The commotion caused by Lucien’s sudden rise had already swept through the academy grounds like wildfire, but it wasn’t only the students who took notice.Inside the high-ceilinged conference chamber of the Thalara Martial Arts Vocational University, a meeting had been called in haste.Around a long table sat thirty men and women.They were the true powers behind Thalara, senior administrators and department heads who shaped the academy’s future.The weakest among them was still an early-phase Rank 7 Grandmaster, a level that most students could only dream of.One of the administrators, a lean man with neatly-combed hair, rose from his seat. A thin report folder rested in his grip as he scanned the faces before him.He cleared his throat.“Lucien Cross, current tenth place on the Genius Ranking List, originally placed three hundred and first in the Azure Province Advanced Martial Arts Entrance Examination. Based on that score, he should not have been admitted.”“However,” the man conti

The crowd stood frozen, the oppressive silence pressing down on the arena.Then—“Battle concluded!”The referee’s voice cracked, “The victor, Lucien Cross!”Cheers burst forth in an unstoppable wave.Dozens, no, hundreds, of eyes locked onto Lucien, filled with awe, admiration, and a touch of shock.They screamed his name.“Did you see that?! He beat Tristan Blackthorne!”“That’s not luck, that’s real strength!”“Guess he’s not the pretty boy living off Calista after all.”“Pretty boy? He’s a damn monster!”Others muttered in disbelief, still trying to process what they had just witnessed.In the middle of the uproar, Lucien stood tall.Even in his exhausted state, there was something in his bearing that made people instinctively avert their eyes.Through the deafening chants, a faint gleam of triumph flickered in Lucien’s eyes, but he quickly buried it beneath a mask of calm pride.He waited, letting the noise crest and settle, before drawing upon his energy and blood essence, projec

Back in the challenge arena, five… six minutes had already passed.The chants had not stopped, thousands of voices still roared Ronan Crowne’s name, demanding he step forward to face Lucien Cross.But slowly, the waves of shouting began to break apart, replaced by whispers and uneasy murmurs rippling through the crowd.“Could it be… that Ronan is actually afraid?”“No response after all this time? Is he just pretending not to hear us?”A few scoffed immediately, their faces twisted in disbelief.“Impossible! The noble heir of House Crowne, afraid? That can’t be!”But others shook their heads grimly.“Let’s be real, wouldn’t anyone be afraid? Ronan is only in Early-phase Rank 5. Lucien didn’t announce his cultivation, but he just defeated Tristan Blackthorne, who was solidly Mid-phase Rank 6! What chance does Ronan have? With what? His head? That’s nothing but suicide!”Meanwhile, at the very center of the arena, Lucien slowly opened his eyes.He had taken these few minutes to recover,

It wasn’t only the common students who scoffed at Ronan’s words.Even the noble-born disciples sneered, their laughter cold and cutting.“He’s gone mad with arrogance.”“Too pampered by House Crowne and the blind praise of the masses… does he really think himself an untouchable legend?”Their voices dripped with contempt.For everyone knew the truth.During the last ten years, Ronan had abandoned cultivation entirely, chasing after a woman instead.He had squandered countless resources, throwing away his potential just to win Calista’s heart with endless confessions and gestures of devotion that had amounted to nothing.What good was talent without perseverance?What good was potential when it lay rotting?Meanwhile, Lucien was no longer the boy he once had been.He was now ranked #1 on the Genius Ranking List of the Thalara Martial Art University. A title that was anything but symbolic.In past years, the academy’s top graduates had reached no higher than the Peak of Rank 5, or at mos

The instant Lucien roared, the arena trembled as if struck by thunder.From the Heaven Slaughter Sword in his hand, a tidal wave of sword energy erupted, flooding the entire stage in a storm of shimmering blades.The sharpness was suffocating, so intense that even students seated far in the stands hissed and recoiled, clutching their arms as if invisible steel had carved shallow wounds into their skin.Gasps tore through the crowd.“This… this isn’t ordinary sword energy!” someone shouted.A disciple who specialized in the way of the sword went pale, his lips trembling.“That’s… that’s Sword Intent. Not just the first layer, but at the Proficient Realm!”A deafening commotion followed.Sword Intent, the dream of every swordsman, the absolute path beyond mere techniques.It was divided into four stages: Initial Comprehension, Minor Achievement, Proficient Realm, and finally, the legendary Heart of the Sword.Initial Comprehension was merely brushing against the threshold, flickers of in