Nanjing Third High, Gymnasium.

As soon as the results were announced publicly, a commotion erupted among the students, sparking endless discussions.

The combat test was even forced to pause for a while.

As for Jiang Yun, he was taken to the principal's office on the second floor.

Once he was in a better state of mind, he was asked to recount the events in detail.

Jiang Yun stammered through the story, leaving the teachers in silence.

"So, Ye Bai, as a Wind Mage, actually prefers close combat.

You lost the advantage due to being unprepared, which ultimately led to your defeat."

The principal summarized the battle process, looking at the teachers for their opinions.

"Ahem, Wind Mages do indeed have such combat styles, and there are even War God-level experts known for it."

A teacher with gold-rimmed glasses explained,

"Because Wind Mages have high mobility, combined with Wind Blade and Wind Bind, they do have an advantage in close combat. Even if they suffer a setback, they can quickly pull away and continue to seek opportunities.

However, this combat style is unorthodox. It's stronger in the early stages but quickly loses power in the mid to late stages, forcing a transition.

Jiang Yun, you lost due to lack of combat experience, underestimating others, and ultimately suffering for it."

Listening to the teacher's advice, Jiang Yun's face turned even paler, and he lowered his head.

"However, I do have a question."

A vice principal spoke up,

"Ye Bai is also a Mage, so why is he so strong in close combat?"

"His physical condition was already excellent before entering the Eternal Tower."

"Yes, but that doesn't explain why he can break through protective gear with brute force.

I asked the students who previously fought Ye Bai, and he also won by getting in close."

The teachers nodded in agreement; indeed, how high can a Mage's Strength attribute be?

To break through defenses, you need at least forty or fifty Strength points; it's simply impossible otherwise!

"I might know the answer to this question."

Another vice principal stood up, his surname was Zheng, and he was in charge of teaching.

He was the one who took Liu Xueqi for her Job Change and had always maintained a good relationship with the Liu family.

"Previously, Ye Bai's friend Zhao Lin once obtained a batch of beef deep in Wind Thunder Valley, which can significantly increase one's Strength attribute after consumption. He shared at least half of it with Ye Bai, and Liu Xueqi can testify to this."

Vice Principal Zheng slowly explained, "Zhao Lin also has a C Rank Talent, a Warrior profession. With enhanced Strength attributes, his performance in this combat test was quite impressive, even better than many students with B Rank Talents!"

"That makes sense now."

Listening to the vice principal's explanation, Jiang Yun nodded slightly.

He was aware that Zhao Lin had ventured deep into Wind Thunder Valley.

Now it seems Zhao Lin gained a lot from there, including beef and Skill Books.

"Alright, Jiang Yun, don't overthink it. It's just a small matter. Go home and rest well."

The principal instructed two teachers to escort Jiang Yun home and keep an eye on his mental state.

After Jiang Yun left, the gathered teachers immediately changed their expressions.

Stolen story; please report.

Vice Principal Zhang was the first to speak up,

"I don't believe the increased Strength attribute alone could allow Ye Bai to defeat Jiang Yun so easily!"

"I agree; there must be some detail we've overlooked."

Their earlier analysis was just to comfort Jiang Yun, to make him feel better.

That explanation might fool a child like Jiang Yun, but they were experienced and hard to convince so easily.

Vice Principal Zhang argued confidently,

"In terms of Talent, level, and even profession, Ye Bai is inferior to Jiang Yun.

For him to win this match, there must be something fishy going on!"

Vice Principal Zheng snorted coldly and retorted,

"Why not call them both back and have them fight again until Jiang Yun wins, how about that?"

"Zheng, what do you mean? Are you accusing me of favoring Jiang Yun?"

"I mean nothing else, just telling some people not to overthink things that are already settled!"

"....."

The two of them started arguing publicly, and the tension was palpable.

"Enough, quiet!"

The principal slammed his hand on the table, and the entire office fell silent, even the two vice principals shut their mouths.

"This is getting out of hand..."

The principal rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

He was set to retire this year, and the new principal would be chosen between Vice Principal Zheng and Vice Principal Zhang.

The selection criteria were based on this year's college entrance exam results.

Whoever's students performed better would become the principal.

Jiang Yun's class, Senior Three (2), was under Vice Principal Zheng's management, but Jiang Yun himself was closer to Vice Principal Zhang, and there were recent talks of transferring classes.

In short,

If Jiang Yun became the top scorer in Nanjiang, the principal's position would belong to Zhang!

Conversely, if Jiang Yun failed the college entrance exam, Vice Principal Zheng would become Principal Zheng!

Even within the same high school, such internal struggles were commonplace.

To prevent the two from continuing their endless bickering, the principal decided,

"Ultimately, it's Jiang Yun's own lack of effort. If he had won, there wouldn't be any issues!

Or if he hadn't been so arrogant from the start, it wouldn't have come to this!"

Arrogance requires a foundation.

Otherwise, it's easy to become a clown.

"Principal, I'm not being unreasonable, I just have one question!"

Vice Principal Zhang argued,

"Jiang Yun said he released an Explosive Flame Spell before he lost consciousness.

At such close range, the Explosive Flame Spell should have destroyed both their protective gear, resulting in a draw, not a win for Ye Bai!"

His statement received approval from many teachers.

