..."

"Jiang Ran, how did you do it? How should we study spells to improve faster?"

Most of the students were both excited and envious. They were all from the same school, and Jiang Ran even had a Low-Grade Spirit Root, yet he had done better than all of them.

"There's nothing to be proud of. It was just luck. My grades aren't good, so I still need to learn from everyone in other areas..."

Jiang Ran had no choice but to muddle through with a few perfunctory responses.

Fortunately, another battle was taking place onstage, drawing everyone's attention away.

Zhang Jingjing—Zhang Jingjing had not been eliminated yet.

At that moment, Zhang Jingjing was fighting a Qi Refinement Level Three student from Silver Star High School.

Silver Star High School was also a high school in Changhai City, and its overall strength was no weaker than Pearl Middle School's.

Zhang Jingjing excelled at water- and wood-element spells, while her opponent used only metal- and fire-element spells.

Metal and fire focused on offense, while water and wood focused on defense. Their fight was essentially turn-based and quickly became a battle of attrition.

However, in terms of spell precision, Zhang Jingjing had the upper hand. She often struck after her opponent and gained the initiative, finding chances to counterattack while defending.

But the other student's cultivation was clearly much higher: Qi Refinement Level Three at perfection, only slightly weaker than Yang Zhan had been.

As time passed, Zhang Jingjing gradually fell into a disadvantage.

Jiang Ran stopped watching and gently shook his head.

The outcome had already been decided. It was only a matter of time before she lost.

The Spell Tournament tested spells, but it did not restrict cultivation. In truth, that was also part of the organizers' thoughtful intention.

Cultivation was not an excuse. At any time, combat could never be absolutely fair, and cultivation was also part of one's spell proficiency.

Sure enough, a loud boom sounded from the stage before long.

"Silver Star High School's Zhang Jieping wins!"

Zhang Jingjing had lost, but not a single Pingjiang No. 1 High School student wore a gloomy expression.

The teachers brought out medals and certificates. Among Pingjiang No. 1 High School's five hundred contestants, dozens had won bronze awards alone, breaking the school's record.

There were eight silver awards and three gold awards: Qi Ming, Zhang Jingjing, and Jiang Ran.

Everyone cheered and gathered into a circle.

The college entrance exams were approaching. Winning such a Spell Tournament was undoubtedly a powerful boost of confidence for every student.

Pingjiang No. 1 High School was no worse than other schools, and its students could also compete for the top ten prestigious schools!

Jiang Ran was affected by the atmosphere as well and showed a relaxed smile for once.

Mainly because... the teacher had placed the prize money directly in his hands.

Although he had not defeated Yang Zhan and failed to enter the Spell Tournament's top ten, the reward for an ordinary gold award was still extremely generous.

A pure gold medal, a certificate issued by the Mingzhu Group, and each gold award winner received a cultivation manual and the usage rights to one spell.

None of that mattered. Jiang Ran only had eyes for the prize money.

The prize was a full three hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones, equivalent to three hundred thousand in cash!

Three hundred thousand was not much, but three hundred thousand in Spell Tournament prize money carried extraordinary meaning.

The Spell Tournament was about to end. Teachers from each school needed to attend a joint meeting, while the students unexpectedly received half a day off.

All students were free to move about and had half a day to explore Changhai City, the capital.

As Tianlu's capital, Changhai City's safety was beyond question. Especially during the Spell Tournament, the Changhai Immortal Police General Office had specifically strengthened security measures. Every city block was monitored around the clock by Golden Core Realm police officers.

"Come on, Da Peng, pick whatever you want today. Young Master Jiang is paying for everything!" Jiang Ran declared grandly.

The two brothers boarded Changhai's three-level sightseeing bus. Everywhere they looked were towering buildings and the marvelous sight of flying swords and flying boats weaving through the air.

"Ran, try not to spend too much." Tao Dapeng curled his lip.

To Young Master Tao, three hundred thousand truly was not much. He appreciated Jiang Ran's kind intention to treat him after receiving the prize money, but once they entered a restaurant, Young Master Tao would still be the one paying the bill.

As the capital, Changhai's cost of living far exceeded Pingjiang's.

In certain places, three hundred thousand would barely cover a single meal.

Jiang Ran suddenly picked up his phone and looked at it a few more times, then patted Tao Dapeng on the shoulder and spoke with great seriousness.

"Fine, I won't pretend anymore. I'll come clean."

"Student Tao Dapeng, please stop calling me Ran from now on."

"Huh?"

"You may call me Young Master Jiang, or..."

"The Explosively Popular Young Master!" Jiang Ran said with a smug look on his face.

As he spoke, another notification arrived, informing him that a transfer had been credited to his account.