Ji Juechen stood where he was, covered in grime; his hair was disheveled and his school uniform was caked with dust, making him look rather pathetic.
But his eyes were exceptionally bright, like torches lit in the dark night, burning with a light that bordered on obsession.
“I lost.” He bowed deeply to Lu Ren, his spine curving in a pious arc.
“You are a powerful opponent.
I will come again next time.”
After speaking, he straightened up, gripped the remains of his sword—which was now just a hilt—and turned to walk off the stage.
His pace was still slow, yet there was something indescribable about it compared to when he arrived.
With Ji Juechen’s defeat, the match finally came to an end.
The cheers in the Trial Ground were deafening, as the shouts of tens of thousands converged into a single name, echoing repeatedly under the dome.
“Lu Ren!
Lu Ren!
Lu Ren!”
The roar of tens of thousands made the Spirit tool windows of the dome buzz; the initial numb shock had completely transformed into fanatical worship.
Students in the stands stood up one after another, waving their arms, their gazes locked onto the youth in the center of the arena who was tinged with a faint bloody aura.
In a single day, seventy-eight consecutive victories—even the Soul Emperor Ji Juechen had fallen to his fists.
He hadn’t even unleashed his Spirit the entire time, only revealing his heaven-defying two purple and two black spirit rings at the very end, shattering Ji Juechen’s sword with a single punch using an unknown Spirit Ability.
This was no longer an entrance test for new students; it was the birth of a myth.
Lu Ren stood in the center of the arena.
The bloody aura remaining on his fingertips slowly receded with his breathing, and the crimson markings near his right eye faded like a tide, revealing his original clear eye color.
He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the students waving their arms and the fanatically shouting audience.
Hall Master Jing Hongchen stood up and raised his hand to signal for silence.
The cheering gradually died down, and everyone’s eyes focused on him.
“The competition ends here,” his voice spread to every corner through an amplification spirit tool.
“Regrettably, no one could defeat Lu Ren.
The Mingde Hall admission qualification and the rare metal rewards will no longer be distributed.”
A chorus of regretful sighs rose from the stands, but no one raised an objection.
If one’s skills are inferior, one must accept defeat gracefully.
“Disperse.”
Hall Master Jing Hongchen turned and left the rostrum.
The students also stood up, surging toward the exits in groups of three or five, still discussing the crushing duel they had just witnessed.
Having watched matches all day, everyone was exhausted, but the excitement had not yet dissipated.
At the same time, they had witnessed the absolute crushing power of a powerful Spirit Master.
It was no wonder Shrek Academy could maintain its winning streak in every competition with such strength.
As Lin Jiayi was preparing to leave, a middle-aged man quickly walked to his side and whispered a few words in his ear.
His expression instantly became incredibly unsightly.
“Hall Master!” He caught up to Hall Master Jing Hongchen in a few quick strides and lowered his voice.
“The investigation results are in.”
Hall Master Jing Hongchen paused and turned his head.
“And?”
He knew the caliber of the people Lin Jiayi had sent out.
An eighth-class Soul Engineer equipped with a flying spirit tool could easily make a round trip between the Sun Moon Empire and the Star Dou Great Forest in two days.
But getting results this quickly was still beyond his expectations.
“The situation Lu Ren described is basically true,” Lin Jiayi’s voice was very low.
“Things are currently in chaos over at Shrek; they’ve mobilized a large number of people to search for his whereabouts.”
Hall Master Jing Hongchen frowned slightly.
“Our people ran into a conflict with Shrek during the investigation.” Lin Jiayi paused.
“Shrek unilaterally claimed that Lu Ren is their disciple and demanded our cooperation in the manhunt.”
“Lu Ren is their disciple?” Hall Master Jing Hongchen snorted coldly.
“What a load of horse shit.
If he really were a Shrek disciple, why would he run all the way here?
They are clearly lying.”
“Exactly.” Lin Jiayi nodded.
“Our people verified that Lu Ren has no record of enrollment at Shrek.”
“Furthermore, the matter of him robbing Shrek Outer Court students in the Star Dou Great Forest is also true.
Those robbed students hate him to the bone.”
Hall Master Jing Hongchen fell silent for a moment.
“However…” Lin Jiayi hesitated.
“Shrek is indeed looking for Lu Ren.
