Once the two elders had departed, Ronan cast a casual glance toward Lucien and Aveline standing not far away.His eyes narrowed slightly, though a faint smile touched his lips.He turned back to Hadrian, bowing politely.“Principal Hadrian, if you’ll permit, I shall return to my training.”“Good. Focus on tomorrow’s challenge. Leave the rest to us.”Hadrian quickly nodded in agreement.At this point, he wished for nothing more than to avoid another eruption between Ronan and Aveline.With a light smile, Ronan saluted once more and strode away from the challenge arena.Yet behind him, unseen by most, two pairs of eyes followed every step he took.Their gazes burned with venomous hatred, heavy with resentment and a murderous chill.There was no need to guess.Ronan instantly knew who they belonged to.Lucien and Aveline.Ronan’s lips curled into a cold sneer as he turned his back on the arena.They still dared glaring at him?One had challenged him with a reckless strike and lost, the o

That night, in her quarters at the faculty dormitory, Aveline sat before a dim lamp.The Nine Souls Pill alone will not bring Ronan down. He has the Crowne resources at his back. By tomorrow, he could be even stronger than today.“I must find something! Something that can make him lose! That arrogant bastard!”Aveline slammed her fist into the wooden desk, splitting it in two.Moments later, an idea struck her. She leaned back, lips curling into a cold smile.“Even Crowne resources have limits. Ronan Crowne will lose.”***When darkness settled over the academy grounds, Lucien arrived at the training hall.Aveline studied him, examining his aura. The potion worked well.“Good. Your condition is stable again. Now we begin.”Lucien looked around, hoping that Aveline would give him something to help with his cultivation. Other mentors had provided their students with resources for that — even low-ranked ones were useful. But there was nothing.“Mentor, without valuable resources, it is i

Magnus Crowne leaned closer to Garrick, his voice low.“I’m worried about Ronan,” he said. “He should’ve been here by now.”Garrick’s expression remained calm, though his eyes narrowed. “He’ll come. He must. If he doesn’t, we all bear the shame.”Magnus frowned deeply. “Everyone can see these new rules are unfair. If he chooses not to appear, I wouldn’t blame him.”Garrick shook his head slowly. “No. If he doesn’t show, they’ll call him a coward. And that would stain the Crowne name forever.”Magnus fell silent. He hated to admit it, but Garrick was right. Still, unease gnawed at him. Ronan’s absence stretched longer by the minute.Then the announcer’s voice boomed across the arena.“If the Rank 1 contender fails to appear, the tournament will proceed without him. His name will be removed from the challenger list, and his points will automatically be transferred to Rank 2 — Lucien Cross.”A murmur rippled through the audience. The announcer continued,“Any students who wish to forfeit

Ronan stood calmly in the center of the arena. The crowd mistook his silence for arrogance, but in truth, he simply understood exactly what was about to happen. The moment he heard the new rules, he already knew how the families in Thalara would react.‘They will send the weakest first to wear me down… then save their top-ranked fighter for the final strike.’Dozens of clans were present, each with their own elite students. For them, this was more than a tournament, it was a hunt for power, influence, and status. And for that reason, they would all aim for the same prey.But Ronan knew something they didn’t, not all of them would be targeting him.Lucien Cross was Rank 2. Tristan Blackthorne was Rank 3. They would draw challengers as well. That would save Ronan from at least half of the participants.Once blood began to spill, chaos would follow. And Ronan would use that chaos.The announcer raised his hand.“Participants, please take the challenge pods in front of your seats. Enter t

Lucien’s name continued to fill with challengers while Ronan’s queue suddenly stopped growing. Dozens had changed their target. Almost everyone was now aiming at Lucien instead of Ronan.Lucien’s expression darkened as he stared at the magic screen. This wasn’t part of his plan.Ronan glanced at him and spoke casually.“Why the shock, Lucien? Is it because your little plan just turned against you?”Lucien’s eyes twitched.Whispers began spreading around them.“I think Ronan’s right… Lucien and Aveline are close. Maybe they planned this to crush Ronan.”“It might be true!”“That makes sense! If that’s really the case, then this tournament isn’t fair anymore!”Ronan continued, this time in a quiet tone only Lucien could hear.“You know why they turned to you, right? They can smell it… your weakness.”He smiled.Lucien clenched his fist but stayed silent. Anything he said now would only make him look worse. Aveline narrowed her eyes, she could feel the momentum shifting. Ronan was pullin