Everyone knew the power of the Explosive Flame Spell; there was no way the protective gear could have survived!

Even Vice Principal Zheng, who had been sarcastic, chose to remain silent and didn't refute.

According to Vice Principal Zhang's theory, there was only one explanation—Battle King Qingyan intervened to shield Ye Bai from the Explosive Flame Spell's damage!

In other words, Battle King Qingyan helped Ye Bai cheat!

"Principal, actually solving this issue is simple, we just need to retrieve the footage..."

Vice Principal Zhang's words were cut off by the principal.

"That's the most troublesome part."

The principal sighed, took out his phone, and opened a message for everyone to see,

"Ten minutes ago, Battle King Qingyan said he would donate a batch of supplies to our school, including a brand-new set of surveillance equipment."

"As for the old set, he accidentally burned it while lighting a cigarette and will compensate the school at twice the original price."

Once again, everyone fell silent.

This was too blatant!

Even Vice Principal Zheng couldn't help but curse, "Damn!"

Everyone turned to look at him, puzzled by his strong reaction.

Vice Principal Zheng's face was livid as he said in a low voice,

"That old fellow never smokes."

Everyone:......

Battle King Qingyan would use such a clumsy excuse?

Either he had a problem with his brain or his mindset was off!

Clearly, it was the latter.

After all, everyone knew that a Battle King's brain never had issues.

"Anyway, let's leave it at that.

Jiang Yun does have talent, but how can a strong person grow without facing challenges?

If he can figure it out himself and rise stronger from this, it's a good thing!

If not, then let him be; everyone is responsible for their own life."

The principal said slowly,

"As for your concerns about the fairness of the combat,

I will, before my term ends, officially request an explanation from Battle King Qingyan through official channels, asking for a sworn statement.

If it was a draw, we'll amend the test results, make a public announcement, and publish it in the newspaper to give Jiang Yun justice.

If Jiang Yun was indeed outmatched, then there's nothing more to say."

After speaking, the principal looked around, his gaze sweeping over everyone's faces, "Does anyone have any objections to this approach?"

Everyone shook their heads; this was the best way to handle it.

It might even offend Battle King Qingyan!

And that's precisely why the principal chose to do it at the end of his term, to minimize the impact.

"If there are no objections, then let's proceed with the summer camp recommendation list based on today's test results."

"Meeting adjourned!"

...

Outside the gymnasium, at the notice board.

Zhao Lin dragged Ye Bai over, insisting on checking the summer camp list.

"You can check the electronic version at home, why go through the trouble?"

Ye Bai was reluctant to squeeze through the crowd, so he let Zhao Lin go ahead and check the list.

A few minutes later, Zhao Lin returned excitedly, his face flushed, shouting,

"We made it! Big Bai! We made it!"

"Alright, calm down, don't get too excited."

Ye Bai looked at Zhao Lin, wanting to ask if he had a relative with the surname Fan.

On the way back, Zhao Lin couldn't stop talking excitedly,

"Big Bai, we're the only ones with C Rank Talents, the rest are all B Rank Talents!"

"Oh, and Liu Xueqi made it too. I heard from a classmate that she has a Canary summoned beast that can withstand a Level 10 Warrior..."

Canary?

Ye Bai recalled the trembling little canary in his mind.

With its attributes, if it entered full combat mode, it could roast half the students in the gymnasium to medium-well with one breath.

Sprinkle some sesame seeds, chili powder, cumin powder, and the taste—

Hiss—it was making him hungry.

"Let's have a barbecue for dinner to celebrate."

"No problem, my treat, don't forget there's a 100,000 Dragon Coins prize!"

When life is good, you must have skewers, grilled meat, beer, and garlic.

As night fell.

After finishing the barbecue, Ye Bai and Zhao Lin parted ways, heading home.

At the bottom of his apartment building, Ye Bai ran into a hunched old man—Teacher Liu!

"Oh, young man, what a coincidence, we meet again."

"Teacher Liu, it's so late, aren't you resting? Secretly tutoring students? The stairs are steep, take it slow."

"Old age, can't sleep, just taking a walk..."

Ye Bai didn't believe a word of Liu Qingyan's nonsense.

This old fox was clearly waiting downstairs specifically for him to come back!

"Young man, I heard it was quite lively at our Third High today?"

"Yes, I'll tell you a secret, it seems a Battle King-level figure was alarmed!

My classmate heard it from his friend's aunt who does cleaning in the principal's office, 100% authentic!"

"Hiss—a Battle King-level presence, tsk tsk, that's remarkable. Only those with extraordinary talent and tenacity can achieve that. Young man, you should strive to be like him!"

"Me? I'd rather take it easy and live peacefully, maybe become a teacher like you in the future, educating the next generation."

"That won't do, we're counting on you young people!"

"......"

Masters sparring, full of details, extreme back-and-forth, leaving no room for error!

The old fox and the young fox each returned to their homes. Ye Bai hadn't even sat down when the Lone Wolf badge in his pocket vibrated slightly.

"Message from Xue Meng?"

Ye Bai opened the message, and his expression changed dramatically.

"What? They've found the whereabouts of Lian Lian Kan?!"

Lian Lian Kan, the Cult Leader of the Fourth Demonic Sect, was active near South River City!

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