According to the information gathered, Lu Ren did once appear within Shrek Academy.”
“Hmm?” Hall Master Jing Hongchen turned his head sharply, his gaze as sharp as a blade.
“The news is confirmed.” Lin Jiayi sighed helplessly.
“He even displayed his spirit rings in public at the Outer Court, causing quite a stir.
Many new students saw it with their own eyes.”
“It was because of this incident that Lu Ren was targeted by Shrek.”
Hall Master Jing Hongchen’s brow furrowed into a tight knot.
Taking in Lu Ren meant taking on this mess.
A direct confrontation with Shrek would not come at a small price.
“No matter.” He waved his hand, his tone returning to calm.
“It’s just going against Shrek; it’s nothing much.”
“Being able to take in such a genius is a huge boon for us.”
He paused and added:
“Go handle this matter.
Deal with the Shrek people, and under no circumstances must they find out that Lu Ren is at our academy.”
“Yes, Hall Master.” Lin Jiayi bowed and accepted the order, then turned and left quickly.
Hall Master Jing Hongchen stood in place, pondering for a moment, then stepped toward the exit of the Trial Ground.
…
Lu Ren was walking back along the corridor, looking as if he had just finished an ordinary training session rather than a seventy-seven-round gauntlet.
His breathing was steady and his complexion was normal; there was absolutely no sign that he had just consecutively defeated seventy-eight opponents.
“Lu Ren.”
A deep voice came from behind him.
Lu Ren stopped and turned around.
Hall Master Jing Hongchen was walking toward him, his face somber, a suppressed fire smoldering in his eyes.
“What is it, Hall Master?”
Looking at his expression, Lu Ren already had some guesses in his heart.
“Did you once reveal your spirit rings at Shrek Academy?”
Hall Master Jing Hongchen didn’t beat around the bush and got straight to the point.
“That’s right.” Lu Ren nodded straightforwardly.
“You bastard!” Hall Master Jing Hongchen barked coldly.
“You showed your spirit rings there; those old fogies must have discovered your existence by now!”
“Our people have already clashed with them over your matter, do you know that?”
Lu Ren’s expression didn’t change: “No one died, right?”
“Of course not.
It’s just a minor matter for now, since they don’t know you’re here.” Hall Master Jing Hongchen stared at him with piercing eyes.
“However, we have already verified that everything you said is true.”
“But I’m curious.
How could a place like Shrek, which values geniuses like their very lives, not recruit you?”
“And how could you freely infiltrate their academy, escape their pursuit unscathed, and run all the way here to us?”
He took a step forward, an overwhelming pressure bearing down.
“Kid, just how many secrets are you hiding?”
Lu Ren did not retreat, nor did he panic.
“I suppose it’s because my Spirit is quite special,” he said in a flat tone.
“Plus, I only stayed in the Outer Court at the time and didn’t go deep inside.
It’s normal that Shrek’s top experts didn’t notice me immediately.”
He didn’t explain everything, but he knew very well in his heart.
What truly allowed him to walk out unscathed was not luck, but Mu En’s choice.
That rank ninety-nine Limit Douluo was sitting right in front of the freshman dormitory building; with his Mental Energy, how could he possibly have failed to notice him?
Since he noticed but didn’t act, and even let Lu Ren leave Shrek, it was either out of disdain or because he had other plans.
Regardless, among the obsessed people at Shrek, Mu En was considered one of the more normal ones.
Even if he had been forced to stay by Mu En at the time, Lu Ren wouldn’t have cared much; at worst, he would have just agreed to join Shrek Academy.
The Douluo Continent was not like Jujutsu Kaisen, where geniuses were strangled upon discovery.
Talented young people were sought after by all factions, so Lu Ren didn’t need to worry about his life.
If he stayed at Shrek, he could also obtain cultivation resources and become stronger.
What a lone wolf lacked most were resources.
Whether it was Shrek or the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy, where he went didn’t matter; what mattered was how much they could offer him.
Hall Master Jing Hongchen studied him meaningfully, his gaze lingering on his face for a long time.
“I find that I’m less and less able to see through you.” His voice was low.
“Clearly just a fourteen-year-old kid, yet you’re shrewd beyond belief.”
He paused, his eyes turning sharp:
“That incident where you revealed your spirit rings in Shrek—it was intentional, wasn’t it?”
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